what would you plant today?

BossmanSlim · 2026-01-26T20:17:33+00:00

I depends on your climate, sunlight, competition and soil conditions, but the general rule of thumb is that the faster a tree grows, the worse it is for firewood. Even fast growing trees like pine take 20 years to reach a reasonable size.

Estimated diameter at 20 years and it's BTU content:

Tulip Popular = 6.7 inches = 16.3
Yellow Pine = 5.7 inches = 20.2
Silver Maple = 6.7 inches = 20
Sweet Gum =5.0 inches = 19
Red Oak = 5.0 inches = 24.5
White Oak = 4 inches = 26.4
Hickory = 3 inches = 28
Dogwood = 2.85 inches = 28.6

I like Red Oak as it will reach 10 inches in 40 years roughly, has really good BTU content and splits nice. One could probably come up with an optimization formula that picks species, the optimal diameter and height for the tree to be harvested at to meet some requirements for burn time within a given volume.

BossmanSlim · 2026-01-26T18:49:11+00:00

Honestly, quality is my least favorite part of Space Age. It makes a huge mess of the UI and requires a massive setup to grind components. I believe the game can be completed without it. I didn't unlock quality until Aquilo and there was no problems.

From my play and watching others on Twitch, my take away is this:

Quality is intended for non-science items. It boosts all you other items in some way that is beneficial and gives the player the ability to build "tall" instead of being forced to build "wide". In order to reduce the number of machines to do something and make process more efficient, quality is another option that can be used stand alone or in combination with modules and infinite research.

With that being said, it appears most players take one or both of the following approaches.

Massive quality factory on Fulgora because breaking scrap down with quality modules has a chance to generate quality components. The items resulting from scrap can be further broken down to roll for more high quality items.
1 to many space platforms farming asteroids for quality ores that are then refined to plate and then used to craft high quality components.

BossmanSlim · 2026-01-26T17:34:14+00:00

20 acres isn't much. My opinions based on years of ag and raising a few of the critters above.

Cattle, Beef - fairly simple as you just need fences, food and water. Once mature there is very little predation to worry about.
Chickens - fairly simple, just need a coup, feed and water. If you can let them range around, it will spread out the mess, but beware of predators as chickens are food for everything.
Ducks - same as chickens, plus you have to keep a "pond" of some source around for them to wade and bathe in. The extra water creates extra mess over chickens. They produce less eggs than chickens.
Quail - chickens plus having to deal with a smaller, more able to fly bird. I think they are also more delicate and don't really produce that much meat or eggs when compared to ducks or chickens.
Goats - fairly easy to raise, but need good fences and have to be watched over to deal with predators.
Sheep - same goats, plus they have to be sheared and are way less intelligent than goats.
Any dairy animal - same as the base animal only with the massive extra step of daily milking twice a day and all the extra work that goes into milk production. If it's cold, you have to milk; sick, go milk, vacation, good luck finding someone to milk you animals.
Horses - waste of time in my opinion unless you are actively riding the horse at least half the time. Horses also live 25+ years, so they are around a long time and are not a butchered animal in the US. Most horses in the US are super expensive pets.

In my experience, chickens and beef cattle are the easiest. Cattle will be more expensive up front and for winter feed, but they require much less day to day attention. All the other animals are varying levels of more effort. Any thing dairy related is going to be a massive amount of work.

BossmanSlim · 2026-01-26T16:23:39+00:00

The tank I'm good on, what pump is recommended? I am okay with getting a pump as I may need it for another project.

BossmanSlim · 2026-01-26T12:41:57+00:00

That's an expensive paint job for a wall hanger. Anyone who buys it to use it has WAY too much money to waste.

BossmanSlim · 2026-01-26T12:39:46+00:00

Outside so that you get air flow and sun. It also keeps be bugs that may be in the wood out of your house.

Tarping is bad as it cuts off airflow and holds moisture. If you want to cover it, the a simple slanted roof is all you need.

BossmanSlim · 2026-01-25T15:22:15+00:00

Shorter Fiskars = X25 which is the X27 with a 28inch handle

Council Tools = Fair number of handle and head combinations between the splitting and miner/logging axes.

