Trailer Mover

Beyond plants in the garden we have a lot of structure- trellises, outbuildings (greenhouse, tool closet, chicken coop, grill shed) and even our camper.  The camper makes a delightful addition as a little "guest house" in our backyard when we are not in the mountains or prairies camping.  People often ask how we get our camper in the garden tongue-first (as opposed to backing it in, the conventional way).  

That is a good question. After some research, I purchased a "heavy duty" trailer dolly Like the one below (I don't have a picture of mine anymore, because I cut it up for scrap and reused some parts of it).

Not my photo, don't buy one of these.

Not surprisingly these are all made in China, and since I don't buy anything new from China,  (A little sidebar, this reminds me I need to update this buy nothing from China project, it has been almost two years since I began that endeavor, but I digress...) I was able to find one used.  I was a little dubious about the quality, but people swore by them.  The first time I used it I noticed a lot of flexing, so I strengthened it with some welds and bolstered it in a few places with some steel supports.  This seemed to help the rigidity and it seemed to transfer torque and force to the matter at hand.
Nevertheless, I wasn't really satisfied with it.   Those trailer dollies probably work really well on a level compacted surface (like a concrete driveway) but going from our alley into our garden was a two or three person job.

Unfortunately, it was usually me and my wife struggling to move it, which usually lead to the trailer going where it was supposed to, but also involved an argument (probably my fault). So I figured I could find a better way to do this and I could probably build something that would make it a one person job.  After some searching online for dolly plans, I found plans to make a battery powered trailer mover.  The plans came in either heavy duty or light duty plans.  I went with the heavy duty.

It turned out to be a really fun project and very enjoyable, and even a little challenging.  But best of all, it works!  And it looks cool.  And it was fun to build.  And it helped save our marriage.  

The skeleton of the mover.

The mover uses a 12V winch you modify to accept a sprocket. The winch turns a HUGE sprocket on the axle connected to the front wheels (those big lawn tractor tires). From a welding and fabrication standpoint, it was a really fun project.  Did I mention that already?

The completed mover.

It is slow, but it could probably move a house.  In retrospect, I could have probably gotten away with the gearing or the smaller front tires from the lighter duty model. But I would definitely recommend the rear tire configuration of the heavy duty model for traveling over uneven surfaces (the light duty model uses swiveling casters).

Hooked up the the trailer- a thing of beauty.

Here it is hooked up to my trailer before I bring it into the garden through the removable fence panel.

Easily making the 90 degree turn from the alley into our backyard.

Moving the trailer is now a one person job. It is really easy to maneuver over rough ground, and even in mud.  The motor (the winch) is controlled by a remote switch I mounted to the handle, so you can toggle forward and backward with your thumb.  Turning the mover (and trailer) is easily done with the long handle.

Now moving the camper is a one person job.

I was able to get a lot of the components for it from Home ReSource (some steel, wheels, and hardware), and used parts (like the winch) online, and even from cutting up the original dolly! I was able to get a pretty big used (made in the USA) gel battery for it from the Axman, for only $45.  On a single charge I was able to move the trailer back and forth from the garden to the alley all spring, summer and fall.  Since it is a gel battery, I don't have to worry about it in the winter, which is good, because I just wanted to leave it outside.

SponCon 2014 Recap

When I get asked why I like Spontaneous Construction (SponCon), I inevitably say because it is such a unique event.  It is challenging; it is a difficult test of your skills, creativity, and craftsmanship.  It is so different from other Missoula events. Yes it is a building competition (I am not aware of any others), but the competition is not really with the other teams, but with yourself.  I love building things and every year I challenge myself to build something and unique out of discarded materials.  

What a day.  SponCon 2014 is done, and it didn't disappoint.  It is always demanding and exhausting.  I look forward to it every year.

All our tools, supplies, and dreams loaded into the truck on our way to SponCon

A day devoted to building something- I love it.  Every year brings its own set of challenges and this year was no different.  We were already down a team member (my good friend and excellent woodworker, and welder, Barry, was on a much deserved vacation this week) so it was just me and my wife, Marilyn.  I was concerned about having enough time for building the project I in mind.  So concerned, I woke up at 3 am stressed about this.  Maybe I was just excited.

Moments before the competition began- team Butterfly Properties, me and my beautiful wife.

I quickly cut, grinded, and prepared all the steel stock for assembly (all of the steel in this project was from discarded bed frames- something there are a lot of in the world, and the landfill).  I switched over to welding, and that's when the day took a turn for the worse.  I turned on my welder, and pulled the gun's trigger, and got nothing.  I spent the next one and a half hours trying to figure out what was wrong with my welder, and never could get it to work.  It worked the night before- I changed the spool and tip in preparation for the day.

