Damn tractor!

Two bundles, 32 railroad ties, future corral.

I went over to Hermiston to find my corral chute gates and some railroad ties.  No gates.  I need them 24-26 inches wide and the smallest they had was 48 inches.  I asked about railroad ties and they said someone from the east coast is buying up all the railroad ties on the west coast and shipping them back east.  This is why we cannot find any locally.  I asked what their substitute was and he said six inch green treated posts but they were out of those also.  Luckily, right across the street was the outfit that got them in two weeks ago.  I had to look through the entire stack to find two bundles that were okay.  They managed to get them on the trailer and then I noticed both my trailer tires on driver's side were way low!  It took them 30 minutes to find a tire connector for their compressor but they finally got me on my way.  My little compressor I keep in the pickup was at home after using it on the mule.  It did not get back in the pickup.  I stopped at home depot and got an outside flood light for the back of the chicken coop.  After installation we will be able to skin animals in the dark and not by pickup headlights.  It will be much easier.  I had to dig to find a light that did not have a motion sensor attached to it.  I will install a switch inside the chicken coop.

I was taking my sprayer tank off the tractor when I noticed that a bolt had come undone holding one of the tank straps in place.  I lifted the empty tank off the three point hitch and wanted to attach my quick hitch back onto the three point.  I needed to take off the upper arm but I could not remove the pin completely due to poor tractor design.  The power actuator arms needed to be lifted out of the way.  I started up the tractor and lifted the arms.  I heard a pop, then the upper arm fell to the ground.  I had not pushed the pin back into place and the actuator arm hit the pin and broke the cast iron collar.  It is part of the tractor, a large part, near impossible to replace!  It is horrible.  Now I cannot use the box blade or the sprayer or the mower or the most important post hole digger.  I am dead in the water.  I the tractor onto the trailer and took it over to Packy Doherty welding to get it repaired.  I sure hope he can fix it!  I also picked up 136 pieces of 16 foot long 2x6 boards for the corral.  My fancy screw/bolts will be here next week.  I need that tractor to pull apart the old corral and dig 30 post holes!  Then move gravel to the holes so we can set all the railroad ties into gravel.  I will be helpless without it. 

To top the evening off I lost five chickies!  I have no idea why they are dying.  I raised the heat lamp considerably.  Maybe I am over heating them.  A couple of them don't look so good either.  I will check on them in the morning but I expect to lose at least two more.  This sucks. 

Broken three point upper hitch on tractor.  Tractor Dead!!!