stefan
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
|
Post by stefan on Jun 11, 2021 15:48:55 GMT -5
11 years ago my wife and I purchased some property to eventually build our vacation/retirement house on. It is only 8 acres but we have 50 to 60 wild apple trees on it and we planted 18 blueberry bushes in it. Our biggest obstacle is that it is very difficult to manage with a push mower or even a rider. We had cleared the field section over the course of 5 years, but the last 4 years we had no way to tow our little utility trailer and therefore fell behind on mowing. Well You all know what happens when you stop mowing undeveloped land, as Mother nature returned with a vengeance. All our hard work was replaced with wild rose, and Russian Olive and Buffalo bush. Some of it had reached 8 feet high! Well I fought back with this this spring and reclaimed my land in one weekend!  It took me 11 years of saving but it was worth every penny. Once lumber prices get back to a reasonable level we will probably start building. We already put in septic and electric 8 years ago. We also have to get a well put in at some point. It feels so great to be moving forward once again. Heck we even agreed on a floor plan for the house! I also found out that they are plowing the road this property is on as of last year. It was a seasonal road but a couple new houses went in at the bottom of the hill so now it is a plowed road (they would stop plowing about 50 feet from our driveway so we could never drive up there in the winter). |
|
|
|
Post by mohs on Jun 11, 2021 16:17:17 GMT -5
geez it been 11 years already ?
I recall the post when you said
your were putting tumbling on hold
to do the land project
roll on !
|
|
|
|
My new toy
Jun 11, 2021 16:38:45 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Pat on Jun 11, 2021 16:38:45 GMT -5
Hmmm… so Big Red is a mower at one end, and a scoop at the other end?
Beautiful country!
|
|
stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
|
Post by stefan on Jun 11, 2021 18:58:20 GMT -5
Pat Yes it is a brush hog (heavy duty rough cut mower) and a loader. We will eventually have to get a finish mower to either mount under the middle of the tractor, or get one that mounts to the rear. We use the loader (scoop) to move dirt and fire wood and brush. We can also use it to plow the snow (not ideal but functional). It is funny you called it Big Red as it is actually Big Red the Second (the first Big Red is my Mom's ATV she bought for herself back in 2003. She rode it nearly every day until she got sick). Yes it is beautiful country. We are very blessed to have found it. I will be posting more pictures as we get further along in the project. I also just stumbled on a pick up truck that I can tow with. Price was right and can tow up to 12000 lbs so now all I need is a flatbed trailer!
|
|
|
|
Post by jasoninsd on Jun 11, 2021 19:30:14 GMT -5
I am just SO jealous!!! I literally have NO reason to need Big Red the Second with our acre of property...but I bet I could think of something to use it for! LOL I bet you're going to get so much use out of that beast! I'm very happy for you two! I can't wait to see pics of the property as time goes on.  |
|
stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
|
Post by stefan on Jun 12, 2021 6:07:39 GMT -5
Come on over anytime to use it lol. I plan on keeping a pile of gravel just to scoop up and re-dump! But yes we have already put 10 hours on it and will have many many more. There is one problem in that I want too many attachments for this. Right now the plan is to get a wood chipper, and stump bucket, a set of forks, a weight box, a quick hitch, a box scraper, a landscape rake, a snowblower, a hitch receiver. I already ordered a tooth bar for the front bucket. Much like a boat is a hole in the water you throw money into, a tractor is a hole in the land you throw money into lol.
|
|
|
|
Post by fernwood on Jun 12, 2021 6:52:33 GMT -5
Great vehicle.
I need (want) so many attachments for my relatively new/used lawn tractor.
And to get my ATV fixed so I can use it for plowing again and just ride my trails.
There is something about working the land that is so rewarding.
|
|
stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
|
Post by stefan on Jun 12, 2021 12:23:01 GMT -5
fernwood I hear ya! My ATV is down right now also, but that is on the Todo list for the summer. I seriously considered getting a lawn tractor with a sleeve hitch as there is a lot of really decent implements made for them these days. Once we looked into the tractor option (and the zero percent interest rate currently being offered) it became a no brainier. The only issue we ran into was a lack of available tractors! Covid really put a dent on manufacturing, and the wait for tractors is sometimes out to 3 months. We had $10000 as a down payment so we were able to get "bumped" up on the list (money talks, BS walks!) We still had to wait 3 weeks, but we got a few "bonus" features for free (full tank of diesel, a quick detach skid steer bucket/tool bar, free setup on the mower, loaded tires, free delivery).
|
|
|
|
Post by MsAli on Jun 12, 2021 22:01:53 GMT -5
Can you bring that to Minnesota so NDK and I can use it around our place |
|
|
|
Post by Rockoonz on Jun 12, 2021 23:01:37 GMT -5
Massey Ferguson Brings back memories. One of the jobs I had post USMC was at a golf course, and I pulled gang mowers through rough and down fairways on a MF that was just about as old as me. Fun Times.
