July 31, 2012

View of the day-Al using the combine to rearrange the combine trailer and hook up the shop trailer.


What a day.  It was cleaning time before loading up, so Marilyn had the pressure washer doing its job and Al looked after getting the trucks and trailers lined up to load.

After getting the header all cleaned up, we hooked it up to the combine again so we could load it on the high speed transport trailer.  Al worked on getting it strapped down and ready for the road, while Marilyn started cleaning the combine.


We were glad we had clouds to keep us cool, but those clouds turned dark and before long we had lightning, thunder and the occasional sprinkle.  Marilyn thought that holding up the sprayer wand to get the top of the combine washed was similar to being a lightning rod, so she shut the washing down just as the rain was starting.  Then it poured, so we figured we might as well go back to the camper and wait it out.


Marilyn was soaked, not from the rain, but from the sprayer wand that desperately needed a new o-ring for the nozzle...there was  as much shooting out the side as there was from the end.  Fortunately it was one of those short, but heavy, rains so after we had a quick lunch, we went back out to finish the job.


After the combine was cleaned up, Al got the shop trailer hooked up to the combine trailer and loaded the combine.  We got that combination hooked up to the General and chained down the combine and mounted the backup camera in the combine cab.  Next came the tractor and cart.

By this time, the clouds had moved on so the sun and humidity were making it very uncomfortable to work, but we got it loaded, tied down and hooked up to the Freightliner.  Finally we could leave with one load, which we did...The Freightliner load and the header were the first to make the trip.

All the highway construction was done and the road was a treat with all that new pavement and no pilot cars...we made pretty good time.  We got to Sterling, ND...a 110 mile trip from Selby, SD...parked the loads in at the truck stop, grabbed a snack, then started back for Selby.

We made it back in no time at all, in time to see the last Selby sunset this year.  Once again, the clouds were starting to form and around 11pm the lightning and thunder cranked up again...and then the rain again.


Let's hope it cools off for tomorrows move...

July 30, 2012

View of the day-The last pass for the 2012 South Dakota spring wheat harvest...for us, at least.

Well, we woke up to rain falling and a band of showers across the river working their way to the east. It wasn't looking too promising.

Al went out early to take off the alternator on the tractor. The light came on the dash yesterday, so he figured he had time to take it off and go get it tested in Bowdle. He came back with a new one.

The sun eventually came out and the wind was drying things down pretty well, so we went out around 3pm to put the alternator on the tractor and do a test.  It tested 13.4% and we were off to the races to get the last little bit done.  We finished by 5pm and that, was that, for that.

After getting the header into transport and hooked up to the Dodge, we waited until the semi had come down the two track trail, then started back for the farm.  After getting the header and combine parked, Al got the oil dropped on the combine for an oil change, then we went back to the field to get the cart and Lauren came along to bring back the other semi.

While Al was bringing back the tractor and cart, Marilyn started cleaning the header and combine off.  She just had the header finished when Al showed up and we closed up shop for the day.  We went back into town...well, halfway...Marilyn forgot the USB stick in the monitor of the combine and needed it to print out maps for Lauren.  Back to the combine we drove to get it.


When we got to town we went to see if the cafe was still open...it was steak time...we were in luck, two times.  They were still open and the steak was delicious.


Back at the camper we got cleaned up and called it a night.  Big cleaning and loading day tomorrow.

And the pile grows...

July 29, 2012

View of the day-Down the prairie trail between the cornfields to get to the waiting combine and cart.


We were hoping to get another early start, but when we listened to the 6am news and it was 93% humidity...well, we just knew we could sleep in for a bit.  We finally headed out to the field around 11am and by then the clouds were getting out of the way and the sun was doing its work to dry down the air.

After servicing the combine, Marilyn started making dust, but we had hit the wall with the trucks.  The empty truck had not made it back to the field and there was only enough room for an extra cart load...the other truck had been filled the night before.  Just in time the truck showed up and we were back to business as usual.


We got that field finished and moved across the fence line to the last field...65 acres and we were starting at 3pm...shouldn't be a problem, right?


Enter, Mother Nature.

Marilyn saw the notorious puffs gathering in the sky, but it seemed like they would stay to the north of us.  Every time she turned around at the south end of the field, the sky to the north was getting darker and the clouds were getting bigger...but the hammer was down, there was only 40 acres left to go.  Surely it would hold off for a couple of hours.