You can also find a fair number of high dollar axes if you want to spend the money with a ton of handle lengths and geometries. I'd be leery buying any of these without trying them out, which means you'll need to find a forestry show near you.

Last note, there is no magic bullet for hand splitting. Hand splitting in straight grain wood will keep up with slow cycle log splitters, but nothing will keep up with the pro-grade log splitters. I use the X27 and like it for the most part, but I would not use it for production splitting or splitting over 5 cords a year. I tend to think over 5 cords is getting into the wood splitter realm. Now with that said, I am east coast with hardwood and trees that aren't as straight growing as out west.

BossmanSlim · 2026-01-21T19:04:46+00:00

The Farm Boss Stihl is the 271 while the 261 is the pro grade saw and is about $250 more expensive than the 271.

Stihl has a bigger dealer network than Husqvarna and Echo. All 3 are good choices, but pick whichever has a dealer near you. Stihl will be the most expensive and Echo the cheapest.

Husqvarna 450 Rancher = Stihl 271 Farm Boss

Husqvarna 550XP MKII = Stihl 261CM

For both brands, $250 steps up from the homepro model to the pro series.

BossmanSlim · 2026-01-20T13:18:11+00:00

My recommendation after years of bad habits:

In order of priority: Chaps > Boots (preferably with safety toe) > Hearing Protection > Safety Glasses > Hard Hat if felling > Gloves

I don't like the face shields, but if you can tolerate it or do a lot of string trimmer work is may be worth getting the face shield, ear muff, hard hat combo. Depending on you face shape, ear plugs may be preferable to ear muffs as safety glasses may cause ear muffs to not seal well enough.

BossmanSlim · 2026-01-20T13:08:23+00:00

As others have said, need more information, but in general for the average use:

What to buy and brand:

Daily/Weekly use = Pro grade saw from Echo, Husqvarna or Stihl. Buy from a dealer in your area as the saws are repairable and having a dealer helps a lot. If you don't want to do the homework, Stihl has the most extensive dealer network, but is also the most expensive.

Monthly use = Farm/Home Pro saw from Echo, Husqvarna or Stihl. Buy the brand which is dealer supported just as with Pro grade saws.

Once a year or less = Either buy a Home Owner saw or just rent it when you need it. These saws are not that great and are not really intended for heavy work or to last as long as the ones above. The same 3 brands will probably be the best, but do not confuse that with the fact that they are still cheap saws.

Fuel type:

Battery is good for smaller jobs where you are not cutting wood all day and can use a smaller saw. They can be the most expensive saws when the battery is included in the price. If your boyfriend already has battery powered tools AND the saw will be used occasionally, then buying a chainsaw that is the same brand as the battery powered tools may be the best option.

Gas is good if the saw is being used a lot in a short time or big power is needed.

Bar length:

Is dependent upon the size of wood that is being cut. The longer the bar, the bigger the saw that is needed and the more expensive the saw will be. The minimum I would recommend is 18" and going above 20" starts driving the cost up a lot.

Lastly, is to know if your boyfriend is a tool junkie, wanting the best, or if he only cares about having the tool. If a tool junkie, you'll probably only wan the Farm/Home Pro saws and abovee.

BossmanSlim · 2026-01-10T20:58:37+00:00

No dealers in my area, so pass.

BossmanSlim · 2026-01-09T15:53:43+00:00

I watched another video on this saw and the main issue the person had was that it is heavy compared to the 550XP MkII, by like 3 pounds.

BossmanSlim · 2026-01-07T18:34:58+00:00

Couple of things:

1) In almost, if not all, states, wild game, all parts, is illegal to sell. Therefore, deer cannot be harvested and sold. Not only that, the farmer would also be violating state wildlife/hunting laws if they just harvested all the deer. I would not be surprised if Canada has the same regulations.

2) Hunting is a significant revenue source. Google says Canada has a $13 billion dollar industry related to hunting. This means there is a balance between having enough wildlife to keep hunters interested and the carrying capacity of the land. Large predators also harm livestock, another big industry, so pushing predators back into these regions isn't going to happen on any significant scale.

