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Labour Saving and General Guntering

emaherx

How about using this thread to show off our engineering skills (or lack of!)
A lot of us have home made or improvised labour saving tools / implements lying around. Similar to stuff in Farmers Journal labour saving compettions. (without the prize money:p).

Maybe we could use this thread to share interesting ideas and discuss improvements.

I don't have any pictures at the moment of my own but I will take some at the weekend if not before.

My own projects include:
Quick hitch for front loader (fairly rough but works), designed to fit Trima implements onto MF loader.
Adapter to fit bale lifter onto front loader.
Various other loader attachments spikes etc.

Current project is a wrapped bale transporter being built out of remains of an old Muck Spreader. (only just started, currently just an axle and draw bar).

Their maybe other stuff around too, I'll have to have a look.

So what are peoples opinions, is this a good idea for a thread?

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emaherx

Pinsnbushings wrote: »

Good stuff, the sps model I have has 2 pumps but it doesn't seem to have any make on them.. have another outfarm where I have a group water supply but it can be intermittent, so was considering setting up a big reservoir tank and using the solar to pump it to the fields then..

Is it difficult to set up lighting from the solar..could do with a few Street lamp type setups in a yard, would be a great way of doing it.

Yea, I seen the 2 pump setup in the SPS, the FIL has one, so I'd a good look and there is no model numbers on his either.

Lighting is straight forward these days with LED lights. I just put a few camper van lights in my polytunnel along with a smaller pump for watering using rain water collected in a few IBC's. My brother did similar in the stables but he used standard ES bulkheads and some 12V marine ES LED bulbs. I do also see a good few stand alone solar streetlights advertised these days, but I don't know how good they are.

Here is a few of my previous solar projects. There wasn't as much effort put into the first box but it works. I'll need to revisit it later.

https://farmer-eds-shed.com/mobile-solar-water-pump-with-ibc-buffer-tank/

https://farmer-eds-shed.com/solar-powered-lighting-and-polytunnel-watering-from-rain-water-storage/

Pinsnbushings

emaherx wrote: »

Yea, I seen the 2 pump setup in the SPS, the FIL has one, so I'd a good look and there is no model numbers on his either.

Lighting is straight forward these days with LED lights. I just put a few camper van lights in my polytunnel along with a smaller pump for watering using rain water collected in a few IBC's. My brother did similar in the stables but he used standard ES bulkheads and some 12V marine ES LED bulbs. I do also see a good few stand alone solar streetlights advertised these days, but I don't know how good they are.

Here is a few of my previous solar projects. There wasn't as much effort put into the first box but it works. I'll need to revisit it later.

https://farmer-eds-shed.com/mobile-solar-water-pump-with-ibc-buffer-tank/

https://farmer-eds-shed.com/solar-powered-lighting-and-polytunnel-watering-from-rain-water-storage/

Great job, very handy setup..thanks for posting

carrollsno1

emaherx wrote: »

Started building another solar powered water pump. This time to lift water from a well on an out farm, I've been using a generator up till now.

IMG_20210410_161355 by Farmer Ed's Shed, on Flickr

Going to use this pump and pressure vessel.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07PBCC3M7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

I'm building the enclosure from scraps of steel this time.
This frame came with the finger bar hedge cutter to secure it to a pallet, it made an easy starting point and almost perfect for the size of the panel.

IMG_20210410_135356 by Farmer Ed's Shed, on Flickr

The pump test at the well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wgKVD6SlYM

Was there ever much of a go on wind powered pumps over here? They were a big thing out in the pastoral and cropping areas i was in in Western Australia

https://www.southerncrosswindmills.com.au

emaherx

carrollsno1 wrote: »

Was there ever much of a go on wind powered pumps over here? They were a big thing out in the pastoral and cropping areas i was in in Western Australia

https://www.southerncrosswindmills.com.au

One of them might be overkill for my 20 acre out farm. :eek:

Can't say I've seen too many wind powered water pumps but, we have been using wind power here for a very long time.

http://ireland2050.ie/past/renewable-energy/#:~:text=Wind%20power%20was%20used%20as,to%20generate%20electricity%20from%20wind.