Okay...so it held off for 30 minutes.  At the south end of the field, Marilyn got a few drops on the window of the combine...perhaps doing the thorough job of washing them this morning put the jinx on.  


There were several times, the urge to just bail and head for the truck came over Marilyn, but...the rule is, unless the water is running off the header-keep combining.  So that is what she did...until the end of the pass.  The wind came up, which did a great job of whipping some of the dust and chaff off that had collected in the crevices of the combine...a perfect pre-clean for the rain that was about to blast us.  Marilyn just made it to the north end and got dumped in the cart when the rain hit hard.

Al had to try and get the cart tarped in the wind and rain. Fortunately he had gotten the semi tarped before the wind hit...but with Marilyn strategically parking the combine to break the wind, he got the job done and we raced to get parked and out of the field.  While Marilyn was getting the combine parked and running to the Dodge, Al got the semi moved out on to the grass road, then jumped into the pickup and we were off to drive the two miles on the back trails to get to the highway before it really started coming down.

The day had such promise and we won't know how much rain there was out at the combine until tomorrow, but here is a machine that doesn't care if it rains or shines...the one on the right, not the red one.


Early night in... 

July 28, 2012

View of the day-Al puts the last of the fuel in the combine before we leave the field.


We had an excellent day of combining...beautiful weather and a good wind played a big part of it. AIS to leave for the field was 10:30am, but Marilyn was already combining by that time.  It was a long day, but a productive one...we finally broke 100 acres today by finishing with 125.  It's been quite a while since we had one of those days.


We had some green wheat issues, but the farmer had air to his bins, if needed, so he told us to carry on...and we did.  We finished the green patched field, then moved right next to it to start on the next field and the moisture on this one was 10%, so we are pretty sure it should offset the wet stuff.  And it was four times the size of the first field, so for sure it would blend in.


Marilyn hardly had time to take a break with Al picking up on the go all the time...that really helps with productivity when you don't have to stop or run across the field to dump...especially with another 65 bu/ac yield.

We quit just after sundown and took a two track trail back to the highway...only a mile, but we hadn't gone that way before, so we didn't know what to expect.  We could see lights flashing on the highway and as we came up to the cause of them, we could only feel their pain...the harvest crew's bunkhouse had a sore foot and they were trying to get it changed...in the dark...with tons of traffic. No DOT, though, so that was good for them.


Looks like tomorrow is going to be another good day of harvesting...

July 27, 2012

View of the day-Al does do his own windows occasionally. Well...the back one, at least.


Another foggy day to start, and there was a bank of clouds on the other side of the Missouri threatening to cross over and hold us up.  Fortunately, it headed SE and before long, the sun was breaking through and we had hopes of getting started before noon.


We went out to the field, did our servicing, then Marilyn started combining...which lasted a pass and a half, before the return elevator plugged...and it happened without warning.  On the monitor, there are warning symbols...five squares, followed by three triangles...the alarm starts after all five bars and the first triangle appear.  This time it was just, BAM. Plugged.


Al opened the trap on the return elevator to clean it out, then checked the bottom sieve...it was pretty much closed.  This meant that the grain would go through the rotor, shake across the chaffer and any grain that hadn't been thrashed out, would head back through the return elevator to the rotor to get re-thrashed.  Apparently when the sieve was closed, it wasn't just the grain getting sent back, but all the chaff and small straw bits...and that created the jam.


After getting the sieve set again, Al went back to his tractor and Marilyn finished the round...almost.  Plugged again.  How the heck could that be???  Nothing had really changed from yesterday, but when he went to check the sieve again...it was closed.  Ghost in the machine?  Loose linkage?  We had no idea.

When we checked the linkage, we had to take a piece off the back of the combine to get inside and apparently we didn't pay attention to how it came out.  We figured it out after it had chewed up the fins on straw spreader.  We spent the better part of two hours trying to get it set right.  Again we ask...what the heck could have changed?

We ended up having to have a sample that wasn't as good as it had been in the beginning, but it was the only way we could keep going.  While Al was waiting for a load, he had to move a wire in the next field to allow the combine to get in and he had an audience.

The strangest thing of all was when we finished that field and moved to the next one just across the road, the sample was so clean it was ready for the drill...and we didn't do a thing. Go figure.

We cut till dark, then shut it down.  Al dropped Marilyn off at the camper and went over to Java to get fuel for tomorrow.  Our neighbours have moved out and now we have a view of the pile across the road...it's getting bigger.


