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gcrank1
Member
# Posted: 29 Sep 2022 22:35
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Ive had some lawn & garden 'tractors' but just bought a 2020 J.D. 1025R c/w bucket, rear rotary mower, rear grading/snow blade, a pair of clamp-on bucket forks, 3pt cat.1 hitch, only 175 hrs and kept mostly garaged when not in use.
Im pretty stoked!
My next door neighbor at the cabin property recently got an out of state job offer he couldnt refuse, sold his place in a matter of a week and just by chance I stopped to say hi. He told me the tale and I asked what he was going to do with the tractor, next thing I knew we were making a cash deal.
This is going to be a game changer at the cabin. At almost 70 and my wife getting a total knee replacement next week I can use the mechanical advantage.

ICC
Member
# Posted: 29 Sep 2022 23:46
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Big, medium or small, a tractor with accessories is a handy tool.

Irrigation Guy
Member
# Posted: 30 Sep 2022 07:38
Reply 


That looks to be the same size as my Kubota. Very useful. Congratulations!

Tim_Ohio
Member
# Posted: 30 Sep 2022 07:41
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Cheers. You will never regret owning it.

Tim_Ohio

paulz
Member
# Posted: 30 Sep 2022 08:49
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Gas or EV?

Tim_Ohio
Member
# Posted: 30 Sep 2022 09:16
Reply 


Useful helper for holding walls up before bracing them.

Useful for everything.

Might have not gotten married a second time had I met my tractor first.

Tim_Ohio
walls_supporting_fi.jpeg
walls_supporting_fi.jpeg


Brettny
Member
# Posted: 30 Sep 2022 09:45
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Il warn you now..you will never be without one once you own a tractor. I had 3 at one point, down to 1 now.

If your bucket is quick attach and do any pallet fork work get a set of forks. Those machines dont lift a whole lot and moving that weight back towards the pins really helps.

Also if you get freezing temps stock a pair of new fuel filters along with some fuel antigell and diesel 911. You just never know when it's going to happen.

gcrank1
Member
# Posted: 30 Sep 2022 10:35
Reply 


Ah, good tips Brett!
Yep it is a 3cyl diesel '25ish hp' (Ive never had a diesel anything though my dad did). Rig is spec'ed as a sub-compact.
Bucket is QD and I know my clamp-on forks have serious limitations. Mostly we will be trimming jack and white pines and hauling that to the burn pile; light bulky stuff. Should be able to pile a bunch on the bucket + forks.
Im hitting up all my friends for what they have in cat.1 attachments/implements to borrow. Found a trencher, a box grader and post-hole digger in just a couple days.

travellerw
Member
# Posted: 30 Sep 2022 11:15
Reply 


Thats a cool little tractor. Owner is tractor is like owning a hammer. Everything looks like a nail. You will be surprised at all the uses you find for it.

paulz
Member
# Posted: 30 Sep 2022 14:11
Reply 


Yep, used 2 of my old clunkers this morning. Tried to uproot this stump that sticks out into my driveway with the backhoe but couldn't budge it. Then climbed onto the the other one to grade the asphalt grinding in the new carport.

I'll try my skid steer with a chain around that stump next time I have it out.
20220930_101528.jpg
20220930_101528.jpg
20220930_103338.jpg
20220930_103338.jpg


gcrank1
Member
# Posted: 30 Sep 2022 19:16
Reply 


I spent the afternoon widening the loop trail about the property with the rear rotary, then put on the rear grading blade to do some prelim driveway improvement, made up a load of prev cut limbs with the bucket and clamp on forks, also moved a bunch of saved tree trunks from the recent toolshed placement and moved a heavy duty outside work bench over by the shed to be more useful.
Basically did several days worth of work in about 3hrs and still looking for nails to hit with this hammer, lol.

paulz
Member
# Posted: 30 Sep 2022 20:42 - Edited by: paulz
Reply 


You got a bunch done! I find tractor work as tiring as being on my feet. Always a reason to climb off and on, which alone on mine is a pretty good workout. Then there's always something in the way that needs moving, and dealing with whatever loads your moving, checking progress..

