Running on empty: Low fuel in remote Alaska

[@northerngirlhobbies]

Those toboggans sure come in handy. Interesting delivery system.

[@curmudgeinnak]

Yes they do. We hope you are doing well. 🙂

[@johninalaska9563]

Don't you just love fuel wrestling? LOL It's always a relief knowing you have fuel on hand for whatever.

[@curmudgeinnak]

Yes it is. 🙂. How is John Doing today?

[@AloneinRemoteAlaska]

Glad to see you finally got your fuel delivery! Yay! 😊

[@curmudgeinnak]

It was nice to finally be able to relax and not worry about the fuel levels.

[@NorwegianHomestead]

You finally got the fuel ! Nice ! :)

[@SFD-Horses]

Thank you for taking us along! I do miss tooling around on my dad’s sled. Beautiful scenery too!

[@curmudgeinnak]

I would say come up in winter but I know you wont. lol. We hope you guys are doing good. lol. When is your next live?

[@amazingbeautyusa2023]

Watching here thank you for sharing us-Bless

[@curmudgeinnak]

Thank you too. Watching here as well.

[@notfornothinghomestead]

He is so funny 😂😂 if only our dogs could talk! So nice of you to call them about their left over tools!

[@curmudgeinnak]

I always like to do the right thing. No sense in keeping something that is not mine and could get someone in trouble at work. I treat peeps like I want to be treated. Thank you for stopping by Ginger. 🙂

[@blessblog3502]

So cold is Very nice my friend.

[@curmudgeinnak]

We love the cold. This year has not been to cold in our area.

[@curmudgeinnak]

And thank you very much for being here and watching.. God bless

[@joanntwiss4429]

Thanks for sharing enjoyed.

[@pauldavis6242]

Hey GOOD DAY Rob & everyone !!! That's the way to man handle those barrels. Rain last night turned to , then snow. Still snowing. Roads are iced over. I'm sitting this out. My water froze up last night. Sat & Sun down in single didits again. You see Tampa got snow!!!! Say hi to Sarah.

[@curmudgeinnak]

Tampa got snow? wow. I hope the frozen pipes did not cause any problems for you. Stay warm.

[@Home2Alaska]

This is the kind of video I like! Great video! I think i even caught glimpse of my cabin on that first run!

[@curmudgeinnak]

you probably did. lol. I bet you can not wait to get up here next month.

[@TracieL1234]

Just recently found your channel, and your homestead has so many more buildings on it than I initially realized.

[@curmudgeinnak]

yes, we have a number of buildings and we have added a few more as well. Mostly wood storage.

[@madebynorse]

Great video :)

[@NordicMicrofarm]

New follower popping by to say hello from Norway! You are the first Alaskan you tuber I come across! I love Alaska and would like to visit some day!

[@curmudgeinnak]

Well hello, It is nice to meet you. How did you find us? We have a friend in Norway that has a YT as well. You would love Alaska. It is an amazing place to visit and live. Just subbed to you as well. 🙂

[@NordicMicrofarm]

@@curmudgeinnak I found you through @norwegianhomestead! :) looking forward to binge your Channel now🤩

[@curmudgeinnak]

@@NordicMicrofarm Nice. We love his videos and we are looking forward to watching the ones you have as well.

[@kimfrommn7162]

Excellente !!!!!!! 🤗❤️👍🙋🏻‍♀️

[@curmudgeinnak]

Thank you.

[@CleopatraMacLaren]

Just found your channel. I am currently in Mid Missouri on 3.2 acres and trying my best to build a homestead. Love what I have seen so far… please keep posting!

[@curmudgeinnak]

Thank you for watching and we will keep posting. Missouri has some beautiful places. Been years since we have been through it.

[@GregCain-el3qh]

Southern Illinois here

[@richardmiller3919]

Hi Cleopatra weird I am also in Mid MO. Just live in rural town. One acre. Enjoy watching their Alaska post!

[@CleopatraMacLaren]

@@richardmiller3919 awesome! Good to meet ye.

