photofarmer's photostream  

I had originally set the tractor wheels as close together as the would go in order to get the most rows onto the field. We have recently been using more plastic film for weed control and to warm up the soil in the spring. The wheel spacing was too narrow to go over the plastic for cultivation without damaging the plastic. So I had to move the wheels out.

The wheels are designed to be mounted in any of four positions, so there are eight possible wheel spacings. The note shows one of the flanges mounting the tire to the hub. The narrowest spacing is when the tire is mounted on the inside of the hub (using the bolt hole on the right in the note). Here I have moved the wheel out one notch. I did the same on the other side. That changes the spacing by about 2.5 inches on each side, 5 inches total.

To get the other two positions, the hub is also removed and turned around. It has a slight dish shape inward here. Moving it so the dish is outward gives you the other two positions.

Moving the wheels was fairly simple, but aligning the front wheels afterwards took two days.

A winter trip to the Tower Hill Botanic Gardens. This is the view from the Twigs Cafe. Wachusett Reservoir in the background. In warmer weather they have tables outdoors on the patio.

In the 1800's, shoemaking was a cottage industry around here. Everyone had a last supplied by the shoe company and a stack of the right size leather. They would sew the shoes together in their free time.

I found an old metal last and a wooden form and a few pieces of sole. One of the soles is on the stairs above. I don't know if that was typical of people's foot size back then, but it's different today. My boot is on the other step.

The treads range from 6-1/2" to 8" and the risers are about 9". The stairs in my home have treads about 10-1/2" and risers about 8". The risers in the barn are a bit higher because they had a limited space in which to put the stairs. As you can see, it's kind of a pain to use them since there's no support for my heel. Really annoying when I have to carry something up.

And there's even something under it to hold it up.

Seeds for the 2012 season. 8 more orders to go (plus back orders).