Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

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The bad thing about start/stop operation, which is further exacerbated by cold weather, is fuel dilution due to the engine never properly heating up allowing the rings to seal properly. An engine can survive under said conditions for many years, my Honda is 20 and counting, but it doesn't negate the downfall of operating a gas engine outside of its optimal parameters. I make up for it by doing annual oil changes despite relatively low engine hr usage. I'm not a fan of the big push for BEV but do feel there is a limited window where they have an advantage, and this is one of them.
In this case, they don't have an advantage when you consider what the cold does to the batteries in an EV.

SR
 
In this case, they don't have an advantage when you consider what the cold does to the batteries in an EV.

SR
As I alluded to above we've been running 36v and 48v Cushmans for the better part of 2 decades now without any premature battery failures that I can recall. Some of these buggies get run around the clock in short stop and go scenarios, always outdoors, in Temps from below zero to 90's. They don't get run under high load or for long continuous distances but they do get run enough to wear tires and brakes out every couple of years which takes a fair amount of use to accomplish. It doesn't help that they are always run on concrete/asphalt and are often overloaded with parts and tools. I drag around 250cfm towable air compressors and 6" Godwin pumps when they need to be moved within the plant, both considerably heavier than the buggy itself.
In this environment most carts will go 2-4 days without needing to be plugged in, depending on usage and to a lesser extent, temperature.
 
Apparently John Deere is working on bev utility vehicles and tractors. Be interesting to see what new tech comes out. They should make one that takes DeWalt batteries. Imagine silently whirring towards the back of your property on your DeWalt Gator. Pluck off one of the 12ah batteries that your ride is bristling with and slap it into the chainsaw. Cut a load of firewood, split it up with your battery electric splitter and carry it to the house. Then stuff that green firewood into the ancient cast iron smoke dragon stove and enjoy! 🤣.
 
Apparently John Deere is working on bev utility vehicles and tractors. Be interesting to see what new tech comes out. They should make one that takes DeWalt batteries. Imagine silently whirring towards the back of your property on your DeWalt Gator. Pluck off one of the 12ah batteries that your ride is bristling with and slap it into the chainsaw. Cut a load of firewood, split it up with your battery electric splitter and carry it to the house. Then stuff that green firewood into the ancient cast iron smoke dragon stove and enjoy! 🤣.

JD has had an electric Gator out for years. 10-12 that I know of.
 
People that lived at my house previously sent me some photos of the old barn that used to be on the property. He claimed that the foundation was failing and it was not safe to be around, but looking at these pictures I must say I disagree. I feel like I could have saved it, especially with some of the stuff we have had to do to the house, like rotten rim joist replacement on a load bearing wall.

Part of the structure was held together with wooden pins, no clue how old it was but was probably original to when the house was built or maybe even before.

View attachment 1193150

View attachment 1193151
WUD B GREAT place to run a METAL DETECTOR
 
For the Cast Iron hounds, and those of you still without cast iron:

https://hibid.com/wisconsin/catalog/563896/antiques--huge-cast-iron-collection-online-sale

Lots of skillets and other stuff. They will ship whatever will go on their shipper of choice (Postal oriface, OOPS, or FedUp, I presume). No excuse for anyone to be cast-iron-less. They even have the foundry molds for some things. 150 cast iron items. A set of griswold #3 through #9 skillets looked interesting.
 
People that lived at my house previously sent me some photos of the old barn that used to be on the property. He claimed that the foundation was failing and it was not safe to be around, but looking at these pictures I must say I disagree. I feel like I could have saved it, especially with some of the stuff we have had to do to the house, like rotten rim joist replacement on a load bearing wall.

Part of the structure was held together with wooden pins, no clue how old it was but was probably original to when the house was built or maybe even before.
That would have been a nice barn to save. Pinned post and timber is before 1890-1900 in the midwest. Don't know about VA. Between 1890 and 1900 barns switched over to nailed pole barns in the Midwest. My Great Great Grandfather built a pinned timber frame barn in 1883. 14x14 oak beams on the stone foundation. Siding and all sawn on a reciprocating sawmill. My Great Grandfather built a pole barn with 24 to 36" wide slabs of cottonwood siding. The siding lasted from ~1905 until 1970 when it was replaced with pine 1x12. Both still stand, but unfortunately are no longer in the family.
 
My barn is pre civil war View attachment 1193415View attachment 1193416View attachment 1193417View attachment 1193418View attachment 1193419
Really need to get those slabs down they have been there for over 50 years according to my neighbor they were there when he moved in next door
View attachment 1193420
What type of wood do you suppose the posts and beams are? My father-in-law's barn is early 1900's vintage, constructed from whatever was fairly straight and easily accessible, some beech, some elm, some sugar maple. It has not held nearly as well as your building.
 
What type of wood do you suppose the posts and beams are? My father-in-law's barn is early 1900's vintage, constructed from whatever was fairly straight and easily accessible, some beech, some elm, some sugar maple. It has not held nearly as well as your building.
Mix of woods . The posts and supports on the ground floor are locust. All the flooring is white oak as well as interior walls I’ve used some for cabinets inside my house . I believe the main beams on the second and third floor are American chestnut
 
Mix of woods . The posts and supports on the ground floor are locust. All the flooring is white oak as well as interior walls I’ve used some for cabinets inside my house . I believe the main beams on the second and third floor are American chestnut
I wish I had access to White oak. I do have a small clump of Locust on my property, but not enough to do anything with.
 
Mix of woods . The posts and supports on the ground floor are locust. All the flooring is white oak as well as interior walls I’ve used some for cabinets inside my house . I believe the main beams on the second and third floor are American chestnut
They knew what they were doing! My Uncle's old barn (which stood for over 100 years but is now down) was made more like the previous description. I remember seeing some Beech bark on a post that had a partially round corner!

Unfortunately, it failed rapidly after the roof was not properly maintained.
 
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