JungleBiker

2 minutes ago, talahtnut said:

Ernest Doe is Essex UK...Good idea mate, you could buy a new engine,

and you have a virtually new 4wd tractor.  R year 97/98

New, not used, engine? Do they still make them? Where's the factory or where could I seek a new engine? 

4 hours ago, talahtnut said:

Another point of interest you raised, is manual labour, which

has many environmental and social advantages, something

future farming methods must consider.

We are already hiring villagers to tidy up the ridges we've made for planting avocados and we'll be hiring them to plant the trees, etc. 

4 hours ago, talahtnut said:

I dont know what area you are in, but am interested to know if

you have a farming community where you can share costly

machinery. 

Not sure about sharing but I'm hoping other farms will be interested to hire our spreader once we have it up and running. And we are hiring tractors and drivers with discs, bulldozers, etc. 

This is a New Holland 7740 not far from where I am. Photos taken today. I had noticed it a long time ago but I had never been interested to see how many spool valves it had. I'm not sure if it has 2 or 3? Perhaps someone can tell us.

Pity it's lacking an engine.

The tyres look better than the ones on Talahtnut's flood stricken Ford in Oz.

I bet the previous owners never thought their tractor would end up in Laos. I will try to make contact with them via Ernest Doe & Sons (name on the bottom of the number plate). 

I wonder what it would take to get it working again? I guess it would be better to start off with a complete tractor rather than half of one. 

Note sure why there is no "quote button" on the opening post.

But anyhow, you could add things to your regular "oats and water", like banana, raisins, flax seeds, blueberries, strawberries, etc? 

I think some of those bags mentioned above won't last more than a year due to being broken down by the strong UV light. 

Regarding the chicken wire and geotextile, you may be able to skip the wire if you can find a good way to sew the geotextile. But I think the geotextile will cost more than the black plastic pots. 

How about those "trash cans/dustbins" they make out of old tyres turned inside-out? I don't think you'd need a base. Better drainage and then if the roots grow into the soil below they will grow faster/larger. But you'd probably need to under cut them now and again to avoid shocking them after a few years. 

I think when they dig up large trees for landscaping they wrap the rootball in blackshade netting. That stuff is designed to last a few years. It has built in UV protection. So perhaps you could make "pots" from that. Again, you'd need to find a thread for sewing that didn't break down faster than the netting. Perhaps galvanised wire can be used to make clips for fastening. 

JB. 

Thanks FJ, That looks very handy. No, the spreader doesn't have one of those or any load cells. But it does have instructions in the manual about measuring the density of materials to work out application rates. I do have a small laboratory with measuring flasks (for volume) and digital scales, so I think I can sort it out. 

I did see that the UK, South African, German and Australian versions of the Kubota I'm looking at have 2 spool valves (4 ports) as standard with an option for a 3rd. So I will try to get one with 3 spool valves (6 ports) to be on the safe side.  

Well in the past few days I have learnt a few things about tractor hydraulics that I didn't know before. And now I know what Bowden cables are. I have them on my bicycles but I didn't know before what they were called! I just called the "cables". 

Thanks everyone. 

JB

Thanks guys for all the suggestions, though I have to say, I'm really not happy about the idea of discarding the beautiful hydraulic motors on a brand new spreader! 

Before I discovered that local Kubota's don't have enough valves, I did already have in my budget a plan to buy a new Kubota. Up until now we have been hiring local tractor guys to do jobs like discing. 

My preference now is to go ahead with getting a new Kubota and tell the dealer I want full set of valves as found on overseas versions of the same model. I would be surprised if Kubota Siam or one of their dealers can't deliver.

Getting the above will take a while, so in the meantime, I'll hire local villagers to spread the fertiliser by hand (over 300 rai).  

This is for our new lime/fertiliser spreader, recently arrived from USA. It is trailed and does not use the PTO, so FJ do you think there would be enough space to fit a pump on the PTO? The spreader needs a flow of 60 litres/minute. Are PTO-mounted pumps easy to find in Thailand or would I have to import from wherever?  

Thanks OBO for the link. It's reassuring to know that Fords are easy to work on. I need to google Bowden cables. 

By the way, there is a list of tractors available in Thailand with prices here: http://www.108engine.com/tractors/Tractor_Raka3.asp#.WsSdkSNL3OQ

(see other linked pages for smaller hp tractors)

But they don't say how many hydraulic valves they have and the specs of tractors in Thailand are not the same as the same models in other countries. 