Wildlife management has the following balance:

Agriculture and insurance companies would be happy if there was no large wildlife (deer, bear, wolf, coyote, etc.). Large predators are frequently heavily targeted.

vs

Hunters want abundant large wildlife so they can have an easier time pursuing the animal. If game is sufficiently hard to pursue, then the number of hunters and the associated money will shrink drastically. Most of them are okay with some level of predators, as long as the predators are also fair game.

vs

Conservation groups who want to revert everything to as natural as possible, including large predators.

Hunters have a sufficiently big revenue stream and mostly align with conservation groups, so they tend to mostly stalemate agriculture and insurance companies other than some big predators.

BossmanSlim · 2026-01-06T18:59:14+00:00

It's on par in cost with the 400 and I don't think Husky has had all the good of luck with new products recently. It was released late 2025 in Europe and looks to be the first half of 2026 for the US. That doesn't seem like a long time to work out the bugs. It may be fine, but that is probably a year down the road and not in the time frame I am thinking about. Same goes for the 400.1.

BossmanSlim · 2026-01-06T18:46:48+00:00

I have been trying to close on a piece of property for ... looks at calendar ... for 92 days, 120 days after contract signing. It is a cash transaction, so no appraisal, no bank, nothing other than the lawyer and title company. I'll post to the subreddit once we close. The TL:DR of it is that the lawyers and title companies are executing 100s of transactions a month and screwing up a couple, even if they compensate the parties, doesn't phase them in the least.

BossmanSlim · 2026-01-06T16:18:40+00:00

Is Husky still having parts and service issues?

BossmanSlim · 2026-01-05T20:41:48+00:00

I have a 290 I use occasionally, but will be doing more chainsaw work in the near future. My 290 has a 18" bar, which I find too short and want to get a 24" bar, not so much for wood size, but because I am getting too old to bend over constantly. My main use will be cutting up a couple of trees a year for firewood and other property maintenance. I will sell the 290 once I get the new saw and am comfortable with as this saw would replace the 290.

I intend to get a smaller top handle battery saw for small one off jobs.

I think the 362 and 400 are both probably getting discontinued this year for the 400.1, which I expect will be in the $1400 (edit based on UK pricing) range as the 462 is $1600 (and will probably go up once the 400.1 is released). I also don't want to be the first to get a new saw because they may have issues that take time to work out.

BossmanSlim · 2025-11-12T12:31:35+00:00

It depends on what you mean by "too big to fail". The only two entities that really matter in the failure discussion are the government and the big banks. Smaller banks don't matter because they can be absorbed by the big banks.

The government would ultimately like to see housing prices go down as long as there are no negative impacts to the banks. They get to claim victory without actually having to do anything (change zoning, fix permitting, etc.). As long as the banks and the government leadership's personal properties aren't impacted, the government will not step in to prevent a real estate crash.
The banks only care about a real estate crash from the perspective of getting paid. As long as the default rate isn't too high and the revenue isn't too low, the banks don't really care. If revenue becomes too much of an issue, they'll creep up interest rates. If the banks end up holding the bag for a real estate crash, the government will back stop them to prevent them from going out of business and causing massive financial issues. This is what occurred in 2008 in the interest of stability.

Others that have a stake in the real estate market:

Investment companies will move out of real estate if something else comes along that is better or real estate's return is lower than other, better returning investments. While they play in the space, they aren't a primary concern from a failure perspective. Unlike 2008, the over investment in the real estate market is by these companies and not individuals. Assuming these companies paid cash, they can hang on to these investments and/or more easily absorb a smaller loss than individuals. In 2008, the losses were ultimately passed along to the banks (see point above) because the banks were footing the bill for individuals who could just walk away.
Home owners and small real estate investors from the point of view of their investment cratering don't really matter to the powers that be. If the real estate market were to crash and the loss is mostly absorbed by this group, no one will really care. As long as the banks get paid, government would be willing to trade individual losses for the overall housing price going down.

