Hi guy’s. Just an idea. You might want to place rock on the hill beside the solar panels to reduce erosion. The roots of trees help hold the soil in place. Mud slide!
another idea would be to build a retaining wall with a concrete slab between the wall and the container so that thre is a flat stable path behind the panels. it would also allow you to build a small road below the retaining wall for use outside of winter so you would be able to move the excavator around the property easier
Hey guys, just a safety thought. When relieving the pressure on a tracked machine, be sure to take the pressure off the tread first. You did that with the track knocked off. Removing the grease nipple or the plug that holds the grease tensioner, it can come out like a bullet if the tensioner is loaded. Stand to one side when taking it out just in case. Great videos.
That old army Geny is sweet,I would give it some extra TLC before winter sets in . Drain the diesel,burn it up in the excavator,put some nice fresh into the tank ,change the filter .Add a small cheap electric heater from solar output into the frame of the generator keep it nice and warm on a thermostat ready to kick in on those cold nights when the power banks are getting depleted.I don't know how cold it gets in the winter but it would be nice to know that the gen gonna fire up without any hassle keeps the condense out of the old skool analoge gauges too , sorry and wrap it in a tarp ,I know i'm weird like that 😂 nice to see real time your boost by altering angle .
I enjoy your videos. Might I suggest investing in a used heavy duty woodchipper. If you run all your forest wood and branches through it and spread the chips around your land you will add the nutrients back to the soil that the trees took out of the soil while they were growing. It's better than burning them up and losing all those nutrients into the atmosphere. After a few years the chips will compost back into the soil. It's good conservation practice. I'd suggest you add the chips back to the area you harvested the trees from. Good luck!
I believe the burning will do a better and faster job of returning nutrients to the soil. It's what mother nature does in the forest and farmers have been doing it for years.
@@srsykes Burning is faster, but it does not return any nutrients back to the soil at all. Mother nature returns the nutrients to the soil through rot and decay, microbes and fungi. Not through fire.
I am quite sure nutrient do not just go up into the air as there is a huge renewal of plant and tree life after forest fires that are started by lightning
Mulch holds water, on a mountain side that means soft soils that can slide. Rot is the best way to add nutrients back from all the bugs and critters doing their jobs but small burns like this also put back carbon without too much worry about NATURAL organic compounds into the air. The fuel exhaust from a chipper is not better than natural wood smoke.
Don't forget to ground the generator, while at 9th Engineer Support Battalion I ran those a lot all over Asia for several humanitarian missions and that was one of the things most often forgotten.
Edward Uechi. I was with 9th Engineers back in the early 80s, BulkFuel Co.. Happy Birthday and Semper Fi.... and you're right on grounding the equipment
On the Excavator, when parking it Outside, move all the Cylinders chrome shafts back into the cylinder barrels where the oil is. If you expose the chrome shafts to the weather it could cause rust to eat into the shafts then the cylinders will start leaking and then you will have some very expensive repair bills. i worked in hydraulics for 40 years and I seen this happen very often
I would suggest y'all stabilize the slope you dug off in front of the solar array. It wouldn't be good if the ground got saturated and decided to slide taking the solar array down the hill with it. 5 or so dump truck loads of large rocks from around your property would work. 8 inches to 20 inches or so in size. Small enough to handle by hand but large enough to hold the slope. Several layers thick not just a single layer would be best. That should be a priority before the wet winter season and thaw in the spring is gonna be harsh on the slope being a bigger chance to fail at that time. Something that would also help which I'd do before the rocks is to use the excavator and track the hill in to pack the dirt good. This is very important to get both of these things done soon as y'all can. Good video. Stay well. -Wil 👍
I’m not sure if it has been mentioned but try making a larger wedge cut and even considering a hinge cut rather than a pointed wedge. Then with your back cut it will want to fall much easier and not snap potentially causing a kick.
Put a reinforced plastic tarp in front of the panels staked to the ground on the slope and the snow will slide down the hill as it melts off the panels. Remove the tarp in spring. It completely eliminates the wet snow from building up in front of the panels.
I would be concerned about the possibility of water induced corrosion on the bottom panels if the cannot dry out. I worry that at bottom, there will be an ice dam forming make it very difficult to address. since they are touching the ground. I think it would bet better to use an angle so the panels are at least 2 feet off the ground.
A white tarp could help improve production with scattered sunlight reflection. It will also help minimize erosion of the bare excavated earth where the snow would run off otherwise... Next summer stuff can grow there but this winter there could be a problem there.
It’s my belief that there is such a thing as “too many trees!” What I mean by that is that you can have trees side by side that they actually stunt the growth of some trees and this is where land management is key! Cutting selective trees can make for a healthier eco system in the long run. My own opinion!
I just love your videos, and look forward to them. I also like that this video was almost a half hour long❤️ It has been 28 years since I lived off grid..... We learned to recover firewood from every project. I had a one man Alaskan mill for my chainsaw, and turned any usable wood into 2" slabs. They are so useful for other projects. We made decks around the property for friends to set up on during 3 day parties. Even a stage and dance floor, but we were hippies and students, so we had plenty of friends and volunteers. The rest of the unused wood was cut into firewood and stacked to dry. I'm 70 now and living vicariously through your videos 😎. Thanks so much for making these videos. I love how you blend the sponsor's products into the videos. Very slick. Sending good vibes your way✌️
Operating the dozer and excavator on steep inclines scares the hell out of me. But, y'all did another amazing job. You never cease to amaze me. You guys rock!
