The Teen and I learned to weld! Woo and Hoo! I am ready to go burn some metal! Melt some metal? Whatever, there is a whole shop full of ‘junk’ just waiting for me to turn it into ‘stuff’! All I have to do is not burn the work shop down, seriously, I think I can do that.
We had a great, relaxing and productive weekend. One of those few times where we took on enough projects to feel happy about what got done, but not as overwhelmed as usual. The big workshop door was repaired, so it can now be slid open and closed, which is making My Loving Spouse very happy.
Sometimes it is just nice, convenient even when ‘stuff’, especially tools work. I get it! This week the final wheelbarrow broke. UGH! When I had it full and was using it, which is the only time they seem to break! I said, “To…blank-et-y blank with it”. You know you’re living in the country when you have coveting wheelbarrow issues, which I confess I do. I took my pocket-money and bought myself (but I share) a sweet new wheelbarrow… a two-wheeler… steel handled baby…destined for a long and happy life with me on the farm.
So, My Clever Loving Spouse had a great idea for the broken wheelbarrow. He’d teach us to weld and build me a trailer for the John D. ride on mower at the same time, (as I’ll have to confess to actually coveting the ride on mower trailers as well.) This would be a handy gardener’s dream on steroids kind of thing.
Step One, The Teen and I unbolt all the attached parts on the wheelbarrow and on an old power sprayer.
(Notice the multi-tasking teen, wrench in one hand, iPhone in the other)
Measuring the steel part we’d dismantled from the power sprayer, this gets bolted to the wheel barrow, after welding washers to the axles and the axles to this new big axle.
Only one wheel needed trimming after a slight mis-measuring…
practically a record.
The Teen receives her tutorial and tries welding the trailer attachment.
The final attachment is hardest to weld, as the metal is so thin. My Loving Spouse and I both take a stab at it and all we do is burn two small holes in the wheelbarrow or what I like to call a trailer vent.
It is decided to just bolt the piece to the wheelbarrow.
The old workshop stool was used to hold up the wheelbarrow/trailer during this final stage.
The stool took the most ‘hits’
getting just a tad singed, with a hole drilled through it as well!
The stories this old stool could tell….
However, we did reach our ‘Ta-Da” moment!
SWEET!
Now, not only can I stop coveting the trailers at the local hardware store,
but I can do some serious gardening clean up,
as well as giving my loved ones a lift!
I can’t ever let my spouse see this post: He already covets a riding mower (when we live in a place that has even remotely enough mowable space to justify it, of course). Adding a TRAILER to it would just put him over the top. I’d never hear the end of it! Love it.
So when you come visit, Jim can ride the mower and you can ride the horse!
YOU are delightfully nuts!
Thank you.
I’m just slightly concerned about the GTW capacity of the trailer!
Oh, the fun you can have when you live on a farm! Sounds like a Dr. Seuss book title.
I wanna come have me some fun, too!!
Just a little while now.
Love it!
Hi Ellen,
You all do seem to have a few moments of….
is this picture a “load” of FUN?
Love Rob
Dear Rob,
Usually.