The Work After the Storm
 

We had a heavy ice storm that started Thursday the fifth. Power went out that evening at 8:30 and was out until about 4:30PM Sunday and then went out for another 12 hours or so about an hour and a half later.

The ice was loading the trees so heavily that it sounded like duck season with all the branches popping all over the place. There is still a little ice left in places even after a high of 67 this afternoon.

It knocked down the power line to my shop and left a huge mess. I did some cutting last Wednesday but there was so much ice in the downed branches, it was tough to deal with. I started cutting everything in lengths less than six feet so that it will fit in the front end loader and making piles where I could get at them with the tractor without tearing up the lawn too much. Once the ground dries out enough to support the tractor I'll start a burn pile out in the meadow.

I got the power line up for the shop this afternoon. The strain relief line was knocked down by a falling limb. Luckily I have a disconnect on it, so I was able to turn it off before they got the power back on, so that I could get to it later.

I got a lot more cut today. I'm probably halfway done with the clearing around the house, but taking care of limbs on the fences around the meadow and pastures will take awhile.

We had an ice storm that left us without power 13 years ago, so many people around here have backup generators. I am thinking about buying a welder/generator to try to be prepared for the next time.

I love living in the boonies, but there is sometimes an unexpected price for the peace, quiet and nature that we normally enjoy.

lincoln makes some really nice welder/generator combos. the sky is the limit as far as price goes. one of these days ill by a new engine driven welder.


if you really want a good unit, see if you can find one of the older sa-250 machines. diesel engine and a powerhead that will last forever

I'd love to have an old SA. The DC generator makes DC with no ripple. The modern welders are alternators and rectifiers. Not quite as good to weld with.

The old SA's though, seem to be better welders than generators, and use LOTS of fuel. I've wanted a 225 Bobcat for a long time, but the price has gone up to about $3600 best case. I now have my eye on a Lincoln Ranger Eagle 10,000+. There's a local farm store that sells them for $2,999. It's a 225 Amp welder, 100% duty cycle at 210 Amps. Pretty hefty. Has one of the really good Kohler Industrial V twins too.

I keep thinking that I will find something on the used market that hasn't been used up, but who knows?

Good luck with the clean up Larry. Ice storms are a PITA....
Our snowstorm of a few days ago dropped 4 inches of snow, then rained for a few hours, then dropped to teens and single digits....
Got everything cleared before it refroze, but it sure is a crunchy, slippery mess.
Kids love the indestructible sled run though, even if it is fast enough to send them into the creek....:D

It comes with the territory. Glad you had no serious damage. In 2001 we had a flood here. The creek that crosses my property, which normally has a base flow of about 300cfs, crested at 22K cfs. I had no structures damaged as everything is well out of the flood plain, but my all my fences along the creek were toast, the property was littered with other peoples' stuff including propane tanks, dead cattle, outdoor furniture, an entire deck off somebody's house, you name it. Worst thing was we had an irrigation intake built into the creek that was grandfathered, and it blew out completely. I'm not allowed to replace it under the protected status of the creek. I now have to use a pump to pull my water rights out of the creek and into my ditch.

what part of az are you in? almost sounds like the flood that blew through tuba a few years back

Wow. That sounds way, WAY worse than what I'm dealing with. After I get all the limbs hauled off and burned, the only thing left behind will be ugly trees. Another couple of days work and then some time once the ground is dry enough that the tractor won't tear it up, and it'll pretty much be history, at least around the house, barn and shop.

The work along the fence rows will be ongoing, but keeping the fence up is just part of everyday life around here anyway.

Glad to hear you were relatively unscathed, Larry! Sounds like a good excuse for a big ol' bonfire party to me. :cool::D

Yeah, the burn pile is going to be huge and it is turning into more work than I thought. I have most of it cut now though. I can't just push most of it out to the burn pile because there is a gate that's too narrow. In front of the house I'm trying not to tear up the lawn too bad with the tractor.

We have rain coming the next few days, so this project is going to drag out.

Keep an eye out on Govliquidation.com. They have a disposal in Hooks, Texas, which was once known as the Red River Arsenal. Generators of all types come up for sale there, but the usual ones listed are the bigger ones.

They sometimes have some generators that come up that use VW flat four air cooled engines and are built into a frame that allows them to be carried by four or six people. I think these also offer pull starters.

They also get welders in from time to time.

Thanks Idle. I'm vaguely familiar with the army depot over there but not aware of the website. I will keep an eye on it. Thanks.

Interesting coincidence. I lived near TC a long time ago. My inlaws are from a village near there. I know the flood you're talking about. Moencopi Wash broke it's banks and caused some havoc. A buddy of mine put his kayak into Moencopi Wash where it crosses highway 160 east during that flood and boated the wash all the way to the Little Colorado confluence.
My flood was on Spring Creek, which feeds Oak Creek in the Verde Valley. The Verde that year went from a base flow of about 600cfs to nearly 50K. Our biggest flood was in the winter of 93. All the dams on the Oak Creek > Verde> Salt> Gila> Colorado system were breached at one point. A bunch of us, drinking beer and looking at maps one night during that flood figured out that it was theoretically possible, for the first time in a VERY long time, to put kayaks into Oak Creek at Sedona and boat all the way to the Sea of Cortez, with only a few portages around key dams.

I bought a military MEP-002a for backup power, you can find them in running condition for $1,200-$1,500. For the money nothing else even comes close although its not set up for end-user welding. PTO generators are also great for those with tractors.

Do a google search on Mep-002 if you're interested, lots of info on the web.

Once you buy you have a few days to pick stuff up, but beware: They normally offer NO help in loading. You would think they would have a forklift or two sitting around somewhere but if they do they will not allow it to be used to load up a purchase.

Government Surplus Auctions at Government Liquidation

"No permitas NADIE te hagas sentir que no mereces lo que quieres"