# What a fall



## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

So not to derail The day in the life thread I started a new one for this falls "How the f*ck did that happen?!?!?" around the farm during harvest.

Started out replacing a holding tank with a much larger covered one to replace the old open one that acted as a surge tank so the dryer can dump at full speed instead of being throttled back by the blower and airlock. Put together a new 35 foot 8" auger to go from the dryer to the new tank. Was using the boomlift to place it and when father went to lower it in place the boomlift kept going down and bent the snot out of it, lift hasn't done that since. Father getting to the age if he was younger and quicker he could have swung to one side and missed the tube or just took his foot off the deadman switch and stopped it cold. But he's not and he didn't. Needless to say after I cut the bad section out and spliced it I ran the controls.

The very next morning one of the screens that Dad and the hired mans son put on the grain cleaner managed to work it's way UP the cleaner and left a 3 inch gap for the corn to dump out of the outer drum. If that wasn't bad enough, once it made a big enough pile to reach the drum, then it started to flip the corn off to the side from the rotation of the drum so it could make a even bigger pile of corn on the cement. Took the loader with the yard bucket on it and started shoveling, filled the drive over pit we installed several years ago once and I still had A LOT of shoveling to do. The pit holds 400 bushels. What really pissed me off was the fact he came out that morning right as I was walking back to check everything, seen the mess and went to breakfast at the local diner anyways so as not to lose his chair at the liars table. I just about called the airline right then and there to see if I could move our tickets up a month.

Two days after the screen fiasco had a brand new EZ switch malfunction, not sure why, but it didn't trip and shut the dryer down like it should have. The overload for the screen and feed auger actually had two heaters burn right in half but didn't trip the overload, which also would have shut the dryer down as I have them interlocked. Once the holding tank got full it jammed that new auger so tight that standing and bouncing on a three foot pipe wrench wouldn't even budge the auger. Finally plugged the auger into the other control box we use for loading trucks and wired a second contactor in so I could flick one switch then the other to reverse directions. Still had to dig a lot of corn out of the hopper end as it would rock backwards a lot more than forwards. Rigged up two diaphragm switches in the bin one above the other so I have a back up so that never happens again. Also ditched those stupid Square D overloads in favor of Allen Bradleys.

Still old enough dryer that has the manual timers on it yet. Have had a lot of variance in moisture this year as a lot of our fields had replanting done. Seen as much as a five point swing in the replanted fields so far. So have spent a lot of time fudging with the timers. One night I thought I might actually get to bed by 1am. Was going to pull a sample one last time and goto bed. Got back by the dryer and within fifty foot of it I could smell a burnt motor, changed that out in the dark. Took the contactor and overload apart as well to make sure I didn't burn a contact and drop a leg on the three phase. Nothing wrong there and figured since that motor was around on a feed conveyor when we still milked cows at the very least it was 25 years old and just gave up finally.

Next night I made the mistake of thinking again I might make it to bed before 1am. Went to check the last batch for the night as I can hear the blower system start up in the house if I leave the office window cracked. Got back there and everything was running but no corn was moving. Got to the screen and had a belt laying on the ground and first thing I thought was the pulley I had to pull off the one motor and put on the replacement had moved and thrown the belt. Looked up and the flighting in the 15 foot 6 inch auger that feeds the screen had managed to work UP and out of the tube while it had corn in it. I literally stood there thinking "how the hell can an auger full of corn move the opposite direction of the pull?" Should have sucked it further into the tube untill the hub on the pulley was against the bearing. Went to the shop to get the required tools including a cold beer to fix this one. Of course it may have moved out on it's own but it sure didn't want to go back in. Was dark, was late and I wanted another beer so a 4lb mini sledge convinced it to move. Took a long punch and peened the shaft right at the bearing on the inside of the tube so it can't ever do that again. If the bearing goes out it will be a torch job for sure as that pulley and bearing ain't never coming off the end of the shaft I beat the snot out of.

Couple of days after that had the hired mans son cleaning up around the dryer all the fines, dust and bee's wings that have been blowing around. He just hung the shovel up when a batch of corn started to unload and a set of belts started squawking. Before I could shut the dryer off the column nearest the unload end blew right out at the bottom. This dryer a longer unload section could be installed on the end and right at the hanger the pins in the splice fell out of the auger. Since the inner auger was turning but the outer wasn't it built enough pressure to rip all the pop rivets out. Needless to say he got to shovel some more.

