Thursday, November 17, 2016
Yesterday, John and I worked on installing the motorized tarp and door systems on the Wilson trailer pulled by our Peterbilt truck. The experience of installing the systems on the Vision trailer, helped make our work this day more efficient. John got an early start, putting the wiring components on the Pete, and then we focused our attention on the tarp. John (of course) did the more difficult tasks, which were drilling out rivets and carrying the heavy motors. I was a pretty good at ‘tool-fetching’. Parts of the work were strenuous, parts were tedious, parts were monotonous. But John worked so diligently, rarely letting up the pace. It was a long day of shop work, lasting until after dusk. The end result was a completed installation (and some sore muscles, at least for me)!
John drilled out the rivets and we attached the pivot hinge on each end. He also used a hole saw to cut openings for the wiring brackets.
The task required the addition of a special extension on the front of the pipe, that would make the connection to the motor. It took some careful measuring to get the proper length and positioning of the rolling pipe. John had to slide the pipe back and forth through the pocket on the tarp to take the measurements. He then then cut the pipe to proper length, and welded the extension. I was very pleased with his welding job on that galvanized pipe!
While John was routing the wiring harness on the Pete, I took the occasion to scrub the windshield. It had countless bugs to clear away! The ‘after’ shot looks much better, and the view from the seat is much improved.
Here, John programs the single remote control that operates the tarp and the two unloading doors.
The reward at the end of the workday was a fully operating motorized tarp and unload doors!
This truck will be back on the road soon, delivering corn to GPC and soybeans to ADM.
The weather has been spectacular…warm and dry. Yes, we’ve had some chilly nights that have brought frost. Even the ‘volunteer’ corn has finally been stopped by the cold. But highs this week have been in the 60s, and today’s temperature is 76ºF! Tomorrow is predicted to be nearly as warm, but with rain. After that, the temps will dip to a more seasonal level, with weekend high temps in the 40s. A change is coming… but we’re happy to have had these pleasant days.
We are preparing for Thanksgiving a week from today. As we contemplate that day, it causes us to reflect on the good life we have here on the farm. No, it’s not easy or without challenges, but we enjoy a freedom and independence not matched by many other professions. We derive great satisfaction as we look back over another significant year of farm life. We are grateful for our opportunities and successes, and mindful of the lessons we must learn to improve the future. Our thoughts are of thankfulness on this holiday, but we hope that we express such gratitude every day. Yes, there are other meaningful ways to earn a living, but not one of us can imagine wanting to trade places with any other person.
Count your many blessings…
