The last couple weeks in pictures.....

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

I thought after the wedding was over that things would slow down. Boy was I WRONG!!! Between tanks goin dry....pullin cows out of the muddy tanks...haulin 1400 gallons of water a day to the cows......having a water well drilled.....getting that operational where we can actually use it......along with my FIL has been in the hospital since May 22.....just had by pass surgery finally, this Tuesday..so there have been lots of trips up there to visit him. It's just been a roller coaster.
As you all know...my camera goes everywhere with me. Times like these....sometimes I think taking pictures is about the only thing that keeps me sane. This mornin I had to make a trip out to the pasture to fill up the trough, then turn the generator off. It was so nice to actually go somewhere by myself. I think it's the first time since before the wedding May 21 that I've actually gotten in a vehicle alone...drove myself somewhere....and had quiet time. LOL I did take Rockie (one of my wiener dogs) with me. But she's quiet company LOL

We'd been working to clean out one tank for a week or so.....

Had to pull this gal out of the other tank two days in a row....she wasn't greatful in the least. Chased Mr Lilly all the way around the tractor after we got her out the second time.....

So we fenced that tank off....(already had gates closed to keep them out of the other tank)

And started hauling water.....700 gallons each load...two loads a day and they were drinkin it dry.

All the while the well drilling company had moved the rig in....but hadn't gotten anything done......waiting...........they finally start drillin!!!!

Meanwhile...we continue to haul water....

Ladies in waiting....

They segregate themselves LOL Horses on one side...cows on the other...

Finally they finish drillin......and we set the pump ourselves.

Yay!!!! WATER!!!!!

Then we had to go get pipe and connections to be able to pump water to the tank....and to the other pasture where the water trough is...Now at least we aren't making the 12 mile trip twice a day draggin that huge tank full of water. We can just crank the generator and turn on the spigot.

These are just random shots...

We will be putting a windmill on it....soon I hope. But at least now maybe things will slow down enough that we can actually have time to do that.

PLEASE PRAY FOR SOME RAIN!!!!!!

 

[gcreekrch]

Know what you mean about being so far behind you think you're first.

Wishing your FIL get well soon, my FIL had 5 bypass a few years back and then a pacemaker. Doing well for being 80.

Hope you get your rain Lilly, we have a cold, wet drought going on here.

 

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

Oh yeah...we've been in some heavy lap traffic lol

 

[Oldgoat]

Thought about one of these nwew solar powered submersibles? Heard a lot of good things about them.

 

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

We had thought about it...looked for them..but no one had any readily available....we'da had to order it. And needed it like...yesterday. Plus they are kinda pricey. Once we get the windmill on the well...I don't think we'll have much to worry about. Wind blows out there all the time.

 

[Whitewing]

Thanks for the pics Lilly. Before I left Lafayette we got a couple of decent showers in town but 15 miles out, the beans were as dry as a desert and the rice farmers were all pumping water.

When I get to the ranch here in a few days I'll take lots of pics. I'm sure the shots of the rain-damaged roads and water discharging from my ponds will not make your day.

It poured the proverbial cats 'n dogs here in the city yesterday.

 

[Faster horses]

Sure glad you got a good well, Lily. You will never regret it!
Seem like cows drink more water when you are hauling it.

Whats the appy looking horse? I don't remember seeing him
before.

Praying for rain for all of Texas that is dry.

 

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

He's a pasture ornament I guess. Technically MY pasture ornament. I bought him as a colt....he was the prettiest bay with a spotted blanket (for an app) lol But then at about 4 years old...he up and turned gray within a matter of just a few weeks. Had him broke....guys were workin cows and hog huntin with him. But he doesn't get much use. Amanda doesn't like him. So he has an easy life. LOL Here's another of him.

 

[nenmrancher]

Hey Lily,

Take this information for what its worth, coming from someone that deals with both windmills, and the solar rigs. We have four windmills that have submerisibles on the bottom of the windmill barrell to help keep storage up when the wind is light and 7 solar set ups that are pumping anywhere from 80ft to 600ft. They range in age from 10 years old to a little over a year old. The oldest one is just now pumping at the production curve the manufactor sent with the setup and the only reason its starting to slow down is some of the solar panels have become cracked over the years and are not as efficent as they used to be, its putting out about 5 to 7 gallons a minute from 350feet. Last summer I had to replace the pump for the first time since it was installed. This pump has pretty well run non stop as we dont usually shut it down when we dont have cattle in the pasture. This set up replaced a windmill that we pretty much had to rebuild the head on every other year because of the way the wind caught it. We have put the solar setups on the new wells that we have dug just because in our experience have been being alot more maintance free than the windmills.

