# Looking for some ideas...



## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

I recently screwed up and could use some ideas.

I had my spring potash and DAP fertilizer spread but forgot to include the sulfur that I had ordered for 70 acres. I now have about 70 acres of sulfur (1 ton) to spread at about 30 lbs/acre. Sulfur is pre-bought.

I have a 300 lb, 3pt spreader that I can use to spread...tedious but can get it done. My dealer gets the sulfur in 1 ton tote bags. The bottom will open but probably can't get it closed once its flowing. The dealer's buggies can only go down to about 50 lbs/acre. I probably can lift the tote from another tractor and hold it over the spreader.

I am not too crazy about the idea of shoveling 1 ton by hand. So...any ideas, suggestions, thoughts.....?

Thanks

Ralph


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Go rent a pull-type spreader Ralph.....here they are $35 day for a 4 ton.

Regards, Mike


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Does anybody have a gravity wagon around with a fertilizer auger on it? Dump the sulfur in that then run it into your three point spreader as needed.

I don't think our spreader will go down to 30 lb acre.

It will cost a bit more but maybe buy a ton of potash then blend it with the sulfur at 50/50 then set the spreader at 60lb/acre?


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## PaCustomBaler (Nov 29, 2010)

mlappin said:


> Does anybody have a gravity wagon around with a fertilizer auger on it? Dump the sulfur in that then run it into your three point spreader as needed.
> 
> I don't think our spreader will go down to 30 lb acre.
> 
> It will cost a bit more but maybe buy a ton of potash then blend it with the sulfur at 50/50 then set the spreader at 60lb/acre?


I like mlappin's idea. I doubt pull-type spreader will go down far enough to accurately regulate amount spread. Throw the 1 ton of K in with the sulfur to get the rate higher...almost of hay fields use K....it's the largest amount of nutrient pulled out of ground from harvested hay. Otherwise, the plant will use the extra K anyways (called K luxury consumption).


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

Dump it on a concrete pad and then fill your little spreader with a loader?


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

^^Cost effective and convenient.

Regards, Mike


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

Am I the only one thinking its only a ton. Could shovel it faster than the set up with most of these other ideas. Or am I just thinking that cause iam young ( or at least I think iam)


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## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

I read this thinking that I have never had much trouble closing the bottom of the tote bag while it was flowing. Just start pinching it down and it is pretty easy to tie off.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

hog987 said:


> Am I the only one thinking its only a ton. Could shovel it faster than the set up with most of these other ideas. Or am I just thinking that cause iam young ( or at least I think iam)


I'm right with you but Ralph said he wanted to avoid shoveling.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

hog987 said:


> Am I the only one thinking its only a ton. Could shovel it faster than the set up with most of these other ideas. Or am I just thinking that cause iam young ( or at least I think iam)


Most shovel-fulls weigh about 15-lbs?
Were only talking 135 shovel fulls.
20 should fill hopper, then take a break while spreading it.


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

hog987 said:


> Am I the only one thinking its only a ton. Could shovel it faster than the set up with most of these other ideas. Or am I just thinking that cause iam young ( or at least I think iam)


Sometimes I work way too hard at being lazy.

Ralph

And I am no longer young.


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## Thorim (Jan 19, 2015)

rjmoses said:


> Sometimes I work way too hard at being lazy.
> 
> Ralph
> 
> And I am no longer young.


My mind says am still young, the face in the mirror staring back at me says ohh no your not lol


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

rjmoses said:


> I now have about 70 acres of sulfur (1 ton) to spread at about 30 lbs/acre.
> 
> The dealer's buggies can only go down to about 50 lbs/acre.
> 
> ...





Vol said:


> Go rent a pull-type spreader Ralph.....here they are $35 day for a 4 ton.
> 
> Regards, Mike


My gosh....I need to read more carefully....sorry Ralph....I will come up there and shovel it for you for my PP omissive reading. 

Regards, Mike


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## TJH (Mar 23, 2014)

But think how good you will sleep that night Ralph! Of course you may not be able to get out of bed the next day, so make sure you do it on Saturday.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

rjmoses said:


> Sometimes I work way too hard at being lazy.
> 
> Ralph
> 
> And I am no longer young.


