That was quite the trip !!
After cleaning out the workshop here there were two large items left without a future home (most of the other stuff sold fairly rapidly), besides the tractors and such. The first was an older but still quite nice South Bend lathe and the second was the plasma cutter table.
DanB expressed interest in the lathe and Ron wouldn't mind having the table so we worked out a way to move the equipment using a trailer that Ron could borrow.
Since I was already partially under way I decided to go through Toronto, which would shave a few hundred miles of the trip.
After two days of travelling I arrived at Rons place and we drove the trailer back up north, loaded up the plasma table and the lathe and went back down again.
Most of the trip was uneventful, we had a nice stay over at TomW's place on the way which really helped to break the trip in two.
We had a close encounter of the second kind with a deer. RonB's dilligent navigation kept it from becoming one of the third kind... He sure as hell can't shift gears though, those poor things must be all round at the tops of their teeth 
After dropping off the plasmacutter and meeting with DonC (who drove a good distance north in order to meet us) we transferred the lathe to my truck and I started out for Colorado with RonB following a day later.
When I arrived I was amazed at the work that Dan & Company had done in such a short time. I brought my hammer along but I may as well have left it at home, the shop was as good as done. I helped a bit with the electricity, met lots of really nice folks ate lots of pizza. (no work no food, that Dan is a hard taskmaster).
Lifting the lathe out of the truck was something I really didn't look forward to but Dan had this handy engine hoist that made short work of it and in 5 minutes or so the lathe was on the ground. The next day we took it easy and worked a bit on some walls in the loft.
The next day at the crack of dawn (or even some before it) off to Iowa to help TomW with the 'project from hell', the 50' pumper tower that he's got.
If you ever get a chance to get one of these sturdy old freestanding towers to put your homemade windmill on then I have one word of advice for you: DON'T !!!
By the time you're done it will be more expensive than building a pipe tower from scratch, even if you get all the steel for the tower for free. The problem is that all the old hardware (bolts, nuts, pull rods, plates, tower adaptor and so on) will be total garbage and will need to be replaced. Because a pipe has much less stuff attached to it it will actually be cheaper. It will also be much quicker. Of course Tom didn't know this when he started but we've been finding out the hard way that freestanding towers are not exactly ideal.
Also it seems that every time we work on that thing that the weather gods take special notice and make our life miserable. We spent one day welding up all the steel for the lift/slide post and making a suitable tower adaptor, as well as straightening out the tower (for the third time or so). We're actually beginning to understand how it works.
The original plan was not to leave until the windmill sat on the post and spun but I just didn't think it was responsible to try to lift the machine up over the top. Tom will get a boom truck to give him a hand and that should make it work, that will make it safe (but add to the cost). I really wanted to do it but I just did not feel that it was safe enough and chickened out. The funny thing is that every time you are on the ground you get really cocky and make lots of plans but as soon as you are up there it all evaporates.
Many thanks to all of you whom I met on this trip and who have given me places to stay and people to meet, this was quite a special trip to me, probably it will be years before I see any of you again but I really have to say that I find your hospitality overwhelming.
Thank you all, RonB & family, TomW & Amy, DanB & Michelle & Maya, MattB & Daphne, Rich, Tim & Lynne, Adam, Tom, DanF, Scott, George & family, DonC and anybody I may have forgotten, I have no idea where we will end up but please feel free to come and visit us any time you feel like, as goodbyes come this was an absolutely unforgettable one.
Tons of pictures below:
so, this is what we are leaving behind:
economy flight:
we've found that monkeys travel cheaper than people so this is an attempt at cost savings:
a bad picture of a yard which had 20+ windmills in it!:
The Texas Border:
at night somewhere between Texas and Ontario:
Back in Ontario, Dans lathe is already in the truck:
Plasma cutter hoisted on to the trailer, that was surprisingly easy:
Anybody in the market for mobile plasma cutting ? :
We've arrived at TomW's place for a nights rest:
And here we are in Texas!:
Industrial Espionage the RonB way, having a look at the profile of a lakota blade that DonC brought with him. Amazing how stiff those blades are!
The lathe has arrived at DanB's, Dan is looking through the pile of junk that fell out of the drawers.
An earth bermed (sp ?) house that I came across in Wisconsin:
Back at TomW's place, the spider that holds the shell of the slide post in place:
The lifting eye arrangement on the post, as well as the safety pin and one clamp (there are two), which are used to stop the post from rattling (thanks Dan!):
(this stuff was welded up when it was close to 100 f, I was sweating so much that it was literally leaking out of the welding face mask)
overview of the assembly:
Topside of the lift post:
Top of the slidepost. That bolt is to stop it from falling down:
The shell in place:
The lift post in place: (that was heavy!!!):
The boat winch that will hoist the slide pole up and down:
Now, this looks like a very sweet and friendly animal, but in reality it is one of the fiercest and most dangerous creatures known to man. It kills its victims by immersion in saliva...