Tracks are all about that tension. First thing to do before any kind of track maintenance is release the track tension. Doesn't matter if you're replacing thrown track, repairing the track or replacing the track. The tension keeps it where it it, so any changes to that requires taking out the tension. That rubber one piece track on your excavator is very end user friendly. Glad you got it sorted and that solar input from the clearance and angle adjustment is super impressive.
The skills you possess are impressive. Seems as if you did most of your homework in college. I went military and chased bad guys in the Coast Guard. I’m almost caught up to current videos. I’ve greatly enjoyed the ride.
You should pour a slab under the generator. Otherwise two things will happen. first the built in skid will rust away and second, while running the vibrations will cause the generator to sink into the ground. Which will allow the moist soil to start rusting the bottom panel of the enclosure out.
Perhaps put some wood cribing or concrete blocks for the winter, and then pour a bad next season. Better with be some sort of roof (open enclosure) to keep the rain and snow away, big enough so you can refuel, change oil with dealing with snow.
@@johnwinnerd8511 Just like the existing skids, your metal "skid frame" would eventually rust away from contact with the constantly moist soil at their location.
@@akdisney I hadn't noticed the rock until a later video. It will provide drainage but there still should be some kind of roof over the generator as someone else mentioned.. Also the rock can shift under the vibration when gen is in use, so something a bit more solid would still be good.
Really enjoyed the video and I can relate to being a pyro. There is nothing better than starting a big ol’fire. It’s good to see you guys getting re-energized and thinking about new projects. Looking forward to winter with y’all.
Thank you you guys have been answering some of the questions that people like me sit here and ask if it's possible to do and thank you and yes you've been doing a good job do appreciate it keep up the good work guys the generator with the solar panels and what it takes to live totally off grid with that way thank you keep it up
You should think about building a log home on the top of the mountain. You have the bulldozer to build the road and building site. The mountain has plenty of logs to build a beautiful log home. Just an idea.
Where I live - firewood has more than doubled in price in past year. I have been cutting up old scrap wood. I would have kept everything thicker than 1". Having said that. If I had farmstead, I would have kept all, built gasifier with old petrol engine generator and turn those branches into electracy and heat over the winter. And there you see! Like I said - with the dozer, you should have taken the track of the idler, put it on the sprocket and then back on the idler wheel. Much much easier. And when you have excavator arm around - use it, don't try Hoe Nr.1 and crowbar. Well done by the way! You both will be great after couple of years more! :)
I recommend putting the hook on the linkage right above the bucket. It will allow you to lift heavier things. I mounted them on a few different excavators. Some do not have the clearance though. Very useful. Love how your property is coming along.
Love what you're doing to set up your house and business! And I love all your work and maintaining Video with explanations in the Video Keep up the good work and looking forward to upcoming projects! Also comments about getting a wood chipper to thin out the forest and create mulch! Rather than burning even though Courtney loves burning! Most importantly cleaning up the forest floor is really important these days. Another Item to think about! Would not hurt to look above your hillside to find an area above House to put in a lake for water storage! Get the Big Cat DOZER up the hill as it would take very little time to collect water into a little lake! Too run sprinklers over and around the house in case of a forest fire! I think you have water collection off roof? But not enough for a forest fire, as this seems to be our future these days retired firefighter
I have a 500 gal diesel tank on my little farm and they deliver for a bit less than I spent at the gas station. It is a pretty big bill all at once, but so convenient to refuel from, and lasts me all year.
I’m a divorced single dad watching you videos for ideas and motivation. Your way of life is a very clever way to navigate tax savings , building and utility costs - I’m inspired. Thank you 😊
When dragging logs with chain, wrap the hook end back around the lead to create a slip knot. It's actually called choking the load. The idea is the tighter you pull the tighter the chain becomes.
Removing those trees was truly a bright ideal. 😎As a grandpa I get a pass on the really bad puns. 😉 Love the channel. You guys know that a lot of us are living the dreams that we were to chicken to try ourselves thru you. Keep up the good work!
Winter coming fast! Make sure your diesel transfer tank is full, and has good antigel additives! All your diesel equipment needs antigel, just in case you need it!
Wonderful idea to place a generator on your home front! Because you sometimes have heavy snow loads there...place a aluminum carport over your generator to protect it.
Great and fun video! I echo the others who are concerned about the erosion under the solar panels. You have enough rocks and equipment to put together a decent rock wall at the base of the panels, to stop the hillside from sliding. It doesn't have to be pretty to start with, that can be done later. I would estimate you could put something together in 2-3 days that would work for a few years. Thanks for your humor and your dedication to your efforts. Stay well, stay safe!
Just trying to be helpful, but there is a whole "geometry understanding" to being good at "falling" (in the parlance of most tree people) trees. And there would be "backcut first" technique, "shark jaw" technique. "barber chair prevention" by little cuts in from the side, etc. etc. A guy who was in my graduating class an an "elite university" dropped a tree on himself, died. Just sayin'. Wider notches, thinking about where holding wood is on hinges, knowing how and when to plunge, then cut release...