Work smarter, not harder and you're back will thank you in the long run.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

mlappin said:


> Work smarter, not harder and you're back will thank you in the long run.


Ive read quite a bit about that. I'm 50+ and still physically work very hard.
I actually like it and it keeps me free of injury since you keep using the muscles.
Once you get used to everyone doing everything for you, then you try to do something like shovel dirt, you hurt yourself.

I just poured a concrete pad (18 yds) with a buddy of mine. He's 10 years younger than me and quit his construction job for a job as a backhoe operator. While we were prepping for the pad, he was laughing/remarking to me that I "was gonna be a hurtin pup tomorrow" (because Im 10 yrs older).
By the end of the pour, he looked like he was going to have a heart attack and was popping ibuprofen.
I had no pain and woke up the next day feeling fine.
IMO, screw the gym. Get outside and do hard physical work. Its great for the health of the body.
My dad helped me do hard work until he was about 70. He said it kept him young, both mentally and physically.


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## PaCustomBaler (Nov 29, 2010)

Touche, good point. My pops in is his mid-60's and is still in the shop working on machinery and doing electrical jobs. Poor guy...he was working on wiring up two cameras on the baler yesterday and cracked his knee cap of the baler. This morning he told he couldn't sleep at all last night bc of the pain...went into the doctor this morning to check it out. Haven't heard the results yet. I told him it's tough being a farmer lol.


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

mlappin said:


> Work smarter, not harder and you're back will thank you in the long run.


If I was working smarter, I'd be a banker or politician. Or at least I wouldn't be messing around with horses and hay.

Ralph


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

JD3430 said:


> Ive read quite a bit about that. I'm 50+ and still physically work very hard.
> I actually like it and it keeps me free of injury since you keep using the muscles.
> Once you get used to everyone doing everything for you, then you try to do something like shovel dirt, you hurt yourself.


Thats pretty much my Dads point of view, two back surgeries, degenerative disc disease, two artificial hips, two rotator cup surgeries and an artificial knee later he's rethinking the whole hard work won't kill you. It won't, but it can make you feel years older than you are eventually.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

mlappin said:


> Thats pretty much my Dads point of view, two back surgeries, degenerative disc disease, two artificial hips, two rotator cup surgeries and an artificial knee later he's rethinking the whole hard work won't kill you. It won't, but it can make you feel years older than you are eventually.


Depends on what's wrong with you. An elderly (seriously, elderly) former farmer neighbor used to milk on one farm then go wash dishes at a restaurant. He had bad enough arthritis that he said the only "fix" was to never stop moving. When he stopped, he stiffened up and the pain came.

Working smarter not harder is a great policy but some hard work is better than none.


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

I tell people working for me to work smarter and harder.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

8350HiTech said:


> Depends on what's wrong with you. An elderly (seriously, elderly) former farmer neighbor used to milk on one farm then go wash dishes at a restaurant. He had bad enough arthritis that he said the only "fix" was to never stop moving. When he stopped, he stiffened up and the pain came.
> 
> Working smarter not harder is a great policy but some hard work is better than none.


Big difference though between working and just finding the hardest way to do something.

Any kind of activity will keep you limber, certain things though will wear you out faster. Roofers tend to have bad knees, I'll climb up on a roof as long as its a 12/12 or steeper, that way I can stand there on the toe boards or roof jacks, lean against the roof and work instead of kneeling and wearing the knees out all day.

My one uncle has been in construction a pretty good part of his life, had one knee replaced now the other is acting up, maybe I'm biased as about everybody in either side of my family lives in to their 90's, having a second knee replacement before you're 60 seems kinda ridiculous. I also can't see that same uncle throwing darts in the league with us much longer as you can see the arthritis in his hands getting worse every year.

The uncle in construction has an older brother who is a CPA, no doubt they are brothers as all my uncles and Dad look alike, the CPA rode his bicycle to work weather permitting, golfed when the weather permits, push mows his own lawn and takes advantage of the pool at the country club he belongs to, has all his original joints yet, has never been to a chiropractor, doesn't have arthritis in his hands, and is younger looking than his little brother.

