Faktisk føltes det som om at vi var forfulgt af uheld et stykke tid. Et af hjulene på seederbaren skiftede vi hele tre gange, fordi det blev ved at blive fladt. Til sidst skiftede vi både dæk og fælg, hvilket løste problemet. Glæden var dog kort, da dets tvilling (dækkene sidder i par på baren) lavede samme nummer, hvorfor vi igen måtte til byen for at få et ny dæk. Endnu en formiddag spildt.
En anden ting der har voldt os problemer er motoren på seederboxen. Mere præcist var det batteriet og startmotoren. Vi klarede os et stykke tid ved at bruge den ene ute og nogle startkabler, men en dag ville motoren slet ikke. Vi måtte desværre konstatere at startmotoren var brændt af, og måtte så vente halvanden dag på en ny. Vi har haft nogle andre problemer, omend ikke nær så slemme. Blandt andet er der kommet en lille revne i gearkassen på traktoren, så vi har været nødt til at fylde olie på regelmæssigt. Hen mod slutningen af såningen var jeg på vej med et læs lupiner fra Holdman's til McHarty's (hvad jeg tidligere har kaldt McCarthy... nu er jeg helt sikker på at jeg har det rigtige navn), da det pludselig begyndte at ryge voldsomt fra motoren på trucken. Jeg standsede, kiggede op under den, og konstaterede at der var gået ild i noget i motoren. Uden en ildslukker ved hånden ringede jeg fluks til Bruce og indledte samtalen med ordene: "Uh, Bruce? The truck is on fire."
Selvsagt var han ikke glad for den besked, så han ræsede op til mig, mens jeg slukkede ilden ved at kaste sand på den. Det viste sig at være en lille olieslange som var knækket, og havde spildt olie på udstødningen, hvilket der så var gået ild i.
Der er også sket et par andre interessante ting siden sidst. For eksempel er der mistanke om at der har været fåretyve i området. Naboen har mister nogle får, og der er risiko for at Bruce også har. Vi har ikke talt dem endnu, men der er en del tegn på at der har været nogen inde i markerne her, da der er spor efter både en bil og en truck. Desuden har gates vi har lukket været åbnet, og to grupper af får som vi havde placeret langt fra hinanden var pludselig blandet sammen til én stor flok.
Bortset fra uheldene er såningen forløbet fint. Traktoren har kørt som den skulle, og har faktisk haft en forbløffende god brændstoføkonomi. Selv har jeg mest kørt om aftenen og natten, et bevidst valg fra min side. Dels så har jeg ikke noget mod at køre rundt alene med min musik, dels så har det givet de to andre trainees (som også kommer sammen) mulighed for at være sammen uden at jeg var i nærheden.
Endelig har jeg lidt stof til eftertanke: I Danmark er det ikke ualmindeligt at regne med 10-15 tons udbytte per hektar. Bruce regner med 2 tons/ha. Der er ikke noget at sige til at han har så meget jord.
Opsummering for dovne/travle læsere: Vi er færdige med at så. Vi har haft nogle uheld, men ikke noget der ikke kunne løses. Der er muligvis fåretyve i området.
~*~
English for the Danish impared:
Finally we finished seeding. It took us just over a month, and we have cropped about 3200 hectares with canola, wheat, barley, peas and lupins. In truth, Bruce would have liked to finish a week ago, but due to various setbacks and accidents, that was not possible.
Actually, it felt like we were pursued by bad luck for a time. We had to change one of the tires on the seederbar a total of three times because it kept going flat. Finally, we changed both the tire and the rim, which solved the problem. But alas, the joy was short, as its twin (the tires are mounted in pairs on the bar) went flat as well, upon which we had to go to town to get a new tire. Another morning wasted.
Another thing which caused us trouble was the motor on the seederbox. More precisely, it was the battery and the starter motor. We got by for awhile by using a ute and some jumper leads, but one day it just would not start. It turned out that we had burned the starter motor, and we hadto wait one-and-a-half day for a new one. We have also had some other troubles, though less serious. For example, we discovered a crack in the gearbox on the tractor, which meant that we had to out oil on regularly. Towards the end of seeding I was carting a load of lupins and fertilizer from Holdman's to McHarty's (what I've previaously been calling McCarthy... I'm sure of the name now, though), when it started smoking from the engine on the truck. I pulled over and had a look at the engine, where I could see fire. With no fire extinguisher at hand, I called Bruce and opened the conversation with the words: "Uh, Bruce? The truck is on fire."
