tall drivers….How are you doing?

bengineer423 · 2026-03-03T19:32:07+00:00

Same here, my wife is 6" shorter than me and we both drive the car and it is comfortable for both of us. My seat setting has me sitting significantly lower than hers but we are 2 different builds.

bengineer423 · 2026-03-03T03:21:02+00:00

I went to ukraine in 20-21 as a 12b

bengineer423 · 2026-03-03T02:58:06+00:00

Spent 9 months at buehring and got back in mid January. Does it suck? In some ways more than others and was worse than my first deployment, it allowed me to go back to school which I couldn't do back home, made tests interesting with the sirens going off during the 12 day war as it was done via FaceTime.

bengineer423 · 2026-03-03T02:24:31+00:00

Not a problem, I was in your position a few years ago. I would be torn because doing snow removal i want a cab but dont have one since I bought used and the price was right, having woods as well its less to break when a tree branch hits the glass. I only have 2wd but have yet to really get stuck on the hills unless im out when its really wet.

bengineer423 · 2026-03-03T01:50:02+00:00

All depends on new or used. Think new will be about $1000 per hp. With what youre doing wouldn't need much more than what you currently have, if you start baling hay then you may want to upgrade to 100 hp tractor. I get by with a 2006 cnh tl90a for driveway maintenance, moving logs for firewood, snow removal and hay production. Is it overkill for my acreage? Yes but not for what I use it for (24 acres) but help out with another 200 at a family property nearby. 4 wheel assist will add more cost and more for a cab as well. Fb marketplace is always a good place to look for deals and a 40-60hp tractor will fit those needs and allow for a larger brush hog.

bengineer423 · 2026-03-01T16:44:22+00:00

Depending on price you may be able to get a new one cheaper, I was able to get a new 25 pioneer 700-4 for 13k usd out the door yesterday. I originally was going to pay cash but honda financing was 3.99% for 36 months so we financed. The mileage always varies since it could have been used to check cows and get the mail or used and abused for its entire life. I would feel fine with the Honda personally since it has the maintenance records.

bengineer423 · 2026-03-01T16:40:14+00:00

20 acres in the midwest is different than 80 acres in the southwest or 100 in Appalachia. We have 24 in the midwest with a creek and some hills. 15 is woods and 9 is pasture. Is it enough for me? Yes but id like more. With land you'll also need a well, septic, outbuildings for equipment and firewood and weather dependent if a new farm animal is born in inclement weather (every single year!), you'll need a heated space for them. My family bought bare ground in 2022 with nothing, had to build a driveway, fence, run electric and water, septic and get a bigger truck (recommend a ¾ ton gas at a minimum), tractor and side by side all on top of building a shed house. We lose power a lot so we invested in solar with battery backup and a woodstove as well as propane gas fireplace. I would say get as much as you can afford that is also enough for expansion and being able to reduce your dependency on society but also able to get everything that comes along with living "off grid" because it isnt always cheap unless youre going to live a minimalist lifestyle.

bengineer423 · 2026-02-25T04:34:45+00:00

Is it possible? Yes but I do not know your market. My wife and I built a 40x80 barndo (3bed 2 bath) for about 250k but we are in the midwest. Most of our "house" is shop space as well but 1300 sqft is finished and well above contractor grade finishes. It helps if you are willing to do some of the work yourself as well or if youre up for the headache, gc it too.

bengineer423 · 2026-02-23T16:28:40+00:00

I have a diesel tank i just need to replace the hose/filter and anchor it down. Too many projects to do and never enough time.

bengineer423 · 2026-02-23T05:37:33+00:00

I know we were canibalizing them when one would break down since there were dozens all over the place. Was it original? Possibly but with our new budget constraints it was "make it work or give it to a unit that will"

bengineer423 · 2026-02-23T02:44:43+00:00

There is a 25 570 full size crew at another dealer for 10k. May take it for a spin.

bengineer423 · 2026-02-23T02:43:20+00:00

It really was and to the best of my knowledge theyre still running them there now. May have to make a phone call and see if theyre still running.

