A Quiet Anniversary

admin

Been on the road for a year now.  It's surprising how fast the time goes.I suppose it was a fitting anniversary, another trip through the heartland yesterday.Left the relative safety of Oklahoma, and crossed over into foreign territory (Kansas) on the South side of Coffeyville.Final destination:  Mound Valley, KS  (pop 404)A place where the town square is a source of pride.Deja Vu all over again"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:A parts baler to support the baler I picked up in Arkansas.  Goodies to keep the old iron in the field.  Tied down, and ready for the trip back South.Some hilly country in Northern Kansas.  30mph crosswinds.  Look in the rear view mirror, and you can see it sway when the gusts hit it.Made the turn South finally, into the teeth of the headwind.  Old girl did all she could to keep it at 55mph the entire tip back.  Had 'em lined up like ducks behind me on the highwayFinally back to the safety of the Mother State, and the arms of my babe  (We got some hills too)Be interesting to see what the next 6500 miles brings"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Sambo, northern Kansas begins another hundred or so miles further up the road from Mound Valley... Glad to see you made it out of the Land of the Roadside Trooper though.Lincoln PrecisionTig 275Miller 251Miller DialArc 250Bridgeport millHossfeld bender & diesLogan shaperJet 14 X 40 latheSouth Bend 9" 'C'Hypertherm 900Ellis 3000 band saw21"Royersford ExcelsiorTwo shops, still too many tools.
Reply:Originally Posted by WyoRoySambo, northern Kansas begins another hundred or so miles further up the road from Mound Valley... Glad to see you made it out of the Land of the Roadside Trooper though.
Reply:Lets face it Sambo...Killer and Kelly are the best things that ever happened our way.Lincoln PrecisionTig 275Miller 251Miller DialArc 250Bridgeport millHossfeld bender & diesLogan shaperJet 14 X 40 latheSouth Bend 9" 'C'Hypertherm 900Ellis 3000 band saw21"Royersford ExcelsiorTwo shops, still too many tools.
Reply:There's been an ongoing discussion about the durability of paint.  Crashing ramp brings it to mindLemme tell ya  If you use anything, it's gonna get beat up.........no matter what you coat it with.    "Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Dragging stuff, dropping stuff, binder chains, straps.....................................It's a galactic conspiracy to tear your masterpiece paint job to shreds  You could park the thing out in the yard I guess, and just admire it........or you could use it  Battle scars accumulate over time.Take a pic immediately after you finish something, and hang it on the wall for future reference to what the thing USED to look like at one time"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:(this is why you need a good FULL COAT of primer..........it's all that remains on the thing after it's been in use for a while)"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Originally Posted by WyoRoyLets face it Sambo...Killer and Kelly are the best things that ever happened our way.
Reply:Originally Posted by farmersammYou got that right!!
Reply:Talking about scratched paint, I see people buy a new pickup and worry and fret about scratching the inside of the bed. I don't like to beat up the inside of a bed but some scratches, like sh!t, just happen. If it bothers you, either get it rhino lined or buy a suburban.  And Samm, as for getting older, trust me it don't get better! My favorite answer now if someone asks me about something that happened yesterday or anytime before is " I've slept since then".                                         MikeLast edited by mla2ofus; 05-05-2015 at 05:35 PM.Ol' Stonebreaker  "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"Hobart G-213 portableMiller 175 migMiller thunderbolt ac/dc stick Victor O/A setupMakita chop saw
Reply:Originally Posted by mla2ofus If it bothers you, either get it rhino lined or buy a suburban.
Reply:Originally Posted by farmersammSouthern Kansas.  It's old age Roy.Speaking of which...................About the only positive thing on the trip is that I remembered to zip my pants after taking a "break" at the McDonalds.  Be just friggin great to get an indecent exposure summons in COFFEYVILLE KS
Reply:Sambo the lost zipper syndrome has hit Alabama too.