Now to catch up on the Olympics...

July 26, 2012

View of the day-We will be able to keep track of the spring wheat pile that has started in Selby...it is right across from our campground in the motel parking lot.

AIS was to be 11:30am and we beat that by 10 minutes.  The day was 25º cooler than the last week and the wind was huffing out of the NW...perfect drying weather.  We got out to the farm yard where the combine was parked and got ready for the big 5 mile move to the next field.  Before we left the yard, Al unloaded the tub of grain that he had cleaned out of the cart and left it next to the chicken coop...looks like the semis clean out in the same place, those lucky chickens. 

Marilyn drove the combine over and Al followed with the header.  We managed to get moved in between pilot car loads, so we didn't tie up any traffic. After getting the header hooked up, Marilyn cut a patch to run a few bushels through the combine so it would be cleaned out for the seed wheat.  We had a short wait for the semi and small tandem to show up, but once the dab of wheat that was on the combine got dumped into the tandem, we were ready to take on the day.

This spring wheat is going well over 60 bu/ac, so Al has been kept busy keeping the wheat away from the combine...the semi driver is kept running, too.  Marilyn didn't have to stop at all...except for the nature breaks...so we finally had a good day.  Just over 90 acres...not bad for a short day and a heavy crop...and we even got the use the lights on the combine for one round.


We shut it down just after 9pm and came back to the camper.  The chickens must have been pleased with the offerings that Al had left because there were a dozen eggs in the pickup for us at the end of the day.


Bacon and eggs for supper tonight...

July 25, 2012

View of the day-Perfect timing going down the highway just as the spray plane passed over us.

With all the noise from the thunder during the night, we knew it wouldn't be an early morning...well, at least for Marilyn.  Al had business to attend to first thing in the morning, so he was long gone by 8:30am.

We tried an new place for lunch, The Dakota Maid, and they actually serve breakfast all day...Al finally got his omelet. After lunch, we went out to the farm to get the combine and header cleaned off.  All that chaff, dust, heat and high humidity made for an uncomfortable  couple of hours. Marilyn spent most of her time on the combine and header, while Al did some fixing and waited for his turn with the air hose.  He was busy moving tubs around to catch any of the seeds that came out of the hopper and grain elevators, they were going to feed the chickens.

After the cleaning was done, we went out and got the grain cart and moved it to the next field.  Al was out with another one of his tubs to catch the seeds that had worked their way to the bottom of the cart travelling down the rough roads.


We called it quits for cleaning and went home to shower up before going on a parts run.  We had ordered two new bolts for the spreaders...they were on warranty...and decided to pick up some fuel and oil filters and  a bucket of oil for the oil change coming up.  We only had to go 25 miles to Bowdle and after getting our parts and checking out the town, we stopped for pizza at the fuel station/restaurant...it was pretty good, too.

On our way back home, as we checked out the corn fields, a spray plane intersected with us just at the right moment.  Marilyn wasn't quite prepared for the flyover, so this was the best she could do.

We stopped at Java to get fuel in the slip tank and got there just a few minutes too late, because there was a semi filling both his saddle tanks with clear diesel...and they only have a small car filler nozzle on the pumps, so we had lots of chat time with the locals.  While we were waiting, Al pointed out the "roof garden" on the elevator.


Back at the camper, calling it an early night so we can be fresh as a daisy tomorrow to get back to combining again.  There had only been 0.2" in the combine guage, but with the humidity so high, the bite test was still around 16% moisture for the wheat.  Clouds had built up to the south and east, but we eventually ended up with a blue cloudless sky...very promising.


Patience...patience...

July 24, 2012

View of the day-Al getting out of the truck in the elevator so the load of wheat can get weighed.


Another high humidity day, just what we didn't need to get the latest field finished.  Al went out early and took the load that was on the General into the elevator at Java, then came back to the camper to get Marilyn, who was told AIS was 10:30am.


When Al got back to the camper with the news that it was not going to be an early day of combining, Marilyn suggested an early lunch in town.  After our burgers at the Cloverleaf Cafe, we went out to the field and did a test...the combine showed 15.5% moisture, but it hadn't been calibrated for moisture yet.  We added the "moist" sample to the 350 bushels that were in the cart from yesterday...it was plenty dry...then we both went into the elevator to test the sample and dump the load of wheat.  Quite the loopy-loo to get into the elevator to weigh, then around to dump and back in to weigh out.