I've herd stories of a few different families that had wind chargers locally before rural electrification was completed.

carrollsno1

emaherx wrote: »

One of them might be overkill for my 20 acre out farm. :eek:

Can't say I've seen too many wind powered water pumps but, we have been using wind power here for a very long time.

http://ireland2050.ie/past/renewable-energy/#:~:text=Wind%20power%20was%20used%20as,to%20generate%20electricity%20from%20wind.

I've herd stories of a few different families that had wind chargers locally before rural electrification was completed.

They look well all the same dotted around the place youd probably need planning for one over here though.

emaherx

carrollsno1 wrote: »

They look well all the same dotted around the place youd probably need planning for one over here though.

They do to be fair, simple reliable engineering.

Friends of mine have 2 old water rams on their farm. They have a spring at the top of a hill which fills a header tank that has 2 large pipes running down the hill and at the bottom there is 2 water ram pumps that were installed in the 1800's. The rams pump water back up to a small water tower which provides water for the whole farm.

wrangler

emaherx wrote: »

They do to be fair, simple reliable engineering.

Friends of mine have 2 old water rams on their farm. They have a spring at the top of a hill which fills a header tank that has 2 large pipes running down the hill and at the bottom there is 2 water ram pumps that were installed in the 1800's. The rams pump water back up to a small water tower which provides water for the whole farm.

I believe any sort of moving water will power a water ram

emaherx

wrangler wrote: »

I believe any sort of moving water will power a water ram

The more of a fall the easier they are to setup and keep going though. I believe the rams on my friends farm provided water beyond their farm back in the day and were not just feeding a few nearby drinkers.

Zimmerframe

emaherx wrote: »

Started building another solar powered water pump. This time to lift water from a well on an out farm..

Definitely keeping an eye on your progress

I was thinking, similar pump

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06WW2WKSS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

but was going to use a standard, domestic pressure vessel.

Going to add, a controller / gsm switch for the electric fencer too.

Figerty

Zimmerframe wrote: »

Definitely keeping an eye on your progress

I was thinking, similar pump

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06WW2WKSS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

but was going to use a standard, domestic pressure vessel.

Going to add, a controller / gsm switch for the electric fencer too.

You might find the same pump on Amazon Gernamy or France and avoid customs and delivery issues. I see it's deliverd from Germany!

emaherx

Figerty wrote: »

You might find the same pump on Amazon Gernamy or France and avoid customs and delivery issues. I see it's deliverd from Germany!

As far as I know you won't be charged import duties if it is dispatched from Germany. Bought a few things from amazon.co.uk recently and was not charged duty on items dispatching from europe. Also bought a few items which dispatched from the UK which were much cheaper including duty compared to the .de site.

Either way the .co.uk site informs you of estimated duty costs before purchase an in the case where their estimate is wrong they refund the difference if overcharged.

emaherx

Zimmerframe wrote: »

Definitely keeping an eye on your progress

I was thinking, similar pump

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06WW2WKSS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

but was going to use a standard, domestic pressure vessel.

Going to add, a controller / gsm switch for the electric fencer too.

What's your water source?
Mines a well but it's only about 20ft deep.

Stick up a few pictures of your build too, when you get started.

Zimmerframe

Figerty wrote: »

You might find the same pump on Amazon Gernamy or France and avoid customs and delivery issues. I see it's deliverd from Germany!

There seems to be a lot of confusion re Amazon UK post Brexit m8.
Items from Amazon, or even fulfilled by Amazon UK, actually have no customs charges at all.

They list it as a customs charge, but it doesn't exist. All they do is remove UK VAT, and add Irish VAT, so basically you pay what you always did pre Brexit.
In fact Brexit has made small items cheaper, because if the item costs less than 22 euros including delivery, they remove UK VAT, but don't bother adding on any Irish VAT, so you get items cheaper than before, especially if you are a Prime customer, as due to no delivery charge, the full 22 euro is available for the actual item.

Where Brexit customs becomes an issue is if you were a VAT registered business. Now you must pay the VAT if you buy from Amazon Uk, but obviously if you purchase from any of the European Amazons, your purchase will be totally VAT free.

