Barn Neutral Saga Continues (Was Bizarre Electrical)

[dpb]

...

This is just #2 AL triplex, not ACSR...they're all fairly short runs so it's "strong enough".

[Mr.E]

You might also look at the split-bolt connector. If it is copper, the connection will corrode but if it is silver colored and has a shoe in the slot, it is copper to al or al to al and should hold up well as long as the differing wires are separated by the tin plated shoe.

[clare]

There is a BIG difference between a class1 and a class2 aluminum ladder. That said - I prefer fiberglass. A new wooden ladder is good, but after a few decades I'd take aluminum over wood any day of the year.

[TimR]

The stepladders we used in maintenance overseas had the steps on both sides. That made a lot of sense, it was much easier to get them positioned, and if need be you could have a person on each side.

[dpb]

...

It is Al...and the weatherhead connections at the barn end use the Cu/Al ones w/ the bimetallic center, yes...

[Paintedcow]

The future will be worse after they require all crops to have a UPC code label grown into each ear of corn, and on all fruits and vegrtables. :)

[Ralph Mowery]

Most of the ladders where I worked were like that. Someone in the safety department decided that because of an electrical hazzard all of them had to be fiberglass and had to have the heavy duty rating of a lot pounds, I forget how much. They had to have an inspection sticker on them that was renewed every year. Funny thing was that we could inspect our own ladders and if they did not have a current sticker, we could put one on.

[clare]

Most industrial use ladders are 1AA rated at 375 lbs. or 1A at 300 lbs. Most Commercial grade ladders are grade1 at 250 lb, while most heavy duty home ladders are grade 2, rated at 225 lb while budget ladders are grade1 with a weight rating of only 200 lb.

The whole inspection sticker thing started with ISO9000 certification, and then spread from there with the requirement to have workplace health and safety committees and procedure manuals indicating how you were ensuring safe workplace practices were put in place and monitored.

Totally useless as they are generally inplemented - as you say, a monkey could do the inspection as long as he knows which side of the sticker is the sticky side.

[dpb]

On 11/05/2015 12:25 PM, dpb wrote: ...

Actually, on inspection up close, there were apparently multiple heads/sleeves for 2-, 3-, and 4- conductors in this system. It's about a 3 to 3-1/2" long sleeve and there's a visible crimp on the four-conductor one from each of the four angles and was an open-ended die; there's a small visible nib on the open side. Those connections appear still nearly pristine. There's a solid filler Al conductor in the middle that prevented leaving a hole in the middle of the spliced joint.

[dpb]

...

I'll be they were all half- or third- of my age, too!!! 30 yr ago I'd had no problem still doing that roof, either; even 20 would have been possible. Now, it's just not in the cards w/o the crutch of the lift as a backstop if nothing else.

[dpb]

On 11/06/2015 5:59 AM, [e-mail] wrote: ...

Already mentioned the Allis; there was a time we used M's as well but I was still just young enough didn't do much more with them than take the manure spreader from one spot to another--most of the time I was filling it. :(

From the days of mules, grandfather's first tractor was a Twin City

10-20; the original manual and sales ticket is still around. In the late '20s and early '30s prior to the Dust Bowl era was a very good weather cycle and he expanded significantly. They transitioned to using Caterpillar Model 22's for all the row crop work pulling a three-row JD lister and cultivator. These were the cutest little things; 22 drawbar horsepower, about mid-chest tall and 8" tracks. Big, solid cast iron radiator housing and the flat fenders; looked just like an early large Cat that had been left out in the rain and shrank! :)

We still had one of them thru my high school days that had been converted to have a bucket on it. Dad ended up selling it to a fella' in town who's son is now in WY and has it fully restored. I'd looked a time or two to find one but haven't ever bit the bullet...

Anyway, from there transitioned to the M's; at one time I think they had as many as four of them; I remember two plus a later Twin City wheatland tractor as a young 'un. Grandfather bought the first Allis, a WD-45 as he got where was uncomfortable trying to handle the Farmalls but wanted to keep on working as much as could; it was smaller and easier to get on/off of. He passed in '57 and Dad took over the operation and it was then we did the aforementioned renovations to the barn, moved from the registered shorthorn milking breeding cowherd to a heifer stocker/feeder operation and built the new silo and the feedlot.

At that time had a Farmall 400 as well. '58 brought the first really good wheat crop in quite a long time and was the impetus for finally "going modern". Traded the 400 up to a 560 and the WD-45 for the D-17 (only kept it because had a full line of the snap-coupler toolbar attachments that had very little resale value; there were only a couple other Allis users in the whole county. Bought a new Case 930 wheatland for the flat ground work. Unfortunately, the 560 was a dud but shortly after Deere introduced the first of the inline six 4000 series, and the rest is, as they say, history--neither dad nor grandpa would ever have the Johnny-poppers' they did not want to have to listen to them all day every day. The first 4010 was such a step forward in comparison to everything else was on the market at the time it was within two or three years we had it, another 4020, then a 5000 series wheatland to replace the Case. From there went to the 4200 series, and then 4440, 4640, and progressed to the FWA and finally the full 4WD of today...

The Allis was converted to the loader tractor (a _very_ nice little loader albeit short reach) w/ the wide stance and low cockpit and relegated to utility use around the place with a little Fordson mower and the like. (I keep my eyes out for a nice clean D17, too, just for nostalgia). I've a small JD 955 utility w/ bucket and mower deck that fits the bill for most small stuff, but on occasion it would still be nice for something between it and the 4440 that kept for the hay fork and bucket and use with the batwing mower, etc.

All the rowcrop work went to the Deeres as we moved from the 4-row to 6,

8, 12 and eventually 24 w/ GPS and air seeders, ... Dad sold the Allis and all the attachments at auction; by then there were some small "city-farmers" beginning to have some small tracts for hobby farming.

[clare]

I farmed with a Massey Harris 44 and a 540 Cockshutt back in the late sixties. Both were wide front - the 540 had a trip loader on it - a USELESS loader tractor even with a barrel of solid concrete on the 3 point. No power steering and almost impossible to turn with the bucket over half full. Useless on a plough too. About the only thing it was good for was the mower, hay conditioner (crimper) or baler - and hauling wagons. The old massey would pull like a mule, and in "road gear" would really move wagons (it would do about 33MPH) The 540 was replaced with a David Brown after I left the farm.

My brother has a D17 and an old IH B414 at his plase up at Parry Sound / Huntsville. The D17 is a decent tractor and the 414 is a hunk of junk - even worse than it was when new. It does have an industrial loader - the only reason he keeps it around.

[dpb]

On 11/05/2015 7:29 PM, Dean Hoffman wrote: ...> I looked at Deere's site. An S650 is about $366,000 without header. I

Finding one w/ low hours returned off lease is _much_ more economical... :) Still uncheap, however.