Big Gun

Sooner or later it's gonna get hot and we're going to need to irrigate. For the past two years we have been watering our little 2 acre corner of alfalfa with hand-line that we just left in the field until it's time for cutting. Well, when that time came around, that pipe was so lodged to the ground with intertwined alfalfa, that it was next to impossible to pull up. Not being a guy who gives up easy, I started to look into big guns. 

This bad boy is a Komet Twin 202. With the right pressure, she can push water as far as 300'. All we had to do is build her a stand. 

Here, a Silver Bullet stands next to her to give you a size her magnitude. The crew at J&E Irrigation in Basin, said we could give it a try this summer and if by fall we don't like it, they'll take it back. If we do, we'll buy it. Sounded worth a go. 

So we dug out some parts and pieces from the North 40 to build us a tripod stand. We used to have risers running up the middle of our field for a wheel-line that Grandpa had. When we put the pivot in, we cut them off. This 90 was the last of the line, and looked to have potential as a transition from carrier line to sprinkler. 

For legs, we used some other old risers and nipped them off at a 45. 

Then cut some flanges out of this rusty 5/16" plate to mate the sprinkler and the main line. 

To give the sprinkler free-flow, we blew the valve part out of the riser. 

And ground it down so we could weld it good. Galvanized steel can be welded, but it's best to grind that coating off. It'll make a better weld and it will keep you from breathing in that bad smoke that welding over galvanized puts off. 

We first capped the 6" inlet and welded a 4" collar to it. Once you start welding pressured pipe fittings, start and stop as little as possible. 

Then welded the flange where the sprinkler will bolt to it. Just gotta watch getting a weld too close to your bolt holes. 

Then welded the three legs onto the pipe upright. Tripods are cool, they'll set flat on level and un-level ground. 

This gun is likely going to have some kickback to it with upwards of 50psi. So we welded these old drill stem collars onto it. I bet they push 100lbs a piece. Shouldn't go anywhere. 

To attach to our carrier line, we have a 4" hose that will allow us to move the stand around a bit. On one end we welded on a bell that will plug into the pipe. If that doesn't work in the long run, I think we can cut it off and still save the threads on this 4" fitting that wasn't cheap. 

The other end of the hose we attached to the tripod. Pipe dope is a must. 

Then wrenched her down with a 36".

Once the welding was done, we threw her in the back of White Horse and headed for the field. 

We basically have a triangle plot that we are working with. We figured in the middle of the arch would be our best chance of coverage. Once in position, we ran a 4" carrier line to it from our main line. 

Then bolted the sprinkler down with a gasket under it. 

Outfitted it with a gage and plugged it in. 

Let 'er buck! Operates very smoothly as it oscillates side to side. 30psi is not far from what we expected. However, Dad has a new pump he plans to install this spring to give more pressure to the whole place. He expects a 20psi increase. 

Until then, not bad. She shoots a solid 120'. If nothing else, it'll be a good sprinkler to run through on a hot July day. 

I'm encouraged. If you don't grow something good on barren ground, you'll grow weeds. Around the Big Horn Basin, irrigation in not optional. However, how you choose to irrigate is. This big gun is this year's sprinkler of choice. I bet with more pressure we'll reach out to 200'. If so, it'll all be worth it. 

Bread of Life

The risen Lord is present in the Eucharist.

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Go and Sin no More

The goal of Christianity is to not sin. 

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Water Reel

Dad and I are always thinking of ways to make things easier around the ranch. In doing, we usually create a lot of work for ourselves. That’s ranchin. 

All the irrigation on our little place is done by pump and sprinkler. Grandpa had handline and we still have a bit of it around. On a long narrow 5 acre hay field we thought a water reel might work well. So I kept my  eye out for a used one and found one at a farm sale in Montana.  This bad boy is equipped with 5” poly pipe and the reel is operated by a gas engine. Looked promising.

 

So we grabbed Luke’s truck and trailer and blew up to central Montana. They lifted onto our trailer. That proved challenging. 

But it fit nice and we got it boomered down. 

Watch your teeth when your camming a boomer over. 

We always wrap the leftover chain around the handle so it can’t break loose. 

Good load. A bit top heavy. 

Blew a tire heading east on I-90. 

We were like a pit crew out there. 

