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View of the day-Al and Doug walk over to the the CaseIH ProHarvest truck down in Stanley, ND.
We got the word that there wouldn't be anything happening in the harvest world here at the farm, so we took a road trip across the border. Before we left the area, we got the shop trailer out of the mud and moved it out to the field where the combine was to have it in position for action when we got back from Stanley, ND.
We had talked to the ProHarvest guys last week when we had our issues with the chopper sensor and found out they would be moving north to Stanley over the weekend, so since we had the time, we took a trip.
Al always has to pick up his annual ProHarvest belt buckle for his collection...and of course, the ProHarvest hats. We can't get down for the kickoff breakfast in Oklahoma anymore, so we have to wait until they get close to Canada to get the ones they know we reserve annually.
We burned down, picked up the goods and burned back home. The only combine we saw making dust on our 450 km tour was Kim's at Carlyle on the canola. Lots of swathing going on, though.
We got back to the combine around 4pm and started to tear apart the cab deck so we could add the re-fabricated extension we had made to get the kit to fit over our duals. This is the before picture of the deck...no way that is able to pivot over the tire.
We were pleasantly surprised that it went as smoothly as it did. We got it loosened up and moved out as far as we figured we needed it to go with the new step. Since Al had gotten Mike from the muffler shop to lengthen the pipes for the main rails, to the length we had decided that we needed...7 inches. Unfortunately, when he took one of the original platform pieces to the machine shop and got them to make another one, he neglected to tell them about the 7 inch measurement...so they made it the same as the original...9 inches.
We got almost everything back together, except the extra brace that was included in the original kit...minus the correct length of bolt that wasn't included. We found one that would work, but then had to drill the holes through the square tube.
We finished just as the sun was going down and the mosquitoes were getting thick. No more turning sideways to get through the railing, no sir, there is enough room up there now for a square dance.
All we need now is a short piece to fill in the gap on the front...
View of the day-Sunday lunch on the deck at Kim and Marg's cabin at Kenosee Lake.
We did get to sleep in, there was no way anything was going to happen in the field...except for ruts. We had a lunch date down at Kenosee with Marilyn and Marg's mom, Anne, who had gotten a ride down from Moose Jaw with a couple who live in the same seniors complex.
Marg had taken Anne on a tour around the farm and Carlyle, before heading up to the cabin to make lunch. Gordie made the scene for lunch, too.
We left the lake around 3pm and went back to the camper, thinking that maybe we could do something with the combine ladder...it was way too wet.
A pretty slack day...
View of the day-The combines sit in the rain...too wet to even get to the rain gauge on the combine.
We didn't have any rain during the night, but around 7:30am it started sprinkling, which turned into rain, which continued almost all day. We hung around the camper until around 4pm, then took off for a road trip.
We drove past the field where the combines were parked, but didn't go much past the approach. It was wet...real wet, and still raining. We carried on south to Kenossee Lake, where we went out to Kim and Marg's cabin for pizza, and to watch the debacle that was the Saskatchewan Roughriders football game. They still have a perfect record 0 wins 8 losses.
By the time the game was over, the rain had quit and the clouds were clearing off, which means it will likely be a chilly night in the camper. We headed back to the camper to call it a night. Hopefully the fireplace will be enough to take the chill off.
With an inch of rain, we're pretty sure we can sleep in tomorrow...
View of the day-Big Jen hauling to the bright lights of Langbank to unload in the Parrish & Heimbecker elevator.
Lots of dew this morning so we couldn't get going as early as we have been the last couple days. This gave us time to do some extra servicing, since we had brought the shop trailer out with us...not sure how this parking arrangement was decided on. The filters and rads got blown out and once the greasing and windows were done, it was time to crank up.
It was a lot slower going today, the grain started out at the top end of 16% moisture, but the elevator was taking it, so we all just shut up and drove. One machine was having a bit of an issue with a jamming knife, which was frustrating for the driver, but they had a new knife coming Monday, so they just had to work with it. The moisture came down during the day, but with no sun or heat, the straw stayed tough.
We had moved across the road and did a quarter section, then moved back to finish the piece we had gotten rained out on last night. After that we moved over to another quarter and worked on that until around 9pm when the moisture shot up again and everyone was back to a crawl.
