I will not covet...

...my friend's quick-attach loader. I picked up an old bale spear at a buddy's house last week. He loaded it on my trailer for me using his loader. But first he swapped-out his bale spear for a pallet fork. Since he had a quick-attach loader, this changeout consumed only about 30 seconds.

I faced several challenges installing the spear on my tractor. Challenge number one was getting the old Ford 4600 started after an uncharacteristically cold 12 degree night. As most of you know, diesels and cold don't mix well. Old diesels, weak batteries and cold can be downright disagreeable. But I am thankful that she started once again. Challenge number two was removing the bucket that had been in place for more than three years. This really wasn't the challenge I expected. Liberal application of brute force using a 3 lb. engineer's hammer and a cold chisel removed the three pins securing the bucket. Challenge number three was attaching the spear. This would not have been too bad had the attachment points lined up properly. This homemade bale spear is designed with one large spear and two small stabilizing spears. Unfortunately the small spears were welded in a location that prevented me from being able to adjust the attachment brackets exactly where I wanted. Never-the-less I was able to coax (ref. engineer hammer) the brackets into an acceptable position so that I could make the attachment.

In all, the changeout took about 40 minutes and it will be quicker the next time. I am thankful for the equipment, that I was able to accomplish the task, and that the cows have been fed. I am thankful that a little (or often a lot) of muscle and sweat is good for us and can sometimes do the job better than a piece of expensive equipment. I truly don't covet the quick-attach loader, but don't ask me about my friend's workshop, back-hoe, dump trailer....

Keith