We use our old 30' drying bin as a wet holding bin. It still has the stirators in it so we leave them and the fan run so the corn on bottom never heats up and goes bad. Makes a nice 8000 bushel wet holding bin. Started out the first time we had stirator problems thinking that it jumped the track. Turns out two of the track mounts rotated somehow and let the track sag to the point that it tore one bolt right out of the wall. Fixed that and it ran fine for a few days then quit. Had a burnt strap in the transition, replaced that and then it proceeded to blow the breaker every time you tried to restart it. Turns out so much corn has hit the power cords on it the outer jacket and the insulation was ate in spots almost like mice had chewed it off the top side. Replaced the cords and got it going, then a few days later it snapped an auger. I swear the new augers must be some imported chinese crap. The ones we took out about 4 years ago were so wore that the one inch center shaft was wore down to 3/4" or smaller in places and the flighting was wore completely away in spots. These new ones we are lucky to get a few years out of before they snap the shaft.

Finally got the dryer to run 3 whole days without trouble than just as it got good and dark, the belts on the 8" upright that feed the dryer started squawking. Turns out the chain came off the top auger that fills the columns and wrapped around the jackshaft until it snapped then wrapped some more until it made a rats nest of #50 chain around the shaft. Had to drag the torch back and cut the chain off. Turns out the jackshaft had moved on it's own enough to throw the chain. Again even though it moved on it's own, it didn't want to slide back thru the bearings. Didn't destroy this shaft though as it only took a 2lb brass hammer to move it. Of course we didn't have any #50 chain, had a box of #60, a box of #60 heavy, even a box of #40 for some reason. Had to search the farm for a piece that wasn't A: so wore out it was falling apart or B: rusted solid.

So yah, been a real fun fall, lets not even bring the all the rain into the picture. Or the fact that tomorrow morning first thing we get to do is change the unload auger on the combine as father finally managed to hook a tree since he didn't swing it all the way in (again). He's getting to the age he's gonna get demoted to truck driver.

Already decided I'm getting stinky drunk the first weekend in England. Started practicing last night since it was raining anyways.


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## LaneFarms (Apr 10, 2010)

mlappin after reading all of your problems I will never think I have it bad again.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

LaneFarms said:


> mlappin after reading all of your problems I will never think I have it bad again.


yah...best part is we ain't done yet so plenty of opportunity's for more stupid sh*t to happen.

If I have to I'll buy the next dryer myself, gonna be continuous flow with all automatic moisture controls. I'm tired of losing sleep playing with the timers. Seriously looking at a Brock SuperB. It _will_ have the Quantum controller as well.


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## downtownjr (Apr 8, 2008)

You really need that vacation...take care buddy and be safe. Send us a pic from merry ole England!


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Oh, forgot a few other real doozies as well.

Was drying corn when the dryer just plain refused to unload. Wouldn't do anything, not even click a relay. So messed around half a day on that, checked all contacts, relays and timers thinking maybe a wire came loose. Nothing. Had it do something similar before when the Unload Delay Off timer went out, dug around in my spare parts bin and found a timer similar enough to swap it out, still nothing. Dug the manual out and started checking continuity on each one of the wires that had anything to do with unloading, still nothing. We have the updated timers in our dryer, instead of the one big ole electromechanical clock style timer we have the three separate small Omron timers. One for High heat, one for Low heat and one for Cool. switched those around, still nothing. Turned the main breaker off at the silo, let it set for 20 minutes while I ate lunch, came back, pressed every single manual reset on the dryer, turned power on and still nothing, pressed them all again with power on, still nothing.

Called a few local dealers, one said at least three days before they could come out, the next said the next afternoon. We normally deal with the one that said three days and they did give me a list of stuff to try, did all that and still nothing. So rigged a jumper wire up to unload it. Turn the breaker off when the drying cycle was done, hooked up the jumper wire, turn power back on and unload it. Turn power of when empty, unhook jumper wire, turn power back on and load and dry the next batch then repeat. About midnight then the fan refused to run next. Gave up and went to bed. Next day I got the book out again and went completely thru the schematic, tracing every wire and even loosening every screw terminal, pulling the wire out to check for corrosion, then replacing and tightening with a dab of anti oxidizing compound on it. Still nothing. Gave up and ran to the hardware store for a few things, got back and the serviceman was putting his stuff away and getting ready to leave. Asked him what was wrong with it. He said nothing, he went over turned the main breaker off in our main box, waited five minutes, turned it back on, went over to the dryer, pushed the start button and it ran.

