United3dArtists Archive

spacekdet · Post by **spacekdet** » 09 Dec 2023, 20:40

Stylin'

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 21 Feb 2024, 02:19

Spring is here a bit early. Work is starting. No grass for a while. Weeds growing.

It is not easy to reach over the side of the new truck to get tools. Brilliant idea: don't do that. Just climb in and get stuff.

I need to go under the house to inspect the shower drain. Do that while it is cold because it's black widow heaven under there. Getting warm. So I'll spray a fogger, wait a couple of days, then do it.

trueBlue · Post by **trueBlue** » 21 Feb 2024, 09:46

Or you could use your rear tire as a step stool

bitkar · Post by **bitkar** » 22 Feb 2024, 20:35

we in CZ have pretty warm Feb. as well. Its not really bad :) I like it.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 05 Apr 2024, 16:47

Cold again. Grass hardly growing. House remodeling guy has plenty of clean ups for me. Weeds and some fescue (likes the cooler weather) provide some work.

Columbus Day fly in 2023 gliding video is coming along well. Not much time to edit so not soon. Pilots provided aerial video and additional video. I've learned more about Davinci Resolve. Doing color correction, improving the look of clips, editing tricks, and basics of how to use it. I'm in this video! There I am ... that spot ... the other spot ... yes that one ...

Steinie · Post by **Steinie** » 08 Apr 2024, 12:04

You look just how I had imagined...spot on!

bitkar · Post by **bitkar** » 08 Apr 2024, 22:34

lol Steinie :D ya, he looks like a solid dude :)

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 17 Apr 2024, 16:27

Still cooler that usual but warm enough for Bermuda grass to come out of dormancy. A bit late start of the work season but it will be OK.

The tailgate latch of my truck broke so one side doesn't release. I have to open that to get the mower. The plastic retainer that secures metal parts is not available in parts stores. They only sell kits with all or most of the whole latch mechanism. Found plastic retainers on the web and one is USA made. I'll get two or three since I open the tailgate frequently and it will probably need the part again. Leaving the decorative cover off to reach in for manual opening until repaired.

An old friend was in town for a few days for a family reunion and multi-birthday's. One day we all went to a fancy restaurant in the desert near El Paso.
https://cattlemanssteakhouse.com/
https://cattlemanssteakhouse.com/ranch/
Delicious food. Interesting things to see, good atmosphere, movies made on the ranch. For a place with $50 steaks and a mystique I think some things should have been fancier. Paper napkins and vinyl table cloth should have been cloth and standard utensils should have been heavy duty like at an Outback. That minor stuff is my only 'complaint'.

Gliding movie editing going slowly. The videos are here now: https://rumble.com/c/c-5623839

bitkar · Post by **bitkar** » 18 Apr 2024, 22:31

i had some good steak in my life, but i hope i will try the original US made one. I heard its still a difference, that yours are simply the best steaks. 50USD is a bit too much for me tho :) iam just a poor central europian.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 21 Apr 2024, 14:49

@Bitkar Too much for me too. When not an occasion or treat I have to treat food as fuel. Good if it can also be tasty. $50 dollars is food for me for 2 or 3 weeks if I don't spend foolishly. One of the group who has a good paying job paid for everyone. I had the $20 BBQ beef. I think the quality is mostly in the cooking.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 08 May 2024, 04:57

Tailgate fixed.

Bermuda grass is barely starting to be green now. About a month later that usual. Not good for income. It has been a cool Spring. Probably that's what delayed the grass. Reports say La Nina is forming. That effects the weather and here it means cooler temps. Fescue which likes it cool has been spreading in customer yards. It grows fast though.

Forecast indicates this year's inferno hike won't have much inferno.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 15 May 2024, 14:59

My blower is missing. Searching all places it might be didn't find it. Probably someone stole it from where ever I left it. Taking things from the back of a pick up is against the Code of the West but it could happen. I bought another one. If the old one shows up it is good to have a back up.

