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Homesteading Aspect Oddball Thread

BB homesteading - straw badge
 
Posts: 114
Location: VIC, Australia
78
kids gear cooking building solar homestead
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I take pride in my car so when I got home to check out the car the I had lent to my Dad had gotten this bad I was a little annoyed but part of me was happy cause I got to work on my car!

4.5 hours of work so maybe a two pointer? Let's see!
20211111_095055.jpg
Start time
Start time
20211111_094031.jpg
The hoodlining needed replacing
The hoodlining needed replacing
20211111_104429.jpg
Got it out and torn off the base
Got it out and torn off the base
20211111_105808.jpg
Got the base cleaned for proper adhesion
Got the base cleaned for proper adhesion
20211111_110159.jpg
Cutting the new shape
Cutting the new shape
20211111_113651.jpg
Adhesive of choice (recommended by my upholsterer)
Adhesive of choice (recommended by my upholsterer)
20211111_134759.jpg
New lining ready to go in the car
New lining ready to go in the car
20211111_143902.jpg
And it's in
And it's in
20211111_143053.jpg
Finish time
Finish time
Staff note :

Certified for 3 homesteading oddball points!

 
gardener
Posts: 1322
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When you've got a homestead oddball things crop up.  I never would have anticipated this one.  The other day after the first real snow of the season I went to clear off my solar panel array.  I immediately noticed an odd thing.  The upper right section of the array seemed to bounce a bit as I cleared the snow.  Hmm... I don't think it ever did that before?  Investigating further I see that mounting grid has come off two of the 5 back upright poles!!  The only thing I can figure is that a mighty strong wind gust came along sometime since last winter and managed to lift that corner up and off the poles.  That or I have some mighty industrious and clever squirrels.

So the challenge for me was how to get the caps remounted on the poles without disassembling the whole solar array?  My solution in the end was a combination of long 2x4's, ladders, and ratchet straps, not to mention some serious lever action to lift the whole thing up.  Then carefully let everything back down in a controlled manner so the parts all line up and fit in place.  

Overall I probably spent 3 to 4 hours on it, but I was also working alone and suffering from some crippling back pain at the time.  Were I in good shape (as I thankfully am now) it would probably be more like an hour or two to trouble shoot, gather the tools, get the job done, and clean up.

Here are the photos.  I didn't think to grab a fully "before" shot, but I'll start with one where you can still clearly see one of the caps off its pole.

After struggling with this and seeing the tremendous amount of weight which I could barely lift even with serious leverage I gotta say that was one wicked fierce gust of wind that lifted these off the poles!!  I was told this was rated for wind over 100mph.  I wonder if I got a gust exceeding that!  Thankfully nothing was broken by the wind or my torquing things around to reset it.

edited to fix some incorrect photo files.
DSC05834.JPG
Here's an overall shot showing the problem. The end cap is off. I had just managed to get the second on back on.
Here's an overall shot showing the problem. The end cap is off. I had just managed to get the second on back on.
DSC05832.JPG
Here's a close up of the one cap off its pole.
Here's a close up of the one cap off its pole.
DSC05833.JPG
This is a close up shot of the second pole after I've managed to lever everything up enough to get it in place again.
This is a close up shot of the second pole after I've managed to lever everything up enough to get it in place again.
DSC05838.JPG
Here's a shot after I was able to get the cap for the second pole lined up and settled down.
Here's a shot after I was able to get the cap for the second pole lined up and settled down.
DSC05840.JPG
Close up shot. It looks like it's on, but notice the weird angle. It's not really set in place yet.
Close up shot. It looks like it's on, but notice the weird angle. It's not really set in place yet.
DSC05842.JPG
Sometimes you gotta give a few gentle whacks with a hammer! All of a sudden both poles jerked and dropped fully into place.
Sometimes you gotta give a few gentle whacks with a hammer! All of a sudden both poles jerked and dropped fully into place.
DSC05841.JPG
Sorry for the weird camera angle on this one. Hopefully you can see they are all now back in place.
Sorry for the weird camera angle on this one. Hopefully you can see they are all now back in place.
DSC05835.JPG
In order to get the pole to line up again with the cap on the lifted rack I had to use ratchet straps to pull it in.
In order to get the pole to line up again with the cap on the lifted rack I had to use ratchet straps to pull it in.
DSC05836.JPG
The weight of the rack with panels on it was tremendous! I had to devise this lever system to barely be able to lift it up.
The weight of the rack with panels on it was tremendous! I had to devise this lever system to barely be able to lift it up.
Staff note :

Certified for 1 oddball point!

 
steward
Posts: 15505
Location: Northern WI (zone 4)
4846
7
hunting trees books food preservation solar woodworking
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I built a deer fence two years ago.  I helped harvest and peel the cedar trees but don't have pics so that part doesn't count towards this effort.  

