Life in Alaska

[Twolines]

Hey all, high jacking your thread again akwelder. Thought I'd post and offer it here first...Id like to sell or trade my 500g. Really need a snow machine for the trapline this year.

[hardtail]

Saw -37C in the news and I want nonofit, looked like some Arctic cold in sections of AK already, been a nice fall on the prairies but that will end.

[poor farmer/logger]

10 hours ago, hardtail said:

Saw -37C in the news and I want nonofit, looked like some Arctic cold in sections of AK already, been a nice fall on the prairies but that will end.

Dang well better stay in the north as we’re still waiting on the furnace duct work to get finished. Hopefully have it all together this week. Pellet stove has been working overtime. 

[New Englander]

Meanwhile in NH we've been enjoying weather in the 60s! Quite unusual for November. Coldest overnight has been 28f or so.

[AKwelder]

On 11/2/2024 at 10:59 AM, Twolines said:

Hey all, high jacking your thread again akwelder. Thought I'd post and offer it here first...Id like to sell or trade my 500g. Really need a snow machine for the trapline this year.

Very nice dozer.  
 

I was wondering how you were doing.  Glad to see you back on the boards. 

[Twolines]

7 hours ago, AKwelder said:

Very nice dozer.  
 

I was wondering how you were doing.  Glad to see you back on the boards. 

Thanks! I really dont want to sell but I after buying a sxs this summer id feel real irresponsible turning around and buying a snow machine..

I should pop in more, I think I get along with this crew pretty well...just busy and tired. Tried to spend most of the summer on the saw mill but ended up hurting my back at work and then getting a random case of "tennis elbow"....and still on the mend. So for now just taking it easy while trying to set a few traps. 

[AKwelder]

I wil try to catch up

 

the pumps, she’s getting old, wife is very nervous about it.

 

manufactures testing new vehicles.Navistar has a constant presence here and is always running the haul road with blocks

 

tue new to is house, has a deck that needs work and room for a big tree

 

burned out my tranny in the plow truck, so there’s something to do in my spare time

 

 

[AKwelder]

Some more

Todays sun 

 

optimistic plumber at the store.  Never seen a ladder tack on a mini van. Where’s @MTO

 

There was an avalanche on the road to Anchorage. It left a rather large rock in the road(not my picture)

Hauling heating oil, 

 

view from work

[AKwelder]

Delete

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[AKwelder]

Trying to edit or delete one picture from the post

 

update. I got it

[AKwelder]

Been out on few jobs sites 

Someone moving a crane on the north slope

 

 

quad tracks going on the tundra

 

interesting how the paint changed

 

down south

 

[AKwelder]

Headed back into Deadhorse yesterday morning

 

 

headed home on the plane in a couple hours 

[AKwelder]

They broke the plane. We are still stuck here

[hardtail]

I'm guessing the tracks on the crane were too wide for the lowboy and no power lines to contend with on route?

[AKwelder]

9 minutes ago, hardtail said:

I'm guessing the tracks on the crane were too wide for the lowboy and no power lines to contend with on route?

It’s one the oil field lease, so basically private property. So is instead of breaking down the just load up sideways.  A truck further back has the ramps they use. 
 

all the power lines are out of the way for equipment and drill rig moves. 

[AKwelder]

Well it warmed up.  Got a call from our unrelated “Uncle Frank”. He said he was fine but his house wasn’t 

 

well, we got a hole cut into his crawl space and pumped it down, but the spring run off needs to find an escape route. 

[AKwelder]

Spring is sure trying. We still have snow in places, but it’s quit freezing at night. 
 More daylight

 

I will get some pictures this weekend. 

[AKwelder]

Spring is coming finally. It’s 37* F right now as I sit here.  
 

it’s a horrible picture with the old deck in the way, but we hived 30 packages of bees. They are getting started and building up, but as you can see there is no forage yet.

 

Hills are still brown, no leaves yet

 

but people are out with there toys.  I was at a light and heard this one and started looking around.

 

 

working on a death wobble on this 350over the weekend.  I had the tires changed yesterday and it really helped. They were bad.

 

headed to Prudhoe Bay Friday, back on Monday. 
 

This last year we bought my in-laws place and have been moving in.  Going to rent the other house to my daughter.  So we have been refreshing the house before we move in. 

[Diesel Doctor]

On 11/30/2014 at 10:51 PM, AKwelder said:

Today I was working on my 460, I picked it up just before winter set in and it needed some TLC. Yesterday I replaced the battery and changed to cables out with heavier ones. She fires right up now. So today I got out the manuals and read up on how to adjust the T/A.

It's been getting stuck in gear until I pull back on the T/A and when I push in the clutch it would not free roll down a hill. After a little bit of scratching my head I think I got it. I can't get it to slip in low range, and it rolls on a hill when the clutch is in. So maybe I got it right

Weather is calling for 6-12 inches of snow tonight so I may have some work for the tractor tommorrow.

I commented about TA adjustment with MikeM.

Years ago, 15 minutes and I could have a TA adjusted on that 460.

I did one a year or so ago and it took almost 1/2 a day to get it done.

All the turn buckles were froze solid.

I had to take them out, heat with the torch, get them loose, clean them up and Never Seize them.

Old age and rust is happening to us all?

[Diesel Doctor]

On 3/31/2025 at 6:21 PM, hardtail said:

I'm guessing the tracks on the crane were too wide for the lowboy and no power lines to contend with on route?

The counter weight is still on, the boom is in the air, it is as heavy as it will ever get without a load.

I love it, you guys just move stuff up there.

We have to contend with load limits and the DOT.

That would have been about 4 loads down here as that is what it took to move a friends Lebehr crane 90 miles up the Maxy Pad! His was a bit smaller but not by much.

 

 

 

[AKwelder]

Spring might be here.  Was in the mid 60’s yesterday 

Here at the new place the power company has been thru with their periodic right of way clearing.  I have been pondering planting clover in ROW to see how it does and to maybe gain bee forage. I was thinking that I need to do something to get some dirt over the seed, like raking it. But I’m not looking forward to hand raking such a large area.  Anyone have thoughts?

[hardtail]

It might take with broadcast, do you have any kind of drag available even something behind a quad?

[yellowrosefarm]

Could you run an aerator over it pulling plugs, then use a cone spreader for the seed and drag behind?  I knew some old timers that used a piece of chain link fence for a drag. I also used one of those over the shoulder hand crank seeders to seed 4 + acres when I was younger. 

[AKwelder]

Been busy, we went North to work a sleeve, the weather was not enjoyable 

 

Picked up a Starlink mini, wow, I can buy tractor parts in the middle of nowhere 

 

daughter lost the rear wheel bearing hub on her Subaru, these cars test me.

 

then my youngest graduated High school. A real turning point in our lives.  All my kids have graduated.  That’s a pretty big point in my life 

 

 

and then he wrecked his car.  No drugs or alcohol, just being a dumb a$$.  He is ok, but ………. Dang 

 

driving WAY to fast and caught a soft frost boil in the road. 
 

 

 

hug your kids gents.  They may scare the heck out of you tomorrow.

 

and every day I’m a father I understand my parents a little bit more.  

[iowaboy1965]

Congrats on the graduation. I didn't realize they were that old now. And I'm glad he is ok. Cars can be replaced. I feel bad for my folks now and how much I must have worried them.