My truck needs tie downs, metal loops for ropes, on the upper part of the bed. Current ones down low are often hard to use. There are abundant places for more that are unused and plugged. I started to improvise but I'll get some made for that.

Still barely any grass. Busy but mowing is the money maker. Short season plus inflation and other economy trouble for high expenses and it is not looking like a profitable year.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 16 Aug 2024, 23:15

Business is not going well. Cool and dry Spring delayed the start of mowing and made a disaster in some yards. Inflation and other troubles in the economy makes everything expensive. Some customers have passed on or gone to a nursing home and one is recovering from surgery and can't water her yard. So that's 4 or 5 yards gone plus some not growing profitable grass*. Customers with in-ground automatic sprinklers and limitless money for water have fared best. Some showcases among them. The house remodeling guy is not doing much work, unfavorable housing market, so I'm getting little work there.

I like dry desert heat but it has been humid all Summer.

My main mower's rear wheels were worn and wobbled. Too much wobble. DIY fixes didn't work. New wheels $30 each.

How to have a perfect yard in the Southwest USA. Install Tifway sod. Don't cut it low as usual but cut it higher. 2 or 2.5 inches. Use pre-emergent herbicide.

*Profitable grass: Plenty of businesses, especially small ones, closed during the cooties and then more with current economy. What business has prospered? Pot shops. They are everywhere.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 17 Aug 2024, 17:07

Bank security caught an attempt to use my debit card at Jack In The Box then I found an attempt to order cookies online. Card should be blocked now. I'll go to the main bank Monday for details.

UPDATE: Old card discontinued and I have a new card now. That went very well. They made the new car at the bank. About 15 minutes.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 09 Sep 2024, 19:35

Weedeater fixed. $130 labor + parts + tax = $159.58. A new one is about $250. I suspected some of the things and could have fixed them myself. Mechanic did a few things I could not plus diagnostic ability. I need to put much more effort to fixing things myself though. Everything's getting costly.

trueBlue · Post by **trueBlue** » 09 Sep 2024, 20:00

Finis wrote: 17 Aug 2024, 17:07 Bank security caught an attempt to use my debit card at Jack In The Box then I found an attempt to order cookies online. Card should be blocked now. I'll go to the main bank Monday for details.

UPDATE: Old card discontinued and I have a new card now. That went very well. They made the new car at the bank. About 15 minutes.

LOL, nice Bank!
I wish I could get a new Car at my Bank in 15 minutes

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 09 Sep 2024, 23:03

trueBlue

Plus they manufactured it there, in 15 minutes! "... made the new car"

spacekdet · Post by **spacekdet** » 12 Sep 2024, 02:26

Everyone likes cookies, the suspect list may take a while to go through.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 13 Sep 2024, 23:09

Weedeater not fixed, back to shop. Back up weedeater not working. May be something I can fix. And ... mower getting fussy.

@Spacekdet, but they like cookies and Jack In The Box. Hmm, doesn't narrow it down much.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 17 Sep 2024, 22:15

Round two. Weed eater repair too costly. So time for a new one. Plus previous repair attempt this will be an expensive one. I got the backup one running. Will keep old one for parts. And ... mower trouble enough to go to the shop. Will use back up mower I usually use on alleys and rough places.

Enough for today. I'm taking the afternoon off.

bitkar · Post by **bitkar** » 18 Sep 2024, 08:15

i guess the proverb: "you are not rich enough to buy a cheap stuff" pays here. Cheap tools break often. Instustrial grade tools are expensive, but works better/longer.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 18 Sep 2024, 19:22

bitkar wrote: 18 Sep 2024, 08:15 i guess the proverb: "you are not rich enough to buy a cheap stuff" pays here. Cheap tools break often. Instustrial grade tools are expensive, but works better/longer.