That was a detour from water troughs.

emaherx wrote: »

What's your water source?
Mines a well but it's only about 20ft deep.

Stick up a few pictures of your build too, when you get started.

I actually have two water sources
one is a well at home, I would say less than your 20 ft deep

I actually have exactly the same pump as you originally used, except mine is still in the box, and has been for a long time.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B017E7UBN2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I was planning to fill IBC's with it, for power washing etc.

The second source, is a turlough, which never fully dries up in the Summer, so was planning on using that with the pressure pump to feed a couple of troughs.

As I have derailed this thread into an Amazon info thread, and given that I haven't even started the water project yet, I'll further derail it, by showing my solar fencer instead.

No mains power at my location, so this has been one of the best things, I have done.

It's a pretty powerful fencer, 3 joule output and has a gsm switch.
Ring, it switches on, ring again, it switches off (no call charges)
When I switch it on in April, it runs perfectly without any intervention until, I take it home in November.

emaherx

Zimmerframe wrote: »

I actually have two water sources
one is a well at home, I would say less than your 20 ft deep

I actually have exactly the same pump as you originally used, except mine is still in the box, and has been for a long time.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B017E7UBN2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I was planning to fill IBC's with it, for power washing etc.

The second source, is a turlough, which never fully dries up in the Summer, so was planning on using that with the pressure pump to feed a couple of troughs.

That submersible pump was a great little pump, but is not designed to be submerged long term as I found that out the hard way. I used it for a few seasons to fill an IBC for a water bowser and could fill it in about 10 min.

Zimmerframe wrote: »

As I have derailed this thread into an Amazon info thread, and given that I haven't even started the water project yet, I'll further derail it, by showing my solar fencer instead.
No mains power at my location, so this has been one of the best things, I have done.

It's a pretty powerful fencer, 3 joule output and has a gsm switch.
Ring, it switches on, ring again, it switches off (no call charges)
When I switch it on in April, it runs perfectly without any intervention until, I take it home in November.

A few people very recently asked my about a similar setup, I'll be directing them towards your post.

Its a very neat setup and it is far from derailing the thread.

Can you check the status of the GSM switch to make sure you have switched it back on?

I was going to add LoRa switches/sensors to mine to switch on/off the fence unit and monitor the water level in the tank, possibly even monitor fence voltage too a bit further down the line.

Zimmerframe

emaherx wrote: »

Can you check the status of the GSM switch to make sure you have switched it back on?

I always have a fence tester in the pocket of the quad, and always check after "ringing" and again before I leave, so 99.99% there is no need for anything.

On very rare occasions when you get home and have a "did I" moment

?
you can send a text and you get a status reply. You could if you wanted, get a continual status change text, but that would eat the call credit up.
This way is perfect, costs nothing and the "odd" text, keeps the sim alive.

I know it sounds a bit dramatic, but that solar panel and gsm switch was "life changing" for me.
Mains power was and is not an option.

Before that it was a daily ritual of checking battery voltage, then a weekly ritual of hawking around heavy tractor batteries, bringing them home to charge, "chancing it" for one more day, fence down, cattle gone, you get the picture.
Now it's as reliable and as maintenance free as a mains fencer and even ignoring the hassle, the peace of mind is priceless.

Without the solar panel, the gsm switch was a non runner, because it uses nearly as much power as the fence.

Now it's a life saver, you see pigtails loose, when loading cattle etc etc. ring it, do what you have to do, ring it again, all sorted.

The sleeper was already in the ground from an old gatepost, so I just put a slating lat on it to get optimum angle for the solar panel. I then put a square of 4 pigtails around the sleeper, to keep the cattle away from the equipment.

Each to their own on these type of projects, but I prefer when possible to separate the solar panel and the battery from the rest of the project. A quick connect plug on the panel cable and on the battery cable means any troublesome equipment can be brought back to the laboratory (hayshed)

for analysis, and you leave all the fragile bits behind. A quick look at the charge controller, will tell you if your battery is good and if your panel is working, if so, leave them there.

patsy_mccabe

Have any of you ever put the curved sheeting on a roof?
I have everything ready to put the sheeting on now. All timbers are up. It's a one bay extension I'm adding to an existing curved roof shed. I also have to cut the flat sheeting for the side to match the radius of the roof.
Roof is low but will still need a cherry picker for safety.