I saw a 56 and 57 pair locally that were very tempting, but the old flat belt PTO is no bueno. I'll probably end up with a boring track hoe for my acre of dirt.
|
|
|
|
Post by jasoninsd on Jun 12, 2021 23:08:41 GMT -5
Come on over anytime to use it lol. I plan on keeping a pile of gravel just to scoop up and re-dump! But yes we have already put 10 hours on it and will have many many more. There is one problem in that I want too many attachments for this. Right now the plan is to get a wood chipper, and stump bucket, a set of forks, a weight box, a quick hitch, a box scraper, a landscape rake, a snowblower, a hitch receiver. I already ordered a tooth bar for the front bucket. Much like a boat is a hole in the water you throw money into, a tractor is a hole in the land you throw money into lol. At least it'll make your birthday and Christmas present list short and simple going forward...rocks and tractor "attachments"! LOL It's going to be so much fun getting the attachments as you go. It'll feel like getting a new piece of equipment every time you get a new attachment! |
|
|
|
Post by Peruano on Jun 13, 2021 10:44:37 GMT -5
Not to take too much of a contrarian view, but my mind and other end quiver contemplating tractors. Somehow the thousands of hours between the ages of 10 and 21 engaged in mindless circuits back and forth across the rich farmlands of Illinois left me with a desire for other forms of activity. I'll walk up any hill you want me too, and even stand and watch the slow progress of a slab saw for hours on end, but other than singing a lot and becoming an accomplished driver at an age that most folks were playing hind and seek, I got an urge to avoid tractors. Most tolerable were chores that made it obvious where you had been (mowing or harrowing); and most tedious were the slow jobs like plowing. Now moving machinery from one field to another at 16 mph, that almost made the cut as fun, but it happened way to seldom. Go figure.
|
|
|
|
Post by rmf on Jun 13, 2021 10:46:00 GMT -5
nice toy and you can use the bucket to move rocks too!!! Woo hoo!
|
|
stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
|
Post by stefan on Jun 13, 2021 15:04:31 GMT -5
Got up today and pulled some brush. This was the before picture- mostly wild rose, and Russian olive. About 8 foot talk  And after I got done with it. Missed one little plant- oh well something to mow over next time lol  And once we build this should be the view out my bedroom window!  |
|
|
|
Post by jasoninsd on Jun 13, 2021 17:04:25 GMT -5
You are going to have SO MUCH fun with that toy!!! What a difference in the two pics! That property is going to look amazing!!! And what an amazing view you're going to have out of your bedroom window!  |
|
stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
|
Post by stefan on Jul 3, 2021 13:53:54 GMT -5
Added a toothbar. I use this to rip up brush and haul it away. Can also use it to lightly back drag gravel and dirt for leveling. I also bought a flat bed trailer to haul it around. Pix when I pick it up.  |
|
|
|
Post by jasoninsd on Jul 3, 2021 17:27:31 GMT -5
You're going to be able to have your own landscaping business as a side job with all these "attachments" that you're starting to accumulate!  (Words spoken out of PURE jealousy! LOL) |
|
stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
|
Post by stefan on Aug 29, 2021 14:13:33 GMT -5
Teaching the oldest granddaughter to drive it.  Taking the middle granddaughter for a ride-sharing she LOVES driving  and a welcome to my youngest granddaughter. Nova  |
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on Aug 29, 2021 14:44:13 GMT -5
Looks like fun, stefan! And once they've learned the invaluable driving skills, you can teach then how to use the bucket controls, etc., let the grandkids do some work for you! |
|
|
|
Post by jasoninsd on Aug 29, 2021 18:07:22 GMT -5
Looks like fun, stefan ! And once they've learned the invaluable driving skills, you can teach then how to use the bucket controls, etc., let the grandkids do some work for you! Took the words right out of my mouth! LOL stefan - Congratulatons again on the new grandbaby! |
|