Thanks Kickstart for the recommendation for the newer 7 series Fords. So now my next question is, where is a good place to buy them? (I mean in Thailand). And what is a ballpark price for a decent one? 

Re fitting a Kubota - if the added levers were not in the cab where would they be? 

Thanks Kickstart. It's a pity the Kubotas don't enough spool valves/connectors because they seem to have the best service network here. I think getting spares/service for New Hollands where I am will be more of a challenge. 

6 hours ago, ezzra said:

All in all, with like 40 million plus tourists coming and going to Thailand

if one person has been caught stealing every now and then, it's not

too bad...

And what about those that steal but aren't caught? 

Do any of the the tractors commonly available/used in Thailand have 4 hydraulic connectors? And the tractor should be at least 90hp. 

The Kubotas here in Laos, coming from Thailand, don't have that many.

How about the old Fords? 

I guess not many farmers in this part of the world use equipment requiring more than one or 2 hydraulic pipes?   

4 hours ago, PoorSucker said:

If they find him and if he has insurance. 

If they find him and he doesn't have insurance then he will have to pay out of his own pocket. For the rest of his life, if necessary. That's what a policeman taught me many years ago when I was caught riding a motorbike without insurance. I have never forgotten that lesson. 

Hi Teflonjon,

I'm interested in buying coir (but I'm not ready to buy yet and I'm far away from your area) so I am interested in obtaining contact details of your supplier. 

Thanks.

JB

On 11/03/2018 at 12:36 PM, CLW said:

You will face two problems :

1. For local market, forget about it. Thais won't eat what they don't know.
For example I like very much Millet or Sorghum as healthy alternative to rice.
All Thais I know said it's animal feed...
2. For export, you have to compete with already existing producers that have more experience and better climatic conditions.

Chia is already selling in Thailand. For high prices. 

2 hours ago, Jonmarleesco said:

 And there is no requirement to have your Thai wife's written permission to take your dual-national son abroad.

And I think there is no requirement to have a Thai wife. Just a woman of any nationality to do the pregnancy part.  

18 hours ago, Hutch68 said:

JB have you ever heard of a Gano avocado?

 

No, I haven't. 

Said trees... 

On 03/03/2018 at 4:40 PM, spidermike007 said:

Does anyone on this forum know about how long it takes for a tree like the ones mentioned above, to start bearing fruit? How about until fully mature? Thanks. 

 

I have seen avocado trees flowering 15 months after planting. In South Africa. Carmen on a superior rootstock (Dusa). Well managed. I think about 8 years to full yield. Can last 50 years. 

On 06/03/2018 at 4:46 PM, NigelKennedy said:

Looking for Gem and Lamb Haas avocado trees in Thailand anybody seen them ?

I don't know about Lamb Hass, but there shouldn't be any Gem trees in Thailand. They are a protected variety and the company that controls it has not yet allowed any to be planted in Thailand.

Though of course anything can be pirated, especially in Thailand, (not being a member of UPOV). 

Most producers usually want to know when prices are highest, not lowest.

I believe tomato prices are highest in the wet season and then tomato plants are  best grown under plastic roofs to protect them from the rain that causes diseases.  

Furthermore, in the dry season, tomatoes can be grown in irrigated rice paddy land that is often available in the dry season but not in the wet season (when it is planted with maincrop rice)

I am sure there other members here who know better than I do. I hope they chip in. 

Having discussed this with a Thai cousin-in-law who is a motorist and policeman, and who told me that B is wrong, I have concluded that section 51 is either badly worded or has been misinterpreted by several of the posters in this thread. 

23 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

These morons must think it's like adding sugar to their Thai tea. If a tablespoon tastes good, then adding a whole cup-ful must be even better.

 

Just hope the veggies in your local supermarket aren't coming from these farmers. And hope is really all you can do, because the government sure as heck isn't doing anything to prevent this kind of pesticide misuse/abuse or anything about the tainted produce that is harvested.

 

Google Thailand Pesticide Alert Network 64% of veggies 'unsafe' due to pesticides

In Laos, the police can lock up the driver (regardless of who is at fault), and also impound the driver's car, until s/he has paid compensation money to the bereaved family. They will not accept bail. They can keep you for a year without being charged/trialled. So you either pay or you stay in prison.

I think I have read on this forum that the same can happen in Thailand.