The GREAT KLUTZ of the Day award goes too??? ME!!!!

Today started out as a day I had absolutely nothing I had to do. The Kids took me out to supper Sat. night so Dads day was covered.

So I decided to get the batwing mower out and mow the pasture. I like doing that and the pasture is getting uneven (few weeds) so it is time to clip it. I also drag a harrow behind the mower to scatter the manure piles out.

The only issue was that the batwing mower was in the very back of the machine shed. When the boys got done cleaning up the planters and field equipment it was threating rain so they did not have the time to shuffle everything around like we usually do after planting. So I had two finishers and the front fold planter to move. At least the tractor was still hooked to the planter. (It takes a control box to fold and unfold it) The finishers where not too much of a problem other than getting hooked up by yourself.

The front fold planter is the fun one. We unfold it in the shed as it fits against the back wall better and we have more room for other stuff. So You have to fold it inside the shed to get it back out. You have to move the tractor just right for it to work alright. This was part of the problem/issue. They traded tractors last fall. They now have a JD 8210 on the planter. It has the Command arm/electric controls. I am not used to them. I am used to using a lever for the SCVs not a toggle switch. I got the planter folded OK. I was going out the door and saw that I needed to lift the rear of the planter some as some of the row units where going to hit the concrete door jam as the planter came out the door. As I turned to reached for the SCV switch I also hit the fold control switch on the planter control box with my elbow. So when I hit the SCV the control box was set to unfold not lift the planter. So the 16 row planter unfolded right in the door. It had to break the left wing support/cradle/casting to do this too. The weight of the wing falling open broke the door post off like it was a pop sickle stick. Then the real fun began. The broken post slammed into the 400 amp electric panel that is on the wall next to the door. This is all the electric to the back half of the farm. Which is all of the silo unloaders and the main well.

So there I set with the left side of the planter out of the transport cradle with a broken latch/cradle. Plus a BIG electric fire ball from the electric panel.

Well my not HAVING to do anything just went out the window. LMAO

So I shut off the supply from the electric grid. I get everything shut off/unhooked so at least the house electric can be turned back on. I then get the generator wired up to the well so that the cattle have water. The silos can wait as we did not need to feed until tonight again.

I get the planter to fold up and was able to take a log chain an tie the wing up into the transport position so I could get it out of the door way. I was lucky in that nothing else was hurt on the planter. The end of the frame hit the post so none of the row units where damaged.

I then tore out the damaged parts of the shed. The post has been hit before, just not that hard. So the post was bolted to brackets that are anchored to the concrete. I had to take several sheets of the sheet metal off as it was bent.

I had to go buy a new post and some 2x8s. I had some steel sheeting left from when we made the doors bigger several years ago. So by just after lunch I had the building back together.

Then the real fun began. ELECTRICIAL WORK!!! LOL

I have/had an extra 400 amp electric box that I had salvaged from a farm/barn that was being torn down. The only difference being that the old box had more slots for more breakers. So I spent all afternoon and early evening switching everything over to the good box/panel. Plus the fun of wiring a sub-panel to handle the over flow breakers. Most of these are for lights and such, so I was able to run the sub panel off a 60 amp breaker out of the main box/panel.

So to recap the day: I worked all day to kind of get back to where I started.

1) The batwing mower is still in the back of the shed. The equipment is moved from in front of it but I was too busy to move it.

2) The planter is backed into the shed with a broken casting/latch/cradle. The new part is only $800. LOL I could have hired my pasture mowed for half that. So I will call up to Waterloo and see if they have a used part.

3) The pasture still will need mowed this week.

My son that lives on the farm now, got home when I was about 75% finished with rewiring the panel. I had to tell him the whole story. He tried real hard to not laugh where I could see him but he failed. I am sure he could not wait to call the other boys to tell them of my enjoyable day. LOL

I did tell him to go back to the house as I did not need a cheering section right then. LOL

So that is how my Father's Day went. I should have just stayed in BED this morning. I would have been ahead!!!! LMAO

Well, at least you're already laughing about it! It would take me at least a week to find humor in a day like that!

