I just couldn't do it

rrlund · Jan 7, 2017

I'm pretty sure the ground's frozen up enough to pick corn. I plugged in the 2-105 this morning. I started it about 11 o'clock,pulled the wagons around and pumped up a tire,hooked up the PTO to the picker to make sure it would run,then put the tractor back in the toolshed. It's just too stinking miserable cold out there. If everything went OK and I could stay in the cab,fine and dandy,but if I had to get out and fix anything,this kind of cold is just too much.

It's supposed to be better Monday. If everything goes OK,I think I can get most of it in a good day. Tuesday doesn't look good,but after that it looks like upper 20s to low 30s days,20s overnight to freeze things back up again. I've been doing this stuff for too many years to think I need to be out there on a day like this.

SweetFeet · Jan 7, 2017

As we get older, we too find it easier to "Just Say NO!" to either extreme cold or extreme heat/humidity.

ffreeb · Jan 7, 2017

I spread manure on a cornfield about a mile away from the barn with a tractor with no cab this afternoon. The temp was about 15 degrees. Bun of a sitch it was a cold ride.

RalphWD45 · Jan 7, 2017

Putting out hay, and thawing out water, is plenty to do, in the cold!

tomstractorsandtoys · Jan 7, 2017

They make these things called heat housers or weather brakes. Used they cost about $50 and new $300. We have one on our tmr mixer tractor sure better than the cold. Tom

Paul in MN · Jan 7, 2017

Working in severe cold is not just a matter of "want" or possible "lazy". Avoiding the severe cold as we all turn older is a matter of survival. At age 69 in Jan 2014, I had a heart attack. During recovery the cardiologist warned me that severe cold makes the heart work harder (I guess that is logical if we think "shivering"). And now some of the continuing heart meds make my hands and feet feel the cold much more. My unheated shop misses me, but I do my best to be around for the 8 grandkids.

Paul in MN

Charlie M · Jan 7, 2017

You got that right. I remember spreading a lot of manure as a kid in the 60's in the nastiest weather and we never owned a tractor with a cab. Had to drive into the wind so it wouldn't blow manure back on you. Now I hate a simple walk to the barn to do 10 minutes of chores when its below freezing.Its even worst now that I'm smart enough to dress properly for the weather and still hate it.

RayP(MI) · Jan 7, 2017

Right on Randy. Had to do chores in shifts this morning. Alternating with warming breaks. Awful lot frozen watering bottles in the rabbit barn this morning. Gonna have to thaw em again tonite, I'm sure. Wind just cut through my coat this morning. Double gloves didn't do anything for my hands, either.

RayP(MI) · Jan 7, 2017

Outdoor chores here involve putting out hay, chopping ice oit of water tubs, carrying out wsrm water from house. An hour in good weather.

ffreeb · Jan 7, 2017

I think they muat have changed what the numbers on the thermometers mean. "0" was a lot warmer 20 years ago.

hillbillyhim · Jan 7, 2017

I have a heat houser on the 756. Drove about 2 and a half miles to split wood this morning. Was around zero Bearable with little wind.

rick1 · Jan 7, 2017

Cold weather/air also makes your arteries retract which can result in making a blockage even worse
By restricting blood flow causing a heart attack

Traditional Farmer · Jan 7, 2017

Think its age I see myself finding more reasons to stay inside more on cold days.

Mel in SW Iowa · Jan 7, 2017

I had to replace headlight adjusters on a 93 Dodge pickup outdoors recently in 6 degree weather with a 10 mph breeze. It didn't take me long to remember where one of my wife's old hair dryers was to warm my fingers, tools, and the plastic parts of the adjusters up. Made it quite bearable!

notjustair · Jan 7, 2017

It broke into the teens here today. I celebrated by working on fence all day. I wasn't too aware of it until about the last two hours- then I was miserable. Of course I ended up with a flat on the chore pickup so I had a tire to fix before I could come inside tonight. Fixing a flat is so fun in this weather. Those tires sure are nice and pliable.

Tomorrow I will move cattle to the new pasture. There are four little boys that have to be banded before they go. I sure hope it isn't too cold to find the jewels!

Dave H (MI) · Jan 7, 2017

You and me both, Randy. Worked a while but then a chain come off the clean elevator. Simple fix, but wife and I looked at each other and I told her to head for the house, I would catch up. Locked the shed and followed, darn near froze.

Eldon (WA) · Jan 7, 2017

(quoted from post at 19:19:25 01/07/17) Think its age I see myself finding more reasons to stay inside more on cold days.

Me too....and the fact that I purposely have no animals for chores....and make a living working 8 months out of the year. I can go play around moving snow when I feel like it...and warm up when I want.

GregCO · Jan 7, 2017

I hear ya. I do most of my own repairs normally. My farm pickup needs brakes bad. My workshop is full and I can't squeeze it in there, so I am working on it outside in front of the overhead door. Tore it down last weekend and found it needed more than just breaks. I have all the parts and machine shop work done and now it's too cold to go out and finish up, so there it sits. Tomorrow it is supposed to warm up a little. Hopefully I can finish it up and get it back on the road. Really need it, but just can't make myself go out in the cold longer than I need to in order to feed critters and break ice. They get taken care of first and everything else comes later.

Greg

Don-Wi · Jan 7, 2017

A couple years ago dad was buying corn off the field for silage. It was wet so we had to wait for it to freeze which wasn't much of a problem, but the 1855 had a bad robust leak at the elbow after the turbo, so I couldn't use the weather break to keep warm. When it's in the low 30s it's tolerable. When it got to the teens the next weekend when we were trying to finish the bag, it was unbearable. The spout on the chopper also had a hole wear through so more and more corn was blowing anywhere but the wagon. I gave up and decided for dad that we were done and it wasn't worth it.

That drive home was the longest one I've ever had on a tractor. It's only about 5 maybe 6 miles. The wind was blowing really stiff out of the west, starting to snow, and it was MAYBE 15 degrees. When I got to the farm, dad was trying to figure out what was wrong with the bagger.

Basically it was iced up and there was a flap of steel that was supposed to be under the idle shaft on the conveyor, that somehow ended up on top. the bag was done because the bagger had to come off to get repaired. We dumped the rest on a pile and dad fed it up that way. The corn was frozen through so it never did heat any before it was fed up.

Ever since then I have really, really, really hated the cold. Was only about 2 years ago too.

Donovan from Wisconsin

730virgil · Jan 7, 2017

been there done that but that was 25 years ago. now i hate to use skid loader a couple times a week to feed round bales to the cows. my goal is to have 10 cows with their calves and 1 bull next year.
i want to be able to raise most of my hay and not buy so much.

tracto-man · Jan 7, 2017

Walked into my Buddy's barn this morning to work on a trailer. Thermo said 7 degrees. Got the trailer done but have to go in the house about every half hour to finish up the other stuff.

David from Kansas · Jan 9, 2017

Mel, where you from? We just came down thru SW IA yesterday afternoon, on highway 59.

I just couldn't do it

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