July 31, 2013

View of the day-Gerry gets the cart tarp back together after getting the crooked rod that rolls it open and closed, straightened.

No combining today, too much rain last night. Al took the load from last night into the elevator and that was the extent of his work for the day.  Gerry and Chris worked on the grain cart tarp, while Marilyn and Lynn had a shopping day.

While the guys were doing their thing at the campground, the girls took a drive into Chadron for some much needed "retail therapy".  After a few hours in WalMart and a stop to pick up an Arby's fix for Al, it was back to Gordon...via Family Dollar in Rushville and Alco in Gordon. Best to spread the harvesting dollars around.

After getting everything put away, we had supper over at the crew trailer and that was the end of a tough day.

At least there was no rain...

July 30, 2013

View of the day-Gerry gets the combines fueled as we wait for the clouds to clear.

It was AIS at 8:30am, there were things that needed to be done.  Although it was sunny at 7:30, by the time we got out to the field there was cloud cover and almost 70% humidity...not great to work in.

The rigs got fueled and serviced, by the time that was done, we could see blue sky coming as the sun worked it's magic and the clouds disappeared.  The straw was pretty tough to start with, but the farmer was baling it, so that didn't matter too much and after he figured we had dropped enough, we switched back to spreading the straw.  That was easier said than done.  

There was 100 bushel straw and with the dampness and lack of wind, it was just dropping out of the combines...not spreading very much at all. No matter, Gerry got his combine chopping a little finer and we were going good again.  We had to work around the irrigation pivot in the centre of the field, but once we had trimmed as much as we could, the farmer started it up and shifted it enough for Gerry to clean it up.

We carried on with the combining, keeping Lynn hopping as this side of the field had a different variety and it was going over 80 bu/ac in some places.  We finally got the field finished and made the move to the next field.

Now all afternoon we had been listening to the weather band and the storm warnings for our area.  We were fortunate that they built up just to the east of us and kept going that direction, so we were spared.  Once we got to the other 30 acre patch, we could see that our luck was running out. With the fact that this field was running half what the other one was, we were done in no time at all...just as the clouds were getting more ominous in the west.

With a longer move in store for tomorrow, we got the headers off the combines and into transport for the mornings move...then made a dash for town.  

Lynn and Marilyn got Gerry to take a side trip to get some pictures of the clouds and impending rain...some at highway speeds...before coming back to the campground...where we arrived just as the rain was starting to fall.

Marilyn had to run over to Pizza Hut to pick up supper...in the pouring rain.  How convenient that the two umbrellas she brought were both out in the truck, 20 ft from the camper...a little soap and she could have skipped the evening shower.

Looks like we might be able to sleep in tomorrow...

July 29, 2013

View of the day-The guys go over the Macdon test head one more time before starting to cut...finally.

We waited until just after lunch to leave for the field...let it dry down just a little bit more. We did another semi load "sample" and this time we were close enough to go, so go we did. We got the field finished, then moved over to the field of wheat that was pivot irrigated.

It was a bit of a task getting into the field...there were several tree stumps that had been hidden in the tall grass, so there was a lot of jigging and jogging around to get past them, but we made it.

We were dropping the straw for baling and after the first couple rounds, the farmer showed up with his baler and followed the combine for a bit.  It looked like he was going to catch up, but he parked his rig...perhaps so there wouldn't be an obstacle course for the grain cart...or...?

This wheat was really thick, going around 70 bu/ac in some places.  In other places it was so thick that it laid down and was lodged...not real fun to combine...this slowed us down to a crawl.  Gerry was having problems with the test header...the knife was in need of new sections, so it wasn't cutting to good and there was no reverser on it.  This was something he really needed in this thick straw, so the first time it jammed, the header had to go.

Marilyn kept combining while Gerry went back to the other field to get his own header. Once he got back and got set up, we only made a couple more rounds before quitting for the night...once we lost the wind, it started getting tough.

