After the gas is gone

[randyt]

I was wondering what the preferred method of cultivation after the gas is used up? No more tractor, rototiller, david bradley, nada.
We cultivated with a horse when I was a kid. A draft animal will require feed and care so not only are they helping to grow food for us, they need to help grow food for them as well.

 

[Amish Heart]

The amish community where I live used tractors, but alot of other communities use horses. There's still alot of old equipment around here. They use horse and buggy for travel here, so feeding and caring for them is a normal part of the day. Our back 15 acres is alfalfa. Had three cuttings.

 

[Terri9630]

If it was getting to that point we'd use the tiller to break up enough ground to build more raised beds. After that it will be a shovel and a pick ax.

 

[Neb]

I was wondering what the preferred method of cultivation after the gas is used up? No more tractor, rototiller, david bradley, nada.
We cultivated with a horse when I was a kid. A draft animal will require feed and care so not only are they helping to grow food for us, they need to help grow food for them as well.

I have a two pronged approach.

1)
I have invested in 6 steam engines. I own the casting I ONLY. _(a four lettered wird) machine the parts
.2)
I hope to deploy them to increase crop yield and processing but also to expediting transport and machining and development to restore a favorable existence.

Ben

 

[Aerindel]

Ye olde maddox.

One of my favorite digging tools actually.

 

[Aerindel]

I have a two pronged approach.

1)
I have invested in 6 steam engines. I own the casting I ONLY. _(a four lettered wird) machine the parts
.2)
I hope to deploy them to increase crop yield and processing but also to expediting transport and machining and development to restore a favorable existence.

Ben

I would be really interested in knowing more about your steam engines. Steam power is a long time interest of mine that I've never figured out how to jump into.

 

[elkhound]

the highest quality hand tools you can find or make. i think a broadfork...the kind you stand up on and it pulls backwards with 2 handles would be a must. currently i have just regular garden fork and it gets pretty deep and its plenty of a work out.keeping beds and areas maintained and loose and constantly adding materials in will go a long ways too. hoes both long and short and i really like the mattock axe.not all are created equal.most now a days are way to large. i have a small one thats perfect and i keep on tractor part of year.the metal post hole digging bars is a must as well. a pulaski axe as well.

almost forgot...old pushplow with various attachments.

 

[elkhound]

grubhoes...these are in new zeland but the u.s. has them under name of seymour under names grubhoe,grape hoe and eye hoe.i have 2 from them and they are high quality. they are sharp as an axe and have that good ring sound to the metal when thumped.

http://www.seymourtoolsonline.com/index.php?cPath=2925_2947_4571

 

[Bacpacker]

if you are looking for high quality digging tools, check out
Www.prohoe.com
I have 2 hoes from them and wouldbt consider another brand.

 

[Meerkat]

The amish community where I live used tractors, but alot of other communities use horses. There's still alot of old equipment around here. They use horse and buggy for travel here, so feeding and caring for them is a normal part of the day. Our back 15 acres is alfalfa. Had three cuttings.

I wonder why they don't use mules. Mules can live off less and because of their digestive system can eat things that would hurt a horse.OIt thats what I heard.Not sure?

 

[Meerkat]

the highest quality hand tools you can find or make. i think a broadfork...the kind you stand up on and it pulls backwards with 2 handles would be a must. currently i have just regular garden fork and it gets pretty deep and its plenty of a work out.keeping beds and areas maintained and loose and constantly adding materials in will go a long ways too. hoes both long and short and i really like the mattock axe.not all are created equal.most now a days are way to large. i have a small one thats perfect and i keep on tractor part of year.the metal post hole digging bars is a must as well. a pulaski axe as well.

almost forgot...old pushplow with various attachments.

I do all the raised beds and only use 3 tools, garden fork ,shovel and rake,very seldom a hatchet for tree roots.

 

[Meerkat]

I never did master the hoe.. It just didn't work for me guess I didn't know how to work it.

 

[elkhound]

if you are looking for high quality digging tools, check out
Www.prohoe.com
I have 2 hoes from them and wouldbt consider another brand.

i have heard good things about rogue hoes...did they change their names recently ?

 

[Bacpacker]

Not that I know of. IIRC Rouge was a model. They are well made. Metal from old cut up disk Harrods, and can get 54 or 60" hardwood handles. I really like the long handles

 

[Spikedriver]

I wonder why they don't use mules. Mules can live off less and because of their digestive system can eat things that would hurt a horse.OIt thats what I heard.Not sure?

My grandfather had draft mules. My dad still talks about them. This was in the late 30s/early 40s. Dad said the mule occasionally would get a mind of their own and refuse to go in the barn at night and his dad would quietly go get the old single shot 12 guage with rock salt loads. Most of the time the mules would go right in when they saw him coming. If not they got their rumps peppered...

 

[Spikedriver]

For gardens hand tools will suffice but if there's no fuel large scale ag will be impossible. TPTB won't permit that to happen as it will threaten their power base. Fuel will be made available for crop production - under government control, of course...

 

[Cascadian]

I am going to hire tweekers they don't eat much at all.

 

[Meerkat]

My grandfather had draft mules. My dad still talks about them. This was in the late 30s/early 40s. Dad said the mule occasionally would get a mind of their own and refuse to go in the barn at night and his dad would quietly go get the old single shot 12 guage with rock salt loads. Most of the time the mules would go right in when they saw him coming. If not they got their rumps peppered...

