Backhoe purchase

Now to dig a hole :-)

Martin

Wish I could afford a backhoe, I have to settle for 60% sticks when I want to dig up a rock or stump. At least the 60% only costs $150.

Running a backhoe is the MOST fun you can have with all your clothes on.

Great deal, at least for these parts. (Farmers buy up backhoes to do their own tile repair - No need for that impossible permit if you do it on the weekend and then till the field)

Karl

I'm under the impression that since 1968 or so you need all sorts of impossible to obtain (for the average Joe doing his own work) licenses, or the expensive hire of someone with such licenses, to use this sort of tool. Is my impression wrong? Sure would be easier to dig some of the stumps if they were in pieces (I've pulled some out that were not only too heavy to lift with the hoe, they were too heavy to lift with the

3000 lb loader, and moving them from the hole was an excessively creative process).

You're supposed to wear clothes?

Joel. phx

I have had TN licences, but they were eliminated and the law explicitly says I do not need a TN licence to buy & use explosives for agricultral uses, and am exempt from the record keeping too. Since 9/11 all the local suppliers have insisted that I have a BATF users permit to cover their ass (can't really blame them). I got the required permit without any particular trouble, putting in my own magazines for my convienence, and although they were built cheaply (creative engineering) they followed the engineering guidelines and passed BATF inspection. I don't like excessive paperwork, but the guidelines are mainly common sense and standard industrial practice for safety and have had no problems.

Since 9/11 the BATF drops in at least once a year, it seems mainly to make sure I don't wear unusual headress.

You can also get 2-part mixtures that are non-explosive when bought and only become explosive when mixed just before shooting. I don't go that route since much of my work involves fractional sticks, extremely awkward with 2-part.

Just like most people need to get their CCW to re-implement the 2nd amendment militia, more people need to get their BATF 33 users permit and get used to the useful high energy tools. This does not apply if you live in a rental apartment or subdivision house of course.

On Thu, 01 Apr 2004 14:16:08 GMT, "Karl Townsend" vaguely proposed a theory ......and in reply I say!: remove ns from my header address to reply via email

Sorry. Can you explain that....?

**************************************************** remove ns from my header address to reply via email

I went on a guided tour not long ago.The guide got us lost. He was a non-compass mentor.........sorry ........no I'm not.

The nature lovers want to make sure that ya don't drain your land to plant crops in. Tiling is buried pipe that collects water and channels it away so that the land is dry enough to farm. Therefore we now have the "wetlands" laws on the books. In Oregon there is trading in wetlands similar to the trading of pollution credits. Developers who want to develop a wetland in the city will buy cheaper farmland and take it out of production and make it a wet land so that they can build on the wetlands in the city. lg no neat sig line

On Thu, 1 Apr 2004 17:39:01 -0800, "larry g" vaguely proposed a theory ......and in reply I say!: remove ns from my header address to reply via email

OK. Thanks.

rant mode

hmmmm.... things is getting tough. And I do NOT blame the greenies for this. I actually have a block of land, and suffer from a lot of the restrictions that are now applied to clearing.

I do not have children, and decided many years ago (when the children thing was timely for me) that there were simply too many people, using too many resources.

It sounds as if you might not agree with them? Trouble is, if _something_ isn't done we're stuffed, IMO. Over here (Oz) we new about salimity problems something like 100 years ago. Some civil engineer predicted it, and they laughed. Then 40-50 years ago it was common knowledge, and people were being given land packages on marginal land, _ and told they would lose it if they did not clear within x years_! Now it's huge areas of saltpan, and getting worse. I think they are tlaking 3- billion dollars to fix it. That's a lot in Oz.

What I _do_ feel is that a comfortable city dweller (and I _was_ one of those once), who tells a guy trying to make a living off the land that he has to "do it harder" , should be made to help _pay_ for that nice idea. The salt-affected farmers are being told by guilt-trip and law to fix their land. But woe betide any poor sod who asks for Government assistance. There was a huge cry of anger in the papers when the issue was discussed. I agree that the guy has profited from the land. But we had some of the cleanest, cheapest food in the world because of those guys, and farming and mining are the only reason Australia exists as any sort of economy at all.

I am not directly affected by this. I am not worth a farmer's bum! But my years in the boondocks have taught me how tough it can be, and to appreciate the other point of view.

hmmmmm...a stopgap.

**************************************************** remove ns from my header address to reply via email

I went on a guided tour not long ago.The guide got us lost. He was a non-compass mentor.........sorry ........no I'm not.