Jake Smith
Well-known member
Here's a 9N Ford Tractor, favors my old 1950 Massey Ferguson to me.
Not sure about the prices of a CAT, versus a, 9N Ford Tractor, but then again there is a certain value in having one you will use.
The Tractor Thread.
- Thread starter Jake Smith
- Start date
Here's a 9N Ford Tractor, favors my old 1950 Massey Ferguson to me.
Not sure about the prices of a CAT, versus a, 9N Ford Tractor, but then again there is a certain value in having one you will use.
Marie Mallory
Well-known member
It's always work here so yall wish us well for our river tri[p with 2 new dogs tomorrow, it will first time in a couple years we got out for leisure trip.
Jake Smith
Well-known member
Still no river ride, but I did get to ride my "tractor"; just until I get finished with the truck, then we will definitely be heading "down the river".
Don Alaska
Well-known member
Ah, snow! I decided that with 5 inches of new snow and perhaps 12 more inches tomorrow, I would put the snowblower on the tractor in preparation. With the usual difficulties I removed the blade and attached the blower. When I went to move the snowblower (lift it) nothing happened. I tried to pull it out with the tractor and still nothing happened. The stupid thing was frozen down. Apparently it rained sometime and then froze. I couldn't budge it, so I went back to the shed and pulled out a hydraulic jack and put it under the structure of the snowblower and it popped free. I had plowed the drive with the blade before I took it off, but I left the parking area near the house for the blower. The snowblower kinda worked but not really. It blew some snow but pushed a lot in a similar way to the blade. I turned off the PTO and tried to rotate the big auger---nothing. I appears that the auger is frozen as well, but the secondary "pusher" in the chute was working and, since it was light and fluffy stuff, anything that got into the chute was blown out. I cannot fix it, so I will have to wait until my wife's car is out of the garage and put the tractor and the snowblower in to warm and thaw. The shear bolts probably popped, so those will need to be replaced as well. This, on top of my little truck difficulties, finish my weekend.
Don Alaska
Well-known member
Well, I finally got the blower going and started work on the driveway. I found a rock wedged in along with the ice issue. Of course the shear bolt was gone, so I replaced that. When I began to do a "quickie" on the driveway, the chute kept getting clogged. I had to clear it a few times until the metal in the chute cooled down. Apparently when the snow hit the 50 F. chute it began to melt then refroze. Once everything cooled down, it worked just fine. I thought I had an eye appointment today at 1300, but I called to make sure they were open and they told me my appointment was for NEXT Tuesday
. I wondered why I didn't get a reminder. I will go back out a bit later and start a better job on the drive.
. I wondered why I didn't get a reminder. I will go back out a bit later and start a better job on the drive.
John Brunner
Well-known member
I've used a 1933 Farmall back in the 70s when my dad bought a plot of land to put his mobile home on. We cut down the trees and pulled the stumps with that beast. Hand-crank start and studded steel wheels. I have a 2019 Kubota B3200 tractor (32hp) that I could not do without, but it won't yank anything out of the ground. I gotta believe it's because of the hydrostatic transmission. If it were a manual transmission with the proper gearing, 32hp would be plenty.
I bought a front end loader, a belly mower and a pto roto tiller from the dealer when I bought the thing (brand new.) Since then I've acquired a bunch of used attachments from Craigslist: bottom plow, cultivator, box blade, pto driller w/auger, etc
Here it is with my driller:
I put a chainsaw holster on the frame:
Also installed a handy tool carrier that's mounted to the roll over bar:
I was just on it today carrying a couple of pole saws to my neighbor's place. We got a good chunk of the work done, but there's more to do.
I bought a front end loader, a belly mower and a pto roto tiller from the dealer when I bought the thing (brand new.) Since then I've acquired a bunch of used attachments from Craigslist: bottom plow, cultivator, box blade, pto driller w/auger, etc
Here it is with my driller:
I put a chainsaw holster on the frame:
Also installed a handy tool carrier that's mounted to the roll over bar:
I was just on it today carrying a couple of pole saws to my neighbor's place. We got a good chunk of the work done, but there's more to do.
Mary Stetler
Well-known member
I think this year I will use a pitchfork again too. And my trusty 3 or 4 finger rakes.
I also have a kneeler/sitter downer. Not sure what it's called but if you put it upside down it has a hard foam insert to kneel on and handles to push off of so I can stand up. Right side up the handles become legs so you can sit on it.
Don Alaska
Well-known member
I bought my wife such an apparatus a couple years ago for planting and weeding the gardens. I made a "pitchfork for the bucket on the tractor. Originally it was for cleaning the barn and such and for turning the compost pile, but since then, it has been used for minor digging and small stump removal. It is 4 feet wide and the tine are 15 inches of 1" round steel stock.
John Brunner
Well-known member
Do you weld, Don?
Don Alaska
Well-known member
I do some welding. I have two welders--one big stick unit that I got from a guy who retired from building stock cars, and a small MIG machine that is good for small stuff. My youngest son, however, is a certified welder who has access to a number of fancy machines at his shop, so he does most of my work now. I also have a son-in-law who is certified, but he is in Washington state and I don't have access to him any more. The SIL built several things for me when he still lived in Alaska.
How about you @John Brunner ?
John Brunner
Well-known member
No, I've never attempted it. It's one of those things that I've thought might be interesting to know, but I've never had any real driving need to learn. I've never been around it, either. Even during that purchasing career I mentioned, I worked with machine shops (to make vacuum chambers) and metal fabricators (to bend enclosures and punch computer rack panels) but never any heavy industrial stuff.
Marie Mallory
Well-known member
I read this post just now and I'm still laughing. Insanity or humor, it is still funny.