True. That's why I get the Echo trimmers and Stihl blowers. Echo only makes commercial (industrial) tools. Stihl commercial tools start far above my money but their "consumer" blowers last 2-3+ years for me. Mowers, well a commercial walk behind 21" or 22" mower costs over $1000. I invested enough to get a consumer model with a Honda engine. Ran well for a few years and hopefully keeps going.

Bad news. Whenever I do need a new mower the Toro ones with Honda engines are discontinued. Other brands mostly too. Everything is Briggs Stratton which is a no go for me. Nearly the only way to get a Honda engine now is to get an over priced Honda mower with lots of fancy and less tough.

Going to store to get a new trimmer.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 20 Sep 2024, 01:37

Mower fixed. Runs Great. New weed eater bought. The shield on the bottom of the gas tank is now full coverage. Good because it sits on that in the truck or on the ground.

With big increases in shoplifting many things are locked up in stores now. Home Depot's aisle with lawn tools is mostly covered with strong grates. An employee unlocked the grate and got the weed eater. As he carries it for me to self check out I note that this premium service makes up for the inconvenient anti-theft grates. He said they are required to carry anything that's locked up to the check out.

Steinie · Post by **Steinie** » 02 Oct 2024, 14:36

My Dad gave me a Honda Mower for my wedding 38 years ago...it just now started burning oil. I bought another Honda Mower.
I swear by Echo weedwackers. Easy start and runs great.
When I was young I had a lawn service (I was 12-18 years old) I had 4 Toro lawn mowers which cut over 30 homes. They were mansions!!! So I didn't have to move them I left them at different
customer's homes. So I used one to cut that area of the neighborhood. They had a wind up crank to start with front wheel drive. (Didn't like front drive and Honda rear wheel drive makes much more sense)

I loved being my own boss.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 04 Oct 2024, 02:23

Own boss! That's what makes it all worth it.

Yep, echo weed eaters, there is no other. Stationing mowers at strategic locations was a good idea. I don't have whole neighborhoods and couldn't afford multiple mowers anyway. But I do have some clumps of 2 or 3 customers where I can unload/load the tools once to do them all. I like front wheel drive because you can pop a wheelie to get the drive wheels off of the ground. You should avoid forcing the power wheels to turn whenever possible to reduce wear on the drive parts.

The city raised the water rate. Some customers might not choose to pay that much to water their lawns which won't be good for me next season.

RAYMAN · Post by **RAYMAN** » 04 Oct 2024, 08:32

Best idea is to get one mower of one brand and get bad ones that need fixing as spares for rapair and spare parts ! you can get them on ebay sometimes or check the country for them ! I had Toro too one that was cut out in the front for high grass ! Pro mowers are the way to go !

RAYMAN · Post by **RAYMAN** » 04 Oct 2024, 09:28

I have one of these ! But an old one ! Built like a tank ! Outlived my uncle who bought it ! I inhereted the proprty... so its a 20 plus year old model !Its a germany made product..
https://sabo-online.com/produkte/profi-programm/

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 29 Dec 2024, 03:03

I mowed a yard. In December. The grass has been dormant for a while but there were leaves. I usually don't mow to clean up leaves since there can be unseen obstacles but this yard is trustworthy for that. Other reasons to mow dormant grass: It will stay nice all winter. I cut it low which allows sunlight to get to the ground for the Spring sprouts.

A customer gave me a ham.

Truck mileage up 2 mpg to 16. No AC during that time. I just filled up with no ethanol gas. Probably get more mpg but it costs more so no money saved. Lawn tools will continue to get real gas. They love that.

bitkar · Post by **bitkar** » 29 Dec 2024, 15:40

Ethanol has all the bad properties.Has lowerer energy density, cannot be well mixed with a gasoline, creates suds, is corrosive. If you can and it cost you no extra money, get gasoline with no ethanol. Truck will be happier in the long run.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 30 Dec 2024, 04:05

@Bitkar yeah ethanol has those problems. Also, you know the farming videos I put in the Movies thread? That corn goes to make ethanol. Thousands of acres (1 hectare = 2.5 acres) on that farm. Many other such farms too. That land could produce food or be left to nature. Except times when prices soar I'll get ethanol free. It is good for it and will surely save money on maintenance. I like the small but perceptible increase in power too.

