THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB? - I THINK SO!
Trust me, I've wasted a lot of time this life by not having the right tool for the job.
I was never really a "tool guy." I didn't work on my own vehicles. I didn't build things at home. When I did build or fix things for work, I always used someone else's tools. All of the time that I wasted not having the right tool for the job is forever gone, and I'll never get it back.
A lot of times my "go to" tool was a hatchet. It can chop, it can hammer, it can pry. These days, though, I am trying to move away from that type of lifestyle. Thankfully, things are progressing at a pretty good rate too!
The other day I was heading down to our land when I heard a noise. I figured that I knew exactly what it was, but I wanted to see it for myself. Soon, I was standing at the property line that divides the @mama-pepper / @papa-pepper homestead from the @bluerthangreen / @allforthegood homestead. Not only was I at the property line, there was now a row of trees missing along the property line.
As I walked the property line, soon something was seen moving up ahead. It looked like some heavy machinery and some people were farther up ahead, so I continued to investigate.
We had discussed this possibility earlier, and now it was happening. Many months ago, I began to chainsaw some of the trees on our property line. Recently, though, a neighbor got a good deal on a bulldozer and picked it up. Like so many people that I know, the man is generous, and had let @jaguarlife use it to clear some land on his property, which is across the street from mine. I had suggested to @bluerthangreen that it may be in our best interests to suggest that run that dozer up our property line.
THAT WAS QUICK!
Now, less than a day later, @bluerthangreen and some of his children were watching as @jaguarlife bulldozed a path up our property line.
Since we all try to avoid unnecessary expenses, this was a fantastic opportunity. To get to use a free dozer from our friend and neighbor instead of renting one was a huge enough benefit, but to have an experienced operator like @jaguarlife willing to drive the thing for us was even better.
Personally, I was amazed at the brute force of the machine. In mere moments it did what would take me hours to even attempt. Time and time again trees that would defiantly stand in the way of lesser machines were uprooted and moved out of the way.
@Jaguarlife was even able to basically "stack" the downed trees too. When we get the chance to chainsaw them and cut them up for firewood or lumber, they will be ready and waiting. This was an amazing process to witness, as I had never seen anything like it.
From these photos it may be hard to believe that within the past 25 years this entire forest was clear-cut. All of the trees that you see in these photos are only a few decades old.
We chose to get rid of these trees to put up a fence between our properties. This will help keep certain animals where they should be and help us to avoid creating unnecessary problems for one another. We are not "destroying the forest" by doing so, but rather crafting and forming it. Actually, I plan on removing a lot of the existing trees and plants and replacing them with more beneficial ones.
It was witnessing things like this process that made me further appreciate the day and age that we live in. Trust me, I'd have no problem just using an ax and a hatchet to get the job done if I had to. However, to get the job done in a few minutes is much more expedient for all of us.
PARALLEL UNIVERSES COLLIDE!
For steemians like @papa-pepper and @bluerthangreen, situations like this are a great chance to create content and share our lives and our progress with others. He was already hard at work recording a video of what was going on when I showed up.
We had a little fun with it, and @bluerthangreen even let me make a "guest appearance" in his video. If you want to check out his video or post about it CLICK HERE.
ONE MORE JOB!
Before @jaguarlife parked the bulldozer for the day, I had him stop by our house site. For a while now I've been using a front end loader with a backhoe attachment to remove some trees in the area that we are having our septic system put in. Between everything else I've been up to, my investment has been limited, but it has still added up to be a lot of time and effort.
Though I probably could have finished the job in a few hours, @jaguarlife and the bulldozer finished the job in mere minutes. Having equipment like this nearby and friends and neighbors like we do is going to be a huge game changer. I'll be evaluating and reevaluating a few things as we move forward.
As always, I'm @papa-pepper and here's the proof:
proof-of-bulldozer
Until next time…
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It does make a BIG difference when you have the right gear to do big jobs... it's not that we "can't" do it by hand, just that a good equipment operator can do in hours what takes months to do with shovels and chain saw.
Yup, I fully agree! Thanks @denmarkguy!
Nice piece of machinery bro
I am steemian too, but keep my land, manually process it for me then I plant trees and various kinds of horticulture plants, without waiting for bulldozers to come to destroy the order of life and all wisdom.
We will be replanting many species of trees, vines, bushes, and other plants all over our land. This was just a quick and easy way to get this job done.
So much Thanks to @papa-pepper
I have been waiting so long for a word or comment from you, because since being active in STEEMIT @papa-pepper is one of my idols, once again thank you
Choosing the right tool for a project can sometimes be easy. For example, when driving a nail, the obvious choice would be a hammer, or when splitting some wood, a saw would be the best tool in the box. Sometimes we know the tools we need but don't have them at our disposal, like the time my friend asked me to help him paint a room. What he failed to mention was he only had two small four-inch brushes—not a great choice for such a big project.
Yuuuppppp. Once I moved out to boonieville and had a couple of friends being bad influences with "you should totally buy it" and "if only you had X" I started thinking about things like this.
I'm already all about Craigslist and online auctions so off I went. First I got an old Bobact skidsteer. Like a 1974 model....but got a great deal, not only had a new bucket but forks to boot, and it works just fine.
Then after a buddy brought over his mini excavator to let me dig new water lines, I'm on a well with a tank up above house. I was sold on that and started looking at auctions. Finally bid low on one and no one bid higher....boom.
Then I scored a smaller track loader, maybe a little bigger than the bulldozer you guys were using. Got it on Craigsilst and have it at a buddies shop where I'm finishing up putting new sprockets on it.
Best things ever getting these. The skidsteer has definitely paid for itself as I have moved a lot of dirt and concrete with it and use the forks a lot. Even found an auger attachment at one of the auctions, but haven't rocked that out yet. My neighbor is currently using my mini ex to dig his new septic, I've got some bushes and trees I'm gonna move right after. The loader has a mission coming up digging up my side yard to put in better fill and compact it after I put in a new retaining wall (I live up on a hill and the rain last year caused it to start blowing out the crappy wall that was there). Also cleaning up our wash below so it will flow better when the rain comes and flattening out a pad above.
All of them will get used, I'll use them enough to totally pay for them if I were renting and they retain their value very well, so when I'm ready to move I'll probably get what I paid at least.
Can't beat free use or making a little money but really it is about EXACTLY what you said @pap-pepper, having the right tool to get the job done. Especially when the jobs are bigger or difficult without them....makes it more likely to happen in a timely fashion.
Totally! @Bluerthangreen got an auger for his skidsteer a while back. I pitched in because it was going to be such a useful tool. From fence posts to planting trees, it'll come in handy.
Too true. I got it to put in some pieces of telephone poles so I can mount gates or at least put up chains across my driveways.
If it wasn't about money.....a bigger skidsteer with multiple attachments would do pretty much everything. However....I'm all about the "deal."
I'm always looking for a deal and for what I paid on all my equipment and attachments.....I'm still less than what a bigger tracked skidsteer would cost, and that includes an equipment trailer I got to haul the two smaller ones.
Be very very very very (very) careful! This may be just the tip of the iceberg! Living so far out, first my husband needed a better tractor than the one that was left when we bought the property. A few years later he 'needed' a military cargo carrier to haul things across the river safely. A few years later it was an excavator... I fear for the future!
Very good @papa-pepper . . Good job. . Thank's for sharing 👍
Hay that is proof of big bulldozer and the great #papa-pepper. It's save a lot of money of your and other and seems that you are happy with that .
Oh yeah! It was a very good time and money saving experience!
Thank you sir #papa-pepper to respond of my comment.