The sample didn't affect the truckload...the cart does a wonderful job of blending...and after dumping and finding out our sample from the test was 14.7%, we went back to the camper to wait it out for a few hours.  Surely the sun would come out and work its magic.

We went out again around 3pm, and did another test...right at 13.5% and it could only get better, right?  Marilyn continued combining and Al hauled until the field was done around 7:30pm.  The spring wheat wasn't running as good as the winter wheat...43 bu/ac.

While Al was taking the last load in, Marilyn got the header into transport and took it back to the yard where Al met her with the General, then we went back to the field to get the combine moved before dark.


Now the tractor and cart are the only thing left out at the field...we will rescue that in the morning, then start cleaning the combine and header to start in a different variety of spring wheat.  This is seed wheat, so we have to have the machine spotless...and seedless...to start.


There have been rumbles of thunder...could be another late start tomorrow...

July 23, 2012

View of the day-The fleet waits for the dry down.


No more rain during the night, which was a good thing for us.  While we were killing time in the camper, Al got a call from the Ag announcer at CJGX radio back home in Yorkton.  He has started doing harvest reports and interviewed Al on the phone for the noon ag report.  We knew we wouldn't have to get out to the field too early, so we waited to listen to it on the internet before heading out.

We went out to the field to check the rain gauge and the trap line...the gauge had even less than yesterday thanks to the wind that evaporated 1/10" from it.  The trap lines were empty.  Al figures it/they might have taken off when he started the truck up yesterday.


We took a trip into Java to get fuel for the combine and toured around a bit.  There were a few harvester campers parked around...our neighbours from Gettysburg were there...and they were sitting around waiting.  They had brought in a test that was 16% moisture, so they were in the same boat as us.

We went back out to the combine, fueled, greased and did the windows, then took a test.  Because this is the first spring wheat we have cut, the monitor has not been calibrated, so we weren't sure if the moisture was right. Al and Dennis took the sample into the elevator, in his work truck...another one of those classic Chevy's(Terrier orange, Curtis)...and it was 13.1%...Marilyn was given the word to crank up and start cutting.


Al got made four trips into the elevator before quitting for the day.  Even though we are only four miles from Java as the crow flies, Al doubles that by having to take "drive-able" roads.  Marilyn insisted on combining to get at least half the field done before quitting and that worked out perfectly so that the truck and grain cart were full to end the day.


Back at the camper, we had our supper, watched a little TV and kept checking the radar to see if the rain was coming our way.  It fizzled out, but there is more coming behind it.

Let's hope it swings to the north...

July 22, 2012

View of the day-Oh, such promise as we moved to the next field, Al leading the way with the header...the hope the clouds that were building rapidly would stay north and leave us alone.

Fog this morning, so the humidity was pretty much at 100%.  The state of the straw yesterday when we quit was bad enough, but fog meant a late start. For sure.

We decided to have lunch at the cafe...it was Sunday brunch time and that was all they offered...no menu items.  It was yummy, just the same and the joint was hopping, so we ate and ran.  We got out to the field just around noon and Marilyn went out to do a test...plenty dry and the straw was breaking up just perfectly, so it was hammer down and go.


We only had 40 acres left on this field...the last winter wheat we would do this year...and we were finished by 3pm.  We had a short wait when we first started for an empty truck, but after that, there was no stopping until the last stalk of wheat was whacked.

We got the header into transport, hooked it to the pickup, then went to get the General unhooked from the combine trailer back at the yard, then went back for the combine and header and started moving 10 miles to the next field.  We got there with no incident, got the header on and Marilyn was just pulling into the field to start, when Al called her on the radio...the other straw spreader had fallen off.  This time what was left of the bolt was sitting on the spreader on the ground, so we put the stub back in to hold the spreader on until we could get to the other end of the field.

Marilyn got the first pass along the road done and cut a patch to park everything, then we went back with Dave, the farmer's son to get the grain cart and General.  Yep...Al had to start hauling grain from this field.  Marilyn got to move the tractor and grain cart, while Al got dropped of at the General to bring it over to the new field and start combining.


By the time Marilyn got over with the tractor and cart, there were drops appearing on the tractor windows...then it started coming down a bit heavier.  Al had quit combining and was rushing to get back to the trucks before the deluge hit, while Marilyn got wet getting the cart tarped, then ran over to close the tarp on the General after Al finished dumping the combine.  Then it really started coming down.

