ping ! Winston Smith

Have you EVER posted metalworking content here ? Cites , please . I'm tossing everybody that doesn't . Politics I can get at AS or on teevee , metalworking content is what this group is about . Enough is enough , and if we all get together and killfile multi-group and political posters this will be a much more pleasant place .

Snag Today's metal work was to bend some 1/8 x 1/2 SS flat stock to make pegs to secure my "deer cages" that I have built (did that tues) to go around my fruit trees . Didn't work out so well ... The cages are 36" diameter tubes of 6x6 concrete rewire . All welded construction , same as the tomato cages built last year . I'll be making some more of those too , I need 8 more for the planned tomato patch . The tree cages will also be wrapped with some deer mesh , they can poke their little noses thru a 6x6 and nibble the new growth .

Reply to
Terry Coombs
Loading thread data ...

I'm pretty sure Winston is here due to cross-posting...

I have several tomato cages made from 4" x 4" square fencing that is 4 ft high. I pound in a fencing T-post (5 or 6 ft) and then wire the cage to it for support. You can find T-posts at stores catering to farm fencing and such. Like this:

formatting link

Reply to
Leon Fisk

I shoulda thought of that ... I have a few of those , not enough but the co-op sells 'em for just over 4 bucks each . I was going to drive pegs and string wire , but this is simpler , easier , and doesn't keep my mower away from the cages . I don't worry so much about the tomatoes , but if a deer tipped a tree cage it would do more damage than if I let it nibble . My peach and one cherry tree might already be dead ... I tried all kinds of sprays and stuff last year , nothing worked for more than a few days . Looks like my metalworking for today will be to build a post driver . Got just the materials I need on hand too , sometimes it's good to be a packrat .

Reply to
Terry Coombs

I just push them in a little bit, then use a 6lb sledge hammer. Hold the post steady with one hand and then sledge with the other (choked up on the handle). After you get them down a foot or so you can use both hands on the sledge. Post driver would be nice though.

A deer can/will starve to death with a full stomach. They can eat pretty much anything, just like some stuff better than others ;-)

I had to put a fence around the garden several years ago due to both the deer and rabbits. What the deer didn't damage eating they would walk all over. Fence is only 4ft tall but they have never went over it yet. My fence posts are 6ft tall. Figured I would string a single wire around the top if they still got in by jumping over. Had to run chicken wire along the bottom to keep the rabbits out. They would zip through the 4" x 2" square fence like it wasn't even there...

Reply to
Leon Fisk

Rabbits haven't been a problem , we see very few of them down here in the woods . I have a piece of pipe that will slide over the posts , some 5/16" round stock , and some bigger steel rounds for a cap . That plus a shop full of tools and time on my hands ...

Reply to
Terry Coombs

Year before the fence I took out 14 of them in a months time. They are in full "production" the same time as all our flowers and veggies...

Been going to mention this... I have an old walking tractor that could use some wheel weights. Kinda like your tractor could use some more weight. I think you could take off a wheel, lay it on its side and then make some weights from cement. You'd have to make a circular form to contain the outside edge, lay some plastic on the rim so it would release and of course some bolts into the rim to hold it in place. Maybe some wire, reinforcement in the cement too. Just an idea in case your haven't got anything else to do :)

Reply to
Leon Fisk

That's a great idea ! Not that I lack things to do , but I can sure make the time to do that . Did the bunnies taste good ? I mde a siple pole pounder , works well enough . Next step is making some wire tripods to go on top since the trees are (or will soon be) taller than the 5' width of the rewire I used for cages . First one I used 28" of wire , the rest will get 36" . I knew that coil of heavy galv wire would come in handy some day ... -- Snag

Reply to
Terry Coombs

Wrong time of the year for eating. They have all sorts of parasite trouble during the warm/summer months. Bummer but the old three "s" solution. Shoot, shovel... Once it gets colder out the population drops right off. All the predators, coyote, fox, GH Owl, feral cats... see to it.

A coil of galv wire is a very handy thing to have around :)

I've got a bunch of old wire coat hangers that I cut up and use pieces to attach the cages to the t-posts. Usually work good for one season. Posts get pulled up each year, cleaned off and then stashed till the next.

Reply to
Leon Fisk

I made a T-post puller for my hi-lift jack. Just a piece of 1/2" plate maybe 6"x3" with a hole to fit over the tongue of the jack and another to slip over the T-post. When the jack starts lifting, the piece over the T-post binds, pulling the post. I saw one in a store for $20, had the plate and a cutting torch, so there ya go.

