Most useful implements?

[Larry Caldwell]

The front loader is most useful only because it's always there. The rotary mower gets used way more hours. The backpack PTO sprayer gets used heavily in the spring. The back blade is handy for road work. In my rocky and tree root ridden soil. the drawbar cover crop disc is the best way to work ground. A harrow behind the mower thatches the pasture and encourages new growth.

 

[ning]

The front loader is most useful only because it's always there. The rotary mower gets used way more hours. The backpack PTO sprayer gets used heavily in the spring. The back blade is handy for road work. In my rocky and tree root ridden soil. the drawbar cover crop disc is the best way to work ground. A harrow behind the mower thatches the pasture and encourages new growth.

In this light (ie not limiting to "most useful implement that attaches to a tractor"), I'd have to say my most useful implement is the pulaski axe.
If we limit it to "attaches to a tractor" I'd go with chain.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

In this light (ie not limiting to "most useful implement that attaches to a tractor"), I'd have to say my most useful implement is the pulaski axe.
If we limit it to "attaches to a tractor" I'd go with chain.

My first tractors didn't have hydraulics. Maybe it's codger habit, but I take the implements off and use the drawbar a surprising amount. I have to admit, though, that I just put shackles on the loader frame and mostly hook the chain there, so I'm giving the loader the credit.

 

[SmallChange]

[...]

Also -- I haven't heard this suggestion anywhere -- buy a pallet, maybe a nice clean plastic one. I'm planning to do this. I find my station wagon can just clear a standard 40" wide one. With one of these I could put the pallet in the back, load up heavy stuff such as concrete bags at the local store (or get them to load it), and then pull it out with pallet forks on the FEL. I think I can wind up with a pallet load of concrete sacks wherever I want it, maybe even at chest level, with zero wear and tear on my poor old back.

I'm replying to myself, but to post a follow-up. It's not like I'm trying to get my attention.

So, I actually have done all this now. I bought a nice clean plastic pallet. I think it was $147 and is rated for 4000 lbs. Other big things I've bought, such as the pallet forks themselves, arrived on a pallet. But when I actually bought a pallet, it arrived in a big and very sturdy cardboard box with big FRAGILE labels on it. It just fits into my station wagon.

And I used it about a month ago to do the following: I went to Lowe's and bought 11 bags of concrete mix, 60 lbs each. This plus me is just under the weight limit for my station wagon. I asked Lowe's to load it onto my cart and then transfer it onto the pallet. Got home and pulled it out with the tractor and pallet forks. I parked it with the pallet about chest high, close to where I wanted to pour a concrete pad to park the big trash and recycling carts off the edge of my paved driveway.

I wheeled my new $200 concrete mixer out there and set it up on the edge of the driveway so I could drag a bag of concrete to the edge of the pallet, cut it open, and pour it into the mixer. Then I mixed it up and dumped it straight into the forms I had set up. The whole thing turned out great, and I never did lift any concrete (which I'm getting too old to do).

But the pallet's great for other things too. I anchor it to my forks with some bolts, and then climb up on it with my stepladder, to trim tree branches over the driveway.

 

[RjCorazza]

Those commercial plastic pallets aren't cheap. $147 seems like a good price. I bought a dozen plastic pallets that are designed as disposable for $6 each. They're not that bad durability-wise, but I certainly wouldn't trust them with more than 500 lbs or so.
I use them mostly for keeping implements off the ground when stored

 

[Fuddy1952]

Actually growing up the implement we used the most and I'll be using tomorrow is the trailer my grandfather made in the 1940s. It's a Chevy 30s leaf spring straight axle, wood with steel bottom so easy shoveling gravel out, carrying wood, etc.

 

[mwemaxxowner]

I'm replying to myself, but to post a follow-up. It's not like I'm trying to get my attention.

So, I actually have done all this now. I bought a nice clean plastic pallet. I think it was $147 and is rated for 4000 lbs. Other big things I've bought, such as the pallet forks themselves, arrived on a pallet. But when I actually bought a pallet, it arrived in a big and very sturdy cardboard box with big FRAGILE labels on it. It just fits into my station wagon.

And I used it about a month ago to do the following: I went to Lowe's and bought 11 bags of concrete mix, 60 lbs each. This plus me is just under the weight limit for my station wagon. I asked Lowe's to load it onto my cart and then transfer it onto the pallet. Got home and pulled it out with the tractor and pallet forks. I parked it with the pallet about chest high, close to where I wanted to pour a concrete pad to park the big trash and recycling carts off the edge of my paved driveway.

