Author: admin

  • New addition: Weather/Wild Life Camera

    New addition: Weather/Wild Life Camera

    I have a few cameras installed on the center pivot that allow me to check on the pivot while in operation. It also has the added benefit of allowing me to view the weather, as well as the occasional wildlife.

    Where I have the cameras installed, I thought that having a webpage with updated images may be fun to share.

    Check it out any time in the main link section of the page, or click here to go directly to it as well.

  • Driving the A with fall colors and up and down a grade

    Driving the A with fall colors and up and down a grade

    The fall colors are quite nice this year. Last Saturday I needed to go take and unhook the Number 5 mower from the Model A, so I thought it would be fun to take the tractor on the hill and take some photos as well. Unfortunately, it was overcast and not the best morning for taking photos (Sunday turned out much better). However, it was still fun and I think the video turned out okay anyway.

    The video features a John Deere Model A tractor (1947/48 model year) with a John Deere Number 5 Sickle mower attached. The video shows shots of Star Valley, Wyoming/Idaho, as well as the Salt River range and Caribou National Forest.

  • Mowing with the 38 and 5 Mowers and Model A Tractors

    Mowing with the 38 and 5 Mowers and Model A Tractors

    As I mentioned in a pervious video, I have two mowers that, just for fun, I wanted to use to do some cutting.

    In this video we cut about five acres with two different sickle mowers, a John Deere Number 5 on a 1938 John Deere Model A, and a John Deere Number 38 mower on a 1951 John Deere Model A. Both the tractors and mowers are talked about in previous videos.

    The crop is second-growth grain hay. The second growth is much less than the initial crop (it’s really only a one-cutting crop). The first cutting yields between 3.5-4 ton an acre, so it makes a really good rotational crop where I rotate fields out with alfalfa.

    Shortly after starting, the 38 lost a section. Where it’s such a small amount to cut and we didn’t have a lot of time, we didn’t replace it. The mowers did an okay job, but compared to our more modern rotary swather/windrowers, the sickle mowers definitely don’t leave as clean of a cut as our more modern machines. The field was also sprayed not too long ago, so where the tractor knocked down the crop made it so they didn’t cut as well either.

    All of those problems aside, using the old mowers and tractors was a lot of fun. It was pretty cool hearing the two old “Johnny Poppers” going, and I’m sure it turned a few eyes and ears as people drove by or could hear it going throughout the town.

    Needless to say, I won’t be parking the big modern 16′ cut rotary windrower any time soon–but taking a little time every now and then to just enjoy the old equipment is an enjoyable thing to do too! 🙂

  • Mowing Grain Hay with the Model A and Number 5 Sickle Mower

    Mowing Grain Hay with the Model A and Number 5 Sickle Mower

    If you watched one of my recent YouTube videos on the Number 5 and 38 mowers, I mentioned that I had a little grain hay that I wanted to cut with the mowers. In this video I am using the 1947 John Deere Model A (48 model year) to cut some second-growth grain hay for the purpose of some quality seat time and time running the old mower.

    The Number 5 mower that I’m using also has some sentimental value, as I got that mower from my maternal grandfather. It is a mower that he had when he was younger and has told stories of spending many hours on it, so it’s always fun to see it being maintained and used.

    In case you’re wondering what grain hay is–on my farm I run a hay operation, so my primary product is alfalfa hay. Where alfalfa needs to be rotated every few years, historically people grew and rotated out barley in the area, but grain hay has started to become a popular replacement for barley. Basically it’s a 3 or 4 variety grain cop plus sometimes pease (oats, barley, wheat are common). You plant the crop in the spring and cut it when the oats are in the milk stage and the product is still green. You dry and bale it as you would alfalfa or any other hay crop. Due to its variety, it is a healthy substitute or replacement for grass and alfalfa bales.

    Recorded with Dolby Vision 4K HDR on an iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro.

    John Deere A and Number 5 Mower Video
  • 1951 and 1948 with John Deere Number 5 and Number 38 Mowers Side-By-Side

    1951 and 1948 with John Deere Number 5 and Number 38 Mowers Side-By-Side

    In this video I compare the John Deere Number 5 and Number 38 sickle mowers, as well as a few of the difference between a 1948 and 1951 John Deere Model A tractors. I reference the 48 as a 47, as this tractor was the first one that we got running, and at the time I didn’t know as much about the model A lineup. At the time, the information I found on the SN listed it as a 47 (which I believe which was tractordata, but it shows it correct now), but I later found it to be a 48 model year, but manufactured in July of 47.

    Anyway, I apologize for any errors. I’m not an expert, but only draw on what I’ve seen and learned over the years, so please forgive any technical errors I may have said being off script.