 

[Faster horses]

We were at a branding once when Mr. FH asked this older guy
about windmills and that he was looking for one. The old fella replied, "you don't know much about windmills, do ya?"

Then he went on to say, "You don't want one."

 

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

Well...we already have the windmill. Have had it for years...with no well to put it on. So it's time to put it to use.

We might eventually go the solar route....but since we just bought this pump and installed it...I doubt it'll be anytime soon. At least I'm hoping.

 

[nenmrancher]

Mind if I ask how deep your new well is? If you already have the windmill and its just been collecting dust, you might as well get some use out of it and once you get it set up you can have a new subject to use for some great photos.

 

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

It's 180 feet.....and the pump we put on it is just a 3/4 horse. Pumps 10 gallons a minute. The Drilling company guys said it could stand a 5 horse pump and never have any problem pumping. So it's a good well.

Yeap....something new to take pictures of...for me at least. :wink:

 

[Faster horses]

Years ago we had a windmill in our furthest pasture. We'd trail the cows
out to it and soon the cows would be back where we could see them
from the house. We knew something had gone wrong with the windmill.
Mr. FH would go check and sure enough, there was always something
wrong. The people we leased from never wanted to fix the problem,
just wanted to put a band-aid on it. So, consequently, it was always
a problem. Our hunter friends from Washington State would help
pull the well, etc. When they got home, they sent us pictures of
the "WONDER WELL". Captioned, "Wonder if it was going to work or not".

That one well caused us a lot of grief.

 

[George]

The first job I ever got fired from was watering cattle. I was supposed to put enough gas in an old single cylinder john deere engine that ran a pump jack that the tank would fill but not over flow.

If the owner came by and the tank was down 3 or 4 inches from full when it shut off he was mad. If I put in to much gas and it over flowed he was really pissed. But I was not to stay and watch ( had other work to do ) so I took a piece of baling wire and an it from the spark plug to the tank and when the water touched the wire it would ground out the spark plug and shut the pump off.

The owner never noticed the wire for several days and could not figure out how I got the water right every time. Then he saw the wire and decided I was trying to kill his cows and fired me.

Several times that summer I would go back and remove the wire as he was using my concoction after he had fired me!

I had not thought of this for years! You have my permission to rig up a ground wire to shut off your generator if you want. It will not kill you or your cows!

 

[Whitewing]

George invented a Cowboy Float Switch.

 

[Soapweed]

Sure feel for you, Jersey Lilly, with your present drought situation. Lack of rain is no fun, and too much rain can be just as bad or worse. All things in moderation is the best, but unfortunately that is not how natural conditions happen.

Isn't it amazing how a person tries their best to help a mired down cow, and they show their gratefulness by getting on the fight? They tend to put emotion ahead of logic, but that is sometimes a trait that humans are guilty of also. :? It is such an interesting world.

Thanks for the pictures. We will be praying for rain for y'all.

 

[Mike]

It's 180 feet.....and the pump we put on it is just a 3/4 horse. Pumps 10 gallons a minute. The Drilling company guys said it could stand a 5 horse pump and never have any problem pumping. So it's a good well.

Yeap....something new to take pictures of...for me at least. :wink:

Put a "Cycle Stop" valve on it and you'll be glad you did. Your pump man should know what that is. The pump will last a lot longer and give less problems.

http://www.flomatic.com/index.asp?lg=1&w=pages&r=95&pid=239&gclid=CIenmJSMvakCFcqd7QodPhRfWw

 

[George]

Mike I'm not trying to start problems but would'nt a pressure tank work better? I have (4) 20 gal pressure tanks on my well as I want the pump to run as few cycles as possible so I get an effective 40 gal of draw down before the pump come on then it runs for hte need and replenishes the tanks. I have the pump set to come on at 40 PSI and off at 50 PSI.

A pump takes 2 to 3 times as much power to start as to run and it puts torque on the well pipe at each cycle - - - I had never heard of these valves so I might have gotten along with just one pessure tank if I had know of them.

 

[greybeard]

I use an X'ed 1200 gal ammonia tank for a pressure tank. Lost the data plate and can't be used for NH3 any more. Paid $250 for it. Cut down on pump cycling and fills big troughs quick. Don't need a big pump on the supply side.
Up here you see them at the back of the tank yards with a big X painted on the head.