09/27/2026
Between fixing a tractor ๐ when I think everything is about to fall apart, and building a goat barn this summer. I'm getting a lot more comfortable considering myself a farmer this year.
๐ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ง ๐ข๐จ๐ง
This morning, my tractor loader stopped lifting.
The bucket would curl. It would dump. But the loader arms wouldn't go up, and they'd barely go down.
As a relatively new farmer, one thing I've learned is that a lot of problems are problems you're encountering for the first time.
I've never had a loader do this before.
So you start working through it.
Is it hydraulic pressure?
A disconnected hose?
A bad quick coupler?
A valve?
You research. You consult people and resources that know more than you do. You test one thing at a time. You eliminate possibilities.
Eventually, I noticed something important: the joystick didn't feel right.
That changed the direction of the troubleshooting.
I traced the control cables from the joystick down to the hydraulic valve and compared the cable that wasn't working to the one that was.
There it was.
One little set screw had worked itself loose.
Tightened it.
Loader works again. ๐
โโโโโโโโโโโโ
Farming has taught me a lot about problem solving.
You aren't going to know the answer to every problem when it lands in front of you.
And pretending you do isn't particularly useful.
What matters is how you respond when you don't know.
๐ฆ๐น๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐๐ป.
๐จ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐บ.
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต.
๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐๐น๐.
๐ง๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐บ๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐.
๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐ถ๐, ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฝ ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฝ.
I think there's a lesson in there that extends well beyond farming.
Nobody walking into Council is going to have every answer.
I certainly won't.
But I know how I want to approach the questions.
Do the homework. Ask questions. Listen to people who know more about the subject. Look at the evidence. Understand the options. And then make a decision.
Sometimes a problem that looks very complicated turns out to be one loose set screw.
You just have to be willing to keep looking until you find it.