    For reference, the John Deere Model A was in production from 1934 until 1952. It was then replaced with the John Deere Model 60, 620, then 630. During the production of the model A, it went through three major design changes, with several minor design changes during its lifetime (nearly some minor change for every production year–far too many to list here as there are entire books on the subject). The three major designs can be summarized as the unstyled, early styled (pan seat and battery under the hood for optional electric start models, or hand start for non-electric), and late-styled machines, which featured the battery box under the seat as well as electric starting and lighting as standard features.

    The John Deere Number 5 “Power Mower” was one of the earliest and highest-produced sickle mowers for its time. I’m not sure of the exact years or production numbers, but they are very common mowers (especially for yard art and junk piles). They were also a popular mower to be used on other brands. The John Deere Number 38 mower was produced later, I believe during the 30 series two-cylinder and early new generation years (the manual shows it being operated by a 2010). Though they are similar in operation, the 38 is a much simpler and mostly likely more reliable design.

    Also seen in the video, but not mentioned, is a John Deere BW and John Deere 5020.

  • Rolling Alfalfa with the Farmall F-30 N

    Rolling Alfalfa with the Farmall F-30 N

    Each spring we cultivate alfalfa fields. This is typically done with some sort of danish harrow (spring tooth), drag harrows, and a heavy liquid-filled roller. This is due to our long winters and the damage that is done to the alfalfa fields, as well as the large amounts of rocks that we have in our fields.

    On a typical setup, the cultivator levels out the mice mounds and breaks up last years stubble. Then, the roller flattens it out and pushes down rocks, as to make the field less bumpy and to have less rocks for the swather (windrower, mower, or whatever your area calls them) to have less rocks to damage the cutting bar. However, this alfalfa field was only planted last year. Due to the plants being young and the roots not deep, we don’t use a digger on the fields for the first full year of the crop growth.

    That being said, needing to only pull the roller made for a great excuse to get out and use one of the old tractors. Where the F-30 hasn’t had a lot of tasks on the farm as of yet, we thought it’d be a perfect opportunity to put it to work and have a few hours of enjoyable (though bumpy) seat time. It also made for a good opportunity to take some photos and videos. The video also contains a John Deere 2010 Utility, which we eventually finished out the field with.

    Rolling Spring Alfalfa with the Farmall F-30
  • Spring Update

    Spring Update

    Time sure flies, as oddly enough my last post was on the first ride of the year, and now we’ve most likely concluded the snowmobile season for 2021-2022. That being said, I was fortunate enough to be able to go out most every weekend this winter. It was a much needed break, as summer bring with it a lot of work with two jobs (the day job and farming), and winter has lots of cold darkness… So, being able to get out and enjoy some outdoors with good friends was a very needed activity.

    This year I was fortunate to go riding with my cousin. Having a constant riding companion made it a lot easier to get out each weekend, and he is a super good rider, which made it easy to go places and do some exploring & not have to worry about constantly getting someone unstuck.

    I did take some photos and videos this year, but my cousin started a whole YouTube channel for his motorsports activities. Please feel free to check out his channel & subscribe!

    Sam Bateman’s YouTube Channel

    Video from one of our last rides
  • First Snowmobile ride of 2021-2022 Winter Season

    This year we are VERY low in snowfall (for late December). However, we had enough to go on the trail up Black and some up Baldy (a neighboring mountain). I took the opportunity to take my cousin Sam out, and we were able to get some throttle time, despite not having a lot of snow.

    Sam took out the Ski-Doo 850, and I had the maiden voyage of my new Timbersled on a Honda 450x. For those unfamiliar, a Timbersled is a Polaris-owned track kit for dirt bikes to turn them into snow bikes. They are a very different experience from snowmobiles & pretty fun to ride on.

    It was also Sam’s first time on a modern/large sled, so hopefully he was able to enjoy it and have a great time as well.

  • December 14th Update

    It’s now December 14th, 2021, and there is still no snow on the ground (as of when I went and fed). I had to do that insert as when I started to write this it finally started to come down. But anyway, this year has been pretty unusual for it being nearly mid-December. The other odd thing is that it was quite muddy. Usually by this time it’s been so cold for so long you couldn’t imagine seeing mud on the ground.

    Anyway, I really just wanted an excuse to do a quick post and post a few photos from today. I’m **trying** to update the blog more frequently.

    Here are some photos of the John Deere 630 with the 3×4 large square bale, as well as my German Shepherd Tristan, and a random portrait iPhone portrait mode of an old Hereford.

  • Feeding Beef Cattle Dec 1

    Feeding Beef Cattle Dec 1

    Now that the cattle have eaten most of their fall pasture, it’s time to start feeding them again. Feeding the cattle at this time of year is nothing unusual, but having no snow on the ground and being able to wear a baseball cap is!

    In this video I’m using a John Deere 630 with a custom built bale feeder to feed my father’s Hereford and Angus beef cattle.

    Also, my less than two year old German Shepherd was absolutely loving it. He was pretty small still when we were feeding last year, so I didn’t take him out too often and he mostly tried to hide. This year he knew he was in charge, and he was happy to show that off to those cows!