Naturally, he was not very pleased with that message, so he raced up to me in a ute, while I put out the fire by throwing dirt on it. It turned out that a small oil hose had broken off, and had spilled oil out on the exhaust pipe, which had caught fire.
Some other interesting things have happend. There is a suspicion of people stealing sheep in the area. The neighbour has lost some sheep, and perhaps Bruce has too. We have not counted them yet, but there are signs that people have been into the paddocks here, as there are tracks from both a car and a truck. Furthermore, gates which we had closed have been opened, and two mobs of sheep, which was placed far from one another, have merged to one, and been put in the same paddock.
Apart from the accidents, the seedig has gone well. The tractor has run as it should, and it has had a surprisingly good fuel economy. I myself have mostly been driving evenings and nights, a conscious choise on my part. Both because I do not mind driving alone with just my music as company, but also to give the two other trainees (who are also a couple) some time alone.
Finally, some numbers: In Denmark it is not unusual to expect 10-15 tonnes of crop per hectare in harvest. Bruce is counting on 2 tonnes/hectare. No wonder he needs that much land.
Summary for lazy/busy readers: We've finished seeding. We've had a few accidents, but nothing that couldn't be fixed. There may be sheep rustlers about.
Finally we finished seeding. It took us just over a month, and we have cropped about 3200 hectares with canola, wheat, barley, peas and lupins. In truth, Bruce would have liked to finish a week ago, but due to various setbacks and accidents, that was not possible.
Actually, it felt like we were pursued by bad luck for a time. We had to change one of the tires on the seederbar a total of three times because it kept going flat. Finally, we changed both the tire and the rim, which solved the problem. But alas, the joy was short, as its twin (the tires are mounted in pairs on the bar) went flat as well, upon which we had to go to town to get a new tire. Another morning wasted.
Another thing which caused us trouble was the motor on the seederbox. More precisely, it was the battery and the starter motor. We got by for awhile by using a ute and some jumper leads, but one day it just would not start. It turned out that we had burned the starter motor, and we hadto wait one-and-a-half day for a new one. We have also had some other troubles, though less serious. For example, we discovered a crack in the gearbox on the tractor, which meant that we had to out oil on regularly. Towards the end of seeding I was carting a load of lupins and fertilizer from Holdman's to McHarty's (what I've previaously been calling McCarthy... I'm sure of the name now, though), when it started smoking from the engine on the truck. I pulled over and had a look at the engine, where I could see fire. With no fire extinguisher at hand, I called Bruce and opened the conversation with the words: "Uh, Bruce? The truck is on fire."
Naturally, he was not very pleased with that message, so he raced up to me in a ute, while I put out the fire by throwing dirt on it. It turned out that a small oil hose had broken off, and had spilled oil out on the exhaust pipe, which had caught fire.
Some other interesting things have happend. There is a suspicion of people stealing sheep in the area. The neighbour has lost some sheep, and perhaps Bruce has too. We have not counted them yet, but there are signs that people have been into the paddocks here, as there are tracks from both a car and a truck. Furthermore, gates which we had closed have been opened, and two mobs of sheep, which was placed far from one another, have merged to one, and been put in the same paddock.
Apart from the accidents, the seedig has gone well. The tractor has run as it should, and it has had a surprisingly good fuel economy. I myself have mostly been driving evenings and nights, a conscious choise on my part. Both because I do not mind driving alone with just my music as company, but also to give the two other trainees (who are also a couple) some time alone.
Finally, some numbers: In Denmark it is not unusual to expect 10-15 tonnes of crop per hectare in harvest. Bruce is counting on 2 tonnes/hectare. No wonder he needs that much land.
Summary for lazy/busy readers: We've finished seeding. We've had a few accidents, but nothing that couldn't be fixed. There may be sheep rustlers about.
/EMO
"Uh, Bruce? The truck is on fire. But don't worry, I'm a trained firefighter from the Danish Emergency Management Agency!"
SvarSlet