The low energy is why I expect to get better mileage with pure gasoline. However it does cost more. Right now a gallon (3.78L) of regular (87 octane, 10% whiskey) is $2.67 while a gallon of 87 octane ethanol free is $3.45.

bitkar · Post by **bitkar** » 01 Jan 2025, 20:05

that is surprisingly big difference. Although US gas prices are super good compared to europe. You would cry if you saw our gas prices :D And you guys even make more money on salaries and so. EU is taxed to numb.

Currently:
normal (called Natural 95) costs 33.90 CZK / liter
premium ethanol free (called Natural 98) costs 35.90 CZK / liter

to compare to yours, i calculated your prices to CZK per liter and its 22.20 CZK for the ethanol free and 17.18 CZK for the regular per liter. So both of those fuels are very cheap :)
Or in another words 5.26 USD per gallon for the N95 and 5.57 USD for the more premium N98.

And those price are from a very cheap tank stations brand. Something like Shell or OMW or so, is even more expensive with premium gas for 39 CZK/L.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 03 Jan 2025, 00:55

I will appreciate your road trip adventures more since they cost a month's pay for fuel. Even with your high mileage vehicle. Spacekdet's too. I think they pay big money for gas in his area.

Is that 95 and 98 octane for your gas? Here premium (has alcohol) is 93 octane. In my town ethanol free is only available with 87 octane. Many places don't allow it.

Only one gas station has it so monopoly may influence its price. Another factor is winter/summer blend. Laws require more eco stuff for summer so prices are higher. Hmm, wonder what's in the winter blend? It could be no ethanol or not much and it's cheap. Must do research.

US Gas prices can vary greatly in different locations and over time. My state is among the lowest gas tax at $0.19 per gallon and California (of course) is the worst at over $0.70. Market forces too. I remember claims that gas station in hyper wealthy areas of California was charging around twice the price of others.

Diesel is currently $2.94.

bitkar · Post by **bitkar** » 03 Jan 2025, 12:43

well, i dont have a 7 liter V8, so those prices are bearable. My civic drinks around 7L/100km and my Daihatsu can go under 5L/100 km. Taxes take more than half of the fuel price. Its crazy.

Octane number in US and EUR are different numbers as they are calculated a different way. Standard is the 95 and premium gas is 98+ (so it can be more, even 100 octane). Standard fuel must contain up to 10% of ethanol. Premium gas does not have to and usually uses ETBE to raise the octane number. ETBE is a livesaver, coz it does not have the cons of the ethanol. So my Honda gets only premium gas.

Winter blend? Only diesel needs some additives for the cold winter starts.We have the same gas all year round.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 30 Mar 2025, 04:33

bitkar wrote: 03 Jan 2025, 12:43 Winter blend? Only diesel needs some additives for the cold winter starts.We have the same gas all year round.

Winter blend, alcohol, DEF (diesel exhaust fluid), etc. All crazy to me. Just make pure gasoline and diesel. People can buy and add additives if they want them.

Much work at the mountain site. Remodeling guy is turning old farm houses into bed and breakfasts. Tired and sore. Marines say, "pain is weakness leaving the body". On the drives back I see deer, elk, ducks, cows, horses, Rio Peñasco (boulder river), and good sunsets. Today I saw an elk standing partially on the road. I drove by slowly with no danger to him and the car in that lane stopped.