At my forestry college we were taught the Swedish technique for felling. It's easier to show than explain. Gives you a lot of control but any tree can surprise you by doing the unexpected and those times can kill or maim you
Do I recall correctly you installed three inverters that could give you 120/208 3-Phase if you needed it? If so, moving the side taps back to 120/208 would be advised on the generator. The MEP is far more power efficient on fuel when running in 3-Phase power. It would also allow the passthrough power on your inverters.
I would say to seed the area before the solar panels with native grasses and wildflowers to stabilize the area. When going up steep hillsides use the arm to help pull yourself up.
I run a cheapo solar battery tender on everything that's just mostly sitting around. When the temps get really low that battery that cranked just fine at 80 degrees will often struggle at 32 degrees. You could even do the same thing with an outlet and battery tender coming from you solar shed as its so close. Its cheap insurance for your batteries.
Nice work on that track!, I recommend keeping the fuel tank full on that generator, the biggest hassle with the diesel generators was fuel problems, mostly caused by water in the fuel, which is often formed from condensation. Full tanks don't allow a lot of air to weep moisture into your tank, when the temperatures fluctuate. I enjoy seeing what you guys are building, keep the videos coming!
So awesome you are becoming quite the skilled loggers ,now I’ll suggest again,get a portable saw mill the lumber could provide you with inexpensive building materials that could be bartered or utilized! Great to see you guys back safe, blessings to you,I smile every time I get to watch your videos!
All the trees that you cut down, do you have a saw mill so you can mill the trees for projects. And the big generator is nice to have to power your batteries. Stay safe and warm
Suggestion: get sheets of metal roofing and put them at a slope below the solar panels so that the snow will slide off of the metal panels but light will also reflect off of the metal roofing onto the solar panels.
Reckless Riley at his best. I kept waiting for the Generator to roll down your mountain, than I was expecting the excavator to do the same. One of your best updates, thanks
I know it’s not on your priority list but I think you still should have a second exit out of the apartment because of fire Maybe you should have a video on maintenance of all your equipment winter is coming and it’s time to put stuff to sleep for winter love watching your videos keep it up
Great episode, taking those trees out makes perfect sense but I still don't like to see trees go down, maybe plant some smaller plants there? It'd both help stabilise the soil and make it more attractive.
I know it's going on two years since you tackled removing the trees blocking winter sun to your solar panels. Still, I'm just viewing the vid for the first time. I'm betting with 1500+ comments, someone probably already covered all the best suggestions. In case they didn't (TL/DR them all), consider using an excavator arm, a backhoe arm, or a bulldozer, or your skid steer bucket to push against the tree as high as you can, while a second person notches & fells the tree in the safest direction. Once notched, pushing with your power equipment may be all that's required. But you won't have to worry so much about the tree going the wrong direction. And you'll have some handy protection for the person with the chainsaw. Oh, also, if/when cutting several trees, cut the furthest one first and fell it away from the rest. That makes cutting subsequent trees easier & safer. Best of luck in your adventures, and keep up the great and fun work!
Hook yes but on the mount vs bucket, but I also welded a D ring on the blade. Don't think every little sun blockage need to go, just there for 10-15 minutes. Wheat Penny
Cannot tell which color would be best due to camera color tones. Best thing to do is look at it in multiple lights, including almost too dark to see, bright light, and cloudy. To me both colors look off, but from the bad color tone angle, choosing based on that, Pottern Urn is the only one that might look ok!
I don't like either color, and yeah the tone is so far off due to camera fluctuations. I choose colors by how they are going to look dirty, but since this is a door, it can be repainted more easily than other things so two tone it and make it fancy!
Again good choices was thinking to sacrifice a couple trees this will massively improve yields, how ever burning off the bulk of the wood was a mistake, you really should have bucked and seasoned, lessons learned! and get a corded chain saw to run off the inverters.
not sure if it's worth it but just an idea. what about making a reflection zone (mirrors, pond, etc ) in front of the solar panels (see at 11:35) , maybe it will boost the efficiency even a little more.
Just a suggestion, but when you store your orbital sander you should leave a sanding disk on it to keep from damaging it by flattening out the hook and loop pad
Great save on the tracks. Have you considered making some sort of retainer wall/embankment where you just dug out all the dirt in front of the Panels as a protection against erosion?
You might want to add a layer of Reflex insulation to the outside of the container behind the panels, this is stuff that has layers of reflective foil and air or foam layers in between. The highly reflective surface might improve your panel output and keep the container cooler during the summer and some additional insulation benifit in the winter.
FIRST: Skidding down a steep slope with all wheels (or treads) locked is among my most scary moments, ever! I saw you had a few this episode. SECOND: door color: 50 years ago I married a very creative, very color-aware and very intuitive Angel. If my beloved really wants chartreuse - lime green with pokadots she gets it. Or, we consider mixing 50/50 of our individual choices and see how that looks. Fifty years from now, long after the door is faded and gone, may your love for each other be stronger than ever. Blessings. Don D (La Mesa)
I can't help but laugh at the thought of when the dirt piled against the side of that container starts saturating and freezing, pushing the container down the hill, and you just made the hill steeper.
