Some more off-airport flying and COOL FARM TOYS!

[FastDoc]

I took the Maule and my buddy Monte out for some off airport landings in the Maule.



Farm strip. 1,000 X 30 feet. Pretty short and narrow. The farm belongs to my friend John who is a great guy.



The Maule on the strip. This way after we turned the plane around on it. I was not 'off' the strip. In addition to this we made 3 other landings out in the sticks at various places.



This will all be tall corn next summer, but now just desert with irrigation.



John (on the left) and Monte.





I don't recall the make of this tractor, but it is from 1904. John and his father build these things, fabricating many parts. The even do casting of iron! Themselves!



Dozens of these 'hit and miss' engines are placed in shops all over the property. Some they restored, some they build, from scratch. Some are miniature. All are works of mechanical art.



Johns Piper Tri-Pacer, circa 1950.



Another tractor.

I didn't take enough pics. There are about 15 antique restored tractors, maybe 10 motorcycles, a few old trucks. Shops and shops of equipment. Mills, lathes, presses, even some foundry equipment for sand casting. Walls and walls of parts. It was a fabricators heaven.

Weld, Kato, I would LOVE to show you this stuff, you'd be in heaven.

[FastDoc]

A few more pics, not very good ones but I thought they might be appreciated.

[FastDoc]

[katoranger]

I was going to skip over this thread until I read the FARM Toys.

That first tractor may be an Oliver.

[Weldangrind]

I want that Bridgeport so bad.

[SpudRider]

It must be fantastic to own a private airport.

[FastDoc]

It's a beautiful strip, and a nice farm :-)

Not many planes can safely get in and out of 1,000 feet. It helps the elevation is only 600 feet and there is a slight gradient but your average 150/172/Cherokee etc. would not be safe to operate out of there under most circumstances. Works nice for a Maule, though ;-)

Next time I'm there I will try to get more pics of the antique tractors and engines. He had so much stuff I was overwhelmed. The farm has been in his family for generations, ad the men have all been tinkerers/self-taught engineers. It was like a working museum.

[katoranger]

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

I want that Bridgeport so bad.

You could make all those impossible to find parts for us.

[FastDoc]

I think these guys could build a motorcycle out of ore they dig out of their own property!

[FastDoc]

That Bridgport had to be at least 50 years old. The parts that get used were worn smooth over the decades.

[Weldangrind]

Originally Posted by FastDoc

That Bridgport had to be at least 50 years old. The parts that get used were worn smooth over the decades.

I found a similarly aged Bridgeport at the old Clayburn brick plant in Abbotsford, right before they closed. I snapped a pic of it, and it's now my cell phone background image. It's a 50 year old model that I really want.

[Weldangrind]

Originally Posted by katoranger

You could make all those impossible to find parts for us.

Wouldn't that be awesome? Between a Bridgeport and my lathe (and many years of practice), there wouldn't be much that I couldn't make.

[Anticitizen419]

here's one for FastDoc

[FastDoc]

Awesome!