OK, so a couple of engine-driven welders show up on Craigslist and, wouldn't you know, they are in Cameron, which is only about 12 miles from the farm. So, I call but they can't meet us until Sunday...I have Dad's day plans with my daughter but my Dad says he'll go take a look at it for me.

Turns out it's a decent Miller Bobcat 250, the price is right and they make a deal. The drawback is that it's on a trailer, surrounded by tons of balers, rakes and other implements, inside a barn with no simple way to get to it but, they'll meet us there and use one of their tractors to load for us. Cool.

This is actually nice for me because the welder is only about 10 miles from a dozing job that I'm starting on Wednesday so, I say to self: "Self, move the yellow iron when you are over there getting that welder."

So, we load up (literally), head to the welder arriving about 6:15 yesterday evening only to discover that this unit is still embedded back in that barn and the tractor they were going to use has a flat on one front tire, won't even crank over and, to top it off, has a significant yellow jacket nest in one of the cab a/c vents.

"But it started this morning!" (famous last words)

Anyway, I'm not planning to pull service on that tractor so I sort of stand back and let these two folks fiddle-fart with their pissant jumper cables but soon it's apparent that no progress is being made so, I figure if I plan to unload the 'dozer in the daylight I'll have to get involved. I cruise to the truck, grab the 'real' jumpers and an air bottle. Fast forward and hour and now we've got the tractor running with a few pounds of air in that tire so she can to the barn with a compressor while the hand and I strongarm a bunch of crap out of the way for access to the trailer with the welder.

The lady came back with the tractor and somehow after almost two hours, the welder was loaded on my trailer without loss of limb or wasp stings.

But you know, it took 90 minutes of my time to dick with their broken down equipment and get it running, move crap around in their barn and Dawg knows what else...did they knock a cent off the price? Hell no.

It is a good welder tho...

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.