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Yanmar YM14 Diesel Tractor

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The Yanmar YM14 2 is a versatile a two cylinder diesel tractor lawnmower, which was  manufactured in 1983.

My YM14 is the probably the most reliable ride on lawmaker I have ever owned although, sticky speaking the YM14 is a tractor not a lawnmower.

Yanmar YM14 photo 2018

The deck had been designed to be easily removed and reattached with just a few quick release clips and a bit of fiddling with the drive belt.

Unfortunately spare parts and replacements appear to present something of a problem to owners people living in Australia, (as I do), and I have been unable to find suitable suitable blades.

The Cutting Deck.

The 48″ inch cutting deck (i.e the blade mechanism) which cuts the grass is an impressive 48 Inches, and is made of 3 left hand turn blades, the blades turn anticlockwise which is different from most lawnmowers in australis,  (dare I say the world), which by convention are typically designed to turn and cut clockwise,

Left hand turn (anticlockwise) mower blades

Acquiring lawnmower blades to presents something of problem to me and (probably for most Yanmar YM14 owners), because you can’t simply retrofit fit similar brand, because if you did the cut grass cuttings would be pushed downwards and not up and outwards.

Plain simple flat mower blades works reasonably well, but certainly not as well as the original equipment would, i.ed using blades designed for the Yanmar PowerShift, the problem most Yanmar owners face is where on earth do you find and purchase new the cutting blades? ( if you know please tell me).

TractorData.com provides the following information about the Yanmar YM142

 

An Example of Elastic Home Living, (MVP) Minimum Viable Product

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Congratulation to this young family who built and moved into a Tiny House in South Australia.  (It’s great to have your space on you parents property to settle on.)

There concept this is quite similar to what I imagine an Elastic Home to be like, (except that the modular elastic homes I’ve been thinking about  are somewhat larger than Tiny Home, however the principles are much the same.

This is great example of an MVP – Minimum Viable Product, and its certainly a lot easier to relocate that the modular homes I’ve been imagining.

I have always imagined my family, children and parents living on the same property, this video help me imagine and visualise what I’ve been trying to put together regarding Homes which grow with you.  Have a look at my ideas in Elastic Homes and Living.

One Can of Paint (Before and After)

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Last week … was spent scraping paint off skirtings and architraves in our bedroom, to try to make a clean line between two colours ( white and purple … called brassica like the vegetables)

It was supremely boring, and tedious, to say the least.

The walls and ceiling are all textured, so it makes it extremely difficult to get a straight line between anything.

Its not to everyones liking,  happily , Marge likes the result.

I like it too … but it is way darker than we both thought it would be, and it gets more grey to it as night time approaches.

It never ceases to amaze me that one can work for weeks on something and

it makes little or no difference … or … one can spend a few days, and a single can of paint … and it makes a big difference to the way a room feels.

I should have painted it sooner … but oh well … It is what it is.

Views of Havilah House

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I’m quite fortunate to live on 2 acres, this home has so much potential, I am pleased the I cleared out much of the garden and made it easier to manage however I do regret cutting and clearing some of the trees and shrubs, most notable the frangipani tree. and the agapanthus, the tree ferns which unfortunately died of their own accord, possibly due to old age or because they were exposed.

The nicest part of the land is the flat patch directly in front of where I am standing to take this photograph, although the land extends down to right, past the trees and to Coochin Creek, which would have been a very peaceful relaxing area until the traffic increased on Peachester Road on the other side of the creek.

Havilah House – December 2011

 

Avocado, Bannana, Blue Berries, Lime, Passion Fruit and Paw Paw,

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So if I have an aspiration for 2017 it’s to plant Avocado, Bannana, Blue Berries, Lime, Passion Fruit and Paw Paw, at Havilah House.

There is a particular variety of lime that Steve Childs told me about which I would like to get.

As for the passionfruit I have started planting these in 2017, and have a few vines however it’s been awfully hot and dry for the past few months,

Bannana’s I planted in 2015 and 206 and I have 2 varieties growing

Blue Berries I had when we moved into the propertiy but due to stupidity and putting ash from the combustion stove on the blueberry shrub and caused it to die.  – It bring to mind mind a comment “What a fool you are”.

Sadly I cut down the Avocardo, which looking back I should simply have pruned