Part of the process is prepping for the big show. For us it was an all day event the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. I can't ever remember prepping this early, but then again I can't ever remember cutting wheat this early either. It is what it is, and when the wheat is ready - it's ready.
First things first. Air conditioning. This is likely the original fan without blades. I have to admit that a desk job for the past ten years has really made me a wimp. I didn't melt, but it was pretty dang hot. This little gem provided some great breeze as we prepped.
Next up was moving all of the equipment out of the shed so we had room to work. That meant firing up everything and carefully backing it out across the street. Once we got everything out it was time to change the oil in the combine, and it's not an easy task. I can remember when I was little Dad used to cuss all the time at all the little zirks and little spaces that had to be greased up.
"Why don't you grow up and be an engineer and change the way these damn things are made," he'd say. I don't think Dad realized the scope of my abilities. I mean, I'm glad he thought I had the ability to be a John Deere engineer, but let's be real. The gig I have now suits me much better. He should know, he trained me to have an opinion, always get the last word, and B.S. with the best of them. Grandpa might have helped, too, but I give him more credit for my four-letter word vocabulary.
Once we got the oil all heated up by running the machine for a little bit we drained the oil. If you look closely you'll see the drain is nothing more than a hose like piece. If that's all it takes to be an engineer for John Deere, I should have taken my chances because those clowns forgot to put something close enough to hang a bucket. Instead we got some wire and got creative.
Oil draining is a crappy job. I say that because the oil isn't cool and it splashes. When you are working with somebody that doesn't like to get dirty (ahem, Dad) it can be a challenge. Oil splatters and then you have to clean it up from the side of the machine, which isn't all that fun.
While the oil is draining it's time to grease the 11,023 (or so it seems) zirks that are scattered all over the machine. The zirks are the little portals for grease and they can clog, and they are usually impossible to reach. When we were kids we used to have to either run the gun, or the nozzle. Neither job is in the top-100 of farm jobs. If you ran the nozzle you got barked at "hold it still," or "you're wasting grease!" The other end of the gun wasn't that great either because you had to count the pumps and it was a workout. Hand cramps were common, and Dad wouldn't always wait on you to move. Sometimes you just had to hang on as he tugged to reach a zirk.
I found out during this oil change that Dad has a damn electric grease gun now! Where was that when we were getting drug around the machine all those years ago?
Once everything is greased, and filters are changed it's time to dump the oil back in and fire it up. Then the header gets attached and you're ready to roll to the field.
It's long nights in the field, early mornings prepping machines, and sometimes family dynamics don't always result in harmonious tones.
We do our best though.
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