LiveOak

I am learning more with each season. Learning about beekeeping is a never ending task. I am reading up on queen rearing and will be giving it a try perhaps next season. If I can provide my own queens, it will make doing splits go MUCH faster, especially 50/50 walk away splits. With a queen it puts the hive ahead by at least 3 to 6 weeks. I have an apiary section on my forum if you have any questions. There is another experienced beekeeper who posted there as well. Do you read up on Bee Source forum?

I did. I have been working my apiary for almost 6 years now. I have been gradually adding hives and developing the apiary as I learn (a continuing process). My apiary covers about 40 acres currently and 38 hives. I am gradually working towards 100 hives.

The price has gone up this year by over $2,000. The owner of the dealer told me that the price would very likely go up so I figured if I was ever going to get one, I had better do it then. This allows me to split of the amount of work that gets done by the tractor and the Bad Boy. I would wear my tractor out if I cut this much acreage with it and pile on the hours to boot. I can cut over twice and maybe 3 times as much with the Bad Boy as I can with the tractor or any of the other mowers. Plus since I use it for farm use I can depreciate it and I get the sales tax off.

Mine starts the same with just a few seconds of glow plug heat and it fires right up. I think it may be due to being run so lean. Once warmed up, the Caterpillar engine exhaust is very clean and does not smell like most diesels. I am mowing about 40 acres with mine right now but that will increase as the size of my apiary increases.

Last Winter I ordered a Bad Boy AOSD 7200. It finally arrived just before Thanksgiving. I finally got a chance to put that monster to work and WOW!!!!!! It is a grass cuttin' HAUS!!! I don't have any pics of it yet but will soon. In the mean time if you are not sure what model Bad Boy I am talking about take a look here: http://www.badboymowers.com/bad-boy-shop/lawn-mowers/diesel-lawn-mower I have already put 50 hours on it and done the first engine oil and hydraulic oil change. That Caterpillar engine is really efficient with fuel. Burns less than a gallon per hour.

I have one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Mityvac-7400-Liter-Fluid-Evacuator/dp/B000JFJM14/ref=sr_1_4/187-1871939-2374555?ie=UTF8&qid=1403983667&sr=8-4&keywords=vacuum+oil+extractor At each oil change, I just use the Mityvac to suck the power steering fluid out of the reservoir and refill. Start engine, turn steering wheel lock to lock a few times, shut engine off. Repeat sucking oil out of reservoir and refill. This keeps the oil pretty fresh over time and is VERY easy to do taking very little time. I do the same thing with the engine coolant. I stick the suck hose in the raditator and it sucks out about 4 gallons of coolant and most of the crud on the bottom of the tank. Refill with fresh coolant. Do this every other or 3rd oil change. Its CHEAP, easy, quick, and keeps the coolant and additives fresh. I use the Shell extended life coolant ELC in my truck do I do this about every 5 to 7 years. If you use the Walmart Supertech green coolant, do this as above. Works good, lasts a long time.

The police should be your LAST option. Maybe you have already but if not, I strongly recommend that you try and talk to the guy first. Yeah, he may be an idiot but you never know, he may just listen and knock it off. At least you will have reached out and talked to your neighbor FIRST. The police WILL only make matters worse. They will rat you out to the guy doing the shooting as well as label you a trouble maker/whinner and then idiot neighbor will really be pissed. I have tried the police.........been there.......done that.........got the T-shirt, sweat pants, & baseball cap. If being neighborly and reasonable fails I would up the anti and light up the .50 when he is trying to sleep. Trust me on this, the .50 will get his attention and probably everyone else's attention for a few miles. Then if need be you can move up to 4 lb. or even 20 lb. shockwave exploding targets. It is NICE and quiet around these parts now. A call and visit to the district attorney also was a big help. I strongly recommend the peaceful, neighborly, and out reach path first and ALWAYS. Sometimes you are left with no options and you must reluctantly do what you have to do. That AmeriKa in 2014. Morons who think "I know my rights" "Horray for me and $#@! on you". TRUE freedom and liberty begins between the ears when one understands and applies VOLUNTARY SELF GOVERNANCE out of concern for the values of your neighbor and vice versa.

