What was the hardest job you've ever had, as far as being physically demanding?
What was the physically hardest job you've ever had?
- Thread starter Ken Anderson
- Start date
Ed Delabama
Active member
Good afternoon to all-
I reckon that baling, loading, and stacking hay for livestock was just about the hardest physical work I've done.
I can recall llloooonnnggg hot days working in hayfields. We'd drink water, tea, beer all day long,- I'm talking All Day Long- and never have to stop to pee. Not just my shirt but my jeans would be soaked through with sweat.
It was good to get the hay in, but Lord, it was hard work.
I don't want to ever have to do that sort of work again.
you all be safe and keep well- Ed
I reckon that baling, loading, and stacking hay for livestock was just about the hardest physical work I've done.
I can recall llloooonnnggg hot days working in hayfields. We'd drink water, tea, beer all day long,- I'm talking All Day Long- and never have to stop to pee. Not just my shirt but my jeans would be soaked through with sweat.
It was good to get the hay in, but Lord, it was hard work.
I don't want to ever have to do that sort of work again.
you all be safe and keep well- Ed
Beth Gallagher
Well-known member
Stringing tobacco and loading the "cooking" barns as a teenager. Other farm-related stuff as well, like feeding livestock and weeding/hoeing the garden patch, picking produce with bushel baskets, etc.
As I mentioned in another thread, the inspiration for this one- the physically hardest job I've ever done- was haying season. While I had helped an uncle during haying season before, I was younger, and he didn't work us that hard. However, when I was thirteen or fourteen, I took what I thought would be a paying job for someone in the area, whom I assumed I was related to in some way, and he worked us hard. He drove the tractor with the baler behind, while my cousin and I (the same age, as he was born the day before me) were tasked with loading the wagon.
These were compressed rectangular hay bales, held together with twine. As the bales came out of the baler, we had to stack them on the wagon. At first it was easy enough, starting with an empty wagon. But once the bales were stacked four, five, or six layers high, it was hard to keep up, and if we didn't move the bales quickly enough, the baler would jam. I don't remember now how long baling season lasted, but he baled a few 40-acre plots, and this was the hottest part of the summer - hot and itchy.
Once it was all over, he said thanks for the help, and that was it. He paid us nothing. My cousin's dad drove over and made him pay my cousin for his work, but my dad just told me I should have worked that out before I started, so my payment was a lesson learned.
These were compressed rectangular hay bales, held together with twine. As the bales came out of the baler, we had to stack them on the wagon. At first it was easy enough, starting with an empty wagon. But once the bales were stacked four, five, or six layers high, it was hard to keep up, and if we didn't move the bales quickly enough, the baler would jam. I don't remember now how long baling season lasted, but he baled a few 40-acre plots, and this was the hottest part of the summer - hot and itchy.
Once it was all over, he said thanks for the help, and that was it. He paid us nothing. My cousin's dad drove over and made him pay my cousin for his work, but my dad just told me I should have worked that out before I started, so my payment was a lesson learned.
Ed Delabama
Active member
Good afternoon to all-
Ken- Yep, I could sing you a few verses of that song...
Those old rectangular bales- everybody in Arkansas where I lived- called them "square bales, but Arkies were never too strong on geometric figures- and not much of anything else. And like you, I noticed that the man judging the rate of speed and loading was the one on the tractor.
And I baled ONCE for a Church of Christ preacher who also farmed, and his hay truck had a bed that started about six feet off the ground... made loading hard, let me tell you. I worked on this crew for minimum minimum wage.
But mostly, I loaded and baled for my father in law, and pay was never discussed.
And Brother, when you mention hot and scratchy, you never lied.
When I get to thinking about how tough things might get now, all I have to do is think back on hay-working days, and whatever I am doing now seems a whole lot lighter.
you all be safe and keep well- Ed
Ken- Yep, I could sing you a few verses of that song...
Those old rectangular bales- everybody in Arkansas where I lived- called them "square bales, but Arkies were never too strong on geometric figures- and not much of anything else. And like you, I noticed that the man judging the rate of speed and loading was the one on the tractor.
And I baled ONCE for a Church of Christ preacher who also farmed, and his hay truck had a bed that started about six feet off the ground... made loading hard, let me tell you. I worked on this crew for minimum minimum wage.
But mostly, I loaded and baled for my father in law, and pay was never discussed.
