[What primers]

Federal, Remington are my favorites, but have used Winchester and Wolf with good results as well.

[What brand metal building is your shop?]

30 x 30 won't be big enough. Always go bigger. Are you going to construct the building or are you having it built. Local lumber store can sell you a package depending on what you want. McReary (sp) sells a building with all panels cut with proper angles and will build also. There are many options. Narrow and long is cheaper than wide and short, due to truss sizes. How high will the building need to be in order to accommodate projects or storage. Do you have strong winds and heavy snow?

Snow not so much, but I have been noting the wind loading data on several. We have strong wind here, gusts hit 60+ around Thanksgiving when a front came through.

[What brand metal building is your shop?]

30' x 30' isn't near big enough. Since the O.P. mentions parking his John Deere tractor in it he sounds like he is in the country. Heck my three car garage is 45' feet long and I have it full including storage in the rafters.. Oversize pick-up, storage for hay bales, shelving for all sorts of stuff used outdoors, rotillers, mowers, other cars, yada, yada, yada. If I had it to do over I would have went at least 40' x 60'.

Good advice, but I hope the 30x30 is enough to replace the old shop. Most of the wheelers and such already have a place indoors, plus a very large hay barn I built years ago. I am thinking of having this one built instead of me and myself knocking it out this time , guess I'm getting soft!

Yea, I do want to put the tractor in out of the weather, the birds still target it under a canopy as it is

 

Start here....

 

Compare steel building of 2016

Thanks for the link, that's really handy!

[What brand metal building is your shop?]

I have been studying the metal building manufactures websites trying to decide which are good versus not so much, and they all state they are the best! We all know there is good and bad out there, so what is your experience with the building kits the manufactures are selling these days? I have looked at several ( Coast to Coast, Versa tube, Mueller, Eagle ) and would appreciate info on others as well.

Thinking about 30x30 with enough height to store the JD and assemble a new reloading shop is what I am looking for. Tell me what you know!

[I'm Retired]

Today was my last day of w*rk, had a great retirement celebration. Been preparing for this for a long time and it's time to start a new chapter of life. Just recently bought a camper so now I'll finally get to start spending the nights at the range instead of hotels.

 

Yeehaw ya'll,

 

Kajun

I am envious! My time is now measured in months until I get to play recess all the time!

CONGRATULATIONS!

[grease in the wheel of a stage coach]

This also ran the odometer backward to make the coach more valuable at resale.

That would only apply to resale, not so much on the smuggling market!, My grandfather had my dad and uncles tug a real Overland stage coach across the Rio Grande south of El Paso years ago! Not sure how he came across the coach, but it was authenticated and eventually went to California! Even today my mother speaks about the adventure in very hushed tones like the Mexicans are going to raid the house!

[grease in the wheel of a stage coach]

Thanks very much. The only legitimate work where I've seen this "greaser," term referenced, is in a book called "Indian Slave Trade in the Southwest," by Lynn Bailey. I believe this was published sometime in the 1970s. In this book, the reference was to the French and Spanish influence in New Mexico, wherein virtual slaves of Indian and Spanish descent ("Mexicans") had to follow along next to two-wheel oxcarts and constantly apply some kind of organic grease to the axle and wheel assembly to keep the wheel and axle from burning up.

I believe I have seen that book in the Southwest collection at the Brannigan library in Las Cruces NM. Another good read regarding the Butterfield was done by George Hackler / The Butterfield Trail in New Mexico.

[grease in the wheel of a stage coach]

Stations along the old Butterfield Line here are 12-15 miles apart

That's correct. Mesilla to the Rough and Ready Mts stop is at 13 miles. R&R Mts to Mason Draw is slightly over 10 As I recall,

[grease in the wheel of a stage coach]

Captain Clark,

I've only seen that "greaser" explanation in one obscure reference. Out of curiosity, where did you see it?

Cat Brules

I have seen it referenced only a couple of times myself, most notably in Waterman Ormsbeys book on the 1st thru passage on the Butterfield Overland route, which are actually his dispatches covering the trip west, to the newspaper he wrote for in St Louis? I believe. I have seen it mentioned in one other publication on the Butterfield, which is locked away in my books on the Butterfield. It is incredible country the trail passes thru here in the Southwest! I have traveled much of the trail from west Texas to Arizona. 40 miles in that desert during summer will kill horses,in shape or otherwise!

[grease in the wheel of a stage coach]

Horses were not run, and oxen or sometimes mules were used in the desert crossings on the Butterfield trail in this part of southern New Mexico. There is a term for the station hand that tended to the greasing at stage stops.... They were often referred to as greasers, and they were often Mexican, hence the derogatory term still around today.

The stage stop distances were based on climate, terrain and water, 40 miles would be a long stretch, hopefully flat country. High desert and the Rocky Mountain region stops were much nearer to one another.

[Welcome to Singin' Sues new grandbaby!]

Congratulations Sue! Send my best wishes to Granpa as well. Your Christmas is now even more joyful!