I agree pottery urn colour, i think it will complement the rest of the colour scheme of the building more and is similiar ish to the top metal colour also be less aggressive of a colour change, i think the other is a bit too dark in the other direction and will stand out like a sore thumb, be interesting to see which wins :)
Love your videos. I can only guess how much work it is! I have not seen what you do for water or blackwater waste disposal, but besides that I find myself envious of your situation, can't wait for each installment. Don't know how or if I even want to subscribe, but love what you are doing!
my wife says the door should be wheat penny but we both think you need to compare the colors to the wall and not the door since its the wall that will stay the same color
So envious of you both! Looking forward to next video! Stay safe and hope you are ready for the snow! This winter. If ever need a truck with a 13,000 winch attached? Let me know! ;)
14:43 and 18:17 people don't panic nothing is clicking or short-circuiting in your room it is just a click on the video both on your left speakers, all good continue enjoying
Safety first folks. You must either ground your truck or fill the fuel tanks on the ground. If you strike a spark from static electricity generated by filling the containers, you'll light a heck of a fire. Otherwise love the show and your gumption.
Ambition Strikes: You've selected two 'red-brown' colors. One of these is considerably lighter/less red than the other. These colors are proposed for the door set into the building, adjacent to what appears to be metal siding painted a light medium brown. That said, the lighter of the two selected colors fits/goes/compliments the building color best by far, the top color swatch of those you held up. That color is "pottery-urn?" If so, that's the color for your door-- whatever the color name, in fact, may be. However, you've most likely already painted that door by now. Hope you chose-- _correctly_ ! F W I W, your videos are, in general, quite interesting/entertaining, garnering you the standard You Tube 'thumbs-up' as a matter-of-course... _PLUS_ , the highly prized/much sought-after "Old Curmudgeon" three 👍👍👍, awarded for video excellence in an individual YT channel. Keep up the good work and keep 'em comin', guys!
I would be worried about under mining the container box because it is very heavy to the front already. You cut trees and removed dirt I would watch the thing to make sure it's not moving.
TIM from Canada suggestions if you have any flash drives you should maybe make a folder that every time you find a video that helps you fix something you keep that video. for example the video that helped you fix the track. make a folder put the video in that folder. market things I fixed and every time there is a video you need to find you can go back to that folder and anytime you need to fix something you put a new video in that folder just something to look at in the future
Always great to see your projects. Years ago I worked with track hoes. In my experience, rubber tracks were nearly useless in anything other than flat terrain for the reason you discovered in this video. I think they might have been designed for driving over sidewalks etc. to avoid leaving marks.
![เปิดบ้าน พี่ตูน Bodyslam หลังใหม่คนแรก ที่ภูเก็ต l [Nickynachat]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/flFwcmyDQSk/mqdefault.jpg)
Use code 8LFCAHK8 for your 8% off on River 2 unit now! amzn.to/3gjCQFN
that thing is amazing and now I know what to buy husband for Christmas! Thanks for that!!!
Weat pinny
Thanks I'm going to get one soon
Wheat penny, sorry Courtney.
Wheat pinny
Hi guy’s. Just an idea. You might want to place rock on the hill beside the solar panels to reduce erosion. The roots of trees help hold the soil in place. Mud slide!
I was thinking that too
Place rip rap beneath the solar array
I was thinking some good old grass seed would make it look nice.
Concur! Definitely need erosion control or your whole system could end up at the bottom of the hill.😳
another idea would be to build a retaining wall with a concrete slab between the wall and the container so that thre is a flat stable path behind the panels. it would also allow you to build a small road below the retaining wall for use outside of winter so you would be able to move the excavator around the property easier
Hey guys, just a safety thought. When relieving the pressure on a tracked machine, be sure to take the pressure off the tread first. You did that with the track knocked off. Removing the grease nipple or the plug that holds the grease tensioner, it can come out like a bullet if the tensioner is loaded. Stand to one side when taking it out just in case. Great videos.
That old army Geny is sweet,I would give it some extra TLC before winter sets in . Drain the diesel,burn it up in the excavator,put some nice fresh into the tank ,change the filter .Add a small cheap electric heater from solar output into the frame of the generator keep it nice and warm on a thermostat ready to kick in on those cold nights when the power banks are getting depleted.I don't know how cold it gets in the winter but it would be nice to know that the gen gonna fire up without any hassle keeps the condense out of the old skool analoge gauges too , sorry and wrap it in a tarp ,I know i'm weird like that 😂 nice to see real time your boost by altering angle .
I enjoy your videos. Might I suggest investing in a used heavy duty woodchipper. If you run all your forest wood and branches through it and spread the chips around your land you will add the nutrients back to the soil that the trees took out of the soil while they were growing. It's better than burning them up and losing all those nutrients into the atmosphere. After a few years the chips will compost back into the soil. It's good conservation practice. I'd suggest you add the chips back to the area you harvested the trees from. Good luck!
I believe the burning will do a better and faster job of returning nutrients to the soil. It's what mother nature does in the forest and farmers have been doing it for years.
@@srsykes Plus Courtney gets to burn!
@@srsykes Burning is faster, but it does not return any nutrients back to the soil at all. Mother nature returns the nutrients to the soil through rot and decay, microbes and fungi. Not through fire.