The wipers would not keep the water off the windshield and Marilyn tried to get a couple of pictures to show how much rain was falling.  The first picture, you can barely see the elevator that is 3/4 mile away.  When we went back after the rain to check the gauge on the combine, Marilyn took another picture at the same spot the first one was taken so you can see how far away the elevator was.


There was just under 1/2" in the gauge, but there was more trouble on the horizon, so we quickly got the tractor lined up with the rest of the crew, then laid a sticky-trap line for the mouse/mice that had chewed up the roll of blue paper towels in the cab.


Once we had our trap laid, we took off back for town just as it was starting to sprinkle again...looked like that was going to be the norm for the next few hours.  

Back at the camper there was another beautiful sunset...

July 21, 2012

View of the day-Al gets the rads and the air filter blown out while we wait for the humidity to disappear.

We knew it wouldn't be an early day due to the high humidity...it had sprinkled a few times during the night, which didn't help.  Al went over to Java to get fuel and look at the next field we were going to, just to see how close it was...the spring wheat is ready to go.

After getting our lunches packed, we went out to the field and did a bit of servicing, then did a test.  It was 13.5%, which was dry enough, but with 80 bu/ac wheat, the straw was wayyy to tough to start...it wasn't spreading very well and there was no wind to speak of...so we waited.

We finally got going around 2:30pm and managed to cut those three acres we were short yesterday before the sprinkles started falling again...done for the afternoon, and back to the camper.  

The sun came out a couple times and it cleared off, the humidity never did get much below 55%, but we went back out around 5pm to see how much we could get done.  We filled a couple or three semis before it got too tough to carry on...the sun was getting low and the clouds were making their way back in 70% humidity. We got 40 acres covered but this time we were done for sure.

Hopefully we finish the winter wheat tomorrow...

July 20, 2012

View of the day-The hopper full lights were on more than they were off in this 70+ bu/ac wheat.


The dust was flying by 10:30am and we went hard all day.  We finished the last half of the field around 6pm, then got the header into transport to move to the next field three miles away.

It was another blistering day and the wind couldn't make up it's mind which direction it was coming out of.  When we got into the pickup...which was sitting in the shade...to leave the field, the temperature monitor said it all.  Al tried to keep cool in the tractor with no A/C by facing into the elusive wind with the windows open...a tough job when picking up on the go, which he was doing every 20 minutes or so.

While making a round, Marilyn happened to notice in her rear view mirror, that the straw and chaff had suddenly disappeared from the right side of the combine.  After turning around at the end of the cut, she could see why...one of the spreaders was sitting at the beginning of the bead of straw that was left.   No problem finding all the parts...except the bolt that was holding it on, it must have broken.  We had to go back to the shop trailer to find another bolt and put everything back together.  Once that was done, it was business as usual.

We got started on the other field and Lauren was kept busy hauling with his two semis.  Al had it down to a science just how much to put in each hopper and even though the haul was only a mile away, half of that was on the highway and no way were they taking any chances on overloading...those SD DOT are sneaky buggers.

Al called quittin' time just 3 acres short of Marilyn getting her 100 in for the day...

July 19, 2012

View of the day-Opened the blinds this morning in the camper, looked out the window and got a great surprise...we didn't have to hunt him down this time.


So much for forecasts.  Al got up this morning, looked out the window and saw dark clouds.  He then went online and saw two red patches across the river heading our way...that screwed up the plans of being out to do a test by noon.

The first batch of clouds crossed over and dropped some rain...more than a sprinkle, but less than 0.10".  The second one came by and did the same thing, the total never reached 0.10", but looking at the radar, it looked worse at the combine.


We had lunch in the camper, then Al decided to go out and do a test, just for the hell of it.  It tested 12.7%, so he brought a sample in to the elevator, stopped by to pick up Marilyn, then went back to the field to start cutting.

The field was 1/4 mile by 1 mile long, so we had to cut it half to make shuttling to the trucks a short trip.  Lauren had his two semis out at the field and Al ran our cart, picking up Marilyn on every round, since she couldn't make it the full round without the cart. It was averaging over 80 bu/ac!

Al noticed there were a lot of crews heading north on the highway and across the way was a JD with a stripper head making pretty good time and making lots of dust. Marilyn got the first chunk finished then opened up the other half, while Al and Lauren got the semi and grain cart moved over to the other end of the field, then we called it a night. Considering our short day of combining heavy wheat, 70 acres was not bad. 