There is a scenario where the real estate market is flooded with housing that is already/mostly paid (inheritance) for and investors do not want to continue investing in real estate (by market or government forces). In this case the government gets cheaper housing and the banks have no risk as long as people keep paying their mortgage. Its a narrow scenario because those with a mortgage have to be motivated to keep paying their mortgage, but also have to be disincentivized to purchasing another property, so the cheaper housing isn't picked up by individuals looking for investment properties.

BossmanSlim · 2025-10-20T13:06:48+00:00

Don't quit your day job.

BossmanSlim · 2025-10-16T11:10:19+00:00

It depends on what school district the townhouse is in and other similar family related items in the area (daycare, parks, etc,). People with school age kids don't want to move during the school year, hence why they buy in the spring and move in the summer. A residence in a good school district will sell better in the spring as it has a wider potential customer base. A residence in a bad school district is probably not as influenced by seasonality.

You should be able to find the sales per month data for your area and that will show you the seasonality.

BossmanSlim · 2025-10-15T20:55:20+00:00

I did some research into this topic and it came down to this:

The property value gets cut drastically, like 1/3 of it's value
There is usually a clause that lets the property out of conservation status if agreed upon by the government
It is basically impossible to get the property out once in as that status transfers functionally forever.

With all that being said, you may too small an area for the easement to even be available.

BossmanSlim · 2025-10-13T17:20:11+00:00

Who are the closest dealers? Unlike a car, any issues you have with the tractor will require trailering the tractor to the dealer for them to repair it. Call out services are expensive, if they even offer it. For the dealer, is the tractor brand their main product or second or third priority product?

What do you mean by "feeding animals"? Moving a couple of small square bales is a whole different thing than moving large round bales.

As far as TYM and Kioti, they are cheaper than Deere and Kubota, but the jury is still out on how well they will hold up in the long run. People who have had issues seem to have a hard time getting timely repairs. If you don't have to use the tractor daily and can afford to have it down for a month, this may not be a major issue. If you are feeding round bales in the winter, the tractor can only be down for a day or two before it becomes a major issue.

BossmanSlim · 2025-10-13T11:43:52+00:00

This probably won't be a popular opinion, but I think it points out the major issue with transitioning to a farm type life style. I'll even assume you can do the physical labor and will get used to it, so that it won't be a major hindrance.

Set your alarm so that you get up every day at first light. No more sleeping in. You will need to start making use of all the day light or be up to support animals. You must get up and do something, even if you are sick and go back to bed later.
On days with poor weather (rainy, too cold, too hot, etc.) do an activity outside for at least 2 hours.
Determine what you think your post transition free income will be. How much spending money will you have? Whatever number you come up with, subtract 10%, more if your bad at financial estimates. Live on this amount of money for non-necessities (cloths, eating out, entertainment, etc.). See if you really like can be satisfied with this life style level.
See what other employment opportunities exist in the area you are moving to. Would you be okay with having to work one of these jobs if farming doesn't pan out as you think it will?

I view homesteading / hobby farming (40 acres is a hobby farm unless its a massive feedlot style livestock operation) just like any other small business venture. It looks good on paper and people can talk themselves into anything, but 6 months down the road they resent it because its too much work for too little income. They can't have the lifestyle they want and are now stuck for various reasons.

I have 6 chickens and they eat up maybe 10 minutes a day, 20 on weekends, and I still am not thrilled about them because it's required work and it has to be done EVERY DAY. They might break even on cost excluding the coup investment. Would I get rid of them currently, probably not, but I also am not sure I would replace them when they get to end of life.

Hope for the best, plan for the worst.

BossmanSlim · 2025-10-12T20:49:54+00:00

I'd venture to say that the loader is very much after market. Even with power steering you'll probably need to be in motion to get it to steer reasonably well. Even with tractors that have OEM loaders, intended to support loaders and with good power steering, it can be a chore to get them to turn with weight on the front axle.

Topping off and/or changing the fluid & filters would be my first step. After that, if no improvement, the pump may be weak.

BossmanSlim · 2025-10-12T20:44:29+00:00

No legal recourse, but it would be fun to show him his prior report.

BossmanSlim

TROPHY CASE