I am quite sure nutrient do not just go up into the air as there is a huge renewal of plant and tree life after forest fires that are started by lightning
Mulch holds water, on a mountain side that means soft soils that can slide. Rot is the best way to add nutrients back from all the bugs and critters doing their jobs but small burns like this also put back carbon without too much worry about NATURAL organic compounds into the air. The fuel exhaust from a chipper is not better than natural wood smoke.
Very impressive. NOTHING, stops you two. NOTHING. I'd love to meet you guys. Keep on keeping on.
Don't forget to ground the generator, while at 9th Engineer Support Battalion I ran those a lot all over Asia for several humanitarian missions and that was one of the things most often forgotten.
Came to say that. Should be an open lug on the frame for grounding. Very important for safety.
if whole electric system is bond it to ground and main shop have a ground rod a second one by ground rod is bad idle
I forget if they installed a ground rod?
@@CubbyTech back to first concrete pour set all pipes and conduit and one ground rod
Edward Uechi. I was with 9th Engineers back in the early 80s, BulkFuel Co.. Happy Birthday and Semper Fi.... and you're right on grounding the equipment
On the Excavator, when parking it Outside, move all the Cylinders chrome shafts back into the cylinder barrels where the oil is. If you expose the chrome shafts to the weather it could cause rust to eat into the shafts then the cylinders will start leaking and then you will have some very expensive repair bills.
i worked in hydraulics for 40 years and I seen this happen very often
I would suggest y'all stabilize the slope you dug off in front of the solar array. It wouldn't be good if the ground got saturated and decided to slide taking the solar array down the hill with it. 5 or so dump truck loads of large rocks from around your property would work. 8 inches to 20 inches or so in size. Small enough to handle by hand but large enough to hold the slope. Several layers thick not just a single layer would be best. That should be a priority before the wet winter season and thaw in the spring is gonna be harsh on the slope being a bigger chance to fail at that time. Something that would also help which I'd do before the rocks is to use the excavator and track the hill in to pack the dirt good. This is very important to get both of these things done soon as y'all can. Good video. Stay well. -Wil 👍
I’m not sure if it has been mentioned but try making a larger wedge cut and even considering a hinge cut rather than a pointed wedge. Then with your back cut it will want to fall much easier and not snap potentially causing a kick.
Put a reinforced plastic tarp in front of the panels staked to the ground on the slope and the snow will slide down the hill as it melts off the panels. Remove the tarp in spring. It completely eliminates the wet snow from building up in front of the panels.
I would be concerned about the possibility of water induced corrosion on the bottom panels if the cannot dry out. I worry that at bottom, there will be an ice dam forming make it very difficult to address. since they are touching the ground. I think it would bet better to use an angle so the panels are at least 2 feet off the ground.
A white tarp could help improve production with scattered sunlight reflection. It will also help minimize erosion of the bare excavated earth where the snow would run off otherwise... Next summer stuff can grow there but this winter there could be a problem there.
You guys might want to check the coolant in the bulldozer before you get hard freezes.
I look forward to what they do e up with for a heavy equipment garage! 👽👽
It’s my belief that there is such a thing as “too many trees!” What I mean by that is that you can have trees side by side that they actually stunt the growth of some trees and this is where land management is key! Cutting selective trees can make for a healthier eco system in the long run. My own opinion!
Reckless Riley says "This thing is crazy" as HE drives it off camber up a steep hill ;) Yepp its definately NOT the operator thats crazy ;)
😉
I just love your videos, and look forward to them.
I also like that this video was almost a half hour long❤️
It has been 28 years since I lived off grid..... We learned to recover firewood from every project.
I had a one man Alaskan mill for my chainsaw, and turned any usable wood into 2" slabs. They are so useful for other projects. We made decks around the property for friends to set up on during 3 day parties. Even a stage and dance floor, but we were hippies and students, so we had plenty of friends and volunteers.
The rest of the unused wood was cut into firewood and stacked to dry.
I'm 70 now and living vicariously through your videos 😎.
Thanks so much for making these videos. I love how you blend the sponsor's products into the videos. Very slick.
Sending good vibes your way✌️
Be careful with the dirt removal so that you don't start erosion around the panels
Adding some stone or rip rap is probably in their plans, maybe some terrace levels as well
I was thinking the same thing. Would be easy enough to put in a retaining wall before the freeze.
Operating the dozer and excavator on steep inclines scares the hell out of me. But, y'all did another amazing job. You never cease to amaze me. You guys rock!
Tracks are all about that tension. First thing to do before any kind of track maintenance is release the track tension. Doesn't matter if you're replacing thrown track, repairing the track or replacing the track. The tension keeps it where it it, so any changes to that requires taking out the tension.
That rubber one piece track on your excavator is very end user friendly.
Glad you got it sorted and that solar input from the clearance and angle adjustment is super impressive.
The skills you possess are impressive. Seems as if you did most of your homework in college. I went military and chased bad guys in the Coast Guard. I’m almost caught up to current videos. I’ve greatly enjoyed the ride.
You should pour a slab under the generator. Otherwise two things will happen. first the built in skid will rust away and second, while running the vibrations will cause the generator to sink into the ground. Which will allow the moist soil to start rusting the bottom panel of the enclosure out.
