we try to get things moved.  That is because when the rains come and the ground becomes muddy, it is nearly impossible to use motorized vehicles.  They become stuck in the mud or make large ruts.  So every year it is a scramble to get things where they are supposed to be before the long rainy season begins.  Last year we did not get done.  This year has become complicated.

I was able to clean out two pens by hand and use the tractor and manure spreader to move the contents.  But then Tom started working on the main portion of the barn with the tractor and on the first pass the steering gave out completely.  So now we have a dead tractor with parts on order and a barn to clean before it rains.  So we decided to rent a skid steer.

So the skid steer had tires, not tracks.  It could not handle cleaning out our barn.  It was getting stuck and tippy.  So we called the rental company, and they could exchange it for a tractor but not for 4 days. So while we waited we noticed that other things needed to be moved as well.  So we used the steer to moved the old motorcycle shed to the garden to become a garden shed.

The one door is off its hinge from the move but very fixable.  Then we moved the container that Tom bought from his friend to become the new and larger motorcycle shed.  (It is next to the garage extension that is in progress.)The skid steer handled these task beautifully and then the tractor finally arrived today.

Tom cleaned out the barn with it while I used our recently refurbished quad to move composted manure to the garden.  I piled it where the peas were and can spread it once the harvest is over.

The chain became loose while I was riding it and was slapping against a guard making a horrible racket.  But I got the job finished. Then Tom was spreading his last load obtained from the tractor in the barn when the drive chain on the manure spreader broke in the far field.

So we went out there and emptied it by hand, trying to manually spread it and limped it back to the barn.  There is still manure on the edges of the barn that need to be manually picked up and three more pens that need cleaning.  So we need a functioning tractor and manure spreader to finish these tasks.  So Tom once again has a lot of fixing to do on a bunch of older equipment.  Wish us luck getting everything done before the rains come.

The chickens enjoy the mostly cleaned out barn anyway.