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Copied and pasted from another forum I frequent ;D Hopefully deceptive enough title. Maybe not quite on topic, and different to my usual posts, but it will sink to the bottom farter than a lead balloon if no one is intersted. I just had the need to share and hope the mods will tolerate it due to the fact that it has a turbo diesel engine :peepwall: When Nicola and I moved out to the sticks last year in September, we lost most of our mobile reception, Internet speed reduced by about 80% to 0.5 mb download speed. However, we gained cows up the road, the most amazing sunsets and sunrises and farmers fields front and rear. Oh, and of course there happens to be a house that had a 10x10m garage attached. Yestarday saw the start of this years wheat crop, which is not super impressive if it is not your "Thing" but to us it is great, along with living rurally. I took a few pics and hope you don't mind me posting up, those farm boys and girls among you will either be bored or know how to drive a combine harvester..... to us it is all magic, along with the cows 800 meters up the road on the farm and bunnies in the fields etc. Due to English farms and the old layouts of land parcels, you cannot work with more than one combine harvester at a time like they do in the USA and other countries where you have fields that are miles and miles wide and long. At work: www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CBcQtwIwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DBZxAC7EOX7E&rct=j&q=claas%20lexion%20460%20evo%20spec&ei=Xho5Tp7VCM26hAevx_SkAg&usg=AFQjCNFU2eL7ZqsJbRDC9tpNYX0-5PMUDg&cad=rjaHope the Youtube link works. The Claas Lexion460 Evolution they used cuts a 7.5m wide tract at a time. Engine power 250kW Engine manuf. Caterpillar Engine type Turbo Diesel Corn Tank Size 9600 litres Cutting unit width 7.5m I wont bore you with the rest except to say it has an airconned cabin and everything is automated etc. Pics: Later on the sunset really ignited the pics but I was too lazy to run about. The guys work till after 10pm. Threashed, if you knew what you were doing, you could have a loaf of bread before midnight. Tractor and trailer to collect harvest, these guys run non stop. Drivers T-Shirt read "I AM THE STIG" and he drove like it too. Unloading the crop. Harvester has a 9600 litre capacity. Bales of hay being rolled, some farms use round and some cubed bales. Being born. And what all the fuss is about. How many loaves of bread or pizza bases in there ? If you are still awake.... well done.
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Last Edit: Oct 16, 2012 10:03:49 GMT by grizz
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Really interesting, that - cheers!
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dbizz - city boy, rofl. ;D living in the sticks I'm used to seeing that sort of stuff. makes a nice change to see them in fields rather than being stuck behind them on the road.
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dbizz - city boy, rofl. ;D You know it. I didn't realise food was made from, like, plants and stuff.
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Really interesting, that - cheers! Thanks mate, I just find forums can become very one dimensional at times, and some of us do not have the privilege of living where there is no mobile signal and internet download speed is gauged in days rather than Mega-wotsits Dave TCC, glad to see you are still alive and kicking...... maybe I should do a thread on milk production, as some kids really believe it comes from a bottle ;D Fields look rather dull and bare now. Looking up from the woods toward the houses. I also scouted a spot where I am going to take a chance tresspassing and taking Tom to learn to change gears on the bike.
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appreciate pics lived in somerset in 200 year old cottage near glasto site and miles from train station buses ended at 18.00 and cider to blow you away for pence moved to crawley to work at gatwick reverse of what you did
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crazymonkey
Posted a lot
ummm....what was I doing again???
Posts: 1,981
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living in cornwall I see a lot of this sort of thing, especially as a mate owns a farm and I sometimes help out love it though. I remember watching programs about kids who thought chicken nuggets come from the freezer made me LOL its just nice to see products being made fresh from the field as I like to call it.
