On this page there are a number of ideas to resolve problems that occur in the process of farm work. Just click on the thumbnail images to view the enlarged format.
Made from old plough disks is a simple salt block holder to reduce the risk of urea poisoning of stock. They are pegged to the ground through the holes in the bottom disk. One design has just a rubber disk nailed to the top surface of the block. It still has to be secured to a base, all of these are sitting on a 10 mm pin (a hole is drilled into the base of the salt/mineral block).
There are files showing various wire spacings for electric fences, plans of a drought lot built on the property and ramp/grid drawings.
Designs for flexible gate systems that span large openings can be seen in conjunction with the photos above.
This is an ATV trailer made from an old heating oil tank, click on images for enlagements.
Here is a simple paint brush container to store “wet” brushes. It comprises of two tall cans of slightly different diameters, and a section of tyre tubing to seal the joint, make your own.
I use various sized old tyre tubes to make retaining “straps“. Basically large rubber bands tailor made to the job. Your local tyre business will have all sizes to give away.
How about a light for the outside toilet or dark corner of a shed. No power required, no batteries, have a look at this You-Tube site, click on the bottle.
Home made heavy duty hand cleaner – just mix dish-washing liquid into used coffee grinds to form a paste,it will lift the grease and oil off your hands and leave them smelling like freshly brewed coffee. If you don’t drink coffee, just visit your nearest cafe’, I’m sure they would give away their old used coffee grinds for free.
Make your own fly traps – use three tall plastic bottles. Cut the top off one and the bottom off the second, remove the caps etc. On the third whole bottle, cut a X as an opening at its base. Tape them together and add the fly bait (available at most rural suppliers) and add water. Give it time (2 days) to “brew” in the sun and use one of the ” tire tube” rubber bands to attach it to a post.
Who remembers where the underground pipes and cables are? It takes time but it is a great aid to mark and map your underground service lines. I use galvanized pipe and used plow disks to mark the junctions & lines. Red for power, yellow for water. I make cuts in the top of the pipes to show the direction of the line. I place white posts at roadsides to mark the line across roads. I also mark places where joiners have been fitted. In areas where it is difficult to place markers, I take measurements from surrounding “reference points”, posts, trees, buildings or I “nail” a metal washer into a surface (concrete, rock or timber). For more information see the Documentation & Downloads page to see plumbing plans.
A mailbox with improved visibility: Paint the inside of the mailbox white and fit the lamp section of a garden solar lamp into the roof (on the Northern side). I use old refrigerator shelving to keep the mail off the floor of the mailbox (if it should get wet) and the front covers are made with a flexible plastic sheet with a stiff, weighted bottom edge to keep the weather out.
With a dam silting up I needed an alternative water source for stock. As the garden water supply line passed through that paddock I erected an old bathtub as a trough on that line.
At one of the local district’s field days I saw a novel idea where Goldfish were used to keep stock troughs clean. I introduced Goldfish to our troughs from our garden ponds and they thrived. The round trough was positioned on a subdivision fence to serve two paddocks and a hose was also added to act as a “Quick fill” for fire preparedness. Water lilies were placed in pots and submerged in the trough to offer some fish habitat.
When using chemicals in the form of herbicides or stock health products the mixed chemical are usually placed in containers for application, such as spray bottles or drench back-packs. With a need for a variety of mixed herbicides or drenches it is important to identify the contents of the various containers/applicators.
Many drenches look very similar.
You can make small labels for your variety of chemicals that are then plastic laminated and a key ring added to them. Now when the chemicals are mixed the key ring label can be attached to the container/applicator for identification.