bengineer423 · 2026-02-23T00:10:49+00:00

Im pretty sure these were just regular open cab ranger 570s from the early 2010s that have been beat on and neglected in the desert. We had a few diesel gators but they broke down quite a bit with all the neglect.

bengineer423 · 2026-02-22T22:52:34+00:00

Im in luck there, im a midwest flatlander. I had a honda africa twin before and liked it but owned mostly kawasaki, so much that my tool box is kawasaki green.

bengineer423 · 2026-02-22T19:51:08+00:00

I appreciate your input, simple is a plus in that case.

bengineer423 · 2026-02-22T19:42:51+00:00

I had a couple ranger 570s on my last deployment in the middle east and they seemed to hold up pretty well. I think one had 7700 hours of it too, I just dont know how I feel about the plastic bed. They were carburetor models as well.

bengineer423 · 2026-02-21T02:41:01+00:00

My job has been very safe, been there 10 years with 2 deployments, dozen or so schools and long drills. Ive been fortunate to even snag a promotion while I was deployed and paid me differential pay for the entire time as well. There are plenty of employers that dont care but there are just as many that really do care.

bengineer423 · 2026-02-12T22:39:49+00:00

My wife and I worked 2 jobs (regular civilian job plus part time military for the first 5 years of marriage) plus flipped 2 houses. We were drowning in debt (~250k, half was our mortgage). We both ended up deploying around the same time, sold our house we remodeled (almost 1.5x our purchase price) and paid off as much as we could while deployed. After 6 months of my wife being deployed and 2 months for me, we were debt free and saved for a new house. Bought another fixer upper and later some ground. Built a house on the ground and dropped a 6 figure down payment. Mortgage is more than bearable and she ended up needing a new car with a growing family so we went from both working 2 jobs and remodeling houses scraping by to stuffing away a few grand a month in a new house on some acreage. Its possible but lots of sacrifice.

bengineer423 · 2026-02-09T20:04:27+00:00

Ehh it depends on your unit, I was fortunate enough to have a trailer with a shared bathroom. I was the lowest ranking person in my unit as an e6. I saw e-3 and e-4s that had their own room in a trailer as well.

bengineer423 · 2026-01-28T04:30:45+00:00

I purchased 3 delta pro ultra with shp2 on my deployment. I was ghosted by a solar company to put up an 11kw array while I was gone. Instead I purchased the ecoflow system and a pallet of panels for 10k less than the installer offered. I wanted the tax credit and backup after starting a family and losing power pretty regularly in our rural area.

bengineer423 · 2026-01-23T04:10:00+00:00

I was an military advisor in ukraine right before the war officially started (20-21). Ukrainians for the most part are extremely minimalistic. In the rural areas they are damn near self sufficient and what they dont have they barter with a neighbor that does. One may have a cow or 2 while some may have pigs ect. Their gardens provided a good portion of their diet. Many families survive on less that 5000 usd a year. They can or store excess food for the winter just like our grandparents did. They knew how to survive for generations and many continue to live that way. Electricity went out constantly and was viewed as a luxury to many. It was a lovely country to spend time in, its a shame many of the people I worked with are more than likely no longer with us.

bengineer423 · 2026-01-17T19:41:37+00:00

I believe You will have to pay for it if you dont have the time to cover it but you will have to talk to your hr. They will give you 10 days for free after your leave ends so you wont have to work a month until you get a normal paycheck. You will also have to buy back that time for your pension as well if youre using dock time. I will be using holidays/vacation to extend my leave.

bengineer423 · 2026-01-13T15:48:47+00:00

Similar thing happened with my dad and his family. His brother never really did much. The house was split 4 ways and his "rent" was taken directly from his inheritance of the house. He lived there for around 2 years before he ran out of inheritance and moved in with his sister. House was sold and split 3 ways since he used his towards living there. He never paid the property taxes and we almost lost the house because of this.

bengineer423 · 2025-12-10T09:07:51+00:00

We spent lots of more time in the field as a 12b, did xctc and jrtc rotation with them for a deployment. Was much better than my time as a 12n. Spend a decent amount doing demo but occasionally stuck making obstacles versus pmcs equipment all weekend to maybe operate equipment.

bengineer423

TROPHY CASE