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whoever said dogs were man's best friend....obviously never heard of cable ties
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I watched the fields out the back of my house being harvested last year, they kept going till well after dark, lit by the huge spotlights mounted on the harvester. Really impressive sight
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1989 Peugeot 205. You know, the one that was parked in a ditch on the campsite at RRG'17... the glass is always full. but the ratio of air to water may vary.
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When I was a kid others used to earn pocket money from local farmers helping load the bails of hay onto trailers. Unfortunatley I suffer from hay fever so couldn't go anywhere near. Pre H&S 1960's / 70's days - can you imagine what would happen now with gangs of school lads doing such for a few quid at the end of the day ! A lot of my school mates were farmers sons and at the time didn't think twice about helping out when visiting them as it was expected of the kids to help farmer - and that included visiting friends. Milking, mucking out, rounding up cattle, collecting eggs, etc were all things I did - and reward was a big dinner I'm old enough to remember working horses and opposite my grandparents cottage on edge of Exmoor in late 1950's was the local blacksmith and I used to love watching him work. At the time I'd have been little more than a toddler ! Paul H
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When I was a kid others used to earn pocket money from local farmers helping load the bails of hay onto trailers. Unfortunatley I suffer from hay fever so couldn't go anywhere near. Pre H&S 1960's / 70's days - can you imagine what would happen now with gangs of school lads doing such for a few quid at the end of the day ! A lot of my school mates were farmers sons and at the time didn't think twice about helping out when visiting them as it was expected of the kids to help farmer - and that included visiting friends. Milking, mucking out, rounding up cattle, collecting eggs, etc were all things I did - and reward was a big dinner I'm old enough to remember working horses and opposite my grandparents cottage on edge of Exmoor in late 1950's was the local blacksmith and I used to love watching him work. At the time I'd have been little more than a toddler ! Paul H Absolutely there with you Paul, remember being trampled by goats being loaded for market, falling off stuff etc.... no H&S, no suing because there was blame for a claim etc. These days, every time I ask Tom to do something around the house the first response is "what will you pay me ? " To which my general response is just to walk away and do it myself (feeling very disappointed) Still, we had great times growing up.
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grizz, you should reply "because you love your Mum and I and you get free board, free food, free TV, free internet, free phone calls, free bike lessons....need I go on Tom" then give him a wink and show him what needs doing.
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grizz, you should reply "because you love your Mum and I and you get free board, free food, free TV, free internet, free phone calls, free bike lessons....need I go on Tom" then give him a wink and show him what needs doing. Good thinking there Batman !! I should try that next time. ;D
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Now this is what you call working wide !!!! 120' wide swaths being worked in Northern Illinois
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DutyFreeSaviour
Europe
Back For More heartbreak and disappointment.....
Posts: 2,944
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Anyone with petrol/derv in their veins can't help drooling over such machinery...... I always stare transfixed when out with the dog and it's going on.
BEST EVER HOLIDAY when 10yrs old was a cock-up double booking at caravan site. We ended up on a local farm - in the yard - and spent he entire 2 weeks helping collect the free range eggs, milking, mucking out and driving the farm appliances - any kid who doesn't/wouldn't love that has bits missing ;D
Obviously we only had a taster - the guys who do this day in day out deserve our respect, air-con or not it can't be an easy slog.
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Back from the dead..... kind of
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Anyone with petrol/derv in their veins can't help drooling over such machinery...... I always stare transfixed when out with the dog and it's going on. BEST EVER HOLIDAY when 10yrs old was a cock-up double booking at caravan site. We ended up on a local farm - in the yard - and spent he entire 2 weeks helping collect the free range eggs, milking, mucking out and driving the farm appliances - any kid who doesn't/wouldn't love that has bits missing ;D Obviously we only had a taster - the guys who do this day in day out deserve our respect, air-con or not it can't be an easy slog. Great reply John. I can just see you having a whale of a time.