Around noon, with a non-functioning welder, for what I had planned to be primarily a welding project (!), I came to terms with the fact I wouldn't be able to complete a project. I was incredibly disappointed.   I had looked forward to this day for so long, and I was afraid of letting everyone down.   In retrospect I realized that there was the challenge this year, and this is why this event is so difficult- one thing goes wrong, and time keeps going by.  This is why I enjoy this event so much- you put yourself into a difficult and unique situation, and you just don't know what is going to happen.

I ended up borrowing a welder from one of the most talented SponCon builders, and former Home ReSource employees, Jimmy Willet (pictured on the left below).

Jimmy Willet (on left), the man that saved SponCon for me, and his teammate Josh Decker

I then spent the rest of the time figuring out how to use his welder!  His is actually better than mine, but I was used to using mine.  By the time I was done with all the welding, I was finally producing some good welds.

Back in the game

I ended up reevaluating my project and scaling it back.  In the end, I am happy with how it turned out, though it was not quite how I envisioned it.

Our completed potting bench

We made a potting bench that has all the features you need: a place to store soil, hooks for hanging tools, a big work surface, large lower shelf, and a grate (made from wrenches) over which you can pot plants or water them and have the soil and water drain to a basin below.   But, it also functions as an outdoor side board or buffet.

The tool hanger (made from a garden rake) also serves as a wine glass holder, and the soil container could hold ice to cool beverages and the grate works as a trivet for hot serving dishes.

It is made for the garden, so appropriately, it is made of garden tools and adorned with a couple of insects, a lady bug (whose feet are also tool hooks) and a long horned beetle, made from various shovels and diggers.

The frame is made of bed frame steel for long life outdoors and the wood is all 2 x western red cedar from a deck and raised garden beds.
It was a long, exhausting day, and I am already looking forward to next year.

Miles and Marilyn after a long day of SponCon

Miles was happy to see us when it was all over.

If you are interested in seeing this and the other creations that are grand prize contenders, from SponCon 2014, come by Home ReSource where they will be on display.  And if you are interested, you can bid on them at the auction on October 24 at the Doubletree Hotel in Missoula.

A lot going on in the garden...

Spring is such an exciting and ever changing time in the garden.  This year is no exception.

New birds are arriving daily, others are nesting, including red breasted nuthatches, northern flickers and black capped chickadees.  All the nest boxes have cameras, and as the action heats up I will stream live video form each (now we are streaming from inside the nuthatch box http://www.ustream.tv/channel/red-breasted-nuthatch).

Just yesterday, 3 nuthatches hatched.  Here is a short video of them getting one of their first meals.

And of course, I have been busy with garden projects.  Here are some photos of what is happening now and some updates on projects...

Featured prominantly on the wall of my shop- I keep a list to remind me of the projects I want to complete.  

This floor grate was an early one on the list (I made it this winter from old wrenches) and replaces a dilapdated, temporary wood grate I made several years ago.  Beneath the grate is our compost furnace.

The greenhouse is really filling up.  

And so is my little nursery.

I have been growing these sedum (Sedum lanceolatum)  for a green roof on the chicken coop I will be building...

 

The coop will occupy this space- the corner raised bed in the vegetable garden that gets too much shade to be really productive.

In the meantime, these shovel chickens enjoy the space.

In what has become a rite of spring, we moved our composter.  This change was set into motion by our new back gate, and fence rearrangement, that was prompted by storing our camper in the garden (click here for my wife's blog about our camper- a project in itself)

It fits right in. 

My plan is to build a pergola over it.  On the list.

 New garden furniture has been on the list for some time. And this winter I made a lot of progress. 

 Several new shovel chairs and benches replaces our dilapidated bent willow chairs.

 Even the birds got new furniture- a new bird bath to match the chairs and gate.

An outdoor garden shower- it could be yours on Oct 25!

Yesterday, our garden coaching business, Butterfly Properties competed in my favorite Missoula event- Home ReSource's Spontaneous Construction (aka SponCon).  In this event, contestants have 7 hours to build whatever they want from materials found at home resource.  Affectionately known as a festival of creative reinvention, SponCon brings out incredibly creative and talented artists, builders and craftsmen. This is a really unique and inspiring event, and I look forward to it all year.

However, today I feel like I got run over by a truck!  It is exhausting- the planning (though it is spontaneous), loading up all of your shop (and then unloading it at the end of the day!), the 7 straight hours of foot-on-the-gas building and problem solving is really exhausting; and I can't wait to do it all again next year!