This Sunday I am volunteering at the free green waste dump day at the local compost yard, basically checking people in, making sure they have no dimensional lumber, nails etc.. The owner asked the other day if any of us was a heavy equipment operator, I was the only one. They have a big JD loader, I'm supposed to push all the loads up into the pile. I've only ever operated my old junk, hope I can pull it off. Probably crush someone's pickup..

Aklogcabin
Member
# Posted: 1 Oct 2022 10:11
Reply 


We have a 1959 case backhoe that has helped in many ways. I'll be on her again today in fact. Out families 1941 Farmall H still just purrs. Barely here her running. I put new tires on it before I hauled it to ak. Family heirloom. Got a 40s something case and our little one , a speedex with front blade.
I'm a tired iron guy

toyota_mdt_tech
Member
# Posted: 1 Oct 2022 21:23
Reply 


Quoting: gcrank1
Ive had some lawn & garden 'tractors' but just bought a 2020 J.D. 1025R c/w bucket, rear rotary mower, rear grading/snow blade, a pair of clamp-on bucket forks, 3pt cat.1 hitch, only 175 hrs and kept mostly garaged when not in use.
Im pretty stoked!



Dude, pictures!

All men and many women like tractors.

My progress on my place moved ahead 10 fold after buying my new Kubota.
kubota_cabin.jpg
kubota_cabin.jpg


paulz
Member
# Posted: 1 Oct 2022 21:31
Reply 


Quoting: toyota_mdt_tech
All men and many women like tractors.


She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYiWgsmxOTo&ab_channel=Alfredenewmon

gcrank1
Member
# Posted: 1 Oct 2022 22:34
Reply 


Oh, and it came with a 5 gal. yellow diesel fuel 'can'....just noticed today that my fuel gauge was about E so I stopped working lest I be stranded in a bad spot. Spec says Ive got a 5.6 gal capacity.
Question on diesel, since I'll be buying over the road fuel wont it have the winter grade/anti-gel additive already in it?

paulz
Member
# Posted: 1 Oct 2022 22:39
Reply 


Don't know but do not run a diesel out of fuel! Maybe the new stuff is different but on mine it means re-priming the injectors. Pita.

toyota_mdt_tech
Member
# Posted: 1 Oct 2022 23:30
Reply 


Quoting: gcrank1
I'll be buying over the road fuel wont it have the winter grade/anti-gel additive already in it?


How cold does your area get in winter. Stabil makes a nice additive for diesel fuel and a biocide if it sets long, so it wont grow algae.

Yes, dont let it run out of fuel, ever. Diesel is a lube for the high pressure pump, tears them up fast with no lube. Lots of bleeding, priming and purging air out to get it running again.

Newer common rail set ups is just cycling tyhe key on/off about 10 times. But I am certain yours isnt a common rail. Never run out of fuel either way.

scott100
Member
# Posted: 2 Oct 2022 14:08 - Edited by: scott100
Reply 


Congrats. I'm sure you'll find lots for that tractor to do.

We bought a Bobcat CT2025 compact this spring. After having a 40hp Farmall 350D for a lot of years, I was concerned 25 hp wouldn't be enough. For what I do, I've found it to be plenty, and have put around 50 hours on it so far. Even though the brush hog I got for it was 5' rather than the 6' one I had with the Farmall, I don't think it takes me any more time to mow the field. It's really useful for working on our woods trails too, while the Farmall would have been a death trap for that kind of work with its tricycle front end . Also got a 6' box blade and a pallet fork attachment for it.
IMG_20221002_1346597.jpg
IMG_20221002_1346597.jpg


Brettny
Member
# Posted: 2 Oct 2022 14:31
Reply 


Quoting: gcrank1
Question on diesel, since I'll be buying over the road fuel wont it have the winter grade/anti-gel additive already in it?