And Brother, when you mention hot and scratchy, you never lied.
When I get to thinking about how tough things might get now, all I have to do is think back on hay-working days, and whatever I am doing now seems a whole lot lighter.
you all be safe and keep well- Ed
I think that for me, it was working in the Christmas trees.
All summer, we worked in the Hops, which was really long, long hours every day, in the summer. We worked from sunrise until dark, 7 days a week when the hops were growing.
I drove the big 2-ton hop truck in the fall, so it was just loading and unloading the hops from the truck, and the rest was driving.
After we were done with hops season for the year, it was time to start working in the Christmas trees harvest, which started in November.
We had to cut down the trees and drag them through the tree field and up to the baler, then they had to be baled (wrapped and tied with string), or sometimes in netting.
Usually late at night, a semi truck and trailer would show up, and we spent the next few hours loading those trees onto the semi.
The weather could get really cold in north Idaho in the winter, so sometimes we were working in near zero temperatures, as well as dragging the trees through deep snow by December.
Later, we moved to Spokane, and I worked for the same company, but I was working at their Christmas tree lot, and I just loved working there ! It was only about a month job, but I loved helping people pick out the perfect Christmas tree.
Near the end of December, we were able to make good deals for people who bought their trees just before Christmas, and that was always a lot of fun, too.
On Christmas Eve, the lot would close early, and the owner let me stay and sell any trees I wanted for the rest of the night, so I would bring the kids down, and they all made a little money selling trees for whatever price they could get, and then we picked out the tree we wanted for ourselves before we closed up and left for the night.
All summer, we worked in the Hops, which was really long, long hours every day, in the summer. We worked from sunrise until dark, 7 days a week when the hops were growing.
I drove the big 2-ton hop truck in the fall, so it was just loading and unloading the hops from the truck, and the rest was driving.
After we were done with hops season for the year, it was time to start working in the Christmas trees harvest, which started in November.
We had to cut down the trees and drag them through the tree field and up to the baler, then they had to be baled (wrapped and tied with string), or sometimes in netting.
Usually late at night, a semi truck and trailer would show up, and we spent the next few hours loading those trees onto the semi.
The weather could get really cold in north Idaho in the winter, so sometimes we were working in near zero temperatures, as well as dragging the trees through deep snow by December.
Later, we moved to Spokane, and I worked for the same company, but I was working at their Christmas tree lot, and I just loved working there ! It was only about a month job, but I loved helping people pick out the perfect Christmas tree.
Near the end of December, we were able to make good deals for people who bought their trees just before Christmas, and that was always a lot of fun, too.
On Christmas Eve, the lot would close early, and the owner let me stay and sell any trees I wanted for the rest of the night, so I would bring the kids down, and they all made a little money selling trees for whatever price they could get, and then we picked out the tree we wanted for ourselves before we closed up and left for the night.
Krystal Shay
Well-known member
I don't recall the hardest job I had but, alot of the stuff I had to do as a kid was hard....because I was a kid.
I used to have to help put up hay bales too. My Grandparents didn't care if me and my girl cousins were little girls. We were going to work right along with all the boys. There was always work that needed to be done, no matter the weather. I learned to work hard as a youngin' and it stuck with me through out my years. I think all of us of this age group can say the same.
I also had to help my parents pick wild blackberries and dewberries out in the pasture as a kid too. It wasn't a hard job, but I didn't like doing it. *pout* It took a long time to fill up my little beer bucket with berries.
I used to have to help put up hay bales too. My Grandparents didn't care if me and my girl cousins were little girls. We were going to work right along with all the boys. There was always work that needed to be done, no matter the weather. I learned to work hard as a youngin' and it stuck with me through out my years. I think all of us of this age group can say the same.
I also had to help my parents pick wild blackberries and dewberries out in the pasture as a kid too. It wasn't a hard job, but I didn't like doing it. *pout* It took a long time to fill up my little beer bucket with berries.
Connie Bennett
Well-known member
I don't recall the hardest job I had but, alot of the stuff I had to do as a kid was hard....because I was a kid.
I used to have to help put up hay bales too. My Grandparents didn't care if me and my girl cousins were little girls. We were going to work right along with all the boys. There was always work that needed to be done, no matter the weather. I learned to work hard as a youngin' and it stuck with me through out my years. I think all of us of this age group can say the same.