This year, in keeping with our theme of building things for the garden, we built an outdoor shower. At
Butterfly Properties Garden Coaching, we encourage clients to embrace outdoor space as both an extension of your home and a refuge from life’s demands. Bathing outside gives a sense of freedom, a way to connect with the outdoors, and is also practical. Our Garden Shower creates a charming sanctuary for you, and a practical spot to hose down the kids and dogs.

Team photo:  (from left) Larissa Cummings, Marilyn Marler, David Schmetterling, Brittany Cummings, and Barry Cummings

The other theme we have been following is repurposing garden tools into things for the garden (seems appropriate).

In 2011 we built a mobile garden cloche (this is still my favorite project of ours)

In 2012 we built a table and chairs from garden tools

This year the garden shower.

 It is a finalist in the competition, so that means it will be auctioned off at the Benefit Auction on October 25- so it could be yours!

The shower features insects made from garden tools that each have a function (I call them shovel bugs).

The lady bug's leg is a shower valve

The shield bugs feet are towel and clothes hooks

And the butterfly (we had to have a butterfly) is the door pull

Also, the water from a garden hose is all plumbed

and emerges through a watering can

that is perched on a snag (we got that from a slash pile).

It is a lot of fun to see talented builders and architects from around western Montana at this event, including Mast and Co., DePuy Building and Adapt Design and Build, each of which donates a lot of their time to Home ReSource.

Also I look forward to this event to see my friend Barry, it is about the only time we see each other anymore (he used to live in Missoula but moved to Idaho).  The funny thing is we spend all day together, working a few feet from one another, and don't say a word to each other!  Maybe its the ear plugs.

Repurposed Garden Tool Table and Chairs

In my last post I gave an overview and recap of Spontaneous Construction, but here are a few more pictures of the table and chairs we built from old garden tools and reclaimed cedar fence rails.  For more information about this project, click here.

These chairs and table are one of many items constructed in 6 hours on Saturday that will be auctioned of at the Home ReSource Benefit Auction on October 19 (here is a link to the Facebook Event page).  It is incredible what the talented people and supporters of Home ReSource constructed.  Thirty teams donated their time and effort to build something in order support the idea of creative reinvention, recycling and reusing building materials.

All the items up for bid on October 19th are on display at Home ReSource included three beautiful tables, an English phone booth inspired greenhouse, an awesome rocking chicken printing press (yes, you read that correctly), and many more works of art.

The chairs are surprisingly comfortable- in part due to the long flexible tines of the mulch forks and the back rails that are curved from steam bending.  It was a fun project, and I am looking forward to building some more- but for my own garden this time!

Repurposed Garden Tool Trellis

I’ve been meaning to install a trellis on the side of my house for some time.  This portion of my house always seemed like a blank slate- an expanse of siding. Visually this is a common problem with many houses- between windows house look like monoliths- a monotone expanses of siding.  To me this always represents an opportunity to garden vertically with trellises, add architectural elements, and it helps to add some height- to draw your eye up.  And, for me, it is an opportunity to build something.  

I have been making trellises for some time in our garden to dress up the 6’ privacy fence, adorn (or hide) the garage/ shop, for vegetables to grow, etc…  Most of these trellises I’ve made from recycled cedar fence board and they are all the same or based on the same dimensions.  


Making so many of these adds repetition of form that leads to a cohesive feeling to the landscape. This continuity in design is first a reflection of the divided light windows of our 1940’s home.  

To make a lot of these trellises I made a simple jig years ago, so now I can crank them out in no time- whether to support tomatoes, a vine, to keep cats from digging in our vegetable beds, etc…

However, for this side of our house, I wanted something different, something a little more formal, sort of and something unique. 

So, this is what I came up with- a pretty robust and formal frame, but the vertical dividers made of old garden tools, adding a little whimsy and also to show that a gardener lives here. However, the grid formed by the tool handles and the horizontal supports are the same dimensions as the divided lights of our windows.

Like most of my projects, the materials from this one came from Home ReSource- the tools were, obviously, garden tools, and the wood was cedar deck boards and fence posts I re-milled.  Even though most of my projects are made from recycled or re-purposed materials, typically I try to conceal that fact. However, in the case of this trellis and my new, re-purposed potting bench, I embraced the materials heritage, so to speak!

This definitely breaks up the space and adds interest to an otherwise blank wall and, perhaps more importantly, adds a place for white clematis (Clematis ligusticafolia) to climb.