I'm making a dash cam video of the drive up to the mountain work site. No one wants to see and hour of driving but I'll make a highlights reel. It is to learn about the GoPro a friend gave me. So far one battery made it about half way. Another lasted about 3 minutes although charger and indicator on the camera said fully charged. Maybe needs new batteries.

bitkar · Post by **bitkar** » 30 Mar 2025, 12:37

that is a beautiful place! a bit similar to my future home. I like it.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 14 Apr 2025, 18:52

.
Next try to get video of the drive up there. Made it to about 500 yards/meters from the work site. Then the battery was out or the camera over heated. Finish next time. No one wants to see an hour of road. Learning about the go pro (hero 4 black) and editing hour long movies.

Lookee what I got. The mountain work guy gave it to me. Often using his trailer for that work.
.

bitkar · Post by **bitkar** » 15 Apr 2025, 11:14

old goPro, old battery I guess... maybe get a dashcam, that is handy anyway. I do some gardening on my land too. You would be either proud of me or maybe yelled at me that i do it wrong. I need to chop some trees. I have a cherry tree that I wanted to keep. But I found out its rotten inside. So I chopped it. Now I have to buy myself an ax to make a firewood from it. Was a two afternoon work so far, but the tree is down and to pieces.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 22 Apr 2025, 04:09

A beautiful place Bitkar!

It has been chilly for a long time this Spring. Grass is starting now but weeks late.

Three trips, three battery charges, 7.9 hours upload time, and the long awaited 53 minute Drive to Work video is here! It is to learn about the GoPro and making long movies but watch if you want to.

The description has a list of highlights and times or maybe the highlight is the scenery between those. It looks like I'm driving faster than reality.

https://rumble.com/v6seh5d-drive-to-work.html

: RumbleQualitySetting.jpg (16.83 KiB) Viewed 80 times

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 23 Apr 2025, 23:22

@Bitkar What are the buildings in the background? I the near one yours?

5 minute video with the small village of Weed. Near another mountain worksite.
https://rumble.com/v6sh9bn-weed-nm.html

bitkar · Post by **bitkar** » 24 Apr 2025, 17:09

Neighbors' house. Was originally the same owner of my land which got split and sold later.

Next time you can make most of the video into a timelapse video by speeding it up by 400-800%. I was jumping thru and its nice to see how it changes with the altitude. Actually it does not look too different from whats here, just larger, different houses, roads, cars :)
That destination is really a great place. I thought the roads would be worse, but its pretty ok (worse during winters i guess).

Not sure you are welcome in Weed with your weed whacker :)

PS: you complained about rumble video. Actually it switched to a higher quality by itself, its ok. But Maybe you can use BitChute ore Odysee.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 27 Apr 2025, 03:49

@Bitkar Rumble's video player has improved. It does change to higher res but doesn't show what res "auto" selected. Still better than its previous 480p. Also doesn't lock up like it used to.

Your cherry tree might grow new branches from the stump. If so then after several grow, a couple of years maybe, select strong vertical ones to become new trunks and cut the others.

Mountain work today cleaning up around remodeling guy's house. Near Weed. He has sheep, cows, and chickens. His dogs roam free and they bring animal bones home. Identifiable were mostly deer. One job was to remove them from the house area.

He will be hunting soon. Maybe he will give me some venison or elk meat.

bitkar · Post by **bitkar** » 29 Apr 2025, 12:25

that tree is dead.. most of the stump is rotten. It was a very old tree. I would be very surprised to see anything grow on that. And the rest of the tree is in pieces. I still have some wood to split. Next time. Its about 1,5 h drive there from my current home.

trueBlue · Post by **trueBlue** » 29 Apr 2025, 12:44

bitkar wrote: 29 Apr 2025, 12:25 that tree is dead.. most of the stump is rotten. It was a very old tree. I would be very surprised to see anything grow on that. And the rest of the tree is in pieces. I still have some wood to split. Next time. Its about 1,5 h drive there from my current home.

Yum, cherry wood!
My favorite wood for the smoker
Use to cut the branches in 1" x 1" - 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" chunks for the Barbeque

bitkar · Post by **bitkar** » 29 Apr 2025, 15:45

yes :D my friend wants it as he is going to start smoking some meat.

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