New here

[Tom31w]

Hi all, new on the forum from Northwest Montana. Retired old (ish) paratrooper playing my hand at small scale cow, sheep and hay farming now.

I picked up a 77 GMC K25 High Sierra a couple of years ago (square bodies have always been my favorite) and have just now pulled it into my shop to start to make street-able. She is a 2 tone blue, mostly rust (I can see the ground through the floor) and it has a Jerry rigged flatbed. Today, I pulled the tractor around (67 David Brown Selectomatic 990 with a du-al 250 loader, but that is a whole other forum subject) and took the flatbed off. I then drove the cab & chassis into the shop to start getting ready to work on her. I found the build sheet and started looking up the RPO codes (most of them deciphered now) and started looking for what components I am working with.

I found the original LS9, heavy duty front springs, 3 speed plus low gear tranny, and a NP205 transfer case, heavy duty brakes and extra clearance option (I suspect that comes from the springs). Still trying to figure out what axles is has and the ratios...

I’ll be heading to Spokane soon to pick up some 17” 3/4 ton dodge rims and and am about to pull the trigger on ordering a complete Prothane bushing kit from Summit.

For now I will operate it with the rusty cab, it will perform farm duty for me (hauling big rounds of hay, pulling hay trailers, pulling gooseneck trailers, etc...) but I do have a nice rust free cab sitting in my shop for when I do decide to do a restore.

I think I have plenty to do to keep me busy for awhile, just wanted to say hi and that I would be checking in from time to time for technical advise, or to pass on any cool stuff I find along the way.


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[SDJunkMan]

Welcome from South Dakota!

 

[74 Shortbed]

Welcome to the site, sounds like a cool project how bout some pics.

 

[WFO]

Welcome from the Texas Panhandle.

 

[RustyPile]

from East Texas

 

[ajd89]

Welcome!

 

[Honky Kong jr]

Welcome x2 on the pics

 

[CSFJ]

Welcome.

 

[twinturbo427]

Welcome!

 

[Big Chip]

Welcome aboard!

 

[Rooster336]

Hi all, new on the forum from Northwest Montana. Retired old (ish) paratrooper playing my hand at small scale cow, sheep and hay farming now.

Hey man, you might already know this but make sure you sign up for the veteran's discount at Lowes. I did the same thing you're doing now (except I have goats instead of sheep) when I separated. I make a run to Lowes about once a week and that 10% savings really adds up. If it's more than a patch job i will get lumber someplace else but everything else works out well. Goodluck.

PS - Goats are awesome, you need some.

 

[Tom31w]

Hey man, you might already know this but make sure you sign up for the veteran's discount at Lowes. I did the same thing you're doing now (except I have goats instead of sheep) when I separated. I make a run to Lowes about once a week and that 10% savings really adds up. If it's more than a patch job i will get lumber someplace else but everything else works out well. Goodluck.

PS - Goats are awesome, you need some.

Thanks for the heads up, I’ve been using the Veterans discount at Lowe’s for years, it is convenient that they finally allowed you to add it to “My Lowes” so you don’t have to wait for a manager every time you check out. We have “accidentally” remodeled 6 houses in the last 5 years so we know all to well how much that 10% discount adds up.

I grew up on a goat dairy, I love them (just sold off the last 3 this past summer) even milked one of them this past year, but the Icelandic Sheep and Scottish Highlander cattle are the direction we finally decided on.


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[Tom31w]

Thanks for the welcome folks, I’ll try to get some pics of the beast up soon.


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[Old77]

 

[1973c10]

Welcome