That's good , I'll tell the tax man your coming over,I'll need to come over and pretend I'm one of the big guns then
TexX ewes - which Tup to use?
- Thread starter Nithsdale
- Start date
irish dom
Member
We put big wheels on our old Harrington as I tipped her over a couple of time. Wheel came to just under the hatch so the ewe slid down past it. 2 of us sheared 15 or 16k a year through her for a good few years before I bought a shepherdease 2 man trailer with warrior back aids. 2 of us were getting quicker and were getting fed up waiting at the hatch for another sheep. Wee curtain is a great job for keeping horned ewes in. Mine went up north to a cub starting out and he's still going strong. Good luck with her. Sure beats dragging themAbout a month ago, there was a farm sale at Longtown market. Listed was a Harrington 3-man shearing trailer. Pictures up on website, it looked good - perfect for me, because it was actually a 2 man trailer with a 3rd stand on the left side of the rear clipping gate (I'm left handed).
So come sale day I had a rough price in my head I was prepared to go to... dad decides a day out would be nice so we set off for the 50min drive. Get there late, they are already selling the machinery. Dad joins the crowd around auctioneer as I look for this trailer... no sign of the damned thing! I come back over to where dad is to find him leaning against a Harrington crutching trailer.
I thought he was joking when he said he had bought it
£520. Missing it's ramp and has clearly been tipped - it's straight, but ball hitch was twisted and the metalwork scraped on the race where it's been dragged along tarmac
View attachment 675474
All the bits are there... the grand plan is to convert it into a proper shearing trailer. But, between other jobs, it was clear I was not going to have time to do it before shearing this year.
We will try using the crutching hatch, and just drop the ewes onto the ground to shear. It's a big drop, but should (hopefully!) be OK. I'm not doing the tups out if it though
2nd hanger for my machine made (homemade copy of the Harrington one) and ramp for the rear.... she's looking good!
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It'll make more work for my neighbor who helps keep the ewes coming to us, but hopefully it'll cut down on catching and dragging the ewes for us - at 1 farm I was having to drag the ewes 10' uphill to my board. His hill ewes were fine, but the inbye ones it killed my back.
I have an itch to start shearing as it is... getting this ready has made me even more keen!
220 hoggs scheduled for the coming week, with 2-300 ewes the week after.
- Location
- Dumfries & Galloway
I think I've fluked it with the ramp I made... It's about 7' long (just the length of a spare bit of expanded metal I had laying about i used for the floor) so quite a gentle slope compared to most trailers I've seen. Of the 1300 sheep through it so far, 1 group of 70 have not flowed - and I put it down to them stood in a pen and lambs being drawn off before they go up the ramp. The other 1230 have gone up it with next to no pushing or encouragement. Even with 3 men shearing on Friday morning there was still always a ewe at the hatch - we dusted 100 ewes in just over an hour (the 3rd man was only helping, Im doing 2 ewes to his one)
Definitely beats dragging from a pen. I used to need to take a breather every hour for 5mins to ease my back... this year I'm doing 2hr shifts without stopping - other than for cutters. I don't think I'm shearing any faster, but I can do more because I'm not resting or hurting. And I feel much better at the end of the day, too
- Location
- Dumfries & Galloway
No clipping this week... it feels strange !
The last 2-3 days shearing i noticed my blue 2-speed was getting quite noisy... and the motor was hotter than normal. I wasn't too concerned but thought I maybe need to look at getting something new/newer for next season.
As it goes up comes a Nexus listed on a local for sale page on Facebook. Just the machine, no drive though. So a few messages and I head over to see it. Looks tidy and runs very nice, so took it home with me.
A quick trip to my shearing man, new Flexi outer (i might move up to a solid at a later time but I've spent enough this year), a top clamp and swapped my hanging bracket over - we are in business!
With the Flexi attached, it is a wee bit noisy but I oiled the spindle and ran it for a few minutes and I think it was starting to quieten down and sounded better. The guy I bought it off said it was his brothers machine, but he had stopped shearing a few years ago due to a back injury... claimed it's only done 1-2000 sheep (but who knows!!) so I'm hoping it just needs running - at worst the spindle bearing might need replacing.