You did break even and I'd say just a little better, you did not get hurt, that sounds like an un-fun day at best, how about you delete that one and celebrate it next week, odds are it will have to go better LOL !

That electrical panel situation, that had to be a little intimidating when it shorted, takes some determination to keep up with those events, as if you were being tested to see if you could still right a bad day.

I probably could a messed up that bad , in the exact same situation ,,, trouble is ,, I would be awhile getting everything back up and runnin again

Takes a big man to share a story like that JD. Best part is no one got hurt and you see the humor in it. Would likely take me a while long to find it funny. Well done JD. I needed a laugh, thanks for sharing!

Odd set-up on the folding/lift. All 3 1770's that have been on the place here have a separate box, with a couple rocker switches, one for plant/transport, and another for fold/wing wheels, if you don't hold the second in "fold" or "wing wheels" while the first is in "transport", nothing happens.

T in NE. This planter is a JD 7200 that started out as a 12 row wide. We made it into a 16 row narrow. Then the factory control box and electric valve block shorted out several years ago. So we/I made a new control box and valve setup from off the shelf parts. To have repaired it back to factory was going to cost around $5000. I have under $1500 in what we have now. The only thing was I did not make it like the JD one where you have to hold two switches to make some functions work. This control basically will do all kinds of crazy stuff if you have the switches set wrong. I made it to where things you would not normally use together are on the same switch and valve. Example would be the lift and fold.

So basically it is NOT idiot proof in any way. AN today I just proved that. LOL


None of the planting equipment on this farm is high priced. We have bought wrecked/broken/mismatch planters and made them into what we needed.

This 16x30 planter works well and we have used it for 8 years now. Our total cost when it hit the field was under $20K. That is not counting our labor just machine and parts.

Murphy's Law strikes again!

ANYTHING THAT CAN GO WRONG, WILL GO WRONG!


:>(

Another good argument against sheds. Here in the northeast they are not common due to high cost of construction but also taxes. It is hard to justify the annual charge just to cover a few pieces of iron.

Unintended consequences! Wow! Dontcha just love them?

Oh man.........'just more fodder to feed "the old man's losing it". 'Gonna be a while before they forget this. 'Might not EVER forget it. Yep.....they'll still be telling this story years from now!

My bent steering shaft and PS unit does not sound bad compared to your issues. The good news is that no one got hurt, you can always repair/replace equipment.

You are probably ok for a while yet. Around here the rule is that if you take down the power lines you are removed from tractor duty permanently. Since it was in the shed it doesn't count. Also, since the planter wasn't really being used that one doesn't count either. Since the mower wasn't used it cancels out most of the other stuff as well. It looks like all you did was bump something in the tractor.

PS - I HATE the tractors with switches instead of levers for the remotes and three point. My only experience with that is the 7800 with the three point switch. Now how in the world are you supposed to feather that effectively? I'm forever slamming everything into the ground or throwing it into the sky.

I am afraid for most of us it would have taken at least a week and a crew of 2 or 3 to clean the mess up! Great recovery!

You have to love those days where you work all dang day long just to get back to where you started at......been there.....done that.....

Sounds like just another "normal" day to me. lol!



We had a machine shed here for years. It seemed like we spent an awful lot of time moving stuff in and out because the machine you needed was always behind everything you didn't need at the moment no matter how we planned the machinery placing.

How the heck fast does that thing unfold? You hit the button and it just goes, "FWIIIIING!?"

The 7200's swing pretty fast.

At least you did not burn the shed down. The last stupid thing I did in our shop burned it to the ground and it had block walls.

and no swearing all day? you are a good man!

Larry there was plenty of swearing going on for the first hour. It does not count if no one hears it but you. LOL