One of the more endearing traditions on old country farms is the liberal application of scrap metal to hedgerows and woodlands, and ours is no exception. Everything from piles of tin baths to the old cast iron wash tub –
and a vast amount of one of the most evil things I’ve had to handle – tangles of rusty barbed wire and old netting. After a day of clearing, the farm is almost clear, and I’ve created a mountain of the stuff ready for the scrap man to come and collect. A very satisfying days work indeed.
I was also sorting through my scrap metal collection yesterday also. I nailed 4 pallets together and put it on the tractor spike and filled it with scrap and placed it out of the way. I am very selective though in case I can recycle anything like box iron, buckets for feeding and old barbed wire. Did you find any old farm machinery that can be brought back to life Steve?
This was really a post rummage, rummage Dave, so I’ve already got a heap of interesting looking bits in the shed. Saved a few good bits of mesh for keeping hens in, and a good flat sheet of galvanised steel, but other than that its all tin baths and poultry feeders with no bottoms, the last of the corrugated that I can’t put back up because its just too rotten, and *lots* of rusty barbed wire and netting that some kind soul has flattened into a heap with a digger, so getting the posts out of it was a long old job.
One more little pile to go, and then cutting a load more barbed wire off concrete posts to replace it with plain bull wire.
There’s a suspicious pile of brambles in the woods that I suspect is fairly interesting but I haven’t dared to tackle it yet. Sadly no farm machinery though. You’d have loved the place we stayed for the last year – all their kit was put away in about 1985, and unused since. They had some stuff going back to the 40’s too, and most of it worked perfectly. I made hay with the 135 and a lely acrobat, which I still reckon works better than the new haybobs.
What do you do with your old barbed wire?
I use the barbed wire again and again Steve. The fence posts end up in the Stanley range.
Went to a farm machinery workshop the other day and asked if I could have a look round the yard. I was in scrap farm machinery heaven. There where transport boxes, ridgers, toppers, trailers (bought one), feeding troughs, ploughs… Really useful stuff just appearing before my eyes.
If I win the lotto I am going to just buy scrap farm machinery and pay to have it brought back to life. I also seem to have an affinity with corrugated iron and pallets. The cattle box I bought, will be really useful for moving the cattle across the road to the fields. It will also make a great temporary stable for Bracken the Shetland pony.
Watched a great programme (he reminded me of you) the other night. Wednesdays ,8.30 BBC 4: Tales from the wildwood. You will probably be able to see highlights on BBC Player? It’s about a man renovating an old wood.
Yes, it was a great programme, and just in time for me to find out what to do. It is unusual to find a gimmick free tv programme that doesnt recap every five minutes..
Have you read ‘The Garden in the Clouds by Antony Woodward Steve? It’s one of my favourite reads. He purchases a smallholding on top of a Welsh hill. The reason I mention it is because he makes hay with some old farm machinery. I love my Ford 3000 and the Massey Ferguson.
No, but it looks interesting and it’s on order so I’ll have a read next week. I used to have a Power Major, but stupidly left it behind in England when I was transported to Northern Ireland.