Thrashing Threshing Tractor Tuesday

Set to work in the morning trying to sort out the gate electronics, thrashed by the storm on Sunday/Monday. Got out the circuit board, the miniature "fine" fuse was intact and I found what looked like a burnt solder point so photographed it and sent on to MrB who earns his tractor diesel and Pimms in the electronics business. He will kindly look at it to see if something can be done. In the meantime, I have ordered the part from the gate manufacturers instead of requesting an engineer come out which will cost nearly 300 Euros. The board will "only" cost 130 Euros!

In the afternoon I took off to Memmingen and the appointment with my internist doctor to discuss yesterdays MRT/MRI. He is in what is called the "Doctors House" a series of independent specialists in one building and also houses the "Nuclear Medicine" people with their MRT machine. Despite my checking yesterday that the results would be sent straight away to the internist, one floor and 30 meters away, they hadn't. I collected them but my doc on reading the report was not happy to make any decision without studying the pictures and while I had the DVD, he wanted to go down to the MRT facility and play the film using their specialist software and displays. So now have another appointment on Friday but did get a blood test taken which is useful.

Then to the neighbouring large electrical supermarket "MediaMarkt" which I think is also in the UK. Took along the router which I had bought there last June after the previous one had blown. Without hesitation and any questions, they replaced the router and the very simple plugin surge breaker with brand new units. Excellent, so don't have to do an insurance claim for that and have a reserve.

Worried about the competition, I then tried to get a special Tractor Tuesday Blip. I had been given a tip by Farmer Franz last week that the 7th July was a special day here in the farming world (special if tragically so in the UK). On 7/7 the maize needs to be at least 77cm high to be on course for ripening on time. The industrial/commercial site where the electrical shop was is surrounded by maize fields but of course no tractors on the fields. However, I spotted a van on a track between the maize with someone doing something strange at the back doors. Went over to find it was a contractor splicing a glass fibre cable which was being laid for high-speed internet/tv/phone etc. He like so many around here is from the former East Germany, works here Monday to Thursday doing a 10+ hour day and drives home on Thursday night. We had an interesting chat but I had to disappoint him that his service van despite being surrounded by maize was not going to be featured on Blip. And anyway the maize here looked in bad shape, much of it not being 77cm. Farmer Franz's is.

On the way, having found nothing suitable was relieved that just before home on the edge of Sontheim there was a bit of activity.

So here it is a Claas Dominator 108SL built around 1985-1998. You can pick up a used one for about 25,000 Euros. John Deere 5080R with a Stetzl (Austrian) tipper trailer. The JD was introduced in 2008, an 80hp motor. I think it's still in production, no doubt MrTbay knows (he probably has a few). A 3 or 4-year-old one with frontloader will set you back 60,000 Euros and the trailer perhaps 10,000.

I won't be getting any special TractorTuesday awards this week but will do my best to improve next week.

So that it, a beautiful scorching 35°C day. Did pull out all the sensitive equipment before I went to bed as storms coming and indeed they turned out to be very heavy causing quite a bit of property damage but luckily here simply spectacular light show. Spent much of the night trying to calm Flash who was hiding in the shower cubicle. I forgot about the gear Angie had acquired to strap on him, a tip from TocherPleach and one we have used with success.

I will now have to get a specialist to upgrade our house electricity RCB which was triggered on Sunday. An RCB protects against lots of dangers but not against the surge. Apparently one needs an RCBO which is an RCB and an MCB in one. It's all above me, I don't know the difference between an amp and a gigawatt.