Friday Farm Fun- Preparing the Pivot

We spent last weekend readying the irrigation pivot on our 60 acres of alfalfa for the coming season. First we finished filling the pivot tracks, or the deep grooves in the field that the tires make when going back and forth in the wet ground. To do this we use the backhoe/loader and I drive setting the loader bucket of cinders at the track and my hubby either scoops the cinders out into the track or directs me to dump into the track.  He recently purchased an old 1950's vintage dump truck that he hopes to rig up an attachment for to make it easier for one person to fill the tracks.

After the tracks were filled to his satisfaction, we then took Sami, the chopped up Sazuki Samarai we use like a 4-wheeler and loaded up the air compressor. I drove Sami to each section of the pivot and we aired up the tires.

We still need to grease the gear boxes on the axles, but hubby forgot the grease so that's a chore for next time. ;)

Once the maintenance was finished, we started up the pump and set the pivot for the speed we wanted it to travel across the field and let it go. The alfalfa turned a bright green after getting that drink of water.

The day after we returned home from Princeton two of our neighbors over there called my hubby and thanked him for starting the pivot, because it rained buckets. So now my husband is known as the rain man!