Reluctant Homesteaders Top Ten Tools For Homesteading

Sometimes, as I walk up and down the hill, up and down the hill, I think about the things I use to get things done here at the Homestead.
I have started playing a game in my mind. Like one of those "Stranded on a desert island" games. If I had to pick 10 items to start with on a Homestead, what would I want to have with me?
One of the benefits of blogging is that I get to really pin down my thoughts on a subject, so what better subject to do this with than:

My Top Ten List of Favorite Tools For Homesteading:
(This is a list in which I unabashedly endorse name brands, because I believe in them. I appreciate honest recommendations when I can get them, so I will do the same for you.)

Broadband Internet with WiFi amplifier: I know it's preaching to the choir, but I think the Internet is the single most valuable tool for a Homesteader. Aside from entertainment and providing camaraderie, which helps with the isolation, the Internet makes so much valuable information available to us. Although it may not seem to fit the "down to earth" idealism of getting back to the land, the Internet is the number one way to gain the knowledge we have lost on the way through our industrialized society. When our fore-mothers and fathers moved from the farms to the cities, the knowledge we need now on our Homesteads was lost to most of us. Luckily it was not lost to all of us, and even more importantly we can now share what we do know with each other! I have filled many holes in my farming knowledge with the help of others through the Internet.
The WiFi base is important. I daisy chained two of these so we could get a signal wherever we needed it. That was a boon for us because, until we had a strong enough signal to reach our comfortable living spaces, we had to sit in a field to get a signal.

 

16" Stihl Chainsaw: Stihl chainsaws have always been the best of our assortment. I have seen many brands come and go from the Homestead and Stihl is the one that keeps on working. My favorite is the sixteen incher. It's good for trimming limbs, cutting brush and can do more than it's fair share around the farm. And it's not so big that it wears you out to lug it around. I LOVE the quick chain adjuster.
Maintenance Tip: Take the time to find a supplier of non-ethenol gas to use in your saw. The side effects of ethenol will make your "quick job" a "half-the-day job" as you struggle to get your saw started and run smoothly. Why mess with it?

Snapper Side-Discharge Lawnmower: Many of you regulars can attest to my rhapsodic tendencies when it comes to my mower. Snapper is the only one for me.

4x8 Trailer that can be pulled by a car: Man, do we love our trailer. And when gas prices are high, we love that we are driving cars and not pick-up trucks.

Felco Loppers and Pruners: I cannot stress enough the importance of a quality tool when it comes to pruners! These babies are the best thing since sliced bread. They are expensive as an initial investment but they are fully serviceable with replaceable springs, handles and blades. You will never regret the purchase of these Felco tools and the minute you buy one you will stop using all of your other pruners.
If you have a helper on the Homestead, buy one for them also or you will soon be in a slap-fight over who gets to use the Felco. Every day.
Purchasing tip: register yourself at a wholesale nursery supply where you can get these at a substantial discount. Don't be afraid to ask at the desk. Most are more than glad to make a sale and don't even care if you are a real business or not. They prefer the don't ask, don't tell method.

Cordless Drill/Driver: Cordless is the way to go. Our little Makita can do just about everything we need, and when it can't (like bore a 1" hole through a green 6"x6") Our DeWalt can. The Makita doesn't have a place to stow bits like our DeWalt does. As small of a detail as that seems, it is continually a downer for me when I get somewhere on the Homestead and realize I don't have the star bit or the bit I have in the driver is the wrong gauge. Also, jeans pockets full of bits tend to end up in the washer, not the tool box.
But the Makita has a fantastic light that shines when you pull on the trigger. I love this feature and have used it, like crawling under the house, several times to get out of a dark place.

Loop Handled Wheelbarrow: Although this may seem to be a small feature, believe me, it is worth looking for! We have 5 wheelbarrows and this is the one that wins hands down, because of the looped handles. They afford a tremendous amount of control and never slip out of your hands while pulling it up hills or bumping over rough terrain.
Possible Hack: For those who are taller than 6 foot, I think the handles would work just as well flipped up.

Eccotemp LP Instant Hot Water Heater: Hot water is what keeps a muddy, dusty, cold and doggie life civilized. Not to mention the psychological and sanitary benefits. These units are very affordable and even if you are lucky enough to have a house with running hot water, you could use one of these. Dog baths have never been so easy! I also use it to wash stinky boots properly and hand wash halters and other horse paraphernalia. If you show dogs or horses this would be perfect in the barn.
One Caution: Do not let this unit sit un-drained when it is freezing outside, even just a frost. (And I mean PROPERLY drained, with the little plug on the underside removed and the water supply not only shut off, but open so air can get in. The copper tubing in them is very thin and delicate.)