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I too love this kinda stuff! It's awesome that you have it on your doorstep...and also that you appreciate it. There are lots of people that would (believe it or not) view this as a nuisance! I'm hoping that if things go OK with the house, I might possibly be living somewhere in the next year or so where this would literally be happening in my back garden too. For the moment I am just sitting here grinning that you're enjoying it and slightly envious that you've got it all going on right now on your doorstep. At the age of 14, I was out in Sweden for a bit during a long summer holiday, living on a farm a few hours south of Stockholm (farm = a few hundred thousand acres!!) I had my own car to get about because the place was so big. Seriously, it could take nearly half an hour in a car to get from one side to the other! While there, I was allowed to drive the combine harvester on a couple of occasions. I'll never forget it...it was HUGE! At the time, it was the largest one that John Deere produced and it had its own barn. They called it the 'Cucumber' because they couldn't pronounce 'Combine' very well in English. The thing I remember the most was trying to steer the thing. Very easy in terms of having power steering and no effort involved, but it was very odd and very unnerving trying to negotiate it around the barns with rear wheel steering. I'd (obviously) not been driving long but to suddenly be in charge of something so big and trying to guide it around the farm was quite an experience. Luckily I didn't hit anything with it! If you ever get the chance to drive one, DO IT! They are awesome! On a similar, but different note, Amanda's sister lives on a farm (married to a farmer) and come harvest time, everyone pulls together to help out. If I have time I try and go over to watch and lend a hand where possible. The kids love it too. Little Harvey thinks having a Dad who drives tractors and combine harvesters is the best thing ever. If he's not playing with his tractor toys, he's out on the farm watching his Dad. It's great. I'm afraid there aren't many 'combine' pics, but here are a few shots when I was down there last year. Louise (Amanda's sister) with 'Gramps', Ruby and Harvey...watching Dad pilot the combine around one of the fields A new distraction - they loved the MX5 and it kept them amused while their Dad was over the other side of the field Love this shot of my little nephew During a quick break I couldn't resist getting a shot of the small and the mighty (OK, in the scheme of things, it's only a teeny combine, but then it's only a small farm of about 100 acres) Gramps watches every move. He's very supportive and helpful but also very critical. As all fathers should be I guess? I doubt I'll get over there this year because they are harvesting now and I've not got time between now and the Gathering to go and help. Next year for sure. ;D Thanks for the great post Rian, it's made my morning.
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Macoli
Part of things
Posts: 181
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Cool thread! I worked on a west-of-Scotland livestock farm in my teens, the harvest was silage and hay. Hay could be very difficult to "get in" because the weather rarely stayed dry long enough for it to dry out. One time we started at 8 in the morning, I was given a lift home by the farmer (I used to cycle to and from the farm) at 11 at night, after drinking 10 litres of water through the day and going for a pee once! Great times, especially as it was worth it - it rained the day after.
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Wanted: mk2 Cavalier front valence
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MrSpeedy
East Midlands
www.vintagediesels.co.uk
Posts: 4,789
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I live out in the middle of nowhere too. It's far better than city life IMHO. The nearest we get to riots is a small cuffuffle in the farmers market. lol I had to stop for nearly an hour last weekend for my kids to watch a pair of Claas combines the same as you've snapped ^^up there^^ as they worked their ways through the fields of Oil seed rape that surround my 'hamlet'. Also had to explain to them everything about them, and how they worked. Fortunately I was brought up around farms/farming, could drive a tractor before anything else on wheels and could tell them all they wanted to know. The only downside is having to dodge the grain trailers on their 'turn around' as they race each other down the single track lanes round here
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skinnylew
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 5,601
Club RR Member Number: 11
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Quality, can't help be a little in awe of the scale of those combines!!! Nice to read about something other than the rioting on my doorstep, this is a world apart from where I am
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mym
Part of things
Posts: 443
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Aug 10, 2011 11:33:32 GMT
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ahh the dust, the dust, and the flaming dust.
coming in from a day either baling or bale carting getting in the shower to see the water turning black cos of the dust.
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