2012 at the Hammond Barn

[Bob Carriere]

Come on over in the afternoon...... after 1 pm is best.....

Kris .....check Canadian tire and TSC for shelters that go on sale..... minimum size 10 X20 ..... better if you can get the 13 x 26 intended for vans or large
4x4.

Bob

[Stuart Fedak]

Originally Posted by Bob Carriere

Come on over in the afternoon...... after 1 pm is best.....Bob

Bob, Thanks for the invite. As you know, it was a wonderful day in the Ottawa Valley region. Louise and I took the Bombardier Iltis for a 3.5 hour cruise along the Rideau River system. First out to Kemptville, to pick up some fish & chips. Then off to Lock 17 along the Rideau system for lunch at a picnic table. Then a slow cruise along the Rideau to Merrickville. We drove past Gilles' new digs (waved on the way going by... I saw his dog Buddy/Zac), then off to Smiths Falls. Up Highway 15 to FrankTown, then back to Ottawa via Richmond. The Iltis is running well on the highway. We had both doors off, and had the window rear rolled up.

I have temporarily put in some VW seats, while I work on the original seats in the Iltis. Those VW Jetta seats are sure more comfortable than the 27 year old foam in the original seats. I think I will use them more often for long drives..........

I am making my list for restoration on the Iltis this summer. A few systems to inspect. Over the past few years I have done a lot of work (except body work) on the Iltis. Mostly mechanical issues. The Iltis runs well, and seems to do best in the 80 - 90 km/hr range. It still has some power left, but I prefer to drive on secondary roads. I have done a few trips at 100 km/hr while pulling the M101 CDN2 trailer, but it did not seem comfortable. So I will stick to secondary roads.....

I will make it to the barn to see your progress. In the summer I also need to cut some steel sheets for welding purposes, and would like to use your shear and brake. I just have a 12 inch hand shear and a small hand brake......

Perhaps we have an early start to the garage work this year. But it also means an early start to the yard/garden work as well.........

Cheers!
Stuart

[RHClarke]

The drive to the Hammond barn took extra time this morning due to a very thick ground fog. It kind of reminded me of the daily drive I used to take from Chezzetcook to Halifax back in the day. You could count on a thick fog on most mornings.

The fog was due to a heat spell we are "suffering" through. Today's high was 24 oC - perhaps a new record. I ain't complaining! The meter of snow and ice on my front (north facing) lawn has gone. We can see grass. At the barn, you could see mud everywhere.

When I eventually got to the barn, I found that the boys had Lucifer going yesterday. The old folks must be suffering from the rheumatism... After making sure that the flames were out, I shut off the circulation fan and went to inspect the shelters. The 45 HUP shelter was dry, but the heat had put a good sweat on the HUP.

While awaiting the arrival of Grant and Bob, got busy with the welder trying to patch up some soda cracker rust damage on the divider wall kick plate. I was so into the welding task, I didn't notice Bob sneaking up on me. His surprising "hello" startled me and I burned a larger hole in the kick plate. It was time to change task anyway. Grant towed my HUP out into the sunshine and in a few minutes the condensation on the truck was gone.

Bob and Grant decided to change the oil on Bob's Ford, so out came the custom made ramp set. Bob's design seemed to work OK, but he soon realized that there could be an improvement on the design - he can fill us in on that. The boys spent the morning together snuggled up under the truck changing the truck's oil and filters.

After a quick tea in Rockland, we headed back to the barn for more fun. Guy arrived just after we returned and made a dramatic entrance with his Argo. He also showed off the railway lamp he converted to modern standards. Unfortunately, I had to get back home at 2 PM to finish up some business work. Hopefully, the boys will chime in with their goings on.

Photos

1 - Ramped up - good ground clearance!
2 - The utility of Bob's design - note that the incline on the right side of the pic has been moved
3 - I think they were having breakfast...
4 - The Argo arrives!

[Bob Carriere]

...make sure you call incase we are out scrounging something somewhere....

Bob

[RHClarke]

Taxes. Enough to drive you crazy. There possibly couldn't be more a complicated tax system in the world. There. That's off my chest and with them somewhat out of the way, I finally got time for the barn.

This Saturday I headed to Hammond for some iron oxide therapy. On the way I took a picture with my mobile telephone of a field near Sarsfield that was the temporary home for a few thousand Snow and Canada Geese. From a distance it looked like it had snowed on that one field.

At the barn we spent the majority of the day fixing the front pivot shaft of Bob's tractor. It seems that the bushings had worn and this and the lack of grease made steering somewhat sloppy. I helped Bob pull the beast apart and Grant helped with the reassembly and the re-reassembly. The lesson learned was to mark the position and location of the steering actuator and the pivot shaft...

While the boys fretted over the steering, I sorted parts that have been piling up over the winter. I also aired out the shelters and tents to take advantage of the good winds blowing through Hammond. It was sunny and seasonably cool on Saturday, but the wind helped dry up shelters.

After a very nice brunch in Rockland, we wrapped up the tractor fix and I finally found the mirror arm and then reattached the pax side door to the HUP. That marked the end of my day at the barn and I headed back to Ottawa to change the snow tires on my vehicles.

The boys were planning to meet at the barn today (Sunday). I hope they enjoyed the April Fools Day joke that Mother Nature played on us today - it snowed (no fooling!).

Photos:

1 - Geese
2 - Wounded tractor

[RHClarke]

I thought I would provide an update to the barn thread as things have calmed down around home, at work and with other actitivites. The first activity that Bob, Grant and I were able to come together for was the Sterling Automotive Flea Market on Saturday of this week.

After picking me up, and then fetching Grant, Bob aimed the Ford towards Sterling. We arrived a little later than last year and got to wait in line for about a half hour. We got a very slow tour of the main street in Sterling. The locals must have known we were coming as all of the good looking gals were not to be found.

Once at the grounds, we spent the next five hours strolling the lines of vendors. This year the pickings were sparse. We came away with some gaskets, ignition components and a few metal cans (not POW cans). As usual, one expects to run into other like-minded individuals at these events. This year, I had the good fortune to meet Brian and Mel from the World Famous Chicken Ranch. Bob and Grant had headed for the truck and missed this meeting.

I finally found the boys in the parking lot and we decided it was a good time to head back to Ottawa. On the way home we stopped in to visit Greg Wright of the Wright Stuff Surplus fame. We picked up a few sections of modular tentage, some fire extinguishers and a few more plastic fuel cans (small versions).

After that fun, we high-balled it through Ottawa, deposited Grant, and headed for the east end. Bob slowed down just enough for me to bail out and he headed east as the sun started to set.

There was some activity at the barn today, but the boys will have to fill in those details.

Photos:

1 - Bob and Grant comparing notes
2 - Bob visiting his favourite display booth at Sterling