Tractors and Implements...

[Tim Horton]

I did a search of this area and didn't find much... So will start this....

On our place here in the bush, about 2 years ago we got a 2 year old John Deere compact tractor.     

The model we have now is a John Deere 2032 R, hydro-static drive on turf tires.  It was a small area snow cleaning machine and baggage cart tug at the airport.  We are slowly accumulating a line of implements for it.  Without implements a tractor is a fun, but slow ride to town.   It came with a front end loader and 5' brush hog mower.  Since then we have added the 3 point snow blower... VERY useful here.  Post hole digger, box blade, pallet forks, and yesterday we went to town and got 2 sections of heavy chain drag harrow.  

It has been a very useful tool, stamina saver, force multiplier, you name the usefulness it has been.   I use it to mow weeds and brush, drag over barn cleaning we spread in the pastures, move snow, used it to butcher a steer and a bear, grade the driveway, and skid timber for firewood. 

We traded the MIL some stuff she wanted for a 5' disk, and 5' chisel field digger she did not need.  I have used both cleaning up, leveling, and reseeding parts of the pastures. 

I've pretty much bled green all my life, but have the philosophy what ever is the best support, and service in your area is the color tractor you should get.  Coincidentally John Deere was the best of those features for us.  I follow 3 small tractor forums to keep up with the latest stuff.  Unfortunately there are a lot of "tractor snobs" on all three forums.. You know, this is better than that, your tractor and implements need to be the same color.. The one who dies with the most toys and accessories wins kind of thing.  Once you wade through all that kind of crap there is a lot to learn.  I particularly like the "make it yourself" implements and attachments part of the forums.  

So.......  Do you have a tractor ?? Tractor question ?? Tractor suggestion ??  Good info to share ?? 

[farmchix]

We have a Kubota small tractor. We use it for mowing. We have a snowblade for it, but it has turf tires.

We bought the big tractor to use for the big jobs. It has a front loader. We bought a rototiller attachment (used) and a post hole auger for it. We use it a LOT more than we thought we would.

Surprisingly, the vehicle I use the most is our 4-wheeler! I have the best little dumping trailer for it and we can put the small trailer on it to haul feed back to the barn.

This is the big tractor:

[farmerjack]

Have three green ones and one orange. Like you Tim Horton,had always bled green. About eight years ago went looking for small tractor, John Deere did not have one in stock. Stopped at Kubota on the way home, $3,000 cheaper and took it home with me. This the only tractor with a loader, gets used about every day for some back saving chore. Still prefer green ones but what can I say, am a little bit a tight wad too.

[Tim Horton]

Latest thing I did was bite the bullet and get 2 sections of drag harrow.  Mounted them behind a spreader bar side by side.  Put a short bar across the back middle and pull my car tire drag behind that.  

Was not getting anywhere with the old ridged spike harrow section with 7" spikes as it would just crow hop over the grass.   This new rig does a much better job of knocking down and breaking the weed stems and letting the grass spring back.  Besides covering more per pass and going a bit faster.  

Problem has been dodging rain showers and at least a half day to dry out a little.  

www.princessauto.com/en/detail/heavy-duty-drag-harrow/A-p8585192e

Built some firewood racks of sorts.  A good pallet bottom, another pallet at one end with ply wood corner braces to hold the second pallet vertical.  When picked up with the pallet forks on the loader and tipped back you can carry a fair bit of wood.  

I'm still looking for a set of cat 1 pallet forks for the 3 point hitch.  The only manufacturers I can find so far are US at a reasonable price, then shipping and duty make them out of site expensive.  Canadian attachment suppliers all say out of stock.  

When it is back in session, think I will contact the welding school at tec college and see if they need a project. 

[Jolly]

I have a Mahindra 4025. 2WD, old skool iron. Either IH (India) or Mahindra has been making that tractor for 40 years. Doesn't have any bells or whistles, but it does what I need for what I paid.

As I'm getting older, I'm starting to lean towards a SCUT with a FEL. Something with a belly mower would be very handy around the house.

[Tim Horton]

As I'm getting older, I'm starting to lean towards a SCUT with a FEL. Something with a belly mower would be very handy around the house.
<<<<<< Nothing wrong with old school. They get the job done... My old JD 855 compact had a 60" belly mower deck.. It was only rated 25 HP, but would run away and hide from 25 hp lawn tractors mowing and most other chores. Once you do loader work with a hydro static you will throw away the loader on your gear tractor. I miss that little brute.

The much newer JD 2032R we have now is a brute of its own. At $5000 or so for a belly deck I do all the mowing I can with the 3pt brush hog. If you are careful how you set it up and use it the thing will mow surprisingly nice. But leaves more trim out corners and such than other options. Our biggest use is using the brush hog to mow pasture for feed and weed control. And moving snow....... Lots of snow.....

The ZTR mowers are wonderful at what they do. I just can't make myself spend the money for a one trick pony as they are.

[Jolly]

I can't bear to spend the $5K for a zero-turn, either.

I still mow my grass with one of these 14hp diesels...

[Tim Horton]

Today I was down in the donkey paddock doing some barn cleaning and such. This paddock has a few pot holes and small hills that are always in the wrong spot when trying to get around, also a couple spots of weed that are hard to mow because they are in the rough parts.

Finely ticked me off going around there, so when through with other errands in the barn and pasture I hooked up the 5' chisel digger with 5 shanks. In our ground I could pull it about 10" deep easily enough. It did surprisingly well to knock down the hills and not gouge the pot holes deeper.

The whole paddock is rough now, but the bad spots are not as bad. Donkey will have lots of time to flatten it out again, or with a little time, I can run the disk around a little.

Think the donkey is ticked off. First thing he checked out was the spot he uses as a dust wallow.

[Tim Horton]

Last week I stopped at the local technical college, to the welding department. I took in some plans out of my "good idea" note book for several 3 pt hitch attachments. Two are variations of a frame to attach chisel point diggers, row crop cultivator shovels, or row crop planters. One being a heavy de-thatch rake, and a pasture renovator tool to break up cow pies, flatten weeds, aerate a bit for over seed germination and such.

They were glad to get these plans that can fit into there part of the curriculum that teaches print reading and fabrication. They will do one off type projects as variety over and above there standard and mandatory projects. All I have to do is get raw material delivered when needed. About next April or so.

Remember, these are beginners, so don't be disappointed if things don't look as great as you expect. I'm sure digging dirt they will be OK.
Looking forward to getting things to use.

[Tim Horton]

THIS..... is FUNNY..... I don't care who you are...

So it snowed all day yesterday and off and on all day today. About 20 cm (8”) or so now.

I went out to move snow. About enough on the ground now I was thinking I will likely want to change out the rear blade for the rear snow blower on the tractor.. The old rear grader blade we got is a 6’ Farm King. That pretty much the cheap line of such implements. It was about 7/8 wore out when we got it, and a little better now as I replaced about $10 of bolts, nuts, washers and such. But it was really cheap..... Keep that fact in mind...

All the time working there today I’m thinking, how can I mount the 2 John Deere suit case weights to this thing to make it cut better ?? So I line and make a big push of snow backwards with the rear blade. I raise the 3 point to lift the blade and charge ahead to line up for the next push....

I look back and no blade on the A frame arms to the 3 point.. Bugger.... The big bolt came out and I picked the A frame off the spud the blade turns on. Luckily I could stand the bade up enough in the snow to drop the socket on the 3 point A frame over the spud, and tighten the bolt and big washer...

I laughed at my self over that. Again, luckily it was in a place where I could fix it easily.

[Jolly]

Rear blades do get torn up...