Don Alaska
Well-known member
I am a bit envious of your gin pole set up. I want to try to rig one up to lift a tree over a fence. I may try it with logs instead of steel though. Steel costs money and I have logs and wooden poles all over the place.
Marie Mallory
Well-known member
Mary, I have a garden fork that really helps with loosening hard soil.
Also a sneeler/sitter with a little compartment, like a small wagon.
Jake Smith
Well-known member
I remember some of the things you put up on the old SOC forum, some photos of stuff you made, Don.
Jake Smith
Well-known member
It's not so hard, "John" you could if you wanted to. Not the strainiest activity as most jobs are, and as long as you can see, and fairly good control with hands and arms, it's fairly easy to do, I find.
Jake Smith
Well-known member
"1-12-2026",
Today I just went around the trails, with my tractor "again", just keeping it ready; "running like a champ still", it has 1300 hrs on it, but acts like a new one still. The guy who sold it to me, said I'll bet you "anything", that you will not have to turn a single wrench on it for five years, or more. It's looking like he knew what he was talking about. "Knock on wood", I am "curious" though, why they made it 16 gears, seems like a little overkill to me; they all work and it can go too fast in 16th gear for me. I'm sure they did it for a reason. "Anyway", when I got to the back of the property the buck and two doe were leaning out staring at me as usual. I just waved and turned around, and went back the way that I had come from. So then drove all the way around to the backside on other end of property, and there they were, staring at me again, but this time I just kept going towards them slowly, low idle speed, and they kept looking at me ,until maybe 20 ft from them, and they took off running through center of property that time. Ever since Marie and I had gone around the property on the golf cart, and that doe ran into a fence post, and broke her neck, and I had to skin her for the freezer, I don't want to kill another that way.
Today I just went around the trails, with my tractor "again", just keeping it ready; "running like a champ still", it has 1300 hrs on it, but acts like a new one still. The guy who sold it to me, said I'll bet you "anything", that you will not have to turn a single wrench on it for five years, or more. It's looking like he knew what he was talking about. "Knock on wood", I am "curious" though, why they made it 16 gears, seems like a little overkill to me; they all work and it can go too fast in 16th gear for me. I'm sure they did it for a reason. "Anyway", when I got to the back of the property the buck and two doe were leaning out staring at me as usual. I just waved and turned around, and went back the way that I had come from. So then drove all the way around to the backside on other end of property, and there they were, staring at me again, but this time I just kept going towards them slowly, low idle speed, and they kept looking at me ,until maybe 20 ft from them, and they took off running through center of property that time. Ever since Marie and I had gone around the property on the golf cart, and that doe ran into a fence post, and broke her neck, and I had to skin her for the freezer, I don't want to kill another that way.
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Don Alaska
Well-known member
The high gears/range are for highway and road travel @Jake Smith. If you have to move from one field to another. It may not be relevant for either of us. I have loaded mine on a trailer one time. It was a bit too heavy for the trailer I used, but I don't have access to a bigger one.
My tractor has hydrostatic drive, so it may not last as long as yours does, but it will out last me I am sure. I originally didn't want the hydrostatic, but I am glad I got it. My wife would not use it if it were standard, and we originally used it for barn cleaning and such, where the hydrostaic is much more useful. If I did a lot of field plowing and other work of that kind, the standard would be far better...unless I purchased the cruise control, which I did not.
John Brunner
Well-known member
I'll toss the mechanic a homeowner's tip that might not be worth the paper it's written on:
As I've bought attachments over the years, I've read that those lift arm pins I see in your pic (and that I have on nearly all my stuff) can snap off with heavy attachments when you hit something and there's sudden stress. The preferred type are the U bracket type where the pin goes through two holes and the arms pull straight forward in the center, like this:
But you can't be choosy when you buy used.
I got to worrying about it when I bought the box blade because of its mass and having it occasionally snag and suddenly stop on a heavy root. It occurred to me that the greatest risk is when the lift arms wander to the outside of the pins (like the left one in your pic), where the lift arm gets leverage and might snap the pin. So I got some 3/4" PVC pipe and cut some shims, like this:
You slide on the lift arm, then the shim, then put in the pin. This keeps the lift arm snug against the frame (and the base of the pin) so if you get a sudden *jerk* on the attachment, you're pulling straight forward on meat of the pin at the base where it's attached, rather than the arm wandering to the outside of the pin and possibly snapping it off.
I have no idea if that makes a difference or not, but it makes homeowner sense to me. I cut sets for the different length pins I have on my attachments. But it is the box blade that concerns me the most.
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Jake Smith
Well-known member
You're probably right, what it's for, Don; I was just curious thinking that could be kind of dangerous, at high speeds on a tractor. Mine has a seat belt and of course roll bar, which I always now wear after my first experience catching a strong root once grading a trail with hooks down, it kind of threw me against the steering wheel and I cut my hand some, and hit a knee. Thought you "stupid", put that seat belt on and have every since.
I think my trailer maybe a little small for mine too, haven't tried it yet, when I was buying it I told the guy not sure how I'm gonna get it home unless I drive it , not sure it will fit my trailer. He said, don't worry I will deliver it to you. "Nice", man, he is, and still have things that I'm figuring out about this tractor, finding things out about it as, I used it, "mostly", but did order a manual on it after I had bought it, and that helps some too.
Hydrostatic is nice, I'm sure and really good your wife gets to use it that way, my brother Bobby has two tractors and his wife helps his mowing their 10 acre lawn. The last one he bought last year, he told me has power steering, which he said makes it a lot easier for her to drive now, and he still uses the old Massey Ferguson, with hard steering.