I agree with Mike on checking for codes. You may want to review this diagnostic section and with the added input of any codes look at the diagnostic procedure that best matches your situation. It might save you some money on parts you may not need and help you go directly to the problem. http://www.bluechipdiesel.com/vp44diagnostichelp.html

If you have not do so, check for codes and check again if you have. Read the VP44 Diagnostics for the entire page but it sounds like this section cut and pasted below and located here: http://www.bluechipdiesel.com/vp44diagnostichelp.html HARD START COLD, LONG CRANK TIMES, AND INSTANTLY RUNS SMOOTHLY This is typically due to a cracked or broken diaphragm inside the Injection Pump. To test for this try disconnecting the electrical power from the Lift Pump BEFORE turning the key on, and see if it starts better. This happens because the electric lift pump pushes air which is always in the fuel chamber inside the VP44 pump, through the crack or break in the diaphragm, into the mechanical high pressure pump and it becomes air-bound until it rotates enough times to bleed out the air. If it starts better without an electric Lift Pump, it is because the electric Lift Pump hasn’t forced air into the mechanical high pressure pump through the crack or break in the diaphragm, which is what separates the fuel chamber from the high pressure pump. This failure requires a VP44 replacement to fix the problem.

I drove about 110 miles to the VA hospital, got admitted, and had a cardiac heart catheterization done. Doc said it looked pretty good. No stent, or other treatment required.

I would caution you on this type of body armor plate. Yes INDEED they will stop most non-armor piercing rounds and some of the smaller AP rounds well. The problem is bullet "spawl" or "spatter". The bare armor plate may stop the round but the bullet spawl WILL injure if not fatally injure the wearer. This can easily be avoided by spray coating the plates with a coating of Linex or Rino Liner special compounds designed for absorb bullet spawl and shrapnel. You can order armor plate sets already treated with a spawl/shrapnel absorbing coating http://www.ar500armor.com/ar500-armor-body-armor.html or you can buy a kit to coat the armor yourself. http://www.ebay.com/itm/U-Pol-Raptor-Truck-Black-Bed-Liner-Kit-with-Applicator-Gun-ME-820-/271524735872?hash=item3f3822ab80&item=271524735872&pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&vxp=mtr You will need to spray a layer about 3/8 of an inch thick. The cost of doing just a few plates may not be economical and buying a set already coated may be the more cost effective route.

I went with a Farm Boy Diesel Performance 5" turbo back exhaust and got the straight pipe version and eliminated the muffler. Almost 7 years later I am still VERY pleased and satisfied with it. It came as a complete kit with all of the clamps and grommet mounts that used the OEM grommets to mount the system. Almost looks OEM stock until you get closer and look. Sounds great too. http://store02.prostores.com/servlet/farmboysdieselperformance/the-108/Budget-Exhaust-(FBD)-5"/Detail The price has gone up a little since I bought mine but not as much as I thought it would be. I think I paid about $280 for mine. Here is a post and review of the installation of my Farm Boy exhaust. http://forum.tractorfarmandfamily.com/showthread.php?t=12825

Try checking your pressure with a manual gauge and verify pressures. http://www.vulcanperformance.com/VPMAX-Fuel-Pressure-Tester-Test-Gauge-Schrader-p/fpt.htm During extreme cold weather diesel fuel will have a higher viscosity (enough to cause a lower pressure reading) until the fuel heater in the fuel filter housing warms the fuel up. Another cause (probably not in your case as you said you are running an electric gauge) is for those who run a manual fuel pressure gauge, the fuel pressure isolator divider will become much stiffer due to the cold temperature being made of rubber and cause an low pressure reading. Not knowing for sure but I suppose a fuel pressure sending unit for an electrical gauge could be effected by extreme cold weather, hence the need to verify with a manual pressure test gauge.

I have been using the Baldwin BD7317 for a few years. No problems but I have not done any oil analysis either. I will be using this filter until a friend and I figure a way to install a Fleetguard/Cummins centrifugal filter.