Good Boots: Good boots make my life so much easier. Here are my favorites. Muck brand rubber boots: They are warm and comfortable with a good arch support. The middle boots are Sorel men's boots I bought on sale. They are my construction boots. I wish they were water proof, but they fit well, and they are comfortable for a 12 hour day.  The furry ones are my newest and favorite. They are Columbia Sportswear and are the warmest waterproof boots I have ever owned. For farm boots they are super cute. Hmmm. In the past I had heels and sandals, now I just wear boots with everything. Well, honestly, I haven't worn a dress in over a year so...

 

Farm Dogs: They're good company and good security. Nothing is more valuable for security on a Homestead as having barking and menacing dogs. Especially when you have no neighbors to keep an eye on the place. They also keep the wild monkeys and rubber chickens under control.


Next post: The Top Ten List of My Favorite Homestead Gadgets!

Lumberjackin'

We had a tree that was felled a few years ago. We thought we might like it as a landscape feature, but decided it was not going to work out.

First we cleared away the berries and brambles. I had rented a saw with a 28 inch bar to get through the thick end.  

I also had help. My son joined me with our newest farm-mate, Hank, a college friend of his who has come up to the NW to try a new direction. It was the first time for both of them being lumberjacks.

The tree had to come down because it was rotted inside. The first 10' or so was hollow. The edges were good, but the center was gone.

Pretty soon we got into full, solid rounds.

 

The boys spelled me with the saw. It takes a long time to get through wood this diameter and I wore out after a couple of hours.

 

It was their first time using a saw, but it seemed like a good time to learn. A saw like that handles like a Cadillac at 70 on a straight road. More training will be necessary before they are ready to use a smaller saw in the woods, but they did great.

A problem came as we got a little ways up the trunk. The further we went, the deeper the log was sunk in the dirt. We figured there was a lot of whiplash as it fell, causing the top to slam harder in the ground, sinking it deeper.

The worst thing for a saw chain is hitting dirt. I am not sure why it can chew through solid wood easily but goes dull at the slightest contact with soil. (If you know, fill me in.)

With a 28 inch bar and the wood 6" deep in the dirt, I was having a hard time making a clean cut without ruining the chain. I had a backup chain, but a lot of wood to get through and a long ride to the rental shop if it went dull.

After conferring with Phoebe and the boys we decided on a strategy. We grabbed a 4X4 for leverage, and some timbers to pry against. An adz was used to clear out the dirt from one side. 

I cut several rounds 3/4 through, stopping before I got near the dirt. Then we carefully dug one out and made a full cut.

 

We wedged the beam in and pried.

It took a fair amount of levering but we were able to roll the log a quarter turn and finish the cut safely above the dirt. It was an old school approach, and really satisfying to have such simple thing work so well.

The boys used a splitting maul and wedge to beak the rounds into manageable chunks. We will finish the splitting this fall, once the weather cools a bit and it is nice and dry.

 

It was really gratifying to do the work, made even more so by spending time working with the boys. It has been far too long since Jake was at home, and we are enjoying getting to know Hank.

Bee Proof

I have been a very frustrated beekeeper these last five months. Suddenly becoming deathly allergic to bee stings is such a blow to my plans. I dream of having lovely hives of honey bees everywhere I can nestle them.

Then one lovely June day last summer, I get stung on the cheek by an innocent honey bee being smashed by my glasses and off for an ambulance ride I go. And to add insult to injury, the ER doctor tells me my allergic reaction will only get worse the more times I am stung and sends me off to get my EpiPen (Epinephrine Auto-Injector) from the pharmacy. I barely remember the details of the incident, but I'll never forget the look on Bucks face when I woke up in the hospital.

I have now been stung two more times since the "Big Sting" and have managed not to die, but it is very stressful for everyone, especially Buck.

The other two times happened while I was mowing.  There is a lot of mowing to be done here, if we are ever going to reclaim this land from the invasive plants. And I am generally the one who is bound to mow. With bees and hornets everywhere, how do I even garden or mow, let alone keep bees? I could live my life in fear in a climate controlled highrise somewhere. No thanks.