Perhaps put some wood cribing or concrete blocks for the winter, and then pour a bad next season. Better with be some sort of roof (open enclosure) to keep the rain and snow away, big enough so you can refuel, change oil with dealing with snow.
Or weld up a skid frame for it ! Lol genius I know.
@@johnwinnerd8511 Just like the existing skids, your metal "skid frame" would eventually rust away from contact with the constantly moist soil at their location.
there a lot rock under generator and is rock base under solar container Hill side drain pipe too
@@akdisney I hadn't noticed the rock until a later video. It will provide drainage but there still should be some kind of roof over the generator as someone else mentioned.. Also the rock can shift under the vibration when gen is in use, so something a bit more solid would still be good.
Really enjoyed the video and I can relate to being a pyro. There is nothing better than starting a big ol’fire. It’s good to see you guys getting re-energized and thinking about new projects. Looking forward to winter with y’all.
Love to watch you guys! Never a dull moment with you! ❤️
Thank you you guys have been answering some of the questions that people like me sit here and ask if it's possible to do and thank you and yes you've been doing a good job do appreciate it keep up the good work guys the generator with the solar panels and what it takes to live totally off grid with that way thank you keep it up
You should think about building a log home on the top of the mountain. You have the bulldozer to build the road and building site. The mountain has plenty of logs to build a beautiful log home. Just an idea.
The lighter of the two colors fits best with the siding you have... 😉
Where I live - firewood has more than doubled in price in past year. I have been cutting up old scrap wood. I would have kept everything thicker than 1". Having said that. If I had farmstead, I would have kept all, built gasifier with old petrol engine generator and turn those branches into electracy and heat over the winter. And there you see! Like I said - with the dozer, you should have taken the track of the idler, put it on the sprocket and then back on the idler wheel. Much much easier. And when you have excavator arm around - use it, don't try Hoe Nr.1 and crowbar. Well done by the way! You both will be great after couple of years more! :)
I recommend putting the hook on the linkage right above the bucket. It will allow you to lift heavier things. I mounted them on a few different excavators. Some do not have the clearance though. Very useful. Love how your property is coming along.
Love what you're doing to set up your house and business! And I love all your work and maintaining Video with explanations in the Video Keep up the good work and looking forward to upcoming projects! Also comments about getting a wood chipper to thin out the forest and create mulch! Rather than burning even though Courtney loves burning!
Most importantly cleaning up the forest floor is really important these days.
Another Item to think about!
Would not hurt to look above your hillside to find an area above House to put in a lake for water storage!
Get the Big Cat DOZER up the hill as it would take very little time to collect water into a little lake!
Too run sprinklers over and around the house in case of a forest fire!
I think you have water collection off roof? But not enough for a forest fire, as this seems to be our future these days
retired firefighter
What a difference a little tilt makes. Wow. Cheers 😙🥂😘
I was always wondering how much shading those trees would cause, guess this answers it.
Haha resting the generator on the blade is like resting a heavy load on your belt buckle! Good idea!
Pottery Urn for sure.
Portable battery is really cool. Not sure I need it for UK village living though ;)
I have a 500 gal diesel tank on my little farm and they deliver for a bit less than I spent at the gas station. It is a pretty big bill all at once, but so convenient to refuel from, and lasts me all year.
I’m a divorced single dad watching you videos for ideas and motivation. Your way of life is a very clever way to navigate tax savings , building and utility costs - I’m inspired. Thank you 😊
Thanks for watching!
When dragging logs with chain, wrap the hook end back around the lead to create a slip knot. It's actually called choking the load.
The idea is the tighter you pull the tighter the chain becomes.
Removing those trees was truly a bright ideal. 😎As a grandpa I get a pass on the really bad puns. 😉 Love the channel. You guys know that a lot of us are living the dreams that we were to chicken to try ourselves thru you. Keep up the good work!
Always Love watching your video's they are so calming to me!
Winter coming fast! Make sure your diesel transfer tank is full, and has good antigel additives! All your diesel equipment needs antigel, just in case you need it!
Wonderful idea to place a generator on your home front! Because you sometimes have heavy snow loads there...place a aluminum carport over your generator to protect it.
Over 400 of us watching and only a few likes 👍 come on folks hit the like button ☺️ morning to all 👋
Great and fun video! I echo the others who are concerned about the erosion under the solar panels. You have enough rocks and equipment to put together a decent rock wall at the base of the panels, to stop the hillside from sliding. It doesn't have to be pretty to start with, that can be done later. I would estimate you could put something together in 2-3 days that would work for a few years. Thanks for your humor and your dedication to your efforts. Stay well, stay safe!
You need to cut wider notches and leave a hinge to control the fall and avoid kickback
Just trying to be helpful, but there is a whole "geometry understanding" to being good at "falling" (in the parlance of most tree people) trees. And there would be "backcut first" technique, "shark jaw" technique. "barber chair prevention" by little cuts in from the side, etc. etc. A guy who was in my graduating class an an "elite university" dropped a tree on himself, died. Just sayin'. Wider notches, thinking about where holding wood is on hinges, knowing how and when to plunge, then cut release...
