The Homefront

I've often had people ask what I think about my Mahindra tractor, and well... here's the answer. #mahindra #mahindrarise #mahindratractor #farmlife #homesteading #homestead

Here's the long term test wrap up of my use of a link belt to drive the fan, water pump, and alternator on my John Deere 2155 tractor.

We've been using a Halo GPS collar on our farm/homestead for quite some time, and here is what we've found.

In this video, I show how a link belt can be used in place of a traditional fan belt to keep your equipment in the field with this quick repair. You can find this product here https://amzn.to/3wLCQUP

In this video, I detail how I utilized several different unrelated components to put together a reliable, high-capacity sprayer for pennies on the dollar.

In this video, I detail what I see as the pros and cons of the two leading Bluetooth audio-enabled hearing protection headsets as viewed from the real world view of life on a farm. LINKS TO PURCHASE 3M Worktunes Connect https://amzn.to/3vf77dP Dewalt Premium Bluetooth Hearing Protection https://amzn.to/38mTSyT

The Ally Venable Band, live at the Bijou theater in Knoxville, TouN, 2-15-2022. First off, let me say I'm not trying to profit off of someone else's work, so monetization is turned off on this video. I'm merely sharing this to support the artists involved, and to urge you all to check out their work. You can find more here: https://amzn.to/3LNcx63

Living off-grid is a very rewarding, but challenging way to live. Living with off-grid solar year-round comes with some unique challenges that one needs to consider before making the jump. In this video, I discuss the challenges that come with the changing seasons, based on our own real-world experience living off-grid.

Living with off-grid solar for the past several years has shaped the way I view some of the conversations we're having in the world today. Join me in this honest discussion about some lessons learned and perspectives gained from living on sunshine.

In this video, I detail how to replace commercial vehicle air ride springs (airbags) by replacing the air springs on my tri-axle dump truck's Hendrickson 20K lift axle.

In this video, I detail the mechanical function of a Colt 45 "prop gun" and how an "I didn't pull the trigger" negligent discharge with a mechanically intact gun isn't as simple as some would have you believe.

More solar is coming to the farm/homestead via a separate system with a Sol-Ark 5K. In this video, I go over my first impressions, how it compares to our 12K, and our plans for the system expansion.

*This is an updated version of a video that was previously released.* In this video, we show how we used a Tartar fence unroller/stretcher to help us install Redbrand 4"x4" sheep and goat fencing for one of our sheep paddocks on our Tennessee farm/homestead.

In this video, I detail the reason I'm making the swap from an indoor unit to an outdoor unit, as well as a detailed how-to and the differences I can see between the two models. Special thanks to @engineer775 for your continued support, and to the good folks at the @Sol-Ark tech support line as well. #emp #emphardened #solark #sol-ark #sol-ark12k #solark12k #diysolar #diy #off-grid #offgrid #offgridsolar #homestead #homesteading

The current state of our off-grid solar homestead, past, present, and our future. Stay tuned to the end for a slide show of what we really do around here! #offgridsolar #offgrid #homestead #farmlife #family #diy #diyoffgrid

In this video, I detail the upcoming expansion to our off-grid solar power system.

In this video, I explain and install a Solar Edge auto-transformer to work alongside my Sol-Ark 12K transformerless inverter to help balance the loads of the 240v system in a completely off-grid environment. Credit where credit is due: Scott Hunt - Engineer775 (for pointing me in the right direction) Ben - Ben's Solar and Battery (for producing a video highlighting this product)

In this video, I give a detailed presentation of the Battery Watering Technologies flooded lead-acid battery watering kit, as well as provide an overview of the battery equalization process, and how that works with a Sol-Ark 12K. More from me: amazon.com/author/sbird Practical Preppers LLC: practicalpreppersllc.com Engineer 775: @engineer775 Sol-Arl" sol-ark.com @sol-ark

The production of the audiobook version of The Preacher, the Pistol, and the Noose is now complete! It's currently in the review phase at Audible, and will be available on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes soon! To help tide you over, I've included the entire first chapter of the audiobook in this video for FREE! Check it out, and I hope you like it! amazon.com/author/sbird

In this video I describe in detail our DIY off-grid solar install using an EMP hardened Sol-Ark 12K All-In-One inverter system, along with Trina 320 watt split cell panels, a PLP Power Peak ground mount, Trojan Solar Premium batteries, and more, as well as what the system does for us and how it suits our needs. www.sol-ark.com https://practicalpreppers.com/diy-solar-systems/

Click here to view on Amazon -- https://amzn.to/3orsP95 The Preacher, the Pistol, and the Noose - An action-packed, old-west thrill ride! -In the spring of 1893, Clayton Stevens, pastor of the local church in Silverton, Texas, enlists the help of an unlikely ally to set out after his niece after she was abducted by a violent gang of outlaws during a stagecoach robbery that took the life of her parents. After a string of unfortunate events, and feeling he had no other options and nothing left to lose, Clayton finds himself on the trail of the infamous McCarty gang in a battle for life and death to rescue his sole-surviving relative before it’s too late.- Forward by Mike "Duke" Venturino, acclaimed gun magazine writer and author of numerous non-fiction books on historical firearms from America's past. Award-winning author Steven Bird takes his fast-paced, hard-hitting post-apocalyptic and sci-fi writing style to his personal favorite genre, westerns and the old west, in this action-packed thrill ride set in Texas and the New Mexico Territory in the late 1800s. (Special thanks to friend and colleague AJ Powers for creating this outstanding promotional video!) You can find The Preacher, the Pistol, and the Noose here on Amazon - https://amzn.to/33RbSwr

Hey folks, in this video you'll hear directly from the horse's mouth about my newest release, the motivation behind it, and what's coming down the road in the near future. To find this book on Amazon, click here - https://amzn.to/33OBYQO

Author Steven Bird walks you through the step by step process of installing your own septic system when developing your property. This video shows the use of an Infiltrator brand tank and the Infiltrator Quick4 chamber system utilizing serial distribution.

We live completely off the grid and provide our own electricity via a Sol-Ark 12K based solar power system. A few recent electrical glitches pointed to a necessary repair as well as an upgrade to make everything run much more smoothly. I want to give a shout out to the following two YouTubers and their videos, which was instrumental in my doing this job myself with everything going smoothly, and to thanks to Scott Hunt (Engineer775 here on YouTube) for his technical advice and support as well. Thanks guys! Thanks to Donald McAdams for his Coleman Mach motor install video at https://youtu.be/doJ_oD18lZs Thanks to heylawnguy for the Supco SPP6 AC hard start capacitor install video at https://youtu.be/DsgRachoLEA

Authors Steven Bird and D.J. Cooper sit down and talk about her writing career, books, life, and the philosophy of preparedness that goes into everything she does. You can find her books on Kindle, paperback, and audiobook here: https://amzn.to/39faa96 You can also find her on the interweb at: authoroftheapocalypse.com