The rule of threes

Things tend to come in threes — ocean waves, broken farm equipment and religious leaders in jokes involving entering a bar. This is why, when something big breaks down on the farm, I superstitiously prepare for at least one more major problem to come along. As for the waves and pious religious leaders, they don’t really seem to be a problem here in Elko, Minnesota.

Our Kubota side-by-side decided not long ago that it did not like going places quickly anymore. Moving slowly and taking off slower — or not at all — worked out so well for it that it made the changes to its mobility permanent. This made a problem for our son, Jonnie, who uses the Kubota to bring feed to the laying hens every morning. We took it to a local fleet repair shop and they determined it would need major work done to its transmission, thanks to a hole in the case that allowed dirt and water to enter it. Dirt is not great for hydraulic systems, so we bought another used Kubota rather than Jonnie having to feed chickens with the skid loader. If you have the need for a cheap Kubota utility vehicle and desire to rebuild a transmission, it will most likely be for sale on Facebook Marketplace soon.

The Bobcat S650 skid loader was the next thing to quit working. On my way out of the cab to cut the net wrap off a bale, I heard three quick beeps. Turns out, when I got back in the skid loader, the beeps were what I feared they would be: They were warnings of an error. The right joystick chose that time to quit communicating with the computer. Thankfully, you can still move the machine around without the right joystick as that controls the lift and tilt functions only. I had to use the emergency hydraulic release to finish putting the bale into the feeder wagons.

It was the day before Thanksgiving weekend, with an hour until businesses would close until Monday. I called every dealer chain in our area, only to find there is not a joystick to be found in the state, much less our area. I’d have to find another way to feed cows and clean alleys. Our neighbor, Dan, saved us by loaning us his skid loader. I owe him big time, so it will be going back to him much better than we found it. We picked up a whole box of parts today while out shopping for a new (to us) skid loader that will be getting installed soon as a thank you.

With the arrival of truly cold weather after such a long mild fall, I found what I hope is the third and final broken thing. Of our seven heated cattle waterers, two didn’t work at all. I keep parts on hand for our Ritchie waterers and spent some hours with numb fingers stripping, testing and twisting wires. Moisture causing corrosion of wiring connections seems to be the second most common cause of our heated waterers failing; the heat coils failing is their most common problem. The waterers thankfully had those usual problems, and I was able to get them back to problem-free operation quickly. I still have a new waterer we installed for our future acquisition of sheep and/or goats that needs to be wired up before I can turn on the water for it. There also needs to be some goat-proof fence built, but that’s a spring project now that the ground is freezing.

Until next time, keep living the dream and finish up those last preparations for a long, chilly winter. Seems like we may be in for a cold and snowy one if the last couple weeks are any indication.

Tim Zweber farms with his wife, Emily, their three children and his parents, Jon and Lisa, near Elko, Minnesota.