September 20, 2014

View of the day-No chance of this big unit getting stuck with all the tracks.

We heard rain on the camper in the early morning hours...just what we didn't need...two tenths, enough to keep us from starting early.

We went out to the combine and serviced while the fuel truck filled the rigs...at least some of them. We had time to kill, so we created a "make work" project.

It is a pretty tight squeeze to get in between the header and the ladder, now that it has to stay turned to the front because of the duals. Marilyn noticed that perhaps it would be possible to slide it out past the outside tire, because it was just a long tube inside another tube under the cab. It was also long enough that a good portion of it would stay in that tube once it was out where we needed it...a shift of about 2 feet.

We got the bolts loosened off, then proceeded to pull the ladder out with the help of a ratchet strap on the receiver hitch of the pickup. And lots of wiggling of the ladder. Once we got it out all the way, Al was concerned that if we happened to get the combine stuck, the whole step might twist when it was pulled out backwards. 

Marilyn's only concern was the rail that was the bumper for the glass door handle had been moved out of the way, so there could possibly by a catastropy if it swung open and hit something it shouldn't. There was also the issue of a two foot gap just outside the door and the lack of railing, that might cause an even greater catastrophe.

With that settled, we decided to put it back where it was and just deal with the squeezing past the header. It took a lot of WD40 and pushing...it was a lot tougher to put back in than it was to take out. But we got it done.


We got the word to head out to the field around 4:30...it was "good enough" to go, so Marilyn jumped in the cab and started picking up the swaths. Not at any great speed, but it was a go, at least.

Al had been trying to figure out a way to get enough time off to go to Yorkton to see the home opener for his Terrier hockey team. They were going to raise the five championship banners from last season...Division, League, Points, Western Canada and National champions. Since there would be another super-b coming to take a load to Whitewood, Al was able to take the evening off to see his team.

We went until around 10pm, when it got too tough...or probably, tougher...and everything was loaded with canola, then called it a night.

The Terriers won 6-2...