At my forestry college we were taught the Swedish technique for felling. It's easier to show than explain. Gives you a lot of control but any tree can surprise you by doing the unexpected and those times can kill or maim you
second cut high up
I detracked a rental unit this summer. Once I figured out the grease tension system, it was not too bad. The nice thing is you have a lift with you.
Do I recall correctly you installed three inverters that could give you 120/208 3-Phase if you needed it? If so, moving the side taps back to 120/208 would be advised on the generator. The MEP is far more power efficient on fuel when running in 3-Phase power. It would also allow the passthrough power on your inverters.
Wheat Penny! I think when something doesn't match surrounding colors exactly, it's best to go with something with higher contrast.
I really think pottery urn is the colour I’d paint the door! Great job, as always guys!
I would say to seed the area before the solar panels with native grasses and wildflowers to stabilize the area.
When going up steep hillsides use the arm to help pull yourself up.
A bit hard if you're using it to lift something!
I run a cheapo solar battery tender on everything that's just mostly sitting around. When the temps get really low that battery that cranked just fine at 80 degrees will often struggle at 32 degrees. You could even do the same thing with an outlet and battery tender coming from you solar shed as its so close. Its cheap insurance for your batteries.
Nice work on that track!, I recommend keeping the fuel tank full on that generator, the biggest hassle with the diesel generators was fuel problems, mostly caused by water in the fuel, which is often formed from condensation. Full tanks don't allow a lot of air to weep moisture into your tank, when the temperatures fluctuate. I enjoy seeing what you guys are building, keep the videos coming!
Don't know how well this would work but we used to pipe the exhaust from our big vacuum pump into a buried 55-gallon drum. That quieted it down a lot.
So awesome you are becoming quite the skilled loggers ,now I’ll suggest again,get a portable saw mill the lumber could provide you with inexpensive building materials that could be bartered or utilized! Great to see you guys back safe, blessings to you,I smile every time I get to watch your videos!
"Skilled Loggers" okay.....
Wheat Penny for the door color! Glad that track got back on so quickly!
Another great episode guys 👍 R u planning on putting a shelter over the generator to protect it from heavy snow or can it withstand direct weather?
All the trees that you cut down, do you have a saw mill so you can mill the trees for projects. And the big generator is nice to have to power your batteries. Stay safe and warm
Suggestion: get sheets of metal roofing and put them at a slope below the solar panels so that the snow will slide off of the metal panels but light will also reflect off of the metal roofing onto the solar panels.
You need to get that sawmill. There is a lot of lumber in those trees you burned. 😳 Or firewood for the stove. Use everything. 🙂
Reckless Riley at his best. I kept waiting for the Generator to roll down your mountain, than I was expecting the excavator to do the same. One of your best updates, thanks
better to raise the swivel point of your array straight up about 4ft than change hill slope.
I know it’s not on your priority list but I think you still should have a second exit out of the apartment because of fire
Maybe you should have a video on maintenance of all your equipment winter is coming and it’s time to put stuff to sleep for winter love watching your videos keep it up
Good idea. Do they have a fire ladder at least?
They could build a slide from the livingroom / kitchen window.
Egress is by law Mandatory in any sleeping area. More so, over a garage with flammable materials. Make this number one project. Or don't sleep there.
Welcome back! I missed you two!
It took forever to get the best excavator driver back in the drivers seat, way to go Courtney!
Hey guys, my paint choice is the lower on, matches Courtney’s hair and the overhead door petina.
Maybe a retaining wall just below th solar array, to control erosion?
Great episode, taking those trees out makes perfect sense but I still don't like to see trees go down, maybe plant some smaller plants there? It'd both help stabilise the soil and make it more attractive.
when i first saw the generator i knew it was definitely military grade stuff
I know it's going on two years since you tackled removing the trees blocking winter sun to your solar panels. Still, I'm just viewing the vid for the first time. I'm betting with 1500+ comments, someone probably already covered all the best suggestions. In case they didn't (TL/DR them all), consider using an excavator arm, a backhoe arm, or a bulldozer, or your skid steer bucket to push against the tree as high as you can, while a second person notches & fells the tree in the safest direction. Once notched, pushing with your power equipment may be all that's required. But you won't have to worry so much about the tree going the wrong direction. And you'll have some handy protection for the person with the chainsaw. Oh, also, if/when cutting several trees, cut the furthest one first and fell it away from the rest. That makes cutting subsequent trees easier & safer. Best of luck in your adventures, and keep up the great and fun work!
You get to learn all sorts of lessons. Have you considered a band saw mill?
Wow. Awesome camp fire.
I vote for Wheat Penny. It's like it blends better with the building and the soil. Great videos.
Hook yes but on the mount vs bucket, but I also welded a D ring on the blade. Don't think every little sun blockage need to go, just there for 10-15 minutes. Wheat Penny
Cannot tell which color would be best due to camera color tones. Best thing to do is look at it in multiple lights, including almost too dark to see, bright light, and cloudy.
To me both colors look off, but from the bad color tone angle, choosing based on that, Pottern Urn is the only one that might look ok!
I don't like either color, and yeah the tone is so far off due to camera fluctuations. I choose colors by how they are going to look dirty, but since this is a door, it can be repainted more easily than other things so two tone it and make it fancy!