Pete Keillor

Reply to
Pete Keillor

I have a roll of tie wire , can't remember when or why I bought it but it has sure been handy . These posts will stay in place until I'm sure the trees are strong enough to withstand a bit of nibbling , might be 2 or 3 years .

Reply to
Terry Coombs

Good 'un, Pete. I used my engine hoist this morning to pull out a tree/shrub which was too close to the house. With a chain wrapped around it and a tubafore under the working wheels, it came out in about 5 minutes. I lifted it about 5", cut the straining roots with a lopper, and lifted it the rest of the way out. Setup, work, takedown, and storage/burnpile took roughly 20 minutes.

Does anyone know where to get a (reasonably priced) set of springs for a hi-lift jack? Mine was a freebie from a garage sale which had been in a fire. I keep meaning to see if HF has kits. Local 4x4 shops want to sell a $200 replacement to me. To _me_? Hah!

Reply to
Larry Jaques

...

...

Put the following in a google search box: Hi-Lift Fix-It-Kit or see for a $15-20 kit with 2 Climbing Pins 2 Climbing Pin Springs 2 Cross Pins 1 Shear Bolt & Nut 1 tube of jack lubricant Are the "Climbing Pin Springs" the springs you referred to?

Reply to
James Waldby

Whose package reads "WD-40".

Yes. And those exact same kits are available from $17 to $39.98 (plus possible s/h) depending upon your source. It really amazes me, since entire farm jacks can be purchased for that same $39.95.

These hi-lift jacks are going for $298 in "1st Responder" uniform (paint).

Reply to
Larry Jaques

My youthful experiences with bumper jacks convinced me to raise unstable loads by hoisting from above whenever possible. Given that I have a 1 ton shop crane and a 2 ton chainfall on a tripod, what would a hi lift jack do better besides ride in the pickup bed?

-jsw

Reply to
Jim Wilkins

I usually pull them out by hand, builds character don't you know :)

If I can't get it out that way I resort to a short loop chain, pry bar and block of wood. Haven't had to resort to the hi-lift jack yet but I've got several around. I'm not getting any younger though and may have to resort to making a t-post puller for the jack in the future...

Reply to
Leon Fisk

They work like a "winch" too for pulling stuff. Not a lot of distance before you have to stop and rejigger but if you are stuck in the boonies...

Reply to
Leon Fisk

BTDT. The most useful thing I carried was a folding pruning saw to cut a tree trunk lever to repeatedly lift the car and let rocks piled against the tire fall into the rut, and then to cut short pieces to make a few feet of corduroy track.

formatting link

The chain fall has served me as a slow and awkward manual winch. For horizontal pulls a lever hoist is a much better choice. The jack is more pull for a lot less money than a big lever hoist, though.

-jsw

Reply to
Jim Wilkins

I had an inexpensive folding saw break on me out in the boonies. It worked like a big jackknife. Problem is they are weak side-to-side in the pivot/fold area. Thankfully I was only cutting a small blow-down on the way into a secluded area. Lesson learned though. Be careful with then or carry a more rugged saw :)

I consider the hi-lift jacks as problem solvers. They aren't the best for any particular job but will get the job done for many.

Have you seen the cable gripper type winches? Griphoist stuff:

formatting link

formatting link

formatting link

God awful expensive but would be nice to have at times...

Reply to
Leon Fisk

The Coghlan folding saw has been fine for me, but I rarely break anything anyway.

I'm looking for examples of what they can do that something else couldn't. I don't like that they can tip the load onto the operator so easily.

I have a pair of mountaineering ascenders that grip like that on kernmantle. Unlike Prusik knots they don't need tension on the bottom of the rope. They tear up Walmart rope.

I looked into those cable pullers after watching a power crew use one to string up new lines. Most of the pulling I do is at ground level where I can make short pulls, stop and shorten the lines. When I have to change the lean of a large tree I use two pullers alternately.

The PBS show on salvaging the Costa Concordia has a cutaway animation of the hydraulic jacks with fixed and moving cable gripper jaws that pulled the ship upright.

-jsw

Reply to
Jim Wilkins

My first and favorite bumper jack (1957) consisted of a bsae plate with a dimple in the centre, a 3/4"' acme threaded rod crrying a hook and a crank handle on top. Put it in the centre of the bumper and with the steadying influence of a couple buddies, crank her up and move her sidewise; repeat as required to get back on the road. Unfortunately the rod got bent and it never worked right afterward. Dangerous but handy at times.

Reply to
geraldrmiller

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.