Pump Repair

Water is everything around Worland. There are about a half a dozen canal systems in this area, and all are managed by a board of directors. Dad sits on the Bluff Canal board, which runs past our place south of town. Most of the water is gravity fed off the river. But every so often there is an offshoot pump station that lifts water to higher plane and allows for more fields to be water. Well, sometimes those pumps go down.

Not your standard pump. This guy sits in a cistern and, along with a sister pump, raises water about 75'. Not long ago it started making a real rough sound. So Dad and crew pulled it out and had it repaired. Today we reinstalled it. 

The Bluff Canal begins about 15 miles south of Worland near Winchester. It is actually fed by the Upper Hanover Canal. 

This telehandler was indispensable. When the canals need repair, often local farmers donate equipment and personnel to help. After all, it's their crops that are dependent on getting the water going.  

Stand back boys. 

Here's the set up. The station has been around for decades, but rebuilt and maintained along the way. 

Electrician, Anthony Marcus, was on hand to help with the technical work. 

It fit in the hole fine, but wouldn't line up with the bolts. We think that running the other pump while this one was down allowed the manifold to creep forward. So we drained the system and put a 20 ton bottle jack against the manifold and made enough room to get the pump set right. 

Once bolted down, we brought in the pump motor. 

This 150hp bad boy runs off 480 three phase power. Hence, the need for an electrician.  

Anthony's boy, Brendon, was there when we needed him. Good work son. 

These big pump motors sit vertical so that the entire bearing surfaces carry the weight at all times. Verses horizontal pumps that only the bottom part of the bearing carries the weight. The drive shaft also runs through the length of the motor. 

Not their first rodeo. 

Hooking up the power was the final step before touch off. 

Once kicked on the water started to flow. 

About the only adjustment on these pumps is the packing. 

They allow a little water by to keep the drive shaft cool as it goes through the packing, which keeps pumped water heading in the right direction. 

Done.

Alls well the ends well. Most canal board members help make decisions. Dad also helps keep the water flowing. Definitely a man you want on your team. It can be easy to take the water in the canal for granted. But there is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes. Dad and crew keep the pivots turning and the crops growing. To them, America tips her hat. 

Cross

All healing is ordered to healing our relationship with the Father.

           https://youtu.be/IfdqVS8knds         

 

Beautiful

No one knows the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal Him.

           https://youtu.be/GEhcXAQkgb0         

Mount Carmel

Sacramentals are holy reminders.

           https://youtu.be/1DhIdNbzKz8         

Roping Dummy

If there's a trademark cowboy characteristic, it's that they are always roping something. In the past for me, it's either been a shovel handle or a truck mirror. But now I have an official roping dummy.

 

It's just hard to beat laying a loop over an old set of horns attached to a bale of hay. That's ranchy. 

Anytime I move to a new town, I get settled at the church and then I check out the local feed store. MTR has got all the essentials. Horse tack, feed, and basic vet supplies. I came in for some fly spray. 

And left with a new rope too. Typical cowboy candy store. To my credit, I was in need. I left my last rope at a branding. This new guy will suit me fine. 3/8"x35'. I hate to admit it, but I'm an extra soft cowboy. XS ropes are light but still have life. 

So I brought in a hay bale from Suzie and Galen's place. 

And fit it with my homemade dummy head. 

Lee Isenberger built this bad boy. Made from real Corriente roping steer horns. He mounted them onto a block of wood, wrapped it in casting material, and put a horn wrap on it. Cool. With some spikes coming out the back, it stabs right in a bale and is rope ready. 

I like to start out with about a five foot loop. If you're handy enough, you can feed the loop as you swing and make it bigger or smaller. I also like about 18"-24" of spoke, which is the distance between your hand and the hondo. Make sure you always keep the loop on the outside of the live part of your rope, then it swings inline. Some guys will even put their pinkie finger in between the two lines to keep them from overlapping. 

The biggest mistake most new ropers make, and even us old guys, is not letting enough coils out of your free hand when you turn your loop loose. Once you let her fly, just open your free hand and let her take what she needs. 

Giddy up. 

I've solved a lot of the world's problems with a rope in my hand. I think this new set up will serve me and the parish well. If you can't find me in the church, check the backyard. I'll likely be roping my new dummy. 

Called

 God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called.

           https://youtu.be/9C7phSWC36w         

Brace Post

If you want to build a good fence, you have to start with a good brace post. They come in many shapes and sizes, but the effort you put in your brace posts will determine the longevity of your fence line. 

Today we set out to build an H-brace. While ranching in Montana, we built a lot of Jack-braces. Those just had one vertical post and a diagonal post that drove into the ground. Whatever the style, the point of a brace post is to stand strong as the rest of the fencing is stretched off of it. 

Years ago, when we had the pivot sprinkler set up, it ran into the neighbors south fence line. He was generous enough to just move the fence so we could keep farming. Now that our pivot is where it needs to be, we can rebuild the fence in its proper place. 

