Happy with hoopsHoop buildings are a top pick on the Stockmen''s Survey[TM] as a management change tied to a product. With pigs from 900 sows being finished in 12 hoop barns, Dave Struthers (shown on page 33) has learned a bit about this housing system since he built his first barn in 1996. The materials (wood, concrete, poles, and tarp) for a hoop barn that holds 200 finishing pigs costs about $8,000. Most of Struthers'' barns are made by Sioux Steel.Struthers, who farms with his family near Collins, Iowa, says hoop production works well for him and offers these tips based on his experience:

The Wood/Chuck W/C-17 is built to withstand the rigorous conditions and heavy workloads associated with waste wood disposal. The machine is designed to meet the demands of residential, commercial and utility contractors. The W/C-17 can chip small brush and handles whole trees up to 12-inch diameter. The versatility of the WC-17 reduces preparation, which allows for more profitable work time. The heart of the chipper is the 40 inch-by-2 inch, solid-steel cutting disc. The W/C-17 is built on a 6-inch steel channel frame designed to provide maximum strength and stability. Options include a hydraulic lift cylinder, as well as diesel- or gas-powered packages ranging from 80 to 200 hp. One of Tiger Woods'' trademarks is using a 3-wood from just off the green. The shape of the clubhead makes it easier for it to pass through the long grass for consistent contact. With that in mind, two companies have developed utility clubs that combine the weight and loft of a wood head with the length of a putter. Possible uses include greenside chips, bump-and-run shots and no-lip bunker shots. Bantam Golf''s E-Club (above left) is 35 inches long and features a stainless-steel head with a hosel design traditionally used in putters. PowerBilt''s Slippery Frog features a double-bend putter shaft and a rounded, highly polished soleplate, designed to pass freely through the grass. Find recycling equipment specifications, dealers, parts and service information, and used equipment on web site. Celebrating 45 years in business, Morbark invites you to take a virtual tour of their factory, read their history, and sign up for their newsletter, MorBytes, to receive news about products which include tub grinders, shredders, Wood Hogs, trommel screens, mulch coloring units, chip harvesters and delimbers/debarkers, whole tree chippers, Mountain Goats, track and brush chippers, and the Morbark Multibagger. Morbark Model 2400XL Hurricane with loader blends a hand-fed chipper with a knuckleboom loader. Equipped with the Mor-Lift Model 150 loader and grapple, the 2400XL with loader is versatile, offering tree care professionals a machine that can be used as a loader-fed and hand-fed chipper. This 18-inch-diameter chipper recycles wood waste, including brush, logging slash and orchard prunings. It is also ideal for residential or small land and lot clearing. The chipper packs power with either a 250-hp. John Deere or 260-hp. Cummins engine. Two rear hydraulic stabilizers are standard features for added stability. All controls are located in the operator''s station. Vermeer Manufacturing Co., Pella, Iowa, has introduced the smallest in its line of engine-powered brush chippers. The new BC625A disc-style chipper incorporates a hydraulic feed system that can chip brush and debris up to 6 in. in diameter. The Vermeer brush chipper product line covers a range of 20 to 200 hp machines, which are used for a wide range of rental, golf course, landscape, municipal and commercial applications.

When we ran out of thoughts we turned the ratchet from loosen to tighten and bolted the car together. With a mig welder borrowed from Phoenix we tried to make the two halves stick. After struggling for hours, experimenting with voltage and wire speed, we finally showed Weldon, a third-generation ironworker, our progress. After several moments of silence, staring at our atrocious splatter of weld, he said, "Well, I hope you''re at least having fun." Dealing with strangers first became a problem on a particular Wednesday lunch at the Phoenix Iron Works, a month before our departure. Despite people''s interest, I found myself getting grouchy. An enthusiastic stranger who walked in off the streets managed to ask the same exact questions I had already answered twice that day. "Wow," he said staring at the table, "Where did you get the idea?" A button pressed inside my head and I launched into spiel #1. When I reached the end of my recording, I beeped and he asked, as if on cue, "What are you going to do when it rains?" Without hesitation, I returned, "Get wet," and prepared for the next assault. Before he had even finished asking: "How are you going to get across the oceans?" I was screaming dementedly, "Take a boat! Take a boat!"

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