Dean, this is a photo from my photos on ATIS. It is a 1957 Case Terra-Trac. First year after Case bought them. Uses a Case G148 engine and Clark transmission and final drive. Has a 6 foot blade and weighs about 6000 lbs. so can haul it behind my pickup. Need to learn how to include pictures in my post.

http://www.atis.net/forums/album.php?albumid=18&attachmentid=448


Most of the snow is gone here, except piles and drifts. Colder temps for this week and possible light snow tonight. Should freeze the ground again.

Gene

Hi Gene.  Really a nice-sized machine.  And very cool to have that Case connection.

Inserting photos in your posts is easy if you already have them on line somewhere.  Here's how I do it:

1.  Go to the photo you want to include, and select and copy the whole URL for that photo.
2.  Click the "Insert Image" icon as you're typing your post--it's the third icon from the right, in the menu bar above the text window as you're typing.
3.  Select the "From URL" tab and paste in your photo's URL.
4.  Un-check the "Retrieve remote file and reference locally" box, and then click "OK."

Ralph, no doubt on the "coldest winter in years."  Just when I think surely we're past the bitter cold, it gets bitter cold again.  Forecast for this weekend is bad ice on Sunday followed by snow and at least a few more days well below freezing.  Alright already.

Dean

Dean,, it is even worse today. Nice sunshine but strong NW winds with ground drifting and blowing snow at -20F. Tomorrow's forecast is for close to record breaking lows and wind chill in the high 40s. That is cold even for Sask. The other day when it got up a degree or two above zero it felt warm. Good thing I got out to town yesterday. Driveway was heavy going even in four wheel drive but if I had opened it I guess it would blow in again today with the winds we are getting.
This little calf is almost a week old and does not know what warm weather is yet. Tough little animals.

Gonna try to post a photo[ATTACH=CONFIG]698[/ATTACH]

Hope it worked.
This is a photo of one of the Ball mansions in Muncie, Indiana. The Ball family made their fortune making canning jars. There are 4 of these mansions on the same street.

Dean. I posted the photo directly from my computer.

Gene

Had some cold temperatures most of the week so was able to get in about 3 1/3 days cutting, splitting and hauling firewood. Getting a pretty nice pile of wood for next winter. Most of the snow has melted except for a few drifts. Ground was frozen good and hard until today. Started early with the splitter but the sunshine and warm temperatures started melting the mud, so had to take the splitter and tractor to the barn about 10:30. Walked back this afternoon with the maule and hand split some oak and piled up some hickory for the splitter.

Winter storm forecast for tonight and Sunday. Starting as rain and turning to snow later tonight and maybe 8 inches of snow. I expect it to mainly stay north of us, but will see. Winter still has 3 weeks.

Gene

Looks like you have the picture posting working fine Gene. I think I might have a few of those jars somewhere.
We had record breaking low temperatures all over Sask. this morning. I saw -38F on mine and I think the high might have been -15F Way too much wind for those temperatures. Not fit to do much outside other than essential chores.

Wow, don't care for those temps at all. I worked in a pilot lab where we had a cold room at -40 degrees. Worked there a few nights when the regular man was on vacation. It was used to freeze dry coffee for freeze drying.

Yes, I remember my mother using Ball mason jars for her canning. I took that picture about 5 years ago and if you Google Ball Mansion, you will see that picture. Guess they got it off my Photobucket site. If you have ever heard of Ball State University, it was started and financed by the Ball family.

Still no snow here at 9:55pm.

Gene

Gene,

I think the ball fruit jars used to be about as standard in American households as the first floor.  I have a few with the glass lid that used the rubber ring for seal, prior to the pop down tin lid style.  My Mom did a lot of canning when I was a boy.  I used to work with a poacher and his wife who canned enough venison each fall to feed the family for the whole year.

The weather here has been similar to Ohio for the past week or so.  We got a one day break today and made a high of 42. ( that is 42 F on the plus side of the goose egg, Ralph.)

 I bought a 10 K / 8K generator the other day that should arrive in about a week by truck.  Lift gate delivery is pretty pricey so although I wanted it, I passed.  My plan now is to back my 20 foot trailer up to the delivery trailer to bring the generator down my eight foot ramps onto it.  That should reduce the amount of drop enough to make it doable.  Today seemed like the day to rescue my trailer from way out back.  If the ground should thaw I might not be able to get it until May.  I thought the tires might be frozen into the ground, and they were.  After I hooked up I gave it a try and the truck just spun tires.  All four truck tires were sitting on packed snow.  I went a got eight gallons of hot water and started pouring a quart or two around each trailer tire, then waiting.  The water was not able to soak down under the tires through the ground frost.  The next step was a good heavy crow bar.  Picked a whole beside each tire so the water could soak.  Still not getting far, so picked  along the outside of all four tires and kept adding more water periodically.  Then I got the bar under the tire treads front and back and flexed the rubber as much as I could.  Being 12 ply tires and cold they do not flex much.  After a good hour and one half I was considering giving up on the trailer retrieval.  Gave it one more try with lightly bumping ahead and back, and walla--out it came and we were off to the driveway and hard ground where it will not freeze in.  Here are pics of where it was sitting.