[@amycurrie6766]

I loved the funk music and what looked like you dancing in the smowmobile to the rhythm when you hit bumps and turns!

[@rushingwindmountain]

Lots of manual work involved too. Have to have good muscles. Thanks for sharing.

[@DawnRaeB]

I enjoy these videos so much. That's not an easy job. We (social media) tend to romanticize homesteading and living off grid. It is wonderful. An amazing lifestyle. But it is such hard work! I enjoy when people show the chores that aren't so glamorous.

[@curmudgeinnak]

Sadly a lot of social media just shows the fun parts. We want to show you all of it. We hope you are doing well. 🙂

[@VickiMcCormick-jf5pe]

Oh bless you its for sure hard hard work. Its definitely not for the faint of heart.

[@curmudgeinnak]

No it is not. BUT it is really only as hard as you make it.

[@mavrikmavrik3032]

I just found your channel. Fun stuff! I have a ton of respect for you. I live on 20 acres and for 7 years I did the work every year to do 80% of our heating with wood. Just doing that was a ton of work and I eventually got tired of it. I have a full time job so had to do it in my spare time but the work you do to maintain your standard of living is incredible and I respect your efforts.

[@curmudgeinnak]

The great thing about wood to heat is it warms you a number of times lol. All the work we do is worth the effort. Thank you for stopping and checking us out.

[@brunfree]

It’s a fitness workout❤

[@curmudgeinnak]

That it is. This life style can keep you in shape. lol

[@townsenj02]

This job would not go well for a couch potatoe person

[@TheSimpleAlaskans]

Glad you got the fuel! I think it's awesome that you guys are as far out as you are. It's a lot of work, but worth it.

[@curmudgeinnak]

It is so worth it. I enjoy all the work. Come on up sometime for a visit.

[@TheSimpleAlaskans]

@@curmudgeinnak that would be awesome. Thanks for the invite!

[@cathyrobinson8667]

I enjoyed the video.

[@curmudgeinnak]

We are glad that you did. 🙂

[@debbiemiller7342]

Loved the video, thank you!

[@curmudgeinnak]

You are very welcome. 🙂

[@carlthor91]

Your Catywampus barrel, is the only one you stood up correctly. That's how you prevent any snow/water, collecting high enough to get near the bungs. Best wishes from Northern Canada.

[@curmudgeinnak]

I actually moved them all around after to keep them protected from getting snow and water around the bungs.

[@j.r.3215]

WHAT no gogles Rob ? I went Skiing woth just sunglasses on and I thought my eyes would freeze before I got to the bottom of the run Wnt straight to the store for a pair of gogles.

[@curmudgeinnak]

The shooting goggles wrap around pretty good so unless it is around 0 I use them. I have various goggles

[@VickiMcCormick-jf5pe]

I don't think anyone has the right to say anything about what your place looks like. You will need different items for different projects. Ite only your business, no one else's.

[@curmudgeinnak]

This is true. We are still sorting out two other owners worth of stuff here. We are still finding things we did not know were here. It is crazy sometimes what we find. lol

[@ashleyanderson2859]

How long did it take you to make that fuel run? Kinda reminded me of a date I had once. A lot to wrestle around,but she kept me warm. LoL

[@curmudgeinnak]

LMAO. It took longer to ride one way than it took to load and load all the drums. I think it took me just about an hour and twenty. But I also took a fast lunch break as well so maybe an hour total.

[@originalsixx]

😂😂😂

[@jflan8536]

Just discovered your channel.

[@curmudgeinnak]

We are glad you did. WELCOME. :-)

[@simplyvego9622]

Be careful because out there looks 🥶🥶🥶 New here watching ❤

[@curmudgeinnak]

It was actually kind of warm this day. It was around 15f.

[@deesalkelly3069]

suggest when loading those's 44's - place a log beside that trailer - will stop it tipping

[@robertbartmann8470]

Barb and I enjoy the snow machine ride through the woods, a little taste of the ride we'll be on in person.🥶🥶LOL Rob, I noticed that you have a shifter on the left side of that machine. What kind is it? Glad that you got the fuel delivery. That was quite a wrestling match with the barrels😂@270lbs per barrel. Glad you won the match! Take care! Give our greetings to Sarah.