Our donkey just liked to think about things for a few minures then she would do what we ask. Its like sometimes they want to think it was their idea to begin with?

 

[Meerkat]

For gardens hand tools will suffice but if there's no fuel large scale ag will be impossible. TPTB won't permit that to happen as it will threaten their power base. Fuel will be made available for crop production - under government control, of course...

Spike that is very true, imagine me running around 40 acres with a shovel, impossible.I must have chaanged the subject again from tractors and plows to shovels.

 

[Meerkat]

I am going to hire tweekers they don't eat much at all.

What are tweekers?

 

[Amish Heart]

meth heads

 

[Meerkat]

meth heads

Ok thanks Amish.

 

[elkhound]

 

[Neb]

I never did master the hoe.. It just didn't work for me guess I didn't know how to work it.

Garden hoes should be adjusted to fit your height so that when you pull it toward you the blade is parallel to the ground level. With a good sharp blade you should e able to cut the weeds just below the ground level. Just put the blade of the how in a vise and bend it to fit you.

Ben

 

[SheepDog]

Set aside a few acres for Jerusalem Artichokes and harvest just the stalks for alcohol production. Convert the farm equipment to alcohol and you have fuel enough to keep the farm operating. The waste products from fermenting and distillation provide high protein feed and top grade fertilizer.
You will need to store oil and grease along with filters for equipment. Those items store for decades unlike most fuels.

 

[Neb]

I would be really interested in knowing more about your steam engines. Steam power is a long time interest of mine that I've never figured out how to jump into.

While I always found steam engines very interesting I never thought I would attempt to acquire and use my own. It was only after I decided that I wanted to be able to jump from the stone age (the result of an EMP) to the steam era and found a coal seam on The Ridge, did I investigated them more.

I did a lot of searching to find steam engines that would fit my budget and not be so high tech that I could not maintain fix and duplicate myself. What I eventually settled on is casting sold by Tiny Power see here. Since my milling machine and lather are on the small side (fit my budget) I decided to go with the W class engine...

that is capable of 2 HP. That is large enough to run all of my equipment in my shop save the air compressor (requires 5 HP).

I purchased one set of casting and just started to teach myself to machine the parts and got far enough to know that it was worth purchasing more casting sets as insurance in the event of an EMP. I also paid them to machine one set for me so that I could use it as a guide. I learned some good short-cuts from that that will make the machining easier. This is it running off of shop air.



I have been busy with my restoring an old home project so The Princess has not given her approval to do more with it. But it is a "carrot" that keeps me motivated to finish the remodel work so I can get back to working with it.

I also purchased a set of drawings for the boiler which will require me to learn how be more than a hack welder.

The other tid-bit I can add is I learned that there is such a thing as steam oil that works like air tool oil but has a higher viscosity and a special oiler. That is still on my list along with figuring out how I will build a regulator because the engine I purchased is intended to be used in a boat where there will always be a load. When used in a shop to power tools via belts and Line Shafts, a broken belt could result in a run-away engine that is "bad bad bad".

If you are interested in learning more than I can share check out David Richards on YouTube. He has a steam powered machine shop and some of videos touch on the steam engine, boiler inspection,



upkeep, water chemistry etc. At one point he used a small engine to restore a larger engine that now runs his shop. Check him out!


That is all I can offer. Steam engines are my goal, not my capability.

Ben

 

[UrbanHunter]

This may sound silly, but has anyone considered converting an electric car into an e-tractor? With the batteries and all they would be heavy as heck for traction, they have good torque, and you could use your solar panels to charge the battery packs. I understand that you would have to charge a couple of days for a half day's work, but it's something to think about....

Never mind, they are already making them in India....


They use swapable battery packs to get more use out of the tractor....

 

[Neb]

This may sound silly, but has anyone considered ...
They use swapable battery packs to get more use out of the tractor....

That is exactly what electric cars need.

Imagine a standard battery that would fit cars or trucks. Pull into a service station and they swap in a fully charged battery and we only pay for the amount of charge that was used plus a small service charge. The swap out would only take a short time and then you are back on the road.

Ben

 

[SheepDog]

Ben, the "standard" battery is the failure point in this effort. A truck needs a different battery than a car and car makers are all about selling parts so there will never be a "standard" anything. We are at the point where we have batteries that will run a purpose built car for 10,000 miles. The latest Tesla cars will be using it. The new batteries will also charge very fast but they require high amperage chargers.
One battery that has been in the works for decades is the "air battery". As long as it has air circulation it will produce power. The problem is starting your car to move, at rest the battery does not work well. I have seen a publication that implies that the technology has progressed to the point where it is becoming a feasible alternative. I will wait for real world testing.

 

[joel]

Food, firewood, & shelter.
Most will have a shelter went oil runs out, but the Grankids will need homes. There are trees that can be planted & cut in 6-10 years, as lumber.
Firewood can come from simple coppice or pollarding for twenty years without planting another tree.
Food: Fruit & nut trees can live 50-100 years, perennial berry bushes & vegetable can last 30 years. Many perennial have sucker, multiple plants for free, for life. Raspberry,Blackberry,Blueberry & some plums, onions & garlic to name a few.
Then there is annuals, you need to be a seed saver & have well maintained garden bed. All this can be completed, before we run out of gas. A mule or horse, cow or goats, rabbits,chickens & honeybees can get you labor, milk, honey,eggs,meat & compost. Income will come from your skill & labor.