 I am not one to let things get me down (at least, not for long). I've decided that if others can spend hundreds of dollars on formal evening attire that they will only wear once, I can certainly justify the purchase of my formal suit of choice, and I will wear it many more times.

 

This is my new, virtually sting proof, Ultra Breeze bee suit. Designed by a bee keeper, it has 3 layers of breathable fabric. The "breathable" part is super important since I will be mowing in it. Mowing is a sweaty job and I don't want to collapse from heat stroke.

 

The middle layer is a thick spongy net that keeps the bees away from your skin, so their stinger can't reach through.

The hood also has a completely inclosed fastening system. As does the zippers on the legs. It's easy to put on and take off too, once you get the hang of it. It is so cool that I'm sure I will look cool to anyone who sees me mowing in this. Like mowing on the moon.

 

When Buck was taking these pictures, I laughed and remarked that the suit is probably not very flattering, and he said "It's very sexy, because now you won't get stung."

He says the sweetest things.


Afterthought: Of course my Ultrabreeze suit came the day after Hive #1 swarmed. Read how our son Jake saved the day on my bee blog.
I also posted a more recent review and caution in "How Bee Proof is Bee Proof?"

Pickup Truck VS Trailer

Sometimes I don't feel like driving my sensible Subaru any more.  It is a great car, but sometimes I think I would be happier driving a little pickup truck.  Having the simplicity of being able to chuck stuff in the back and just go.  

We have a little trailer Phoebe found several years ago, and we use it all the time.  It is great, because it is there when you need it, and not when you don't.  But sometimes the hooking and unhooking, the backing it in, or driving down the freeway feels bothersome.

That usually gets me thinking about buying a truck.  And every time I go down that road, I realize that it just doesn't make sense to change vehicles.

A few recent examples of the back and forth:

We had a whole load of horse poop to move.  Shovel it up from the pasture, and move it to the garden.  It was wet and heavy.  

The trailer sits about 15 inches from the ground.  With each shovelful, I was grateful I was not loading a truck.  The extra oomph it would take to get the manure up into the bed of a truck was more than I would have been able to muster.

We were shoveling the poop to clear a spot for the new stall mats we were putting down.  Phoebe is all about mud management in the pasture, and stall mats are a great tool.  Not cheap, but durable and long lasting.  At 4'X8'X3/4" they are not light either.

Our trailer is slightly smaller than 4X8, so the mats were jammed up against the sides, making them even harder to pull out.  And backing the trailer through the gate into the pasture was a pain.  Score one for the truck.

The next job was taking a load of bath and kitchen fixtures to the ReBuilding Center, a local non-profit recycler.  Once again, the low deck on the trailer saved the day.  It might not look like much, but that cast iron tub was a monster, and probably more than we could have lifted into a truck.  

 

Then think about the 6 loads of wood I loaded and unloaded last month, plus loading the log splitter.  And the load of metal recycling and the dump load I will take tomorrow. The trailer is the clear winner.  

Best yet, when I am done hauling, I unhook it, and am back to my little wagon.

So I have stopped sneaking peeks at Craigslist truck adds, and accepted my lot. I am a nice, sensible Subaru kinda guy.

And that horse manure?  It covered all of Phoebe's garden, both inside the fence and out.

Bowing to Reality

I have had to bow to some realities recently.  Both acknowledge my fallibility and mortality.

First are my chainsaw chaps. I spend a bit of time by myself in the woods, clearing brush and cutting firewood.  If something were to happen, it could be bad.  So, I wised up and got some more protection.

Our Trailer

We love our trailer.  We debated getting a pickup, but we both do more driving than hauling.  And we will frequently end up with more than one passenger.  And in the NW, an uncovered bed is not so good for wet weather hauling and a canopy is not so versatile.

 

A Grub and a Tip

Two items to follow up my Stumped post:

First, check out this huge grub that was living under the stump.  It was almost 3 inches long.  Kinda cool, kinda creepy.

And the tip.  A while ago, I took a chain from my saw in to get sharpened.  The guy at the counter looked at the teeth and pronounced it worn down too far to put an edge on it.  He suggested keeping it as a utility chain for working in the dirt.  Nothing dulls a chain faster than hitting dirt, but with a dull chain like that, you can work in the dirt without fear.

I once had a huge Pampas Grass plant to take out.  The roots were a solid mass. I carved them up with the chainsaw into roughly foot square pieces, and pried them out.  Using a dull chain was so much better than trying to do it with a shovel or an axe.