Now we can get into the swing of things... 

July 18, 2012

View of the day-No combining today...just under an inch at the combine.


We were wakened to the sound of rain around 6am so we knew we would be able to sleep in for a little longer.  We had no idea how much rain had fell...it didn't sound like very much, so we called Lauren and he said they had about 0.20" at the farm.  We decided to go out around 3pm...surely that would give it time to dry down.


Marilyn worked on getting another year of the blog set up to make another book through Blurb.  The Booksmart program downloads all the blog entries, then Marilyn just has to reformat the pages and put the original pictures in...as you can see by clicking on the little book to the right of the blog.  Once the book is formatted, it takes about 10 days and you have a book in hand...a great way to save all the years of the blog...or pictures, or whatever.  The 2007 blog version that has already been made, is now available for the ipad and iphone...of course, as anyone who knows Marilyn...we are not "i"people.

We got lunch in the bag and ice in the water cooler then headed out to the field.  Al dropped Marilyn off at the combine and went out to give the standing grain the "bite test".  He just about fell over when Marilyn told him there was just under an inch of rain in the gauge..."are you sure you emptied it from yesterday?".  Marilyn assured him that she did and she even took the paper towel to it and dried it out right to the bottom...there was no mistake.

No combining today...there wasn't a lick of wind to work any miracles.  Now Marilyn could finish her shopping in Mobridge, so off we went on another road trip.  Al got to look for toys, missing a selection of big 4WD tractors by a couple weeks at the New Holland dealership.  He came home empty handed in the toy department, but did pick up a few things at Runnings.  


The big purchase of the day was at the meat market in town..."real" hot dogs...well, as real as hot dogs can get.  Al loves BBQ'd hot dogs, but doesn't like the packaged ones that seem to be the only ones available down here...until today.  We stocked up on meat from the butcher shop, then decided to take a quick tour of one of the pawn shops in town.  We seem to have problems with 7/16 wrenches evaporating and Al won't pay retail, so we checked out the pawn shop...the man there told us if we could find any, he would buy them all from us...he had only one and it looked like it had see the welder a time or two.

We came back to the camper, put out the awning and tried to keep cool watching the tornado hunter streaming video from back home...and some CFL football.

No rain forecast...

July 17, 2012

View of the day-The rest of the story on the dual wheel carrier from yesterday.  Here is the bracket that was built to carry the tires...BRILLIANT!


RAIN! During the night it rained several times, one of them around 6am was a gusher. Not sure what they got in town, but six miles south of town at the combine, the gauge showed 0.45".

We knew there wouldn't be any work for the better part of the day.  We had hoped that the sun would come out and the wind would blow to dry the wheat down...we hoped.  We had lunch in the camper, then headed over to Java to get some fuel for the combine.

We took the fuel over to the field and got the combine fueled, emptied the rain guage, cleaned the windows, then decided to do a bit of fixing.  Marilyn got into the grain cart to take one of the hoops out that the rivets had broken out of, making it tilt sideways and making it useless for holding the tarp up.  We knew getting it out would be no problem...it came out in three pieces...but would reassembling go as smooth?


We went back to the shop trailer, which was back at the yard, got the rivets replaced, then decided to change one of the tail lights on the combine trailer that had been giving Al problems.  We went back to the grain cart, got the hoop back in...good as new, then thought we would take a road trip to Mobridge to pick up a few things we couldn't get in town.

It was a nice drive over and we drove across the river to tour around a bit, then Al took Marilyn to the Alco store so she could get a shopping fix in.  She was only 1/4 way through the store when Al came in looking for her...he had gotten a phone call from one of our friends from Saskatchewan who was stopping in for a visit and was 20 miles from Selby.  That made short work of Marilyn's shopping trip...back to Selby we went.

We met Jack and his son-in-law in town...they had been down to Nebraska to pick up some sprayer booms...and after a beverage or two in the camper, we took them on a tour of the countryside and out to the combine to check it out.  It was too bad that it didn't dry down enough that they were able to do some combining...the humidity was crazy high all day.


After their tour, they were on their way to make Bismarck for the night...only an hour and a half drive north.  We had supper in the camper and called it a night.


Rain in the forecast, but we can hope, can't we...

July 16, 2012

View of the day-This combine was parked at the junction of Hwy 83 & 12 and it looks like it  has lots of traction.  Actually there is a bracket across the top of the feeder house that the wheels are bolted to for transport.

