[RHClarke]

This last morning of 2012 started off with a slushy ride out to the barn. Along the way I had the pleasure of the company of a very frightened lady who kindly drove down the center of the road at about 15 kph with her four way flashers alit. She may have been wary of the slush, but she refused to give quarter! I finally did pass her and felt a bit of sympathy when I saw the look of horror on her face as slush from my car and the line of following cars coated her windows as we passed. She should have stayed at home...

The barn yard was coated with fresh snow and looked very nice indeed. After firing up Lucifer, I spent the next half hour removing snow from a good number of shelters. The recent freezing rain left a good crust on top of a layer of soggy and heavy snow. Clive's shelter required the most effort to clean (as usual), but with Grant's help, all of the shelters were cleared of snow.

Bob arrived with a truck load of goodies bought off EBay and other online resources. He must have been a really good boy this year, as Santa left him with some real nice presents. The wrappings were tossed in to Lucifer's maw which added to the cozy atmosphere in the back of the barn. The remainder of the morning was spent cleaning up.

After lunch we decided it was too nice not to take the trucks out for a spin. Bob and I fired up our charges and spent a good 20 minutes plowing through the snow of the back 40. Bob was amused that I could get all four wheels of the HUP spinning, but once they dug in, I was away like a scalded cat. We tooled around the field and then headed back to the barn at full tilt. While it was not really cold out, the open cabs did feel a little chilly on the ride back.

Once back at the barn we test fit the Bronco hinges to the HUP rear door. After marking hole locations, I drilled out the door side of the hinges. A quick session with the tap and the hinges were ready for mounting. The door was fitted to the rear opening and looked good until we tried to open and close it again. The bottom of the door was binding on the door frame. The lower hinge was the cause of the problem – its bushings looked like they were worn. So, Bob, Grant and I had a hinge BBQ trying to get the hinge pin out. Even after repeated heatings and hits with a drift, the pin remained in place. I decided that the hinge would soak in oil for a few days before we tried again.

Since it was New Year’s eve, I had to head back to Ottawa early to prepare for the annual celebration at home. Thus ended the last day of 2011 at the Hammond Barn. We most certainly look forward to 2012.

Photos:

1 - We live a sheltered life at the barn - with lots of snow
2 - Bronco hinge being prepared for their new life as HUP hinges
3 - Test fit - rear door of the HUP
4 - Bob exiting his storage container - a spectator event
5 - The trucks in the back 40