I make the gates on my farm work double-duty to be both 16' and 32' wide. In the middle of two hung 16' gates, I bury a large-diameter pipe about 2' deep. Then I attach each gate to a smaller pipe that slides into the pipe in the ground, allowing me to open only one 16' gate when
necessary. I can easily open both gates, so it is 32' wide for a combine to go through.
Larry Kuhler
Brunswick, Mo.
From Harvesting to Leveling
When you replace the rasp bars in your combine, don’t throw them away—they make a great drag for your driveway. Use the predrilled holes and bolt the pieces together, but make sure the rasp bars on the bottom are all assembled the same way. I pull mine with a four-wheeler with 6' to 8' towing clearance. You can pull from front, rear or at an angle and get different results at each position. You may need to add weights.
Mac Daniels
Washington, N.C.
Pest-Proof Feeders
To fatten steers, I use 1-ton self-feeders with cracked corn rations. Leaving the trough unprotected, though, attracts a frenzy of crows, blackbirds and buzzards. I salvaged the liner from a damaged 10' plastic trough and, using recycled hinges, attached three 3' sections to a 1⁄8" board in the trough. The plastic liners overlap the edge by about 2½" and allow the steers to raise the protective liner with their nose—just l ike they do to access a mineral feeder.
When Vic Bruns feeds his cattle cracked corn rations, the birds also come to feed. One day he counted 13 turkey buzzards and nearly 300 birds at the feeder. Making a “lid” for the feeder allows the cattle to access the feed but keeps the birds out, as well as blowing rain and snow. Vic raises cattle with his father, Clifford, in north-central Oklahoma.
