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View of the day-The dreaded first round of the field...especially on a borderline dry day. Good thing the big 9230 was the one breaking trail.
A colder, dismal, cloudy day, but there were hopes that the rain would stay away and the sun might come out for a while. That never happened, but the farmer decided to give it a try at 1pm...just to see where it was at.
We went into town for brunch...wasn't on par with the Painted Hand Casino brunch, but it filled us up. We went directly from Kipling out to the field and got the combine cranked up and went out to see how it would go through. The stalks were a bit chewy, but it was going not too bad...all things considered.
Marilyn went back to the camper to make some coffee to take out to the combine, then jumped in with Al for the rest of the afternoon. Just as we were finishing up the field on the west side of the water run, Al saw a piece of wire go into the combine. Unfortunately it didn't come out the other end and we could hear it ticking with every turn of the rotor.
We took the combine over to the shop trailer to get some tools to open it up and find the wire. We found it wrapped around the front of the rotor, but getting it out was going to be a task. As luck would have it, Alexander was driving by with the grain cart and stopped to help out. With Al moving the rotor by hand and Alex under the feederhouse pulling the wire out in pieces, we were able to get it all out.
After putting it all back together, Al moved over to the other side of the field where the other four were working and helped them finish it off. Marilyn moved the pickup over and put another drone video together.
Hopefully the forecasted rain stays away...
View of the day-Bird's eye view of the day.
The rain happened during the night, at least at the farm. We weren't sure if it had rained at the field, but we got the call that it had, so it would be a fixing day.
We drove into Kipling to get some new chain for the pickup head. We also had to pick up some parts for the farmer at the same place, which looked like the place to be in town...the lot was full of pickups. We decided to grab breakfast at the cafe and wait for the line to thin at the parts store.
When we got to the parts store to get our chain...they were out of it. Well, the stuff we wanted...the mid-price stuff, so we had to spring the extra $50 for the "better" stuff. As we paid and asked for the farmers order of parts, we discovered that he was the one who had gotten the last box of the good chain we wanted. Oh well.
We went back to the field and the other crew was out there changing oil and servicing their combines. Marilyn did the windows while Al got the rads and air filters blown out...we decided to take the shop trailer out with us and leave it there at the field. We would be working in this area for quite a few days, so we figured if the shop is here...we won't need it.
After testing a couple of times during the day, it was official around 5pm that we wouldn't be combining. So we were camperbound for the night.
When Marilyn was cleaning out the cupboards after "mousefest", she found one of those mouse traps with the fake cheese on it. After filling all the cracks and holes with steel wool, putting bounce sheets in the cupboards and plugging in the sonic repeller, she set the traps and put them back in the same places adding the fake cheese one to the mix.
None of those things work...except the fake cheese. Al opened the door and there it was...another mouse.
Here we go again...or maybe not...
View of the day-Goodbye straight header, into the canola today.
Early morning of getting the combine set up to pick canola. We got the headers swapped out, then changed settings, fueled up and Al hit the field.
Marilyn got lunch rounded up and went out to the field to ride around and see how the canola was working...after all we were in a new machine. Al was quite pleased with the capacity of the feederhouse...a lot less plugging. The swaths were pretty big and there were a lot of "lumps" in them which gave the auger in the header a workout.
Marilyn went back to the camper for a while...until she got the call from Al that the chain on the pickup auger had broken. She grabbed the box of chain that was in the shop trailer along with a few tools and headed out to the field.
Al had everything loosened off, ready for the new chain, but when we looked in the box it appeared that some of the chain had already been used and we were 6 links short of a whole new chain. Not to worry. We took those 6 off the old chain, found some connector links and were back in business.
We finished the section of canola around 10pm with lightning flashing around us...but never over us...a bonus.
Let's hope it lasts through the night...
View of the day-Look ma, no hands...what a straight line Al is cutting.
What a productive day we had today. The yard was on the way to the next field, so it was easier to stop at the tanks there, rather than fun the fuel trucks to the field.
We got out early to take some pictures with the drone...still way to windy to get it up to high, but we did get the lineup and then everyone moved to the yard to fuel up.
We moved about 10 miles south of the yard to start in a full section. This one was quite nice with long straight runs and very few obstacles, so it wasn't the full 640 acres, but it was still big. The cart drivers were kept busy with all five combines running smoothly until one of the grain carts was crossing a grass strip just one too many times.
This cart and tractor are wheeled as opposed to the other one that has tracks on both. The spot he crossed must have been rolled over enough times that he just punched through when he was loaded. The other cart got over beside him so he could unload some of the wheat and once that was done, he was able to drive out of the holes under his own steam...no pulling needed.