But we did get to use the lights on the machines...

July 28, 2013

View of the day-Lynn putting the "sample" in the semi...a truckload sample.

We had good wind today, but the temps never got above 75º, so there wasn't much drying. Gerry went out a couple of times to sample, then figured by 5pm we would just go out and cut a truckload and see where we were at.

Marilyn finally got her scanning project started...it has only been on the to-do list for the past 6 years.  With all the pictures that have been taken along the harvest run since we started going south...1990 was the first year for Marilyn, 1989 for Al...there is a lot of scanning ahead.

It was good to take a break and actually go out a do a bit of combining, even if it was only a couple of rounds.  Chris went into the elevator with the load, so we sat and waited for the call back with the moisture...still 14%...it hadn't gone down at all. We were done for the day.

Back to scanning...

July 27, 2013

View of the day-The New Holland support pickup got into the parade for the Sheridan County Fair.  It has been on all week just a couple blocks away from the campground.

It was really a super do nothing day.  The temperature had a hard time getting into the 70's and the sky was overcast the whole day...no rain, but no drying, either.

We did venture out to see the parade and drive around town a bit, but then it was back to the camper to take it easy.  Gerry did go out and do a test, but it was well over 14% moisture, so that was that for the day.

We went and had supper over at the crew trailer where Lynn had tried out a new way of cooking corn on the cob.  She took a coleman cooler, put the shucked corn cobs into it along with a couple pots of boiling water and closed the lid for 20-30 minutes. Presto! Perfect corn on the cob.

After supper, we went back to the camper to catch the last half of the Saskatchewan Roughriders football game.  They won another one and are now 5-0. WooHoo!

Got our fingers crossed for combining tomorrow...

July 26, 2013

View of the day-One of the road blocks along the way. Marilyn really has to do something with those antennas on the passenger side of the vehicle...they really get in the way.

AIS was to be at 8:30am, but around 5am the sound of raindrops on the camper roof woke us up.  Marilyn checked the outside temperature...48ºF...brisk, no wonder we didn't hear the A/C all night. We waited to see if it was going to be a passing shower...it wasn't...so back to sleep we went. Until 9am, when it was still raining and Gerry was knocking at the door.

He had decided that there would be no combining today...no word on how much had fallen...so if we wanted to take our road trip to Phillipsburg, KS to clean out the Freightliner, we would be safe to do it.

Now, the Dodge has had quite a few days off, since we have been "ride-alongs" in Gerry's service truck, so now it was going back into commission with a 700 mile round trip to Phillipsburg and back.  We grabbed what we needed and hit the road.

The trip was uneventful...we took a different route down...and the small system that had caused the rain followed us...or we followed it...pretty much all the way to the Nebraska/Kansas border.  The temperatures were a lot milder than the last time we were through this area, just barely making 80º.

We got to the Freightliner and proceeded to take out the two way radio and the few tools that were left in it.  At this point there wasn't any engine in sight...all the ones they had found "needed work".  We had one of those in the truck already, so we figured we would see if there was any interest in the old girl for parts.

Brad, the repair shop owner, had someone who was interested, so he came into town while we were unloading the Freight to talk to us.  He was a local farmer, with mechanical skills, who though he might be able to use it for parts...the box and hoist, rear ends, etc. The Freightliner could be an organ donor.

We had all our goods and started back for Gordon...stopping in Holdredge for the last...for sure last...milk shake of this season. It seemed like every little town was having some kind of a summer show as the fair grounds were full of stock trailers and there was highway traffic then made it back to Gordon by 10pm.

Hopefully we combine tomorrow...

July 25, 2013

View of the day-We say goodbye to Craig as he heads back home to Alberta.

It wasn't an early morning...cloudy with high humidity put the brakes on getting an early start.  Lynn had breakfast ready for the crew, so we went over to the crew trailer to dine, then came back to the camper to wait for the call.