You don't have to try to work yourself to death to stay fit, active and limber.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

Out of high school I worked for the one neighbor. He had a truck with a roller mill on it and custom rolled grain for farmers. He ran the truck 2 days a week and I ran it the rest of the time. The hopper on the truck held 170 bushels by volume. The neighbor was in his mid fifties at the time, He said when he ran the truck those two days and had to shovel one load it made him feel good. When he shoveled more than one load, will that was just hard work. One day he shoveled 13 loads. My record I think was 7 or 8. When you do that much its just hard work.

But the moral of the story is some work is good for you. But too much just wears a guy out. Also injuries end up haunting a guy later in life.


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## Hokelund Farm (Feb 4, 2014)

Shovel it


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Or as my old man used to say: "shut & shovel"

(shut up and shovel)


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

I have arthritis in both hips one is running bone on bone the other almost shot as well . The pain is no fun but my main concern is the stiffing of the joints . I wish I had not worn them out but that is all water over the bridge . . . Most days I get enough exercise but if I sit in a combine or tractor all day I ride a recumbent exercise bike 3 to 5 miles before going to bed . Some time in the next year a hip will be replaced. Many who milk cows a lifetime have bad joints . I


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

I can it the "dairy mans walk". Its that waddle the old men do cause their knees are shot....


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## hillside hay (Feb 4, 2013)

farming is a lot less strenuous on my body than my day job as a commercial/industrial hvac fitter. We do mostly shutdowns, expansions and retrofits so there isn't ever time to rig the sections properly. We could work smarter but then the aggressive scheduledemanded by todays clients wouldn't be met at the price they want to pay. That said I would hoist the tote and prep a draw string closure below the tie on the bag. Some grommets and 5/16 rope will do fine. This will allow you to control the flow both on starting and stopping without aggravation. Best of all no shoveling.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Yes, there's lots of joint & muscle pain from years of physical work:

And the other side are the desk jockeys in their mid 50's about 50-100lbs overweight with type 2 diabetes and dying from massive coronaries from lack of activity and stress.

I know 2 guys who died in the last 3 months in their 50's from massive coronaries. Both were desk jockeys.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

endrow said:


> I have arthritis in both hips one is running bone on bone the other almost shot as well . The pain is no fun but my main concern is the stiffing of the joints . I wish I had not worn them out but that is all water over the bridge . . . Most days I get enough exercise but if I sit in a combine or tractor all day I ride a recumbent exercise bike 3 to 5 miles before going to bed . Some time in the next year a hip will be replaced. Many who milk cows a lifetime have bad joints . I





PaMike said:


> I can it the "dairy mans walk". Its that waddle the old men do cause their knees are shot....


I can think of half a dozen long time dairy guys in the area that have knees and hips replaced or a few even had a few vertebrae fused, my father being one of them.



JD3430 said:


> Yes, there's lots of joint & muscle pain from years of physical work:
> 
> And the other side are the desk jockeys in their mid 50's about 50-100lbs overweight with type 2 diabetes and dying from massive coronaries from lack of activity and stress.
> 
> I know 2 guys who died in the last 3 months in their 50's from massive coronaries. Both were desk jockeys.


I know other people as well who weren't desk jockeys who didn't live long either, usually a massive coronary gets em. Truck drivers and cops come to mind first. Have a couple we sometimes have breakfast with at the Legion and he's been a truck driver his whole life, big guy to start with but sitting all day ain't doing him any favors. Has a sleep number bed and a hot tub, usually needs to spend an hour every night in the hot tub so he can get to sleep. Also have a friend who's been an operating engineer his whole life and he's turning into one of those "big" guys. Having to unload a few hundred bales of hay would probably kill him.

Doesn't really matter if you believe in creationism or evolution, the human body was not designed to sit all the time.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

mlappin said:


> I know other people as well who weren't desk jockeys who didn't live long either, usually a massive coronary gets em. Truck drivers and cops come to mind first. Have a couple we sometimes have breakfast with at the Legion and he's been a truck driver his whole life, big guy to start with but sitting all day ain't doing him any favors. Has a sleep number bed and a hot tub, usually needs to spend an hour every night in the hot tub so he can get to sleep. Also have a friend who's been an operating engineer his whole life and he's turning into one of those "big" guys. Having to unload a few hundred bales of hay would probably kill him.
> 
> Doesn't really matter if you believe in creationism or evolution, the human body was not designed to sit all the time.