I had a spare hour yesterday after sorting and servicing silaging kit for next week. So decided to look over the blue 2-speed and see if it was sortable, or on its last legs... I narrowed the noise down to the bottom bearing on the motor. Got her stripped, cleaned and bearing removed, the bearing looked fine but could feel it was running rough.
I was in town this morning so called into Brammer, they had a bearing in stock so machine is back together and running sweet probably go on for another 40+ years now.
Contemplated selling it already, but I will keep her as backup until I'm happy the Nexus is sound. We have a red 2-speed the exact same, with a knackered motor, so I have all the parts for it (it's bearing didn't feel great either as I originally was going to swap them over) so it might be aswell just keeping her.
Next stop for me is Edinburgh tonight and a day at the show tomorrow
The last 2-3 days shearing i noticed my blue 2-speed was getting quite noisy... and the motor was hotter than normal. I wasn't too concerned but thought I maybe need to look at getting something new/newer for next season.
As it goes up comes a Nexus listed on a local for sale page on Facebook. Just the machine, no drive though. So a few messages and I head over to see it. Looks tidy and runs very nice, so took it home with me.
A quick trip to my shearing man, new Flexi outer (i might move up to a solid at a later time but I've spent enough this year), a top clamp and swapped my hanging bracket over - we are in business!
With the Flexi attached, it is a wee bit noisy but I oiled the spindle and ran it for a few minutes and I think it was starting to quieten down and sounded better. The guy I bought it off said it was his brothers machine, but he had stopped shearing a few years ago due to a back injury... claimed it's only done 1-2000 sheep (but who knows!!) so I'm hoping it just needs running - at worst the spindle bearing might need replacing.
I had a spare hour yesterday after sorting and servicing silaging kit for next week. So decided to look over the blue 2-speed and see if it was sortable, or on its last legs... I narrowed the noise down to the bottom bearing on the motor. Got her stripped, cleaned and bearing removed, the bearing looked fine but could feel it was running rough.
I was in town this morning so called into Brammer, they had a bearing in stock so machine is back together and running sweet
probably go on for another 40+ years now.
Contemplated selling it already, but I will keep her as backup until I'm happy the Nexus is sound. We have a red 2-speed the exact same, with a knackered motor, so I have all the parts for it (it's bearing didn't feel great either as I originally was going to swap them over) so it might be aswell just keeping her.
Next stop for me is Edinburgh tonight and a day at the show tomorrow
- Location
- Dumfries & Galloway
And so the annual slog starts... umm I mean silage making
Brother didn't go to the Highland this year, so when I was away enjoying myself he felled all the fields, about 100acres.
There's a 12acre field going for hay - minus it's endriggs (trees up 1 side so always shaded, and lots of docks 2 tractor widths out along the top dyke), but the rest will be wrapped. Start baling tomorrow.
Today's job though, rowing up. This old girl is turning 30 in about 6 weeks. She was a demonstrator first, but we are her only owners... Unknown hours (clock stopped on 5000 about 10 years ago - loader had only been on her 5 years by that point), no radio, no air con, mechanical 'shuttle' (2 way splitter with reverse on same gear lever), no electronics... the youth of today would cry spending a day on her!!
She is our only loader tractor (but we do have a JCB520-50) and still handles all the bales (loads trailers in the fields, then loads all bales into the Kuhn chopper). Definitely still an integral part of the farm and she will do more hours a year than any other machine.
@Kiwi Pete there's some SAME appreciation for you
Brother didn't go to the Highland this year, so when I was away enjoying myself he felled all the fields, about 100acres.
There's a 12acre field going for hay - minus it's endriggs (trees up 1 side so always shaded, and lots of docks 2 tractor widths out along the top dyke), but the rest will be wrapped. Start baling tomorrow.
Today's job though, rowing up. This old girl is turning 30 in about 6 weeks. She was a demonstrator first, but we are her only owners... Unknown hours (clock stopped on 5000 about 10 years ago - loader had only been on her 5 years by that point), no radio, no air con, mechanical 'shuttle' (2 way splitter with reverse on same gear lever), no electronics... the youth of today would cry spending a day on her!!
She is our only loader tractor (but we do have a JCB520-50) and still handles all the bales (loads trailers in the fields, then loads all bales into the Kuhn chopper). Definitely still an integral part of the farm and she will do more hours a year than any other machine.