I also had to help my parents pick wild blackberries and dewberries out in the pasture as a kid too. It wasn't a hard job, but I didn't like doing it. *pout* It took a long time to fill up my little beer bucket with berries.
Yes, for sure we all learned to work. On the farm everyone pulled their weight and then some. It was a given and we didn’t ask questions.
I also was not fond of baling hay. Haying season has always been the one time of the year I have sworn to put a “free horses” sign on the mailbox but never did.
The work I truly disliked but it wasn’t as hard as putting up hay, was helping mom weed the garden. It was a HUGE garden as she canned for the winter and most of it went in the creepy fruit cellar. Mom wouldn’t go down there, so I didn’t have to either. That was dad’s job thank goodness.
The hardest paying job I had as an adult was my highest paying job for those days. I was working at General Motors wiring division on the assembly line. We made better wages than anyone in the valley, but it meant standing on cement for eight hours with only thirty minutes for lunch, and (4) nine minute breaks ( last one was 22 if we made rate). We had a relief girl for in between restroom breaks, but standing on cement was hard on the legs. We got mats at some point of my time there, but still hard on the legs. I was one of the lucky ones who never got broken or vericose veins from that.
Don Alaska
Well-known member
Without a doubt the physically hardest job I ever had was stacking green hardwood lumber in a mill. As the sawyer cut it, we had to carry and stack the boards or planks. Oak was probably the heaviest as it was cut in planks as wide as 18 inches, 2 inches thick, and 12 feet long. Those suckers weighed a LOT for one guy. We had to use our thighs to assist and we went through a pair of leather gloves every shift.
Hoot Crawford
Well-known member
Baling hay for a local farmer. But I was 15, plus I was getting paid a whopping 60 cents an hour. Livin' large
Tony Nathanson
Well-known member
In my 20's I loaded & unloaded office-supply trucks & also made deliveries. A case of Xerox paper is rather heavy, especially when taking 50 cases of it upstairs.
I used to drive a Coca-Cola truck and fill machines in Alexandria VA. One building had a bottle machine on the 3rd floor...and no elevator. I hauled cases of bottles up the marble steps of city hall.
Man, I was in good shape.
Man, I was in good shape.
Bobby Cole
Well-known member
I’m kind of up in the air about this one.
Dad owned a cabinet shop and later, a construction company so during my stints working for him, heavy lifting and long hard hours was pretty rough.
The Food and Beverage industry isn’t a joke either. 8-12 hours, high heat, high stress, physically and mentally demanding.
I also lumped tractor trailers for Atlanta Dairies as a part time gig. No brains needed just load and unload a few tons of milk for however many hours it was needed.
I guess though, the 3 weeks I spent at Fort Benning in the August heat training to be Airborne topped the list.
The 8 weeks at basic training and the additional 8 weeks of AIT had me in pretty good shape but to be perfectly truthful, the first 3-4 days of jump school had me wondering if I would make it the rest of the way.
Some 60 years later, I’m still proud of the day those wings were pinned on me. I earned ‘em.
Dad owned a cabinet shop and later, a construction company so during my stints working for him, heavy lifting and long hard hours was pretty rough.
The Food and Beverage industry isn’t a joke either. 8-12 hours, high heat, high stress, physically and mentally demanding.
I also lumped tractor trailers for Atlanta Dairies as a part time gig. No brains needed just load and unload a few tons of milk for however many hours it was needed.
I guess though, the 3 weeks I spent at Fort Benning in the August heat training to be Airborne topped the list.
The 8 weeks at basic training and the additional 8 weeks of AIT had me in pretty good shape but to be perfectly truthful, the first 3-4 days of jump school had me wondering if I would make it the rest of the way.
Some 60 years later, I’m still proud of the day those wings were pinned on me. I earned ‘em.
Faye Fox
Well-known member
My entire life has been hard work. What was the hardest physically?
Growing up on a cattle ranch, most everything was a hard job. Loading and stacking 80 lb bales was hard but by teen years we had a front end loader with a custom hay fork that handled 18 bales at a time. It still required some lifting, rolling, and shoving bales in place to load, but it did all the stacking.
Perhaps the hardest job was the two days I worked on a steep mountain side, falling old growth Douglas Firs for a helicopter logging outfit. I was filling in for a faller that had an emergency. Two days of carrying my Husky 2100 with a 36" bar up that mountain side and having to think about every move I made, was both physically and mentally exhausting. Just preparing for the fall by making a safe standing spot and escape route was hard enough since it had to be done with a small shovel. I was paid $500. That was good for 1980.