Again good choices was thinking to sacrifice a couple trees this will massively improve yields, how ever burning off the bulk of the wood was a mistake, you really should have bucked and seasoned, lessons learned! and get a corded chain saw to run off the inverters.
It seemed y'all were having too much fun, good job as always!
not sure if it's worth it but just an idea. what about making a reflection zone (mirrors, pond, etc ) in front of the solar panels (see at 11:35) , maybe it will boost the efficiency even a little more.
Just a suggestion, but when you store your orbital sander you should leave a sanding disk on it to keep from damaging it by flattening out the hook and loop pad
That’s a great tip!
Great save on the tracks. Have you considered making some sort of retainer wall/embankment where you just dug out all the dirt in front of the Panels as a protection against erosion?
You might want to add a layer of Reflex insulation to the outside of the container behind the panels, this is stuff that has layers of reflective foil and air or foam layers in between. The highly reflective surface might improve your panel output and keep the container cooler during the summer and some additional insulation benifit in the winter.
FIRST: Skidding down a steep slope with all wheels (or treads) locked is among my most scary moments, ever! I saw you had a few this episode.
SECOND: door color: 50 years ago I married a very creative, very color-aware and very intuitive Angel. If my beloved really wants chartreuse - lime green with pokadots she gets it. Or, we consider mixing 50/50 of our individual choices and see how that looks. Fifty years from now, long after the door is faded and gone, may your love for each other be stronger than ever. Blessings.
Don D (La Mesa)
"Pink with purple stripes and yellow polka-dots." was my father's reply whenever he was asked what color he was going to paint something.
I can't help but laugh at the thought of when the dirt piled against the side of that container starts saturating and freezing, pushing the container down the hill, and you just made the hill steeper.
I agree pottery urn colour, i think it will complement the rest of the colour scheme of the building more and is similiar ish to the top metal colour also be less aggressive of a colour change, i think the other is a bit too dark in the other direction and will stand out like a sore thumb, be interesting to see which wins :)
Love your videos. I can only guess how much work it is! I have not seen what you do for water or blackwater waste disposal, but besides that I find myself envious of your situation, can't wait for each installment. Don't know how or if I even want to subscribe, but love what you are doing!
Right now we are using a portapotti but we have a solution for that very soon!
my wife says the door should be wheat penny but we both think you need to compare the colors to the wall and not the door since its the wall that will stay the same color
Wheat penny compliments your color scheme better, especially the garage door!
So envious of you both! Looking forward to next video! Stay safe and hope you are ready for the snow! This winter. If ever need a truck with a 13,000 winch attached? Let me know! ;)
14:43 and 18:17 people don't panic nothing is clicking or short-circuiting in your room it is just a click on the video both on your left speakers, all good continue enjoying
good job so proud of you guys
There are a number of U tube videos on converting plastic waste into diesel, you might want to look at them to save buying diesel.
Haha you mention the tree falling the wrong way would break the solar panels. TH-cam then cut to a homeowners insurance commercial
😂
Need to use that blade in alot of different situations to help you out. It can be your friend.
Paint your door red …. It brings wealth and success
I like wheat penny. I looks like it would go well with your siding.
You guys are so fun to watch. Need more thumbs up!
Safety first folks. You must either ground your truck or fill the fuel tanks on the ground. If you strike a spark from static electricity generated by filling the containers, you'll light a heck of a fire. Otherwise love the show and your gumption.
It's much harder to spark ignite diesel in open air than it is gasoline
Ambition Strikes: You've selected two 'red-brown' colors. One of these is considerably lighter/less red than the other. These colors are proposed for the door set into the building, adjacent to what appears to be metal siding painted a light medium brown. That said, the lighter of the two selected colors fits/goes/compliments the building color best by far, the top color swatch of those you held up. That color is "pottery-urn?" If so, that's the color for your door-- whatever the color name, in fact, may be. However, you've most likely already painted that door by now. Hope you chose-- _correctly_ !
F W I W, your videos are, in general, quite interesting/entertaining, garnering you the standard You Tube 'thumbs-up' as a matter-of-course... _PLUS_ , the highly prized/much sought-after "Old Curmudgeon" three 👍👍👍, awarded for video excellence in an individual YT channel. Keep up the good work and keep 'em comin', guys!
I would be worried about under mining the container box because it is very heavy to the front already. You cut trees and removed dirt I would watch the thing to make sure it's not moving.
I get burning the trees to just get it done and out of the way, but I’m curious why you didn’t cut it up for firewood. Seems like a remarkable waste.
TIM from Canada suggestions if you have any flash drives you should maybe make a folder that every time you find a video that helps you fix something you keep that video. for example the video that helped you fix the track. make a folder put the video in that folder. market things I fixed and every time there is a video you need to find you can go back to that folder and anytime you need to fix something you put a new video in that folder just something to look at in the future
With that much sloping done in this video, I foresee another project building a retaining wall of some kind in front of that array….
Always great to see your projects. Years ago I worked with track hoes. In my experience, rubber tracks were nearly useless in anything other than flat terrain for the reason you discovered in this video. I think they might have been designed for driving over sidewalks etc. to avoid leaving marks.
Aren't those Atlas saw da'bomb!?! I've been so impressed with mine!