[@curmudgeinnak]

The shifter is for reverse low n and high. I always tow loads in low. It helps with the stress on the belt and transmission. I always win against the drums.

[@brooktrout1477]

Good

[@brooktrout1477]

Hit the send before I was done , stuff

[@robindawtrey9735]

I don't want to tell you how to suck eggs...but a good tool for handling 44g drums is a 3'6"/4" length of galv 1.5" water pipe with a just a small lipped piece of angle iron welded to it about 12" down from the top...with the lip protruding...it would help at the bottom to weld a slightly curved (to suit drum profile) bit of flat steel no more than 12" x 1"/ 2"w 8" long ... More if ya like...but not really necessary. It also makes a big difference if you can bend the pipe at about 15° from the base of the weld at the top. Obviously the lip will lap the drum edge. Made a huge difference when I handled literally 100's drums at mining site in early 70's outback Australia.

[@curmudgeinnak]

Thank you for that info. I may see if I can build something like that. Always looking to make things a little easier out here.

[@robindawtrey9735]

@curmudgeinnak you will have to forgive my measurements...they are a bit ad-hoc we use the metric system here...the galv pipe is heavy duty and 1.5" is the outside diameter. The lipped angle iron doesn't need to be any wider than the pipe but would recommend that it be cut to protrude no more than 3/4" from the handle and cut and welded to fit the pipe profile. Also...the greater the length of the handle...the greater the ease of leverage...I'd recommend that you try 30" first...you can always cut it shorter hey. I've never seen one for sale...it's such a useful and simple tool and...almost impossible to damage..unless you drive over it with a bulldozer. On another note...what are you building there? A village?

[@scottjohnson6173]

The last time I was in Alaska personally since 1974 I want to go visit a friend of mine who is in the military at Allendorf Air Force Base. I was there for two weeks and I never regretted it. It was the best weeks of my life. could I see myself everywhere Yeah Yeah I was 40 years younger

[@curmudgeinnak]

Don't let age stop you. We see a lot of older folks coming and moving here. Thanks for watching.

[@jeannemarcinek4575]

What you have is unique and interesting, yes, it is hard work, but there is a payoff. Peacefulness, and the ability to create a homestead that is yours without someone sticking their nose into it. Granted there still is a small person out there to check on your property. Curious in the spring how do you tell when the bears are around looking for food? And what do you to prevent them from destroying or taking it? Blessings

[@curmudgeinnak]

One of the great things of our area is we have no real HOA, home inspections, building codes or people just popping in to check on land for tax increases. So far We always see bear tracks in the spring as the ground is very muddy. We had an issue with chicken coop raiders this past spring and summer. They killed most of our flock. We only have three hens left at this time. In the spring I will be adding a hot wire around the coops as well as audio triggers to keep them away.

[@GreenForce82]

Have you looked into the ECOFLOW 'ecosystem' of off grid/camping power solutions? We watch Casey Ladelle and he's shown them to be an excellent product. I swear I'm not sponsored lol. Just curious how it would work in your situation, and if not why? Possibly a great video, with a high engagement potential if you mentioned Casey and even maybe got some ECOFLOW products (maybe even sponsorship if you're interested in that) to supplement some of your needs, where possible. Either way, love the channel and keep on keeping on!

[@curmudgeinnak]

Anything lithium is hard to get here. At the time I started to build our system Ecoflow was not being shipped to Alaska. I was also able to build a 11kw system and find an inverter set up for less than what a 8kw system from Ecoflow would of coast. For batteries we are using EG4 batteries.

[@detecting_Nathanael]

You call them barrels. In Australia, we call them drums! 44 gallons imperial or 205 litre capacity in Aus.

[@curmudgeinnak]

We call them drums as well. Ours hold 55 gallons.