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Charlie

Yep, Charlie, we are sharing the same weather. Nice Saturday, today I have snow, you have snow. 16 degrees here, 16 degrees there. Looks like today is a day to sit with the fire going and drink coffee. Maybe learn some more on the laptop computer. Want to learn how to do photos on it, maybe even learn how to post pictures from it.

Ralph has -29 degrees this morning with wind chill below minus 50 degrees. Sure sounds brutal to me. Hope the little calf is doing alright. Has to be a shock to leave his warm mother and come out to such a cold world.

Gene

Charlie, you had quite a workout getting that trailer unstuck. I don't think pouring water around the tires would help here as it would just freeze right away. Gene is right on with that temperature. I guess -29F is an improvement on yesterday. I was a little concerned last night when, falling asleep in front of the laptop about 10:00 I was suddenly awakened by silence and near darkness. Only the light of the laptop screen to see by. Yes, power failure at -33F is cause for concern. Laptop battery lasted less than five minutes but by then I had the flashlight and found my way around. Surprising that it is not really dark outside even at that time of night. Starlight I guess. Looking south I could see the lights of town 12 miles away but the neighbours a couple of miles south were in the dark too so I knew it was  a local problem. A quick call to Sask. power assured me that they were working on it and the power should be back in an hour. The little gas wall heater would keep at least one room comfortable, just no fan to circulate the heat. Sure enough , power was back in a while. But it makes you think, what would happen if it took hours, all night? A day? I guess I'd be draining water lines before they froze. Not a good scene.

Okay guys, be patient if it doesn't work. If it does  work, it is the other 3 mansions from my laptop.



Well, that didn't work

Hang in there. Gene.  I know you will crack the combination.  

Ralph, I need a new generator like I need another hole in my head.  I have two perfectly good units.  The only problem is that we are not as young as we once were.  Our power rarely goes out.  Our supplier is diligent about keeping tree limbs cut back from the lines.  However, when it does go out, folks our age do not need to be out in the rain or snow with a 30 mph wind messing around with a flashlight and pulling a rope to start.  Sometimes have to take out the spark plug and prime the cylinder.  The new one is electric start.  A fully automatic backup generator on natural gas would be the ultimate, but a whole bunch of money.  Many folks are doing it.  We might get by without heat for a few hours but not for days in winter.  My biggest problem here is ground water.  During the wet season it can be within inches of the ground surface.  Without electric for the pump we can have two feet of water in the basement  in short order.  I had that happen during the five day outage in 1991 following a massive ice storm.  Being submerged is not too good for furnaces, hot water tank, or freezer.  With a possible consumption of nearly a gallon of gasoline per hour a good winter supply is advisable, but ?? have to try to be prepared.  Some is better than none.

Charlie

Trying again, wish me luck. I cheated, this is from my P.C.



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Hang in there. Gene.  I know you will crack the combination.  

Ralph, I need a new generator like I need another hole in my head.  I have two perfectly good units.  The only problem is that we are not as young as we once were.  Our power rarely goes out.  Our supplier is diligent about keeping tree limbs cut back from the lines.  However, when it does go out, folks our age do not need to be out in the rain or snow with a 30 mph wind messing around with a flashlight and pulling a rope to start. Charlie

Charlie, when the power went off here Saturday night at -30 I think it would have been difficult to start a generator if it was out in the unheated shed. I had nothing plugged in so every engine was stone cold. The old Cockshutt might have started but I would not bet the farm on it at that temp. The Blazer would likely start but my driveway was most likely impassable. Good thing the power came back in a half hour or so. I don't know of anybody that has a stand by generator locally but there might be a few. Sask. power has been pretty good so maybe we are getting  a little lax on self preservation.

Ralph,

30 below 0 sure would make life difficult.  Glad we do not get that far down.  Especially for any small engine such as a generator, I would surely have synthetic motor oil such as Mobile 1 in the crank case.  They claim it flows well to -35 F.   Sure makes cold starting easier and lubricates more quickly.  I use synthetic in my snow blower and generator.

Charlie