The Stovebolt Site Forums The Side Lot Old Dominion Stovebolt Society (MD, VA, West VA, DC, DE and PA) Tree Weekend, Friendship Forest

Inquiring minds need more info:

Need help or do you need me to stay out of the way, can do one but not both.

Please advise.

Highest regards,

COSMO
HAVE TRUCK, WILL TRAVEL
CHARLOTTESVILLE

Cosmo -- Billy, Sweet and I were talking about that over the weekend. Would either 8-9 Dec or 15-16 Dec work? Not sure which weekend will be the busiest as we have 5 weekends this year between T-Giving and Christmas (We usually only have four). Typical years, our businesst tree cutting weekend is the second weekend after Thanksgiving, but with the added weekend, it may push back to the third weekend.

I think my preference would be to keep to the usual pattern. That second weekend is always busy, regardless.

Comments?

John

Either one works for me so just tell me when to be there boss.

Same here.

Cosmo

Make that three brother.......

Alrighty then -- How about 1-2 December then??

John and otherbrothers,
If my schedule weighs in, I am on travel after weekend of 1-2 dec. While I would like to see everyone, john may be more short handed 2nd or 3rd weekend in dec.

Hambone -- I'm figuring to be sold out after the first weekend, maybe the second. Business is not going to be THAT brisque this year ... I figure if any of my ODSS brothers come, they'll want to be busy. Or mostly busy. I'm thinking the customers will fall off to a dribble after the second weekend, thus making the last three weekends kinda slow. In fact, the 3rd weekend will be slow and the 4th will be when we start putting everything away. May even get back to transplanting on the slow weekends.

Although ... we do have a cab to separate from a chassis ...

So if you want to help tree customers -- 1st weekend in December.

If you want to hang out and turn wrenches on a Big Bolt, or help with transplanting -- 2nd or 3rd weekends. If you want to help put everything away, 4th weekend...


John

Is doing both an option?

After a day of tree wrestling, we can light up the barn and pull the cab off and clean up in the morning?

Which cab?

Sweet -- Sure, both is an option -- always! You know there's always something to keep us busy around here.

Grigg -- the sleeper cab off the 470 chassis. By the way, I took the big honkin' electric motor to the scrap guys yesterday and got $0.25/lb for it, or $80 Can you believe just the electric motor on that compressor weighed over 300 lbs?? Yikes.

John

Yep, it was a big old motor.
Sorry to hear it's scrap now but I just didn't have a good use for it/reason to save it. Already have two antique 3 phase motors, one is my phase converter and useful. The other just to old and cool looking to scrap, I even rebuild it..

Thanks again for taking care of the compressor for me,

Grigg

So, which weekend did we decide on great bearer of trees????

1-2 Dec, oh Great Arms Sergeant.

Happy Thanksgiving all!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my ODSS brothers!

George

Thanks George. Hope you and your family had a great day too.
I'm sure I gained 5 pounds but it was worth it!

Yep, dittos to the backatcha's, Geo.

Hope all is well with everyone out there in ODSS Brotherhoodville.

Ok, now that we are fully digested from turkey and all the goodies, its time to work off that stuff at HQ!!

What are everyone's plans for arrival and such for those that are coming?

Tentatively Mr. President and I will be arriving Saturday morning.

I bet I get here first ...

Well, I walked the field this afternoon in the last rays of the sun and made the command decision to put up the "Sold Out" sign as we have only a few 6 footers left. So we'll not be too busy with trees -- just cutting/transporting trees that customers tagged last weekend (if they come to get them this weekend). So it's not going to be crazy busy like it was a couple of years ago.

So, other than fighting over who gets to actually help a customer, we have several options:

1. Transplanting seedlings from the seedling bed to the field. (This constitutes "Hard Physical Labor" and is only fun for about 10 minutes if you're not conditioned to it)

2. Remove the sleeper cab from the chassis of the '53 470 and transport the rolling chassis to Mike B's

3. Trail Clearing

4. Shop cleaning and equipment PM'ing


Still wanna come???

I'm in!

I usually don't consider myself as a flip flopper and not change my plans at the last minutebut as of late, the name fits. I have to bow out of this weekend. I was really looking forward to it no matter what we were doing. I enjoyed planting seedlings in the past and found the fun to last a lot longer than 10 minutes. I would have loved to be a part of the sleeper cab removal too.
I have some personal stuff to deal with and some work obligations.
Hope you guys have fun.

I guess we're dropping like flies! Lost 1st and 2nd gear on the way to work, looks like I'll get that '69 3sp+od into the truck sooner than I thought. Won't be making it to the tree farm.

I'll be thinking of all of you whilst underneath 'old red'. She sure has been showing her age lately...universal joints, king pins, and now this. Oh well.

Regards,

Cosmo

Sounds fun to me.

No problemo, Amigos! It works out as the workload will be less. A 3-man transplanting team works just fine. And if Mike Roache shows up, we can do extra compost

Or maybe we'll tackle that 470 anyway ... I sure would like to have it gone ...

Sweet will you just be here for Saturday, then?

John

Brothers,

Sweet came over and we waxed giddy schoolgirls as we pulled the '62 3sp+od transmission back and discovered the throw-out bearing (as Sweet predicted I might add) was trashed. We called 'round to the local FLAPS and had one in hand by 1530. Back to the fire we go and in quick order the transmission is pushed home and we fire her up!

Same sound, a little less so but nevertheless, the same death rattle sound, the original mechanic's stethoscope (short rubber hose to the ear) and the front input bearing is indeed compromised. We're thinking the one begat the other, faulty thowout bearing in violent eccentric mode compromised front input bearing.

Will rebuild '69 3sp+od, all parts/rebuild kit in hand, all is good in the world and there's peace in the valley.

Thanks again Chris. Thanks to Grigg for milling a one-off part for the 'new' governor, pictures to follow when life with truck gets a tad less crazy.

regards,

Cosmo

What a bust!

Try to save the day by going to Cosmo's place to see if his transmission issue could be resolved easily. After swapping throwout bearings, the noise was quieter, but still there.

Once we drained the transmission, I saw brass and fine metal shavings, I knew I had done all I could do in one day.

I head home for a good sleep before I head to the farm, Rocket keeps us up all night and end up taking him to the Dr. instead Saturday morning to find a large ear infection.

When it rains, it pours....