[@detecting_Nathanael]

Yep. 55 gallons US equates to 44 gallons Imperial. I used to work in the oil & gas industry where we worked on the US system, but a barrel of oil was classed as 50 gallons.

[@originalsixx]

How warm will your cabin get with just the woodstove alone? We have a relatively small woodstove in our basement, i think it's about 28" wide. It will not heat our entire home. We had a power outage a couple weeks ago that only lasted about 16 hours and the 2nd floor of our home got down to 58 degrees. That's pretty cold to us so we pulled up 2 lawn chairs in front of the woodstove and hung out down there 😂😂😂. I have a blowup mattress so we could sleep near it if it came down to that 😂😂😂

[@curmudgeinnak]

Our wood cooks stoves fire box is pretty massive. The house gets to hot at times. If I run it hard it can get close to 90 in here. We tend to keep it between 70-74 in the house. The bedroom gets a tad bit warmer but we just leave the window open 24/7.

[@jiminalaska]

How does the rail road get the barrels there and unloaded? What does it cost to get. a barrel of gas deliverred?

[@curmudgeinnak]

Hey Jim. They have a few special trucks that they load it all up on and they have boom cranes on them. The items you saw me pick up off the barrel in the start is what they use to hoist them with. Cost depends on if we have other things coming at the same time. anywhere from $160 to $500. The most expensive delivery so far was all the stuff we needed to finish the new house. that was about $1,200

[@jiminalaska]

Cool. thanks@@curmudgeinnak

[@patgrace2857]

Get a pump or u will put ur back out

[@georgeberg2106]

Seems like just a week ago your trail was a big mud hole, now it's a winter road.

[@georgeberg2106]

Didn't notice until now the video is nine months old.

[@curmudgeinnak]

No worries. It has snowed so you are correct in saying that. :-)

[@matthewtaylor1697]

I wrestle wood distillery barrels 53 gal and are 550 lbs full.

[@curmudgeinnak]

Yeah those ones are bit heavier. Thank you for watching. :-)

[@exploitthechildless1510]

How do you prevent the diesel from gelling at the low temperature you experience?

[@curmudgeinnak]

Have never had any issues with it as of yet. If it does start to I will add some of the additive to it to stop it.

[@abboman8319]

Whats that cost to get it delivered

[@curmudgeinnak]

They go by weight so it all depends. Normally around $16 per 100 pounds.

[@goutvols103]

Do you also utilize propane?

[@curmudgeinnak]

we use some for instant how water and cooking in summer. Hoping to be able to built a wood gasiffier to swap to in the future.

[@FaithLove2]

How long is the distance from the tracks?

[@curmudgeinnak]

depends on the trail. One is a mile and the other a mile and a quarter.

[@sarahschlosser1203]

No gym membership needed in your life style

[@curmudgeinnak]

Nope, Alaska will keep you fit if you are careful

[@lostmoose9994]

Fof this you would need a solid built wodden toboggan instead of that flimsy plastic thingy.

[@curmudgeinnak]

I like the cheap plastic one as I can just roll the drums into it ands the sides hold it well. and if the sled comes a part Sarah may say I can buy a newer better one. lol. But the crazy thing has done 4 winters and 20 drums. or more.

[@lostmoose9994]

Have you seen the hay-sleighs in Alps? You could load all 4 drums in 1 trip and the friction would be half of less of your plastic one. You can load a ton or more as long as your skidoo can pull it. Just saying, I did that over thete - back in the days. Easy to build DIY or perhaps Amish built ?

[@amycurrie6766]

How much does each weigh?

[@amycurrie6766]

Lol. I watched it all and heard the answer!

[@nupagadii5834]

Diesel engines R way more efficient and eco ..... And older diesel engines can be powered on used vegetable oil in positive Celsius temperature (no rubber or plastic fuel installation dough) ....

[@curmudgeinnak]

to a point. Some of the gs ones do pretty good. My predator 5kw burns 3.4 gallons in 18 hours. However my Yanmar L90AE burns between a half pint and a pint. However I need to rebuild it this winter. I have been curious to the veggie oil part.