While we waited, Craig was getting his stuff together to start back for home, so we had a chat with him before saying our goodbyes and waving him off.

Gerry decided we would get the last little bit of the field done even if it was a bit wet...the elevator said they would take it, so...shut up and drive.  We got that finished in good time, then got the headers off and prepared for the move east of Gordon...down the highway with the construction.

After passing a few crews parked and waiting, we made it to the field and Marilyn got her header on and proceeded to make the first round, while Gerry waited for the MacDon truck to show up with a prototype header to use.  


They were missing a cable, so he just went back to his old header and we lapped up the 80 acres before dark. We got the machines lined up and the windows dusted off, before heading back to the campground. 

Al and Chris took the semis back to the camper after getting them unloaded, then we all had supper over at the crew trailer.

Finally, a day without rain...  

July 24, 2013

View of the day-Lynn checking out Sam and Luther, the mules at the farm that are usually checking us out.

It was moving day today...for the RV's, at least.  We all got our rigs into transport mode and moved from Hay Springs, east 27 miles to Gordon.  We got the campers set up, then got ready to go out to the field...after some ice cream at the truck stop.

Ahhh, the old harvester's mantra "it only rained a tenth at the farm".

We combined enough to fill the semi with what was left in the cart from yesterday...13.9% moisture, but this elevator wasn't as particular about a cut off point. Mind you, they did take a good percentage off for the wet wheat and drying it.  Gerry decided to wait a couple hours and see if it would dry down.

Back in town, Marilyn and Lynn took a couple laps around the Dollar General to pick up a few things.  By the time we got back to the camper, it was "go time" again and we were off to the field for another test...or semi load.

We got that semi load and Al took it in...14.7% moisture...it wasn't looking good.  We did a bit of window cleaning while we waited for the results. While the guys got the shop trailer hooked up, the girls when browsing again. 

We found this neat three wheeled tractor that still gets used for mowing and Marilyn is hoping to get some video of the old tow truck from the other day...the farmer actually came out and started it for Craig.  Three pumps on the pedal and it turned over and ran smooth as could be.

The farmers dog spends a lot of time with the mules and his "dog house" seems to be the barn as he watched us trying to get the mules over for a scratch.  the just threw in the towel and came back to the campers for good.

At least all the bad weather stayed just to the south of us...

July 23, 2013

View of the day-Look at those lunch bags getting along in the tool box.

It wasn't an early morning, the guys took the trucks down to the farm south of town where the combine trailers were parked. Marilyn and Lynn waited back at the campers until Gerry came through town on his way back to the combines.

It had rained a bit out at the field last night, so we knew it wouldn't be an early start to combining, so Gerry did a bit of greasing to kill time until we could start.  The guys had moved the combine trailers over to Gordon, where they will get loaded once we finish over there...but first we have to get done here.

There was green wheat in some of the low areas, so we didn't want to have a whole truck load of wet wheat, but fortunately there was 2/3 of a semi of dry wheat from yesterday. Gerry decided to just fill the semi and wait to find out what it tested before going ahead with any more.

Since the combines were sitting, Marilyn rode into the elevator with Al to see how "the other half" spends the day...a nice change.  We got to the elevator and Al pulled onto the scale to get the load weighed and probed.  We went into the office to see what the moisture was and to find out what the cutoff was for wet wheat.  

We watched as they used a camera on the probe to aim it into the wheat, then they vacuumed the sample into the office and did the testing. It was 13.9% moisture...the cut off was 14%, so we were able to dump.

We drove across town to the huge Cover All building and pulled on to the pit to dump. The elevator guys looked after opening the hoppers, while Al just had to pull ahead when signalled.  

We got dumped and headed back to the elevator to get weighed off, then went back out to the field.

When we got back out, the rest of the crew had gotten back from their ice cream break in town and were ready to get back to work. Marilyn got to pass her "Sparky" nickname on to Lynn as she clipped a power line with the auger...likely the ground wire, because nothing caught on fire.  By the time we got back to the field, the power line crew was there trying to get it back into place.