Of course, while this was all going on, the other combines were filling up. This was pretty much the only time we all had to stop and wait for the buggys...actually gave us some time to stretch our legs and get rid of some coffee.
We got that whole section done, then moved another 10 or so miles to the next half section field. This one was full of sloughs and water runs, so the auto steer was out of the question. Some of the pieces got so small that we felt like we were running into ourselves when we turned around. We lost one machine due to a gear box of some sort, so we were down to four with two carts and we just managed to finish up as the sun was setting. Good thing, too...that would have been quite the experience in the dark. Kind of took us back to some of those Balcarres fields of the past.
We had enough daylight left to drive back to the yard to call it a night. We are now done with the spring wheat and the straight headers and will suit up for the canola swaths tomorrow.
And, oh...those beaver houses are huge this year...
View of the day-Lloyd Everett from Clay Centre, Kansas came for a visit today and rode around with Al.
We were out at the field earlier than usual, there were filters to blow out so the shop trailer was hooked up to get the job done. While Al worked on the filters, Marilyn got the windows cleaned, then broke out the drone for some lineup pictures.
Marilyn and Alexander had the drone doing some video of the lineup before getting the parade on the road to move to the next field. Marilyn then remembered the memory card for the drone was still in the computer back at the camper, so no video/pictures saved. Looks like another early morning coming up to get that picture.
Once we got to the next field and got fueled up, everyone got back to combining. Marilyn took some video now that she had gotten the memory card back in the drone. As you can see, the lineup didn't happen here...kind of reminds us of some of the Balcarres lineups.
Lloyd showed up at the field just before lunch and Marilyn gave him a ride out to the combine so he could jump in with Al to get caught up. He started on the harvest run when he was six years old, helping his dad and has been harvesting for 74 years. We have known him forever, it seems.
We had dinner in the field brought out from Farm Credit Corp. They brought out KFC for the crew and spent some time riding around in the combine and tractor. It's always a nice change when this happens, even though we don't all get to stop at the same time.
After Lloyd was finished with his visit with Al, Marilyn drove out to pick him up and got caught up as well. After he dropped off a couple of ProHarvest hats, he was on his way back to Garrison, ND to wait for the soybeans to get fit to combine.
Marilyn jumped in the combine with Al and it wasn't very long before the alarms were going off. A belt had shredded...the one that drives the tailings processor. Marilyn called to Windthorst and they had one, so she was off to pick it up, while Al stayed back at the combine. They had it ready for her and she found out that one of the other combines that were out in the field with us blew the same belt in the morning. We got it back on and were back at it in less that an hour.
We had a pretty strong wind today...that's why Marilyn decided not to fly the drone again. It was even stronger by the time we finished the field and came home. Fortunately we have trees to protect us where we are parked, but it's still howling. If it keeps up there will be an early start tomorrow.
But first we have a long move...
View of the day-Al cutting straight in the spring wheat. A perfect day.
An early day on the combine, the guys were out, serviced and were making dust by 9am. They got the first patch done, then moved over to the next field, which was right next door...no travelling required.
Marilyn helped shuttle the truck drivers back and forth in between playing with the drone. She got a lot of footage, but now has to whittle it down and figure out the best way to share it. So far this link to Al driving the combine will have to do. She will figure it out yet.
We got finished with the last quarter section just as the sun disappeared...as had the wind, making it quite the task to see what was going on. The buggyman always seemed to find the full combines.
Finally a 125 acre day...
View of the day-The fleet keeps getting bigger and bigger.
Another early start combining. Al got going with the rest of the crew first thing...it's getting to be more of a gong show the more combines show up. There is an extra grain cart, so that helps keep the truck drivers hopping.
Marilyn went into Kipling to get some supplies to do a bit of cleaning. Apparently the "Victor Ultrasonic Mouse Repeller" just lures them in. Al heard some scratching this morning and when we checked the trap line, there was a live mouse with his leg caught in the trap...about 12 inches from where the repeller was plugged in. Marilyn thought for sure if it was a Victor product, they knew what they were doing...the basic mouse trap is a Victor, so it had to work.
Around here, Al looks after the spiders that aren't where they belong and Marilyn looks after the live mice in the trap. She grabbed some tongs, then grabbed the mouse and took the trap and all outside for the final kill. No hammer, but there was a heavyweight coax crimper that finished it off. Cupboard cleaning time.
Al and the crew finally got the oats finished, then moved to the field around the yard to start on the spring wheat. Marilyn went over to help Al get the combine set, then hung around to take some shots with the drone.
Marilyn has even taken it off "beginner mode"...