Big chance of rain tonight, but Al claims it won't hit us...
View of the day-Another vote for auto steer...Marilyn spent a lot of time picking up these 6 ft swaths that were left after everyone had passed.
Earliest day yet...started shortly after 9am, so with no dew and a bit of wind, the day was holding a lot of promise. By the time we got to the field and finished topping of the fuel in the combine, the other three were already making dust...lots of it.
Al had a busy day hauling to the Parrish & Heimbecker elevator at Langbank. For a Canadian elevator, he was pretty impressed...they cleaned corners, asked before cracking the big back door open and even changed the jug on their water dispenser for him when it was empty.
Marilyn went up the field and back...over and over and over...a nice full mile run and yet another vote for auto steer. There were some clouds that were threatening to dump for most of the afternoon, but a few sprinkles to make a mess on the dusty windows, were all that fell.
Until around 6:30pm. The sun was even shining as it started to rain...then it was official. Time to shut it down. It was running off the header.
Hopefully not enough to hold us up tomorrow...
View of the day-The fourth machine showed up today...lots of action.
We were up early to get the sensor changed, service and start by 9:30am. It was another perfect day for harvesting...could have used a little more wind to keep the dust away, but we're definitely not complaining.
There wasn't a beep out of the chopper alarm today, so the sensor was the problem. the only hiccup during the day was a break to fix a few sections that had piled up thanks to a rock. This one even sheared off three bolts. A 20 minute fix and the show was on the road again.
Al was kept hopping in the General hauling grain. They are loading into 72,000 bushel bins, so that eliminates moving the auger all together. After two fields, we have it half full. Lots of room left for the next couple or so.
The buggy sure kept us rolling all day...no time for a pit stop, no waiting at all. What a difference a year makes...no fears about getting stuck at all. It was interesting to see the places we had gotten stuck last year, then see how the sloughs had dried right up and we could almost drive through them. Marilyn saw the ruts that were left from the back wheels of the combine as we left one of the fields last year after the dual were on. They were a good 18 inches deep with thick dried out cracks along the bottom...again, what a difference.
Good day, over all...115 acres...
View of the day-Getting cranked up to start the day...most of the crew, at least.
It had rained three times during the night, so we weren't sure if we were going to get going very early. The ladder extension was top of the list, if we had time to do it, but after the rest of the guys got their equipment moved out to the field and did a test, there was no fixing anything. It was "go"time.
We moved our combine out and Marilyn brought Al back for the General, the went back to the camper to make lunches. Once she got back to the field and took over combining, Al was delegated back to truck driver.
Shortly after Marilyn got started, the alarm came on for the straw chopper, so she shut everything down and went to inspect the cause. there wasn't one...everything was working as it should. Al came out and the only thing we could figure out was the sensor must have been bad, or not in the "sweet spot" to read the RPM's. We could see nothing was seized up and it was turning properly, so Marilyn went back to work.
The alarm would go off occasionally but when it did, the numbers would go from 2850 RPM to zero without dropping gradually, so Al called Ray from ProHarvest to see if he could shed some light on the problem. He sent us back to do some adjustments on the sensor and when that didn't help, said we should get a new sensor...unfortunately, the only place "close" by that had one was in Weyburn...180km SW from where we were.
Before deciding to make the trip there, we checked to see if maybe the bearing could have been the problem. Just in case it gave up the ghost, Al called the CaseIH dealer in Moosomin to see if they had the bearing. They did, so Al drove 50km E to get one. Unfortunately, when he got there, he found out there had been a change up on that bearing after a certain serial number and we were in that category. They didn't have the right one. The parts guy felt really bad for Al driving all that way for nothing, but one of the mechanics was a great help, so it wasn't a total waste of time.
On his way back, he decided to bite the bullet and drive to Weyburn to get the sensor, since it was going off and on randomly all day...but still doing it's job normally. So it was just a 460km day for Al...and he loves driving. Not.
We combined until 9:30pm, when it had gotten tough and slowed everyone down. Lack of wind wasn't helping...it was making it tough to see through the haze. We filled the trucks and called it a night. Marilyn got her once a year chance to drive the loaded General back to the yard.
Just like riding a bike...it all comes back...