It's more like practical tips I'm looking for. Will only have the cherry picker for a day.

emaherx

The almost finished product. I've clad it for now with some PVC that was lying around. I intend on getting a few sheets of steel to make it a little more secure, but thought I should test it fully before spending anymore on it.

IMG_20210417_151923 by Farmer Ed's Shed, on Flickr

IMG_20210417_163951 by Farmer Ed's Shed, on Flickr

IMG_20210417_175139 by Farmer Ed's Shed, on Flickr

emaherx

Just checked on the pump as it was getting dark. It filled an IBC, took a few hours but it did it. Battery indicator showed full even though it was running for so long, but it was a nice bright day.

There is a possible issue though, when I checked it the ball cock in the IBC had closed but the pump was still running. The IBC is a couple of hundred feet from the pump, so it could be that the pressure had just not built up enough to stop the pump yet. I decided to switch off the unit until morning when I can have a better look in the day light.

There could be a leak somewhere between the pump and the IBC, I'm using the same hose as I had with the generator and 240V pump, or I could be just asking a bit much of the pump with pumping water that distance. I was planning on moving the IBC beside the pump and a bit higher to feed a few more drinkers anyway. I tested the pressure switch near the pump and it seamed to work fine, but if I can't get this to work right with the pressure switch then I will just move the IBC beside the pump and use a float switch.

wrangler

emaherx wrote: »

Just checked on the pump as it was getting dark. It filled an IBC, took a few hours but it did it. Battery indicator showed full even though it was running for so long, but it was a nice bright day.

There is a possible issue though, when I checked it the ball cock in the IBC had closed but the pump was still running. The IBC is a couple of hundred feet from the pump, so it could be that the pressure had just not built up enough to stop the pump yet. I decided to switch off the unit until morning when I can have a better look in the day light.

There could be a leak somewhere between the pump and the IBC, I'm using the same hose as I had with the generator and 240V pump, or I could be just asking a bit much of the pump with pumping water that distance. I was planning on moving the IBC beside the pump and a bit higher to feed a few more drinkers anyway. I tested the pressure switch near the pump and it seamed to work fine, but if I can't get this to work right with the pressure switch then I will just move the IBC beside the pump and use a float switch.

Not really following this thread so you've probably answered this question but how do you filter the water that it doesn't block the ballcock, some nozzle have tiny holes

emaherx

wrangler wrote: »

Not really following this thread so you've probably answered this question but how do you filter the water that it doesn't block the ballcock, some nozzle have tiny holes

Its pumping from a well, the water is fairly clear of anything that might block a nozzle, but there is a filter before the pump. In Drinkers I feed from IBC's I use low pressure ball cocks that have fairly large nozzles. Haven't had much issue with nozzles getting blocked on the other out farm either where the IBC is filled from a pump in the stream and that IBC can gather a fair bit of silt in the bottom of it.

K.G.

A question for you emaherx,if you had a large reserve tank that was supplied by a solar pump ,could you do without the battery.in other words the tank would supply water when there's no sunshine and the solar would work when the sun shines

emaherx

K.G. wrote: »

A question for you emaherx,if you had a large reserve tank that was supplied by a solar pump ,could you do without the battery.in other words the tank would supply water when there's no sunshine and the solar would work when the sun shines

You can, but you'd probably need to do your maths and caerfully match the panel and pump. It's common in counrties with more sunlight than ours. I'm probably pushing this cheap pump to it's limits as it is, so not sure I want to push it any further with the over/under current situation a no battery setup would involve.

I've spent a good bit of time online searching for better pumps than Amazon has to offer but the most suitable I could find were all shipping from either China or Australia and I didn't want to spend 400+ euro on a pump from that distance with shipping on top and long delivery times. Most of those pumps were advertised as being possible to run from a panel without a battery.