When we had the post driver on the tractor we set these two posts in the ground. Most brace posts are built out of wood. But when you have a little pipe laying around and a welder handy, you might as well use steel. 

Once the vertical posts are set, the horizontal pipe needs to be saddled. 

Clean it up good. The more work can do before you head to the field, the better. 

Safety first. This dry grass is like gasoline to a welder's spark. Dad took time to water things down before we got to work, then was on fire watch until the job was done. 

Finding the right heat in pipe welding is key. The fine tune selector really helps us dial it in. 

A lot of times I'll just weld over the rust. But in a scenario like this, it makes sense to weld it right. 

Once set, we welded it in place. There is always the question as to whether to run the pipe with the contour of the land are set it level. We opted for level. 

Should hold. 

Giddy up. 

If you build an H-brace out of wood, you need to run wire from corner to corner to keep it tight. With steel, there's no need. 

It may look simple, but this brace post represents a lot our our little ranch. All the work we have done on the corrals began with the need to move the pivot sprinkler out of the neighbor’s pasture. We've arrived. One small step for a rancher. One giant leap for the ranch. Good fences do make good neighbors. But if your want to build a good fence, you better start with a good brace post. 

Brakes and Shocks

Spending a few days of vacation in July in Worland may not be the coolest place to be. But it can still be productive. Days like this, we ranch in the morning and find a shade tree or mechanic in the afternoon. Today it got to 102. Not a good day to be building fence. So, to the shop we go. 

I had brakes put on White Horse a couple years ago. My biggest beef with the job is that they put on ceramic pads. Maybe in some situations they work well, but not on a ranch truck. They seemed to just slide and not really grab and stop. So I tried some regular Napa HD pads on the front about a year ago, and problem solved. I've been wanting to replace the rear, but haven't found the time until now. 

The deal with front brakes is that they do most of the work. So I knew they were being over worked. If I were to just put new pads on the rear, they would be way out of sync with each other, wearwise. Thankfully, the front and rear pads are the same. So I set out to put the front pads on the rear and put the new pads on the front. It's complicated. 

So we stuck all four in the air. When working with weight like this, take no chances. Make sure your jack stands are rated for the job. 

Then pull the wheels off and see what we got. Air is out. Cordless is in. 

A lot of brake dust on the front. 

And little to none on the rear. 

The rotors look real good. When I had the brakes done a while back, they turned the discs and trued them up. 

Before you pull the caliper, do your best to retract the pistons. This will pay off on the reinstall, especially if you're putting on new pads. 

Then bust the two bolts loose. 

Some times you have to use a cheater pipe, if they're too tight and you need some extra leverage. 

Here's a look at the front vs. the back. Not a lot of wear difference. 

But the ceramic pads have quite a glaze to them and plenty of heat cracks. They're gone. 

Pretty much install the new pads in the same way the old ones came out. 

And tighten them up. The calipers need a little wiggle room so they are never going to be ridged. The bolts need to be good and tight, 90 foot pounds or so. But their job is to keep the caliper in position so it keeps itself centered as the pads go in and out, and wear down and such. 

Then to the shocks. I've never changed the shocks on this truck. It's a ranch truck, it's supposed to ride rough. But getting the bounce effect out of it would be nice. So while the wheels were off, we tackled the shocks as well. Side note, if shocks show signs of oil leakage, they're shot. 

Napa is my go to parts store if I can't afford OEM. 

Look pretty. HD of course. 

Save yourself time. Use power tools when you can. 

Swivel headed ratchets can't be beat. 

I found that if you put the bottom bolt in first you don't have to fight lining it up later. 

Tighten all the bolts up, good and sound. 

Looks better. 

The back were even easier. 

Once you cut this strap, be ready to stab your bolt in. If you miss it on the first try, like I did, it can be recompressed by hand. 

Once the brakes and shocks were done, it's time for rubber. This is a good opportunity to rotate the tires. I generally go back to front, and front diagonally to the back. These BFG's are holding up good. They might even make it through the winter. 

If you use impact tools to drive the lug nuts on, don't hammer them on. Ideally, tires should be torqued on. Especially tires with disc brakes. This helps prevent rotor warpage. I'll usually zip them on flush with an impact, then try to put the same torque on by hand. Truck lugs like these can handle about 110 foot pounds. 

Good time to adjust the tire presser as well. Believe it or not, there is such thing as winter air and summer air. Air expands in the heat causing more psi., and contracts in the cold, causing lower pressure. 

Back in business. 

I do enjoy turning a wrench. Trucks will run a long time if you keep them maintained. Shocks can be overlooked because they have to do with the ride, but they also help in highway handling. The brakes... not something to compromise. If you drive right, you can make brake pads last a long time. But before thinking about longevity, you have to think effectiveness. Ceramic pads might work well in NASCAR, but not pulling a horse trailer. We're back in action now and ready to run. But more importantly, ready to stop!