And what do truck drivers and cops do? They mostly sit on their asses in a truck or a car!!

Its a lot like a desk job in that way. I drove triaxle trucks millions of miles and never felt worse than after a long day in the cab. My leg circulation was terrible. Guys that were older tan me had blod clots in their legs. One of them lets go and goes to heart or brain and it can be fatal.

Also there's a temptation to eat crappy fast food often that causes massive weight gain.

Buddy of mine is a cop. Used to be a landscaper. When he was landscaper he weighed under 200lbs. Now as a cop, he weighs over 250.

Driving a truck or being a cop is mentally stressful, but there's little physical activity to keep you in shape. That's bad for the heart.

I'd rather live to 80 with knees replaced and arthritis than die at 55 overweight and not able to see my kids grow up.


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## IH 1586 (Oct 16, 2014)

mlappin said:


> I can think of half a dozen long time dairy guys in the area that have knees and hips replaced or a few even had a few vertebrae fused, my father being one of them.


When I quite milking at the age of 23, that pass summer I could no longer run, had trouble standing up from milking cows. Could only climb a ladder with one leg as I could not put weight on the other knee and even had to pull myself up onto the tractor one evening spreading manure as I could not put the pressure to climb up on either knee. Now it will start to give out if I over do it, could feel it when gathering sap the other day. If I would have kept milking I don't know what shape I would be in now.


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## Bgriffin856 (Nov 13, 2013)

I always try bend at my waist when milking very rarely bend my knees for anything but when I do I feel it. Some days they hurt more than others as well as my other aches and pains which i've been told by many that I shouldn't have at this age. Best cure is to work them off if I wake up with them, and a short break to sit down for like ten minutes if I get them during the day


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Bgriffin856 said:


> I always try bend at my waist when milking very rarely bend my knees for anything but when I do I feel it. Some days they hurt more than others as well as my other aches and pains which i've been told by many that I shouldn't have at this age. Best cure is to work them off if I wake up with them, and a short break to sit down for like ten minutes if I get them during the day


Have you been taking any glucosamine/chondrotin? 
It takes a few months, but you'll eventually start to get some relief. 
Also, try to eat foods that reduce inflammation and lay off sugary foods.


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

Bgriffin856 said:


> I always try bend at my waist when milking very rarely bend my knees for anything but when I do I feel it. Some days they hurt more than others as well as my other aches and pains which i've been told by many that I shouldn't have at this age. Best cure is to work them off if I wake up with them, and a short break to sit down for like ten minutes if I get them during the day


Should be the other way around. Leg muscles get stronger.


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## IHCman (Aug 27, 2011)

My parents milked cows for 25 years before switching to beef cattle. They're both 63 and as Dad says plain ass wore out. Seems they've been taking turns each winter to get fixed up. Dads had shoulder surgeries that eventually led to a shoulder reversal (kinda like a replacement) and the other shoulder needs the same thing. He also needs a knee replaced which sounds like next winter he is going in. The worst for him is he got neuropathy in his feet which gives him a lot of pain and can't take being on his feet a lot. Generally people who are diabetic or who've been through cancer treatment get neuropathy. He is neither of those and the doctors really have no idea what caused it.

Mom just had a knee replaced back in Nov and needs the other one done. Also has some trouble with a hip and has arthritis. They both have worked hard all their lives and neither of em can sit still for long, always have to be doing something. Dad knows he needs to slow down but I think retirement scares him. He did sell 100 bred cows last fall as a plan to start slowing down and plans to sell another 100 head this coming fall but will see if that happens.

Me I've got a knee that's screwed up from getting kicked by a cow when I was 21, a bum elbow that lord knows how I hurt it, both wrists are messed up, and lately I've been having back aches which I blame on being out of shape. So I'm well on my way of following in their footsteps of being crippled when I'm old lol.


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