We started combining again and kept an eye on the sky as the clouds were pretty dark to the north, but seemed to be staying away from us...but that didn't last.  We got everything parked and jumped in the pickup just as the rain hit and on the way back on the highway, the hail hit...it was really coming down hard. Traffic was just crawling, if it moved at all, but by the time we got back to the campground, it was letting up.  So much for combining for the day.

Al had been wanting to get into Chadron for Arby's, so this was our chance to go.  We got there and discovered that Al had left his wallet at the camper and Marilyn had changed out of wet clothes, but forgot to take her cash and cards with her.  We had just enough money to buy supper and refill our water jugs.  No shopping for Marilyn, which made Al happy.

We stopped at the Agco dealer and got to see yet another Harvest Support Truck, before going back to Hay Springs for the night.

Wonder how much it rained out at the field...

July 22, 2013

View of the day-At least something is busy working today. A gorgeous day to be out and about.

An early start to the day, at least in the camper.  Marilyn got lunches ready, then we waited to find out what would be going on. Gerry and Craig went out to look at some crops in the area, then came back with the verdict that we wouldn't be combining today.

Time for a road trip. We all piled into the service pickup to check on the next job on the agenda.  Before we made the tour, Gerry decided to go out to the combines and have Craig bring out the semi that he had unloaded in town.  Since we were out there anyway, the combines got serviced to be ready for tomorrow.

While the guys were working on servicing, Marilyn and Lynn took a stroll through the machinery grave yard and did a bit of "picking".  Well, we didn't come out with any goods, but we took a lot of pictures and fed a few flies. Oh, the stories some of these pieces could tell.

We left the farm yard and headed over to Gordon, a few miles to the east of Rushville. We stopped at the truck stop for some ice cream, then it was time to look at some more fields. We found the farmer working in his yard, then followed him around to the various fields we have to combine.  He called another farmer that was looking for a cutter and we took a look at how close his wheat was to harvesting. 

Next on the journey was a trip back into Gordon for a visit with the guys from the New Holland Harvest Support who were set up at the dealership.  From there, we stopped downtown to pick up some "beverage" and do a bit of shopping before coming back to Hay Springs.

Lynn had put supper in the crock pot in the morning, so we all had a delicious supper outside at the crew camper.

Tomorrow the dust will fly, if the rain misses us...

July 21, 2013

View of the day-Al's truck gets a new fuel filter to give it some much needed power...and the filter did the trick.

We were up early to get out to the field and finish off the last 50 acres for this farmer. Gerry had to do some business in town, so Marilyn and Lynn took care of finishing off the field.  After that was done, we got the headers put into transport and by then most of the guys were back in the field to help get ready to move.

Chris led the way pulling the header from Gerry's combine with the service truck, followed by Gerry in the combine, Lynn in the tractor and cart, then Marilyn in her combine pulling her header.  We had about 45 miles to drive and at 25 mph, it takes a little while, but getting to see the Nebraska scenery in a glass room at 10ft above the ground...well...it doesn't get much better than that.  A nice Sunday drive.

We made it to Hay Springs and stopped at the campground to have a drink and take a break from the drive.  

After getting refreshed, we forged on to Rushville, just east of where we were camped.  

We got out to the field and Gerry made a round to make sure it was going to be fit to combine.  It was good to go, so we were able to finish a small field, then move through some precarious passes with the 36 ft headers to the next field.  We made a couple of rounds each, getting enough to fill one of the trucks, then called it quits for the day and went back to the campground.

The skies had some nasty looking clouds that were working their way towards us and by the time we got settled in and the guys had gotten the BBQ going, the rain and wind hit, so we passed on going over to the crew trailer for burgers and just stayed in our camper and watched the light show.

Let's hope it missed the field...