Well as the days passed, the forecasted temps for picking day climbed. I got the tractor n picker driven over the night before and planned on getting done early the next morning before it got REALLY hot. Great idea right? Well turns out the tractor n picker didn't want to start work that early... First thing in the morning at about 8:30, the tractor battery went belly up so I had to make the 15 mile trip to Theisens in the pickup. Got a new one installed and hit the field. I literally had TWO ears of corn in the wagon when i heard a snap-bang behind me. The picker dropped all the way down and quit turning. I looked behind me to see a HUGE mess. Broken drive chain, hydraulic outlets broken and hanging, oil everywhere... Well $h!t. In my haste to get the picker put on, I over-torqued an idler sprocket to the point that it wouldn't turn which snapped the chain which caught the hydraulic couplers and ripped them in half and emptied the power-trol on the 60. It was now 9:30 and 80 degrees.
There was a nipple that connected the quick attach couplers to the plugs that go into the power-trol that both snapped in half. I ran them up to Lee's Ag Clinic in town and Lee had the right tools to get them extracted for me and then referred me to the hardware store for my new plumbing parts. I went back home and got my roller chain, splice links, and chain breaker, then went to the bench vice and got my plumbing parts put together. I decided to re-do them with a 90 degree elbow so the outlets point down and are out of the way of the chains. Worked like a charm. I got a mile down the road and turned around, went back and got hydraulic oil and a funnel. Headed back to the nightmare acre. It was now 11:30 and 86 degrees.
I put the new outlets in, reconnected the hoses, fixed my chain, and topped off the power-trol. Here we go. I got one pass made and at the end of the field I threw a chain. I had made it too long and it flopped off. I walked back to the truck (uphill) and got the chain tools and a socket. Removed a few links, spliced back together, tightened back down and a pickin I went. It was now 12:15 and 90 degrees.
I got my 6x10 Heider barge box filled up and switched to the small galvanized flare box I pulled over with the pickup that morning. I got about half that full and only had 4 rows 50 feet long to go and I threw a chain on the other side. It was about 96 degrees and the water temp on the 60 had just climbed above 220. I called it a day. I hooked up to the barge box with the truck and pulled it the 5 miles back home. I got a ride back from my 86 year old grandparents and drove the picker home pulling the flare box being followed by gram n gramps with their hazards on. I don't know what the official temp was that day but my wife said the thermometer on the mini van dash read 99 when she got off work. hopefully my next picking job is in the fall...
-- Edited by Bartlettfarms1854 on Wednesday 10th of June 2015 11:36:34 AM
-- Edited by Bartlettfarms1854 on Wednesday 10th of June 2015 11:37:21 AM
-- Edited by Bartlettfarms1854 on Wednesday 10th of June 2015 11:42:07 AM
-- Edited by Bartlettfarms1854 on Wednesday 10th of June 2015 12:36:10 PM
Great pics! I'm envious. I remember a couple jd outfits like that around here and even got to see one of them run years ago. I think it is probably worth the yield difference just to be able to pick like this at least on part of the farm. Thanks for sharing.
Even the repair work sounded like more fun than some of my days. Other than the repair work, how did your other concerns work out? Did those weeds wrap badly? Did you have grass patches that caused you trouble? Did you end up running with the snoots up, or did you do something else to offset your concerns about the weeds? Just curious--we've never picked this time of year. That is a really nice-looking outfit, by the way. I like that old corn crib, too. It looks straight and tight. That lean-to on the other side sure makes the whole building useful. Good work on someone's part to get a tin roof on it.
I kept the Snoots up about a foot or so but there was some shorter corn where I had to put it all the way down to get underneath. I had zero problems with the rolls wrapping up. It was mostly mustard weed but there was some tall waterway grass in the middle of the field but like I said I had no problems with it. Thanks for the compliments, the crib is just used for storage anymore and it is handy, it's had that tin roof on it since it was built. The 60 does a nice job with the 237 but it is a bit much going uphill with a half load or more of ear corn. It'd be nice to put it on a new generation diesel but that requires money a hobby farmer just doesn't make ;) one of these days I hope to get the 50 sheller behind it.
I have had those kind of days before!! At least the weather wasn't -10 and snowing!! Great pictures!! Thanks for posting your experience!! I love your double, drive through corn crib!
! I did laugh and not at you but we have all had those kinds of days !!! But the bright point is you are ready for FALL !! Thank you for the story and pictures.
GREAT commentary! Such is the life of a "hobby farmer", but you pushed on and completed your task. This is the true love of farming and picking corn in the ear! I'm sure any that read your post could relate and picture the whole ordeal in their mind and was wishing they could be there with you. You exemplify the spirit of farming and how dear it is to our hearts. Good post!
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