Reply:Samm, I'm quite a bit ahead of you in the age department and can assure you that you haven't seen anything yet in the memory department as to what is down the road. I get a lot of my exercise now going back to get what I forgot to get the first trip or walking around trying to find what I laid down and can't remember where I laid it. Also trying to find what I put up after it's been put up a few weeks. Been looking for a magnetic dial indicator base that I put up last winter for three weeks now and haven't found it yet but if I'll just buy another I'll immediately find the old one. Then I'll misplace the new one.I'm not going to talk about zippers.
Reply:Hey Sam,If you ever make it to Hutchinson KS or nearby let me know. Ill help ya find the best bbq in this part of the world. We also have a local guy that specializes in working miracles on old New Holland balers.Lincolin Power Wave 450, Lincoln Powermig 255, Lincoln Pro Mig 140, Lincoln Squarewave Tig 275, Miller Big 40 G(with Hobart Hefty suitcase), Thermal Arc 95S and Esab PCM875 in an already full machine shop.
Reply:Originally Posted by propanehotrodHey Sam,If you ever make it to Hutchinson KS or nearby let me know. Ill help ya find the best bbq in this part of the world. We also have a local guy that specializes in working miracles on old New Holland balers.
Reply:This little gemBought it off some guy who does concrete, sight unseen.We get there, and it won't start.Moron uses starting fluid to try to start it.  A BIG NO-NO FOR AN INTERNATIONAL 7.3 IDI MOTOR.  But whatcha gonna do.  Finally it starts after they pull it with a pickup truck.I hop in, and head for home.  K'kins follows in my pickup (her second time driving a stick shift)I immediately hear the rear end growling.  I figure I'm looking some mechanic work when I get home.We get to Wichita, and I take Kellog Blvd to get to highway something or other (goes thru Ark City), because I'm not taking this thing on the Interstate.  It wouldn't survive a roadside inspection.K'KINS FREAKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Four lanes of traffic, and her not really able to safely drive my pickup.  (I've never heard the end of this one)We get to where the road narrows, and it's all stop and go clear out to the East edge of Wichita (K'kins is frantic now, and yelling at me on the cell phone)I turn onto the highway that goes North from Wichita.About maybe 10-20ish miles we come to a little town, and I get out to look at the rear end.  It's really howling now.It's leaking out of the front seal, and I figure maybe it's just the seal, and it needs oil.Naw..................the yoke moves about 1/2" when you grab it, and shake it.  It's toastDid I mention this was on a Sunday?I finally find this little hairdresser/curio/antique sorta store open.  I go in to ask the guy if there's a place around there that I could leave a truck until I could come back and pick it up with my semi, and a borrowed lowboy (K'kins works for an oilfield company)YES THERE IS A GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!The old guy in the store tells me that he OWNS A STORAGE YARD.  We make the deal for storage, and I'm talking to K'kins while we're standing there.  Something to the effect that the truck will probably be vandalized before we get back to pick it up.The old guy says.........................................."Sou  nds like you really don't feel good about leaving it here"We talk a bit more.  AND IT TURNS OUT THAT THE OLD GUY ALSO OWNS A TOWING COMPANY.We bicker, schmooze, and get confidential...................................He settled on $1.25/mile to run it down to Oklahoma.  This guy was either having some slow down issues in the wrecker business, or had some sympathy for us.  This is an unheard of rate.We load it up, and it barely fits his truck bed width wise.And now there it sits, waiting for some expert TLC."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:I mean it's a really nice truck for $2100.  Has some motor issues, and the rear end is out of it.  The brakes need to be rebuilt, or maybe just adjusted (dunno yet).  The dump system works flawlessly.  I've seen worse for MORE money"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Man that's too bad about your trip but I guess it could have been worse. That truck looks really familiar. if its the one Im thinking of it used to live about a mile from my house.Still, once its fixed up it will be a real handy workhorse.Lincolin Power Wave 450, Lincoln Powermig 255, Lincoln Pro Mig 140, Lincoln Squarewave Tig 275, Miller Big 40 G(with Hobart Hefty suitcase), Thermal Arc 95S and Esab PCM875 in an already full machine shop.