u/CuttingTheMustard

I bought an Ingersoll Rand TS4N5 last year to run my airlift well. Basically I am trickling air down a bore hole 24x7 to lift the water out of the well. The compressor only runs about 5 minutes an hour but has 2-3 starts per hour which is apparently too much for the start capacitor because I am now on #3.

It's a single-phase 5hp motor from WEG that came with the compressor and I'm using name-brand (Grainger, not Amazon...) caps so I'm inclined to believe I may just be asking for too many starts from this motor. Wiring is not undersized, and I can't find a relay or any other component that could be going bad.

I'm considering swapping the motor to a 3-phase 5hp and running it with a VFD controller. Advantages being... it would be soft-start with a ramp-up. I may also swap the unloader on the compressor for a solenoid and run that from the VFD controller to shut when the motor is fully spun up.

Has anyone done this? Outcomes? Thoughts? Am I missing anything? A rotary screw would probably be more appropriate for this application but my required cfm is not very high so it would have to be the world's smallest rotary screw to make it cost-efficient in terms of electricity.

It's currently 104º outside and my air conditioners run all day long. Logic would dictate that changing the A/C covers from black to white would help keep the coils cooler but who knows if it actually makes a difference.

At $220 a pop not sure it's worth the effort.

Anyone do this? What were your results?

...aside from the KLR650, which is probably my top contender currently.

I live in ranch country. Gravel roads everywhere, and beyond that just two-tracks. A lot of adventure bikes seem to be geared towards people who are primarily on the highway wanting some off-road capability, but my use case is basically the opposite of that. I'm at home on gravel, two-tracks, and cow trails and just want to be comfortable enough on the highway to get up to the mountains where I'll immediately be on two-tracks and trails again.

My buddy has a Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 but I am looking for something with enough beans to do 70mph and not have the throttle pegged the whole time.

What are you guys using?

I’m pushing water on a tender this year. Can’t hear shit on the PA radio when I’m pumping. What radio slings are you guys using?

PLS seems to be 30% off all Vulcan products. If I open a HF credit card, additional 10% off.

I haven't been keeping up with the price on these, but sub-$700 seems like a pretty good deal. I don't recall what they sold for Black Friday last year.

Appreciate any input. Have a bunch of projects this summer I could use a welder for around the ranch. Thanks!

I have a nice hillside next to a river here in Wyoming that I’m thinking about putting a long row (1/4mi) of grape vines on. Soil is sandy loam with a little bit of clay, northeast aspect of a shallow slope. Had the county extension agent out who thought the location might be good to experiment on. He dropped a book off on growing wine grapes in Wyoming and I was pleased to see Marquette, Frontenac, and Itasca, all of which I’ve had and think make lovely wines.

Curious if anyone else here has first-hand experience growing grapes up in this country (or even Montana since it’s only 20 miles north of me)

Thanks in advance… I’ll be sure to keep you updated on my journey if I decide to plant some next spring.

Hi all,

Beginner here. I have a bunch of projects around the ranch that would probably be easier if I had a forge. I'm sure my wife would like if I eventually made horseshoes for her also. I have access to $90/ton sub-bituminous coal and basically unlimited 55 gallon drums.

I've seen a few projects on YouTube where people are building coal forges out of drums, from JABOD variants to things with refractory cement. For those of you who have drum forges, what is your favorite design?

Thanks in advance.

Have the option to buy one of these from a friend for $3k. Comes with a loader + grapple. Front and rear PTO. 3,200 hours. It’s in “ranch shape” but it’s all there and functional. I’ll be using it to do a little bit of food plot, grass, and road maintenance and feeding hay on my small ranch. Maybe a little bit of haying.

Anyone run one of these? I know it’s based on a Unimog so it’s got some parts compatibility there. I’m handy and work on my own stuff.

Thanks in advance.