@Kiwi Pete there's some SAME appreciation for you
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
Thanks Niths
I have a REAL soft spot for those tractors
About 8140 hours on the clock.
I have a REAL soft spot for those tractors
I take i dont xount as the youth of today anymore. It has a cab AND a seat! Luxury
MJT
Member
That’s a nice old girl @Nithsdale Farmer ,here’s our few to add to the SAME appreciation group @Kiwi Pete
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
You guys aren't joking, about being in need of some rain!
- Location
- Dumfries & Galloway
That's it. First cut done for another year. 100acres, only 743 bales (usually get 1000-1100)... 63 of which are hay, baled today. To be fair, with this weather, most of it was almost into hay - and the stuff we baled yesterday I think actually was hay (never checked for green or softness, just battered on baling and wrapping), but it's wrapped now
We will do a 2nd cut, just to top up. We are fairly confident we won't be short despite bale numbers being down - the fields were very heavy when mowed. But the past 2 winters have left us with no 'reserve', so the more bales the better... if it rains and we can get fert on
The air con packed in, on the Valtra, last year but it was never fixed... hardly be an issue we thought - summers aren't hot enough to need it!
The old SAME has no air con, but was fine. Just open all the windows, doors and the sunroof... It's warm but the air moves and keeps you fresh but the Valtra I keep the back window shut on the baler, the side windows are rubbish, it has no sunroof hatch so I've been baling with both doors open.. cab is still like an oven I was out putting a new roll of net on, yesterday - it was sickening that in this heat, it was cooler stood on the baler in direct sun, than inside the cab
I might get that fixed for next year
Back to shearing sheep next week.
I have lambs ready to go, but there's an issue with the Land Rover so I'm just sitting tight until it is repaired. Garage has been very busy though and can't get at it until Monday... just a fortnight after I booked it in
We will do a 2nd cut, just to top up. We are fairly confident we won't be short despite bale numbers being down - the fields were very heavy when mowed. But the past 2 winters have left us with no 'reserve', so the more bales the better... if it rains and we can get fert on
The air con packed in, on the Valtra, last year but it was never fixed... hardly be an issue we thought - summers aren't hot enough to need it!
The old SAME has no air con, but was fine. Just open all the windows, doors and the sunroof... It's warm but the air moves and keeps you fresh
but the Valtra I keep the back window shut on the baler, the side windows are rubbish, it has no sunroof hatch so I've been baling with both doors open.. cab is still like an oven I was out putting a new roll of net on, yesterday - it was sickening that in this heat, it was cooler stood on the baler in direct sun, than inside the cab I might get that fixed for next year
Back to shearing sheep next week.
I have lambs ready to go, but there's an issue with the Land Rover
so I'm just sitting tight until it is repaired. Garage has been very busy though and can't get at it until Monday... just a fortnight after I booked it in
- Location
- Dumfries & Galloway
Shearing was finished almost 3 weeks ago here, the wool went away yesterday morning... but between silaging and shearing other people's, I've never had a chance to get the 6 rogues rounded up and clipped. Today was that day. They are now in a field they can not escape from
- Location
- Scottish Borders
That lamb nearest you looks a cracker ! And fit for Vivers !
- Location
- Dumfries & Galloway
4 of the 6 lambs are Chev X Lleyn. That one is entire - tails and balls... I am very tempted to keep him
- Location
- Dumfries & Galloway
I don't?
EDIT; I see the mistake - they are rogues, not Rouge. They had slipped the hill gather then escaped onto the neighbours hill
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- Location
- Scottish Borders
I would ! Either to use, or eat4 of the 6 lambs are Chev X Lleyn. That one is entire - tails and balls... I am very tempted to keep him
- Location
- Dumfries & Galloway
I would ! Either to use, or eat
I meant to keep and use.
But aye, he will be beautiful on a plate
Wishful Thinker
Member
- Location
- Northern Ireland
4 of the 6 lambs are Chev X Lleyn. That one is entire - tails and balls... I am very tempted to keep him
Many lambs away yet?
- Location
- Dumfries & Galloway
No, none.
There is a draw ready, definitely. But between shearing and silage and the Defender being off the road I've not been near them yet. Land Rover should be home Thurs, and I've only got 2 days shearing left so there will be a load to go next week hopefully