customcurb

Fezzy

Was about 90,000 baht a bit over a year ago. Built by some guy in Udon Thani my wife's sister knows, or so I was told.

customcurb

A, professionally built is a relative term (snicker snicker). Prior to my visit the family (and my wife as she as visiting at the time) loaded it with 20 50kg bags of fertilizer, drove about 18 klicks from town to farm, turned into the house driveway (also snicker snicker at the description driveway there) and the rear tire blew up.

Buddha luck and all that, they made it to the house, or so wife gladly told me. That would be about 1 ton of payload plus assorted family or yokels.

When I was there recently, we loaded (2) 55 gallon water drums in the bed and filled, I guess that to be about 900 lbs, and it squat low and the wooden body sides scrubbed the replacement tires. Uh, hey, remove 1 drum full or we'll be buying another set of tires, OK?

And for safety sake, this is the bridge (again snickers) that I expressly FORBADE anyone from driving the E10 over....

E10

This is my E10, or better said, it's the wife's and families bought by me. During our recent visit I was driving it around a bit which certainly got plenty of double takes and stares from the locals. I never really noticed the plate nor know or care if it's legit. The thing cost me $3000 US a year ago to have made, which I question given that it's needed assorted minor repairs and seems rickety. As to carry capacity, I can't see ever putting more than 1 ton in the bed of most any small pickup truck without squatting badly, so I wouldn't ever want to try more in the E10.

Whew! Just read the thread and it all sounds so familiar, and I haven't moved there yet. Spent 6 weeks in Jan and Feb there checking the rubber farm and hopefully setting up processing rss. Simple building stuff, or what I wished was simple, was a slow motion mess. Wifee tends to be the belligerent type at times which added to the angst rather than sooth the fuming husband. Now when SHE got ripped for 200 baht by BIL and local punk worker, sparks flew.

I'd written to a couple people about this recent adventure and my emails were rather dark and negative, to the point that I wondered if it was me being a downer. Well after reading this thread, at least I know I wasn't in the wrong. I've read and heard directly about the 'jungle law', the 'upcountry village law' such as what Jim referred to, and have wondered if I ever will have to apply it.

glennb6

Mun Sumpalung!?!?!? Thought that was potato root or cassava root. Did I not read that that will compete with the young rubber trees for nutrients ?

We have a few rai with 1st year rubber trees and find out that wifes dad had decided to plant Mạn s̄ảpah̄lạng in between to make himself a few baht.

Baby rubber trees near the roots didn't grow well compared to others in the field without the Mạn s̄ảpah̄lạng. We had him to get rid of the Mạn s̄ảpah̄lạng.

Actually I'd be glad to hear differently, or how to they both can thrive intercropped. Advise?

thx

glennb6

James, I have not finished setting up the 'shed' to produce sheets. Aiming for later this year to make the move and begin.

My dear wife will be the "interface" person and I've told her she will need to seek out, talk with, and

be able to buy raw liquid on a regular basis from a few dozen farms throughout the area. I am hoping to have some

locals bring their liquid to the 'shed' and have wife make the daily rounds via pickup truck to collect from others.

But I suspect your comment about farmers not understanding percentages, water content ratio, DRC is going to be my

biggest problem also. Or in other words, how to deal with the stoooopid factor.

Last visit to the area I saw a couple pickups with collection tanks in the beds making a deliver to the local factory so I'm sure

some farmers are selling liquid, but they were few trucks compared to the number of trucks with stinky half softballs.

Might have to devise a flyer with pictures explaining water percentages. Think that might work?

Also, I saw an advert (http://www.sti-inter.com/product_detail.asp?pid=45) for a creping machine which I think

is used to process the stinky softballs into crepe sheets. The company rep told me this process requires further

and significantly expensive machines downline so don't bother with it.

However, 2 days before we were scheduled to leave I heard there was a processor selling creped sheets to (I don't know

who). Do you know anything about this process ?

thks

glennb6

have been to the ag office in the amphur and got the generic info.

anyone ever tried or know of this this company? T.R.M. Associated Co., Ltd.

was referenced on the Bandunglife site and has website as www.trminter.com

comments ?

thanks guys for the responses. let it be known that all shops and the guy drilling our well on another site are virtually clueless. more info from you guys than can be found locally. will attempt to run the spreadsheet.

glennb6

hi all,

excellent info and much a bit above my head. <need to get something like a modest amt of water up a hill to manually water rubber trees. <hill is about 25 meters vertical from small river and 300 meters max from the river. <have a kubota 7.5 hp <iron buffalo tractor as power source. now getting accurate info in uppernowheresville from a few shops is getting silly and gettig a spec sheet isnt possible here. would a centrifuge pump rated at 30mm, 2950rpm, 7.5hp, .5 sq meter per minute (all directly off the plate on the pump) do the job... about 3500 baht cost

glennb6

interesting as I was not aware importing personal gold was illegal.

What about 96% pure gold jewelry?