Tasks included are:
- dug post holes
- installed 16 tall posts
- invented a way to put a top rail on them that wouldn't collect water
- invented a way to splice them that wouldn't collect water
- cut joints and assembled the top rails on the N and E sides so the tree branches wouldn't rest on the fence
- attached concrete remesh as the lower fence
- strung two high wires on the S and SE side along with an intermediate one on the N and E sides

I did build a gate for it but I'll submit that elsewhere...

So far it's worked great.  Chickens can get through and the deer haven't made it in.
Putting-in-posts.jpg
Putting in posts
Putting in posts
Helper-birds-helping.jpg
Helper birds helping
Helper birds helping
Posts-in-laying-out-top-rails.jpg
Posts in, laying out top rails
Posts in, laying out top rails
Far-top-rails-are-up-(N-and-first-one-on-E-side-in-distance).jpg
Far top rails are up (N and first one on E side in distance)
Far top rails are up (N and first one on E side in distance)
Top-of-post-joint.jpg
Top of post joint
Top of post joint
Splice-underneath-half.jpg
Splice underneath half
Splice underneath half
Cutting-out-the-notch.jpg
Cutting out the notch
Cutting out the notch
Notched.jpg
Notched
Notched
Bonus-view-of-joint.jpg
Bonus view of joint
Bonus view of joint
Notch-in-top-rail-to-sit-on-post-top.jpg
Notch in top rail to sit on post top
Notch in top rail to sit on post top
Carved-out.jpg
Carved out
Carved out
All-together.jpg
All together
All together
To-the-corner-.jpg
To the corner!
To the corner!
100_2225.JPG
N and E side done with mesh on
N and E side done with mesh on
Putting-on-the-remesh.jpg
Putting on the remesh
Putting on the remesh
Remesh-on.jpg
Remesh on
Remesh on
Top-wires-on-S-side-installed.jpg
Top wires on S side installed
Top wires on S side installed
Staff note :

I certify this BB for 20 homesteading oddball points.

 
Mike Haasl
steward
Posts: 15505
Location: Northern WI (zone 4)
4846
7
hunting trees books food preservation solar woodworking
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Approved submission
I finally got sick of my "Add a Door" chicken door mechanism that I installed 5 years ago.  It jams and has a problem about every 3 months.  Just often enough that it will happen when we're on a trip.  

So I bought a Pullet Shut door and put that in.  I installed one for some friends years ago and they love it.  The version I got is solar powered and light sensitive for opening and closing.  I just needed to run the wires in a subtle way which was tricky in my coop.  Both the inside and outside are sheathed and since it's pallet construction, the side I needed to remove them from was under the adjoining side.  So the wall to my left was holding on the boards I wanted to pop off.  I ended up surface mounting the wires inside the coop and running them out the eave to the solar panel.
Hardware.jpg
Hardware
Hardware
Location-for-the-battery-(above-the-poop-zone).jpg
Location for the battery (above the poop zone)
Location for the battery (above the poop zone)
Battery-in-place.jpg
Battery in place
Battery in place
Where-the-solar-panel-and-light-sensor-will-go.jpg
Where the solar panel and light sensor will go
Where the solar panel and light sensor will go
Where-the-door-will-cover.jpg
Where the door will cover
Where the door will cover
Sunny-.jpg
Sunny!
Sunny!
Wires-run-through-wall-into-coop.jpg
Wires run through wall into coop
Wires run through wall into coop
Door-on-and-wires-run.jpg
Door on and wires run
Door on and wires run
Panel-in-place-light-sensor-is-between-the-two-soffit-boards-just-reaching-out-under-the-fascia-board.jpg
Panel in place, light sensor is between the two soffit boards, just reaching out under the fascia? board
Panel in place, light sensor is between the two soffit boards, just reaching out under the fascia? board
Staff note (gir bot) :

Someone approved this submission.
Note: I hereby certify this badge bit complete. Two Points

 
Try 100 things. 2 will work out, but you will never know in advance which 2. This tiny ad might be one:
Heat your home with the twigs that naturally fall of the trees in your yard
http://woodheat.net
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