Edit:

Beer coaster maths, my pump requires 8 amps.
12Vx8A=96 watts so in an ideal world my 100watt panel will power that pump in direct sunlight. Realistically you'd need at least 2 of those panels to power it most days, but you'd still have dark days in this country where even the 2 panels wouldn't produce enough power. Since there is not much difference in cost between a 100W panel and a 100AH battery then one panel and one battery will power the pump everyday without fail and have more than enough surplus power to run an electric fence too.

I'm fairly sure the 100AH battery is over kill for the small pumps I've been using, but the less the battery cycle (drops below 50%charge) the longer it should last.

emaherx

Had a good look again today. The pump pressure switch will work perfectly with a few meters of hose but not with a few hundred meters, I presume the pump cant compress that volume of liquid enough to activate the pressure switch. I will move the IBC closer later in the week and it should solve the issues I'm having, but I'm already in a better situation than I was with the generator setup.

Zimmerframe

Nice job m8, keep us posted.
I would have similar issues, as there is maybe 500 metres from the potential source to the farthest water trough.
I actually have an existing proper mains supply to the troughs, but according to the bill in my hand, it costs €1.19 to fill an ibc. :rolleyes:

My non-existant plan would be to just switch off/break the mains supply and back feed from the other end.

Electrics/panels/batteries etc are no problem to me.

Pump selection, pressure vessel, ballcocks could be.

carrollsno1

carrollsno1 wrote: »

Was there ever much of a go on wind powered pumps over here? They were a big thing out in the pastoral and cropping areas i was in in Western Australia

https://www.southerncrosswindmills.com.au

https://www.facebook.com/ASME.org/videos/1080952605730933/

Just a snippet re wind energy, also a good crowd to sign up/follow. Have a bif of tims off over the summer for a small procedure im hoping fo get a bit of their reading material to tide me over during it.

blackbox

emaherx wrote: »

Had a good look again today. The pump pressure switch will work perfectly with a few meters of hose but not with a few hundred meters, I presume the pump cant compress that volume of liquid enough to activate the pressure switch. I will move the IBC closer later in the week and it should solve the issues I'm having, but I'm already in a better situation than I was with the generator setup.

Assuming you're keeping the pressure switch close to the pump, the longer length of hose should not reduce the pressure unless it is leaking or porous.

Ten Pin

There is a possible issue though, when I checked it the ball cock in the IBC had closed but the pump was still running. The IBC is a couple of hundred feet from the pump, so it could be that the pressure had just not built up enough to stop the pump yet. I decided to switch off the unit until morning when I can have a better look in the day light.

Maybe raise the hose near the pump to the same level as the IBC inlet (trial & error for required length of hose to be raised).

Is it normal garden hose (which can expand slightly) or hydrodare?

emaherx

blackbox wrote: »

Assuming you're keeping the pressure switch close to the pump, the longer length of hose should not reduce the pressure unless it is leaking or porous.

There is no leak that I can see, the hose is currently all above ground.

Ten Pin wrote: »

Maybe raise the hose near the pump to the same level as the IBC inlet (trial & error for required length of hose to be raised).

Is it normal garden hose (which can expand slightly) or hydrodare?

Funny enough I noticed only yesterday the the pressure switch performs better when the hose coming out of it is looped over a tree branch which is well above the height of the IBC ballcock.

Most of the run is hydrodare, only about 6 foot after the pump is garden hose, that was just a temporary solution as I always intended on moving the IBC anyway. Closer to the well and placed higher up it will be in a better position to supply 4 different fields, at the moment it only supplies 2 of the fields. It will still be the same amount of cattle only I'll be able to rotate them better.

ruwithme

Having watched a couple of farming you tubers in recent days, land rollers got mentioned & water in them maybe freezing over the winter & them cracking the barrel in a real hard frost if the barrel wasn't drained early in the winter.

Don't know how common this is,but my father put used engine oil in the roller here in the past & never needed to concern with draining it every season end.

Reggie.

ruwithme wrote: »

Having watched a couple of farming you tubers in recent days, land rollers got mentioned & water in them maybe freezing over the winter & them cracking the barrel in a real hard frost if the barrel wasn't drained early in the winter.

Don't know how common this is,but my father put used engine oil in the roller here in the past & never needed to concern with draining it every season end.

Or at least put in antifreeze