"HUH WHAT???

"That's all I did, turn the breaker off then back on after five minutes and pressed the start button"

Made em check the last timer that controls the cool time and starts the unload and according to their magic black box it was fine. Had em check the other two timers as well. They checked out fine as well. Made em leave a spare anyways. It might have ran that night but it still did the count one batch as 3,4 or even 5 every time it cycled so in 3 hours or so it would claim I dried a dozen batches of corn, it was doing the weird count thing right before it quit the day before.

Next day about noon pulled the same crap again, refused to unload and the fan wouldn't run. Plugged in the new timer in place of the old "Cool" timer that tested just fine and its run ever since and is counting correctly as well. They still charged me for a service call even though they didn't really "fix it". If the next dryer comes from them before I sign the papers I'm going to make em take the cost of the service charge off the price of the dryer.

A few days after that, rained us out the previous afternoon so everything was still a little damp the next day. Had a spot where the tile riser ends up right in the middle of the sixteen row planter so Dad usually goes around it one way or the other until the planter comes up to the riser, stops, picks the planter up, backs up then backs up to the riser from the other side and plants the pass from there. This spring he shut the spray off too soon so about 10 foot of the pass coming up to the riser was over run with Foxtail. I would have went around it if I was picking as with the grass pressure their wasn't a bushel of corn in the whole mess. Not Dad, just had to pick those pissy little ears. Jammed the snapping rolls so tight with wrapped up Foxtail the reverser wouldn't back it up and even after unhooking one side of the head it wouldn't even turn four rows. Spent about half an hour under the head with corn knives cutting Foxtail off the snapping rolls. Finally got enough cut off that the reverser would run it backwards. Got one side done, then when we got the other side freed up when he reversed it the grass somehow pulled two stripper plates right down BEHIND the snapping rolls and turned em into pretzels. That shot another two hours square in the arse. Told him if he ever did anything that silly again he'd be fixing it by himself as I'm heading to the t*tty bar for the rest of the day and taking the help with me. Just call it their X-mas bonus.

So after the stripper plates got buggered up since we were on the property right next to the home farm anyways, decided to run the combine home to change the stripper plates. I had my pickup I use mainly for cutting wood there and on the way out of the field snagged a brake hose on a corn stalk. Noticed that pulling out on the road, figured screw it, only 3/8 of a mile from home. Right before I got to the drive hit the brakes, had a little pedal then they hit the floor. Okay, so then I grabbed the selector and dropped it all the way down, first Automatic I've ever had that actually downshifted into first at 30 MPH. Even had high performance transmissions with shift kits that wouldn't do that unless you stepped on the go pedal. Needless to say when it hit first, the drive shaft hit the road. Got into the driveway and since I was already in a foul mood I popped it into 4 wheel drive and got it up the hill and parked it in the center of the turnaround. Left it in park and 4 wheel drive. It sat there the rest of the day, was still sitting there at 2am when I walked past it after checking the dryer for the last time that night.

Next morning had to load a steer for processing. Walking out of the house first thing in the am and heard a gunshot, pulled the cellphone out to check the time as I thought somebody might have jumped the gun a little on that shot. Made it to the outdoor wood boiler and checked it, then took a step to the south to head to the shop to get the other hitch for the stock trailer and thought "where the f*ck is my truck?" Had to take another few steps to get past the wood boiler and the wood to see it had rolled down the hill in the middle of the night. Not only did it roll down the hill but it was facing almost perfectly east and west when I parked it, when it came up to rest against a river birch I had planted almost fifteen years earlier it was facing almost perfectly north and south. Not only did it turn ninety degrees but it smacked that tree DEAD center of the tailgate/bumper. If I measured it, painted a large X with dayglo paint on the tailgate and then tried to back into that tree I couldn't have centered it that perfectly. Caved the bumper and tailgate in, didn't get the bed but it completely destroyed the tailgate when the transfer tank with 20 gallons of diesel left in it pinned the tailgate to the tree. Didn't hurt the tree either, nice 16 incher. Thought maybe that hired man we had for about a week that we got rid of because he was:
(A) completely full of sh*t, 
(







heard after hiring him that he had sticky fingers 
(C) tried to convert every one to his religion, 
(D) never, EVER shut up
(E) All of the above