On the road again. 

Beautiful spring storm heading south near Clark WY. 

Made back home safe and sound. Needed to use the 4010 to unload it but she was dead. To pull start a farmhand, hook a chain to the front end and run it to the side of the bucket when you hook it to the truck. Then as you pull forward the chain will run under the bucket and lift the loader up so it doesn’t dig dirt as you’re pulling. Trick of the trade.

Then we shaped up a bit of a loading dock. 

To pull it off rather than lift it off. 

It was such a tight fit that we had to be real careful to pull it off straight. 

Once on the ground it was easier to maneuver. 

So we backed it into the shop to do service it up. Tight fit on a 12' door. 

Money. 

The gear box acted froze so we pulled the drain plug to see what we were working with. Had quite a bit of water in it. No surprise. It did naturally free up though. 

And we added fresh oil. 

We had to get it to fit some of our already existing supply line. 

So we cut the old one off and welded on the new one. 

The hose hook up to the gun took a bit of work but seems pretty solid. 

Cool unit. Once the gun is hooked up you can leave it attached and then just lift it up when you need to move the whole thing. There was a lot more work done to get it ranch ready, including changing the engine with another 4hp Honda that cousin Mark had sitting around. 

Eventually we hauled in out to the field to see if this dog would hunt. 

Even though the water level in the canal wasn't high enough for our pump to run, Dad and I couldn't wait. So we put an 10' extension on the suction line and gave it a whirl. 

It took a lot of priming, but eventually she took off. 

It works. Has couple minor water leaks. Engine sounds strong. It is revved up pretty good in this shot, causing the reel to wind up at a pretty rapid rate of speed. You'd likely run it at an idle. A couple disappointing features. The hose isn't as long as it is supposed to be and the gun doesn't shoot as far as I'd hoped it would. Those aren't deal breakers, but do need to be addressed before this unit becomes the main waterer on the 5 Acre. 

Giddy up. 

Life is about the journey as much as the destination. I have mixed feelings about the end result of this endeavor. But the road to get there was a ride that only a couple of Catholic Cowboys would take. Dad and I whistle while we work. The labor may be hard but the time spent together is always enjoyable. Cowboys do have clutches, but they rarely use them. We'll probably kick a little more on this sprinkler project before we throw in the towel. I've got some ideas brewing already. On to the next one. 

Sheep Wagon

Sheep wagons are probably more popular now than they were a hundred years ago. Yesterday they were part and parcel of the western frontier. Today they are an heirloom of simpler times. 

Uncle Phil Schmeltzer recently fixed up his grandfather's original sheep wagon. 

Great-grandpa William Murdoch, who resembles the man in the lower left corner, came to the United States from Scotland in the early 20th century. He gained his citizenship after serving in WWI as a member of the calvary. He went on to homestead a section of ground in the Owl Creek Mountains in central Wyoming, underneath the Washakie Needles. Later he married Adeline Neiber, who's father homesteaded at the mouth of the Gooseberry Creek south of Worland Wyoming. Several members of our family still live on that homestead, including my parents. 

The sheep wagon has always remained in the family. My grandfather, Ed Schmeltzer, originally fixed it up in the 60's after his father-in-law, William, had died. After passing a few different hands over the years, Uncle Chris, who still runs sheep, inherited it. He got it up and running, but thought it would be better served by his brother Phil. 

Uncle Phil, who has carried on the Schmeltzer trade of painting, has spent the last few months getting it all polished up. Originally, this sheep wagon would have likely had wooden wagon wheels under it. The current running gear was probably modified in the 50's or so. 

Sheep wagons are cool. Not a wasted square inch. 

If only this table top could talk. 

Deep drawers go under the bed. 

Counter space was limited, but functional. 

The stove was a prominent fixture. As the saying goes, sheep wagons were either too hot or too cold .

But they were always a welcome sight for anyone wanting to get out of the weather. 

Grandpa William's brand was a five-point star.

Well done.

Good stuff. Heirlooms like this should be enjoyed. I'm thankful Uncle Phil fixed up Grandpa’s sheep wagon so the rest of the family can enjoy it. Inside, the past becomes very present. The fronteir may have been centuries ago, but the western way of life still lives on. 

Give My Heart

To believe is to love.

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