Monday, June 22, 2015

Tractor Time - Another Useful Implement





Since I finally have the grass caught up once again after three days of slogging away at it I decided it was a good afternoon for some tree trimmin.

I know the experts claim you should trim in the Fall or Winter but well ya know it's hard to tell which limbs are gonna grow out and whack ya in the face while mowing then. What usually happens is about this time of year I finally get tired of having my hat and sun glasses ripped off my head while mowing and go out and attack the trees with vengeance

To date I haven't managed to kill any of the trees by trimmin em up during the Summer months. My original plan was to chip all my tree trimmings up and use it as a mulch. After the first year of trying out the wood chip mulch and wasting hours of chipping stuff like this up to get maybe a gallon of wood chips I deemed the entire thing a waste of time and resources. Whomever came up with the wood chip garden method obviously didn't have Johnson Grass or Morning Glory to deal with and either had one of those 10K sized wood chippers and a forest to chew up or a steady supply from the local power line guys.


I actually have a steady supply of wood chips but the Johnson Grass / Morning Glory problem has lead me to use barn waste and grass clippings over wood chips. It's more work but much easier to deal with problem areas when they show up.

Anyway after getting all the trees trimmed it was time to hook up the little flatbed trailer to the 8N and haul em off.

The trailer hitch cross bar I use is another old family heirloom my Dad built back when I was kid. We used to use it to haul the ball hitch trailer around the old farm on the old 8N we owned back then. These days you can go out and buy a cross bar with holes already in it and add your own ball hitch but back then before we had an Tractor Supply nearby we had to make one ourselves.

What I really like about this is set up is all I have to do is back up with the ball under the tongue and lift the 3 point up then drive off with it.




Here's the 8N and small flat bed trailer combo loaded down with the limb trimmings. I hauled it all out into the pasture where the remains of another old tree are piled up waiting to be burned.

Next time I mow maybe I won't break another pair of sunglasses, mow over my hat or suffer lacerations to my face for change.

The other option to a cross bar ball hitch is to get you one of these neat grills like this Tractor Girl is showing off.





I keep saying I am going to go buy me one of those. The grill not the girl SF!!!!



Keep Prepping Everyone!!!!!


4 comments:

  1. You know how I think, I saw one of those grills not too long ago, I think at an auction. Saw a girl to, but they are too expensive.
    I have got to get my Ferguson working as the garden really needs a good plowing this winter. I am seeing Ferguson and 8Ns pretty cheap around here, can't figure why other than people want those new orange suburban tractors that are plastic if you tap on the hood.

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    1. Sf - Around here it's pretty easy to find parts and people to work on the old Fords and Fergies. I have also seen some in fairly good shape go for under 1K from time to time. I saw a new Kubota being hauled out today as a matter of fact for repairs. Not even a scratch on the paint yet and the guy blew a seal after he got it stuck he said.

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  2. I call it lawn mower pruning and we all do it. Pruning fruit trees in the summer can promote fruit budds to grow for the following year.
    We used to have a bar like that on our old tractor when I was younger

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    Replies
    1. Kev - We always prune the fruit trees in Winter but the other trees I just don't care what time of year it is. I never notice the branches that will hit me until I am actually mowing.

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