Plan for today was to get fuel for the combine from Java, have lunch, then head out to the combine and maybe do a test.  We got the first two items crossed off the list, then went out and fueled the combine.  After finding the farmer working on an auger in his new shop...*drool*...we stopped in to see what his plans were.

Because they were still busy hauling corn out of the bins, we wouldn't be able to start until the trucks were freed up.  It was decided then, that we should at least move out to the field and cut a patch out to park everything on when we got there.


This field is right along US83 highway, so the traffic is pretty hectic.  We have passed this field several times every year for at least 18 out of 21 years...the other three years we allow for construction that made us detour around.  We are always amazed by the turns this job takes us on.

There was a 'point of interest' marker across from the entrance to the field and we were able to weasle in with the header behind the Dodge so Marilyn could hook up.  By using the slow transport wheels on the header, instead of the big high transport trailer, it eliminates having to find a parking spot for the trailer...which would mean having to back up that four wheeled rig.  We haven't mastered that yet.  Perfect spotting of the header by Al and we were hooked up and ready to make some dust...once we got turned around.

Al jumped in and took over the combining duties...here is proof that he does get to drive it every once in a while.  We made a couple of passes on the outside edge and cut a big patch for the semis to park, then we were going to go back to get the grain cart to empty the hopper full that we had gotten...it was averaging around 70 bu/ac.  Just as we were leaving, Lauren, the farmer stopped his semi on the highway...he was hauling a load of corn into Selby...he grabbed a sample from the combine, then went on his way.  As did we.

We went back to get the tractor and cart, then decided to try and fix one of the hoops that was tired and just wanted to lay down...one of the rivets holding the pipe to the bracket insert had broke loose.  Marilyn was going to get into the cart and pass the hoop to Al, but the 102º temps made the cart too hot to handle and being as Marilyn had to sit on the end cap to get into the hopper...well, no one needs a hot seat...we scrapped the fix for a cooler day.


Al got the cart out to the field and we got the combine hopper unloaded and tarped the cart.  We came back to Selby and stopped at the grocery store to pick up something light for supper, then went back to the camper.  Marilyn went directly into the shower and while she was in there, a phone call came for Al...it was Lauren and he had a truck free, so he figured we could come back out and combine enough to fill it.

Al went out on his own and Marilyn stayed back at the camper, watching the radar to see if the thunderstorm warnings for our area were going to hit.  Al called just as he got started combining to say there was an error message and he needed to know what to do to get rid of it.  Marilyn is so used to the little things that come up, so that when Al asked if he could just get in the combine and go, she said yes, it is all set...not thinking about those little issues.  He got the error message off while they were talking and he was off and cutting.

Marilyn is sure Al had it all planned...

July 15, 2012

View of the day-All moved and unloaded, ready to get started when we get the green light.

We were up early and the first thing on the list was to get the General started so it could air up and we could move it onto the street from its parking spot.  Al walked over to do that, since it was only half a block away and when he arrived...there were three semis that had him blocked in.  We weren't going anywhere until they got moved.

Fortunately, it was our next door neighbours at the campground, so a knock at the door got things rolling and they were over to shift their rigs so we could escape.  Al got the General moved onto the street, then we got most of the camper packed up, ready to move and then we went to the Medicine Rock for Sunday Brunch.

After lunch, we hooked up the camper and headed out.  We wanted to get there early, because the forecast for the day was to crack 100º and we didn't want to be driving in that. This was also our shortest move ever...only 40 miles...so it didn't take us long and it was even better since the construction guys had taken Sunday off.

We got out to the farm, parked the General's rig, then Al jumped in the pickup with Marilyn and we forged into town to get settled in our camp spot at the motel. Once we figured out which way to park the camper so all the hoses would reach, it was no time at all that we were sucking up some of that A/C inside.  Marilyn made the motion that we should not go out to unload until later in the evening when it cooled off.  Al seconded, making it a unanimous vote, and inside we stayed.


Around 7:30pm, we made the move out the door and down to the convenience store to grab a block of ice for the water cooler, then it was time to unload.  We got out to the farm and the strong south wind was still blowing pretty hard, so that kept us somewhat cool and it had been cloudy all day...still didn't stop the thermometer from hitting 103º.

After we got everything unloaded and parked, we came back to the camper to clean up and call it a day.


Lots of crews are moving through town, heading north...