(The answer is E by the way.)

came back in the middle of the night and pulled a fast one. Thought it was a real possibility given the circumstances until I walked back into the house and my keys were right on my desk where I left them the night before .Besides, all three of our dogs didn't like him and he wouldn't have stood a chance in the dead of the night. Another good reason to get rid of somebody, if none of your dogs like somebody, there is a reason. Got the keys, climbed in the truck, the steering was still locked, it was still in park and 4 wheel drive. Started it up and let the front end drag it up the hill again then dropped a cement block behind the back tire. Haven't fixed it yet and that was two weeks ago.

All the help did a WTF as they looked at it, still haven't figured it out. Maybe with that vacuum actuated front end after it sat so long it lost vacuum and let it come out of gear?

Took a load of fuel to the field today, while the combine was filling I did the greasing, did everything on the ground including the rear hubs and kingpins. Climbed up the ladder and greased the engine compartment for Dad (he has an artificial hip and a artificial knee) climbed back down, raised the ladder up. Right rear tire looked a little squishy so one of the help aired it up with a grain truck. I looked at it when greasing the hub, looked at the back side when greasing the king pin, looked at it again when I lowered the ladder, looked right at it when I bent over to grab the lower rung to slide the ladder back up, valve stem was right at the top of the rim so the help was looking right at the hub while airing the tire up. Forty five minutes after I left the right rear tire fell off as the lug bolts all came out.

Needless to say, this fall has been brutal.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

And I remember someone posting earlier this year that corn was easier then hay.







Cheer up all things pass and you will get it done in the end.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

It still is, all this BS is compressed into one month where the hay BS runs all summer then most of the winter when delivering it.







This is what happens when last fall everything ran, nothing broke and nobody did anything stupid so it all carried over to this fall.

At this point in time I'm past caring. ALL the help is actually here at the same time for once. They are gonna pick corn, I'm baby sitting the dryer and filling the stave silo with dry corn, between batches I'm dragging the truck in the shop and fixing it so I can cut some wood for Dad before we leave. Between the tracked skid steer and the mini excavator I bet that bumper will straighten out. Actually have a spare tailgate as well.

Should be done by this weekend if the snow holds of tomorrow then leaving next Thursday come hell or high water.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

It always seems if a guy has a deadline(vacation) to get done by things will go wrong.Or after you leave things go wrong.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Yes and no, last spring (2010) was our first trip to England for a wedding and I had every single acre planted to beans I could get across. Couldn't have timed that trip better, the day we left it started raining and nobody did nothing for 10 days. Was 4 or 5 days after we got home before I could get back in the fields anyways.

Last fall was Tammy's open heart surgery, we left November fourth at 9am for her presurgry appointment, surgery was the 5th and I had her home the 10th. Almost all the corn was in before I left for Indy. Dad just had some dinky fields to finish and everything was so dry last fall it either went straight into storage or straight to Cargill. We picked my corn several days after she was released from the hospital. They'd park a truck on the pit and start to unload, leave in a empty and I'd go out and finish unloading it then came in to check on Tammy. I think this year was everything that should have went wrong last year but didn't and this years stuff all rolled into one.


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

mlappin said:


> Should be done by this weekend if the snow holds of tomorrow then leaving next Thursday come hell or high water.


Good luck and have a great trip! Sounds like you've earned it.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Picking one of the last fields now, coming out of the field at 17% so it's going straight to Cargill. Having the local Brock dealer get me a quote for a new continuous flow dryer.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Unloaded the last load of corn at 9:32 tonight.


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## jfleace (Jan 7, 2010)

Well atleast the corn is going to bring good $$$$!


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

I sure am glad I'm leaving Thursday, was drying to get the last 8000 bushels of corn dried before I left, another motor just took a dump but it was on a silo unloader at one time so make it at least 25 years old and it was a drip proof instead of sealed so my guess is the dust finally got it. Not my problem in 36 hours.


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