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Dan came and cut bolts so we could remove the Datsun truck bed and Beth came and did some welding and we’re closer. I think I’ll call it “Igor”.

Today we got the crud cleaned out of the squat 40 gallon hot water heater tank I got to use as our hot water solar conditioner. The tank went through the big flood our area experienced last year.

If you have to clean the inside of a cylindrical tank, a gallon of crushed rock (a variety of sizes) with about the same amount of water works really well. The largest piece of crushed should fit easily through the largest hole in the tank. Don’t bother to plug the holes. The water pouring out while you are rolling the tank is carrying away the crud and rust. Add additional water between rolls and sloshes to replace what comes out. Stand the tank on each end and slosh to clean the inside of the top and bottom. With sufficient movement, the gravel/water scours the inside clean of loose rust and sediment. Our tank has two big holes on the side (heating element holes) and three smaller holes in the top (water supply and pressure relief valves). I think we had the whole thing clean in under half an hour. If I were doing a tall 40 gallon tank, I would have used more gravel/water.

This tank also had a disconnected tubular gizmo stuck inside, but I got that out as well using a bent coat hanger and a little patience.

To get the gravel out we hung the tank from the tractor bucket with a girdling strap around its middle and the heating element holes facing down. I stuck a garden hose in one of the water supply holes on the end (the top when it’s upright) to help keep the rocks moving and slowly see sawed it from end to end until all the rocks slid out the holes on the bottom side. Terry was a bit stressed thinking once we got the gravel in, we wouldn’t be able to get it out. Not so. Except for a few bigger pieces, it sloshed right out. The bigger pieces were reoriented with a finger and slid right out.
Terry’s seen another one of the same size/shape that’s gone through a fire . . . he was on the motorcycle and couldn’t snag it, but the next time he heads that way with his pickup, he’ll check to see if it’s still there and usable.

And in other news . . . I’ve got a call in to our horse shoer. Milly’s about due for a trim and I have a bit that needs some judicious pounding, so it’s time to get him to stop by. While he’s here I’m going to ask him to make me a mounting plate to mate the end of our gearbox shaft with the mower blade. The blade currently has two small auxiliary holes which sit on pins to keep the blade from rotating on the mower shaft. These will not be sufficient for making slurry so I’ll drill out the holes to accept 3/8″ hardened bolts and will drill and thread the mounting plate to accommodate the threads. The plan is to bolt the blade to the mounting plate and bolt through the blade and mounting plate onto the shaft. I may get him to make me two so I can quickly switch blades if I have a problem. I’ll let you know how it goes.

I went in to see what our local feed store had to offer in the way of stock tanks and they didn’t have anything the right size in stock . . . kinda surprising as this place is usually johnny-on-the-spot when it comes to agricultural goodies. They’ll have to order what I need and it will take two weeks to get here . . . unless I go somewhere else for my needs . . . <wince>. These are the guys I like dealing with and supporting.

So I have decisions to make. 4 or 6′ tank? I can make a trailer for a 6′ tank. I have a drop axle currently attached to a very light duty trailer frame (no hitch or deck). The trailer frame is very airy and totally unabled to supporting a 6′ tank of slurry. I can use the axle and weld together a frame that will support a 6′ tank with a hitch to connect to the drawbar on the tractor. This choice has some pluses. The 6′ tank will mix more slurry in a batch, so we can get more done. The downside . . . if the pump fails and we have to bucket this into the wall forms . . . <shudder>. And I would have to do some pretty funky stuff to get the PTO connected to the gearbox.

Or, I can use the Datsun pickup bed trailer we used for hauling water as our frame with a 4′ tank. Sure, the batches will be smaller, but how long does it take to mix a batch of slurry when you don’t have to move the mixer? Not that long. And if the pump fails, bucketing 140 gallons of slurry is more appealing than bucketing 240 gallons. The PTO connection should be nearly a straight shot reducing wear and tear on the PTO shaft. A short piece of section 80 pipe, a couple grade 8 bolts a short section of round rod and a carrier bearing for the pipe or rod should suffice for the extra drive line portion. I’ve already got a suitable PTO shaft, it’s just a matter of collecting the bits to connect it to the gearbox. I may not need anything but the existing drive shaft but I won’t know until I get out my tape measure and do some measuring. Terry and I have mulled the choices and benefits and have determined a 4′ tank on the Datsun trailer frame is our best option. He may be nearly clueless regarding where I’m going, but he does provide good feedback.

In anticipation of using the Datsun trailer as the base for our slurry operations, Terry installed the 165 gallon water storage container, which normally resides in the Datsun trailer, in our old Dodge industrial van. This is a better solution for the water tank all ’round but now the very macho van boasts the appearance of a tit on top. The tank sticks out of the top of the van nearly a foot. Very amusing.  The covering is to keep debris out of the tank until Terry can build a debris proof lid.

My brother gave us a non-functioning riding mower. It looks like a yellow bug, a very fashionable fair weather mower suitable for flat city lots. Terry removed the mower deck and the blade is the perfect blade for our mixer. I have been fussing about this part of the puzzle. If I used a push mower blade I would have to drill a bigger hole to accommodate the gearbox shaft bolt. This would weaken the blade at that point. This mower’s blade is sufficiently thick/wide/strong and already has the right sized hole.

We’ve had unseasonably wet weather, so the delay in having a functioning mixer is really not an issue. And the extra time spent in planning is proving to be a money saver.

Next task is removing the Datsun pickup truck bed from the trailer.

Terry, bless his heart, has been lugging my gearbox around trying to find someone who could/would press the t-bar blade attachment off the gearbox . . . with absolutely no joy. He kept hearing “can’t”, “can’t without heating it up and ruining the seals”, “can’t without breaking, wrecking, damaging” . . . I am SO tired of people who are totally unable to think outside the box or are unwilling to go that extra step. Picture me shaking my head in total frustration at the inability of people who should be able to apply a little problem solving logic yet can’t.

So Terry and I stood looking at the gearbox and applied a little home grown logic. We hung the gearbox from the bucket of the tractor, hung a little hydraulic jack off the bottom with chains with the jack’s business end at the point where the bolt fastened the T to the gearbox. Between jacking and a little judicious banging, we handily removed the T-bar. What was so f’ing hard about that? With a hydraulic press/heavy duty gear puller we could have done it in about 5 minutes. Doing it at home and jury-rigging our own press using chains and a whimpy 1.5 ton hydraulic jack, it took us about half an hour. Picture me rolling my eyes at the “can’t”s.

Terry’s going to pick up the mixer tank on Monday. I’ve still got to find someone who will weld together the trailer for me. Once it’s welded we can start assembly. I also need to find a seal for the gearbox shaft and pack the gearbox with gear grease.

Getting closer!