the ultimate 4x8?

[jbrock27]

I hear what you are saying fellas about the motor vehicles and I understand as one who tends to hold onto a vehicle just past the point it should have been replaced.  But, I suggest that one is no better off continuing to work on an old car to keep it on the road, that everyweekend requires a trip to PEP BOYS, AUTO ZONE, NAPA, CARQUEST, whatever place you frequent bc in the end, you are pumping repair $$ in place of a payment and it becomes a weekend event.  Not to mention, in the end, what are you left with?-an old car, that will have something fail next weekend.  This does not even account for time spent working on a clunker.  I for one, have learned I have better things to do.  And keep in mind, you don't have to buy a brand new car to get a good car these days, you can get one a few years old, used and still do better than holding on to a constant h/a.  Jeff, I have to imagine by you, they use salt on the roads in winter (no so in Jerry's neighborhood).  This does not age a car well, despite replacing new working parts in it.

Re: Suburbran-putting gas in it is like having a car payment

John, maybe time to sublet some farmland to a farmer to grow crops and reduce the acerage you have to
maintain  

Jerry  that's a great size for cutting residentail, but man,  5 hours is still way toooooo loooooong to be cutting grass.  It is good J-Dog wants to help.  Maybe he can take over for you soon and it can be his 5 hours

[jward]

...then a bigger tractor is needed

What size tractor are we talking about here?

I have a John Deere 48" cut for my yard and use it to cut his. Justin wants to help just have to teach him.

Jeff I'm going thru the same with the wife's Suburban. I am on vacation this week and have to put a water pump on it. Some vacation.

Jerry

replacing a water pump s relatively easy. I had to replace a radiator in 15 degree weather with wind so strong it lifted the hood off the support rod and slammed it down. luckily I wasn't under the hood when it happened. I've also had to replace a brake line, water pump and a wheel bearing.

[Jerrys HO]

replacing a water pump s relatively easy

You are correct Jeff. I am an auto mechanic by trade so it does help to keep the older ones running like clockwork. Wow did I say clockwork, I meant just running.
With so much corn syrup in our fuels if you don't have an eco friendly car it will never run like a Swiss.
Just did not want to work while I was on vacation.

Jerry

[jbrock27]

I still think it is more of a case, when a car gets to be that age/stage, of keeping it running for "another week" until something else fails and needs fixing or replacing.  And in all that time, the car and us, are not getting any newer...

[jward]

actually it's more a case of living in a country where I work ever harder and my pay gets ever smaller.

[jbrock27]

Amen to that my brother!

[Jerrys HO]

actually it's more a case of living in a country where I work ever harder and my pay gets ever smaller.

Truer words ever spoken....
Plus trying to put 2 through college and 1 in private school.
Oldest graduated Tulane this year, going back for 2 more years. Middle child still has 2 to go, youngest has 5 more till college ( if I can afford it by then) and want's to go to Notre Dame where most of my wife's family went or goes .

Jerry

[Jhanecker2]

Jbrock27 :  Good suggestion we already  have had  18  acres under  cultivation rented out to a local farmer since 1990 .  I just mow the close in stuff near the compound .  Have to be able to get to the buildings,  the orchard ,  the vineyard  and keep the easement cleared . County life is labor intensive but quiet  , Union Pacific not withstanding. John2.

[jbrock27]

After living both, agree that country life is the way to go

[Doneldon]

actually it's more a case of living in a country where I work ever harder and my pay gets ever smaller.

Jeff-

This is all too true. Our salaries actually did go up but what the money could buy went down. I had nothing but so-called cost of living adjustments the last 15 years I worked because I was at the top of my range. I wasn't hurting because that scale was a good one, but I certainly noticed that the money in my pocket wasn't increasing like it did when I got both COL and merit pay. And workers have no choice but to increase their work effort. If they don't, they'll be replaced by someone else who will.

The sad fact is, average working people today have the same buying power as they had in 1985. In vivid contrast, look at the increase in the well-to-do class's income, and especially their wealth. Ninety-five percent of the growth of "wealth" during the recovery from the 2008 Great Recession went to the upper one percent of people. The wealthiest 200 Americans saw their combined wealth increase by a total of $120,000,000,000. That's an average of $600,000,000 each. Did most of that money go into job creation? Well, I haven't seen any evidence of it.
                                                                          -- D

[jward]

1985 was a bad time for those of us west pa. it was the year I moved to Pittsburgh from the country. where the unemployment rate (15%) was half where I grew up. the current economic turmoil is childs play compared to what we went through here in the 1980s when the steel mills shut down. and yes, it seems like I am no farther ahead than I was back then. all I know is that I need to work a minimum of 45 hours a week just to keep my head above water.