Farm machinery and the farmer
October 17th 2006 00:34
Dismantling the windmill
But I cannot help but admire farmers and their ability to skip from one job to another. In any one day the farmer could be carrying out repairs on a tractor, changing a tyre on the motor bike and then be hopping on the front end loader to load heavy fence posts or shift some feed into a silo. And that is only some of the farm machinery they are expected to use. And they are expected to be able to do it – often without any help, other than a memory of what their Dad may have told them, or what the salesman told them when they bought it ten years ago. If all else fails there is that instruction book in the old greasy plastic bag that is stuffed down the side of the seat, but that is often written in several languages, and it is inevitable that the one page he needs is missing. So finally the farmer may go and ring the bloke at the place he bought it. Now that conversation is worth listening to! “Joe, you know the bolt that is under the cog third from the right on the second shaft of my Massey – well it seems to have sheered off. How do I get to that part without dismantling the whole tractor?” And the mechanic understands!!! Half the time they will have to dismantle the whole tractor, of course, and the amazing thing to me is that they always manage to put it back together again.
Loading the Windmill
(Note: I am conscious of the fact that I use the masculine pronouns when referring to farmers. I apologise and recognise the increased numbers of female farmers in our community – and promise to make amends soon!)
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