Always add your own antigel to the tank and jugs when the temp is going to be below about 35*. You can never trust the stuff at the pump in this situation.

paulz
Member
# Posted: 4 Oct 2022 14:45 - Edited by: paulz
Reply 


Quoting: paulz
This Sunday I am volunteering at the free green waste dump day at the local compost yard, basically checking people in, making sure they have no dimensional lumber, nails etc.. The owner asked the other day if any of us was a heavy equipment operator, I was the only one. They have a big JD loader, I'm supposed to push all the loads up into the pile. I've only ever operated my old junk, hope I can pull it off. Probably crush someone's pickup..


Well I didn't get to operate the big JD on Sunday. By the time I got there the neighbor kid, same kid who recently bought that Dodge 24v diesel pickup, was having a field day on it, and not about to let anyone else have a go. Just as well, he ran it like a pro.

BTW, he's also having a ball with that pickup. Apparently he has some electronic gadget on the dash that let's him monkey around with the engine management system.
20221002_135515.jpg
20221002_135515.jpg


gcrank1
Member
# Posted: 6 Oct 2022 17:39
Reply 


Watch out Paul, the Young Bloods are takin over!
I just bought a 600+ # cement. cat.1 3 pt rear ballast weight today. It didnt take me but a couple days messing around and watching a few u-tube vids about FEL work to realize my 250ish # rear grading blade was inadequate, even for my small machine.
What a deal, a friend told me about a 'tractor salvage yard' not far from the cabin and the fellow had this decent homemade weight, $135 + tax. A Bargain! And just what I had been envisioning having to make. Looks like tractor weights go new for over $1/#, less iffn ya scrounge or luck out on Craigslist, etc.
The tractor is just the beginning.....lol.

paulz
Member
# Posted: 6 Oct 2022 17:49
Reply 


On my FEL the rear tires are filled with water. On the backhoe the fronts are.

gcrank1
Member
# Posted: 6 Oct 2022 18:33
Reply 


Studying up on weight for a FEL and where/why to place it, the 'leverarm principle' and fulcrum point to unload the pivot and weight from the front axle to the heavier duty, and more stable, rear axle takes weight behind the rear axle; ie, extended beyond the arm end of the 3ph.
My 250ish# rear grader blade was inadequate for what the front bucket can take. Id say it would only balance at the rear axle for 1/2 bucket of sand or gravel.
The heavier 'brush hog' rotary mover would have been better at 450ish#, and well back, but that long swinging implement out the back is not for any close quarter work.
This block of 'crete is tidy back there. It also made a dandy driveway drag full down, it kinda leveled off some of my high spots without lever control needed.
So much to learn, so little time.....
But some years back I did some Cat D7 dozer and 966 end loader work. Lot of iron there!

Houska
Member
# Posted: 7 Oct 2022 08:09 - Edited by: Houska
Reply 


Congrats. We use our 42 HP tractor (Branson) all the time.

Suggestion: if not done already, get some hooks welded onto the top of the bucket, or get some bolt-ons like https://www.boltonhooks.com/bolt-on-hooks/

One of the most useful low-tech things a tractor can help with is just lifting or carrying stuff that's needlessly heavy for you to lift yourself. Hooks like these make it easy - just get a 1/4" or 5/16" chain and hang it around whatever you've got and these hooks. Yes, you can do without and wrap around the bucket, but it's enough of a pain you won't do it, while hooks make it a breeze.

Also you say you'll carry branches on your forks. That should work fine. It'll work even better if you loop a chain or rope around them and those hooks to make sure the load doesn't fall off.

Keep the blade or box on the 3PH as ballast even if you don't need it that moment. Tractors love being bulked up to be heavier; makes them more stable and able to safely lift more at the front. As a neighbour of mine says - a [compact] tractor isn't fully dressed unless it has something on the back.

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