The hardest on my back was two weeks welding rebar on a bridge job. It had to be done squatting down. I only got the job because no one else wanted it. Then a new sawmill being built, needed welders to weld sawdust tight seams on the insides of their hoppers. I did that for two weeks, but that was all I could take inside a 4 X 4 foot hopper, 12 feet tall, dressed in leathers. It was summer and welding was done in 15 minute in shifts with 5 minutes out to rehydrate. The heat was terrible, even with fans running pushing air and fumes up.
Carrying an Ingersoll 83 jackleg (130 lbs) down a narrow drift to do exploratory geology, was also a test of wills. The thing about that, is once you were set up, then it wasn't that hard since hydraulics on the two stage leg did the hard part. Geology work underground wasn't as hard as some might think, but it was dangerous. Barring down a back was hard on the arms, especially if the back was high.
Hand digging a hole for a 1000 gallon septic tank was the hardest 16 hours of my life, but was necessary to keep other projects on schedule.
Loading, then driving, and then unloading freight was hard physically. The tight time schedules were mental stress but it also affected the physical.
Operating a backhoe one summer for 10 hours a day, was easy as was pushing mine tailing with a D 8. Equipment operating I always loved and found easy.
Building my log and rough sawn lumber cabin was hard work, but I enjoyed it. Loving what you are doing certainly makes it easier.
I found that if stress was involved, then the easiest physical job could become hard.
Growing up on a cattle ranch, most everything was a hard job. Loading and stacking 80 lb bales was hard but by teen years we had a front end loader with a custom hay fork that handled 18 bales at a time. It still required some lifting, rolling, and shoving bales in place to load, but it did all the stacking.
Perhaps the hardest job was the two days I worked on a steep mountain side, falling old growth Douglas Firs for a helicopter logging outfit. I was filling in for a faller that had an emergency. Two days of carrying my Husky 2100 with a 36" bar up that mountain side and having to think about every move I made, was both physically and mentally exhausting. Just preparing for the fall by making a safe standing spot and escape route was hard enough since it had to be done with a small shovel. I was paid $500. That was good for 1980.
The hardest on my back was two weeks welding rebar on a bridge job. It had to be done squatting down. I only got the job because no one else wanted it. Then a new sawmill being built, needed welders to weld sawdust tight seams on the insides of their hoppers. I did that for two weeks, but that was all I could take inside a 4 X 4 foot hopper, 12 feet tall, dressed in leathers. It was summer and welding was done in 15 minute in shifts with 5 minutes out to rehydrate. The heat was terrible, even with fans running pushing air and fumes up.
Carrying an Ingersoll 83 jackleg (130 lbs) down a narrow drift to do exploratory geology, was also a test of wills. The thing about that, is once you were set up, then it wasn't that hard since hydraulics on the two stage leg did the hard part. Geology work underground wasn't as hard as some might think, but it was dangerous. Barring down a back was hard on the arms, especially if the back was high.
Hand digging a hole for a 1000 gallon septic tank was the hardest 16 hours of my life, but was necessary to keep other projects on schedule.
Loading, then driving, and then unloading freight was hard physically. The tight time schedules were mental stress but it also affected the physical.
Operating a backhoe one summer for 10 hours a day, was easy as was pushing mine tailing with a D 8. Equipment operating I always loved and found easy.
Building my log and rough sawn lumber cabin was hard work, but I enjoyed it. Loving what you are doing certainly makes it easier.
I found that if stress was involved, then the easiest physical job could become hard.
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Mary Stetler
Well-known member
Ditto that!
I did not work as much as most of you, maybe. but I have always really enjoyed physical labor and was proud of the muscles it built. I wish I still had them.
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Physical work is so much more satisfying, on every level. Too bad it doesn't pay as much as office work.
I worked retail right out of high school for $1.80/hour. During the summer we had pallets of soil, fertilizer and mulch for sale out on the sidewalk. One day a flatbed full of the stuff pulls in. The guy had driven though a rainstorm, so it was soaking wet and heavy. I was all by myself. There was no forklift or pallet jack. I unloaded the whole flatbed one soggy filthy bag at a time all by myself. The driver was kind enough to keep me company as he watched.