So What Do I Do?

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So this is what I do in a day.

I wake at 5:00am to 6:00am so I can be at the yard workshop by 6:00 to 7:00am.

I do a daily check on my truck (oil level, coolant, clean air filters and tyres).
I start the truck running and continue to check that all is as it should be.

As a group we then leave for the farm that we are working on which can mean that we drive for up to an hour and a half one way. It's new and scary feeling racing down some of these country roads steering a 17,000kg truck at 120km/hr. I tend to travel at 90 km/hr until I get onto better roads.

Once we get to the farm we find the service area, and wait for the Choppers to go to a circle field.

Everything is pretty much dictated by the Chopper drivers and so we follow, sit and wait for these people.

One truck goes under the Chopper and is loaded by a chute that is blowing the chopped feed out at 220km/hour. Depending on the moisture content of the feed (between 55% and 70%) it takes 4 - 7 minutes to load my truck. At that point the total load including the weight of the truck could weigh 65,000lbs to 85,000lbs (29.5 tonnes to 40 Tonnes).

Off I go bumping across the field to the nearest road/track that then takes me to the "Pit".

Before I do that I go over a Weigh Bridge full and then after I have dumped my load empty.

I'm not sure which is more traumatic, loading under the Chopper or unloading in the pit! Anyway, the pit. So now having successfully endured the wrath of a Chopper driver because I'm too close to the Chopper, too far away. too far back or too forward (baptism by fire!!!) I now need to get rid of this load. The walls to the pit are easily higher that the truck and it's about 7 truck widths wide.
So now I have to back this truck of mine straight and make sure that it ends up close to the right hand side of the truck to my left.

I have managed to provide endless entertainment to all who will dare to watch as I back my truck and trailer (20m in length overall). One time I arrived at the pit and there were no other trucks for me to watch so I knew what to do so I backed the entire length of the pit (200m) while the tractor drivers stopped and enjoyed the event unfolding infront of them. I should have known something was up when they were all waving me on but I was so focused on backing straight in Low Low gear that I didn't notice them all laughing.

I just looked at it as good practice!!! These people are so easily entertained!!!

Once I make it to the face of the silage I need to keep an eye on 5 tractors that are as big as a what ever. My trailer has these chains that are powered by the Power take off (PTO)on the deck. I open the door and wind up the PTOand withing2 minutes the load has been dumped.

So now it's off back to the field to cop the wrath of a Chopper driver and hope that I get it right this time. No actually I think they cut me some slack most times until they get tired and then they get grumpy.

A round trip often takes an hour which means that the field is a good 8 - 15km from the pit.

When the sun goes down (8:30pm) or the people at the weigh bridge get sick of it we go home, sometimes in a van and sometimes in our truck.

Home by 9:00pm and we cook a dinner and then have a shower and go to bed by 10:30pm

So that's why I haven't been too regular on the blog.

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Photos

A field being "Merged"
3 -5 windrows are merged at a time

An irrigation wheel track.
Something to avoid at all costs

Comments

[Meg]

Thanks for the photos dad! Great to see what you are up to :) Meg.

[anonymous]

I really like this photo!

[penny]

Hi
So good to get your photos and emails. You are so brave!! I would end up in tears in 2 mins especially if the chopper man was mean to me and then there is the backing!! Monty dog is great. We will take his kennel round to Gillians when we go away in June so he is warm and dry. Married life is great, no complaints. Take care Penny