I will do my part get it back if I see it in my AO in Tennessee. I hate thieves. A thief has NO redeeming values and should be put down in my opinion. After they have had their due process of course.

Perhaps you have read this before. If so, my apologies. If you had a P0216, your injector pump is on borrowed time. It may run for another 20 years or die tomorrow. http://www.bluechipdiesel.com/vp44diagnostichelp.html Sorry to hear you are having this problem. I went through it a few years back myself.

Sounds like driveline binding up. This is normal on a hard surface road or very dry conditions in which all four tires get good traction. If not this, the next suspect would be front axle u-joints are worn and very sloppy. When I 4WD, you should always try to make any turns as shallow and gradual as possible to limit driveline binding especially on a paved surface.

Have you considered buying or renting a 250 - 500 gallon propane tank? Usually the first fill is VERY cheap. Later on you can pre-buy propane when the price is low and use it when you need it. This is what I did. I bought a 1,000 gallon propane tank for $1895 but the first fill was 99 cents a gallon as was the next refill 12 months later. Since I own my tank, I can shop around and buy propane from anyone I want. This allowed me to pre-buy another 900 gallons at $1.29. It has take me almost 4 years to use up the pre-buy propane, I have 100 gallons left. Yes it is expensive up front but the cost of the tank combined with the extremely low price of the first 2 fills actually pays for the tank. When I got my first 2 fills at 99 cents a gallon, the going price for propane was around $3 a gallon. Check around with your local propane dealers and find out what offers they have. Usually the best time to do this is during the Summer when demand is low and the driver/installers need the work. Right now, they are pulling their hair out trying to keep up with refilling customer's tanks.

I think you may all find that after dealing with what was once called the "judicial system", you will find the insatiable need for a LONG shower. Unfortunately, no amount of showing, scrubbing, or soap that can remove the immoral, vile, and unconstitutional stench that most lawyers and the judicial system bring.

You might want to get to work right away on test fitting the Centermatic wheel balancers. Depending upon the brake and wheel hardware used on the production line, truck will vary in which spacers are required to fit the wheel balancers to the hubs. The rear wheels are pretty easy and straight forward but the front hubs I had to use 2 spaces on my 2002 and 1 spacer on my wife's 2001.5. Also, you may need to remove some casting seams that were not ground down perfectly from the factory. In most cases, the wheel spacers can help avoid this or at least minimize it. What you DO NOT want to do is just hand the wheel balancers over to the guys in the shop who will be mounting your new wheels and tires. They may just put them on and run the lug nuts down tight WITHOUT checking for wheel and balancer clearance space. The amount a clearance needed is VERY small but if the wheels are just torqued down against the balancers real tight, the lack of clearance and force of the wheel being torqued will deform the wheel balancer and either damage it or cause it to eventually crack. I think the installation instructions warn about this but I had NO IDEA of the amount of work it would be in my case. Once I got them properly installed I like them and noticed and very apparent improvement in ride and vibration.

Same here. I drive on the highway between 50 to 55 indicated which is 55 to 60 actual with the exception of the occasional passing run.

A friend put them on his 99 3500 and loves them. I think they vastly improve the look of the truck and fill out the wheel wells much better too. He went with the tire balance bead packs. I have the Cetramic balancers on my truck and they made a noticeable difference and can keep my 315-75/R-16 BFG's smooth up to about 85 mph. If you keep the tires well balanced, I wouldn't be surprised if you could get close to or at 100K out of them.

I think ya done good on that truck! Nice lookin' rod too!

What temperature range t-stat did you use? I am considering changing over to a 200 degree t-stat.

Actually tire weights make pretty decent rifle bullets. If fired as a cast lead bullet in any barrel they will leave a lead residue. This can be reduced by using gas checks or in my opinion the best method is swage the lead bullet into a copper jacket. The copper jacket will leave copper residue but a jacketed bullet can be driven at MUCH higher velocities which can make even the hardest lead alloys mushroom. A popular lead alloy bullet making is 92% lead, 6% antimony, 2% tin. For pistol bullets a softer lead alloy is more desirable to obtain better bullet performance.