I wheeled my new $200 concrete mixer out there and set it up on the edge of the driveway so I could drag a bag of concrete to the edge of the pallet, cut it open, and pour it into the mixer. Then I mixed it up and dumped it straight into the forms I had set up. The whole thing turned out great, and I never did lift any concrete (which I'm getting too old to do).

But the pallet's great for other things too. I anchor it to my forks with some bolts, and then climb up on it with my stepladder, to trim tree branches over the driveway.

I have forks and a quick attach for the loader, and I have several pallets. The pallets are definitely very handy to have around! I have one that is about 7' wide, and it can be very handy. This weekend I moved a big pile of baled pine needles with it.
A few sturdy pallets are must haves!

 

[Vigo327]

One thing i've done with those cheap plastic pallets is.. screw a wood pallet on top of it! You get the structure of the cheap wood pallet with the rot-free ability of the plastic pallet to sit on bare/wet ground forever.

 

[Williy]

Fuddy1952 with a small trailer like that I
would use the bucket on the tractor to raise
the trailer tongue and dump the load where
ever you want it unless you like to shovel???

willy

 

[IndyJay]

Yessir that's it. I really want the grubber you have and the chain.

I have both the Grubber® chain and the BG-20. They do a good job of snatching out brush and small trees. My old MF1250 wasn't heavy enough for bigger stuff but the DK4510 with liquid ballast does the job just fine.

 

[mwemaxxowner]

Great, thanks! Just looking to use it for small stuff as well. I'm hoping the brush grubber chain will get more of an immediate grab on stuff.

 

[IndyJay]

Great, thanks! Just looking to use it for small stuff as well. I'm hoping the brush grubber chain will get more of an immediate grab on stuff.

I have had good success with multi-flora rose and blackberry brambles, anything with clumps. The chain links do dig into smaller saplings very well, too.

 

[mwemaxxowner]

I've added a 48" box blade, and just recently bought a County Line landscape rake. I've read mixed reviews on them, but it was in stock ready to pick up and I need it soon. Keeping in mind that my BX is a small and light duty tractor, I'm optimistic it will serve me well.

The box blade is a JBar, which doesn't seem to be the heaviest duty unit, but I paid $250 for it, and have already used it for a grading job that paid $1000 (so that alone made it worthwhile). It worked well for me so I think it'll do just fine. Hydraulic top link from Fitrite (bought secondhand) is en route to my house.

Current attachment list is loader forks, three point landscaping rake, boom pole, box blade, and drawbar for trailers if that even counts.

For now that seems to be all I need. I still want "the thumb" to add to my forks and bucket, and/or possibly a grapple later on.

I also bought an old rusted out spreader for $30, that I plan to strip the gearbox from and the three point frame for a custom project. Not sure what I might ever need the gearbox for, but that part is in good shape so I'll save it. I was going to use the spreader as a basis for a top dresser experiment, but I think the cone part is too far gone to mess with.

 

[Vigo327]

Landscape rakes take very little power to use. I actually use a 51" landscape rake for an ATV with a Case Hydriv garden tractor that i repowered with a Predator 212 with 6 hp. It works fine! With landscape rakes i would choose size based on your maneuverability concerns. Also, if the ground is not particularly flat a very wide rake will skip over spots.

 

[mwemaxxowner]

Oh I'm sure it'll work well!

I've just read a few reviews where the CL rake pretzeled up, but they were using a bigger tractor, and doing some heavier duty work. I think with my BX I won't have to worry so much. I've also read many good reviews.

I chose a 5' rake. I tend to do a lot of work in some tight spaces. Someone wants me to thin out and rake up a portion of some pine trees in the edge of their yard space. A narrower rake will give me fewer restrictions on places I can't squeeze the rake into. One of this tractor's strengths is being able to fit in tight and narrow places, so the types of things I find myself doing play to that. It's also fairly easy to man handle when not on the tractor.

 

[Xfaxman]

It's also fairly easy to man handle when not on the tractor.

And you can put the rake on a dolly to man handle it:

 

[mwemaxxowner]

That would mean having concrete to roll it on.

 

[mwemaxxowner]

I store most of my implements inside the privacy fence I have in my back yard, palletized and inside my Harbor Freight "portable garage. Pallet forks for moving them around. I hope to build some racking to stack them.

 

[Williy]

That would mean having concrete to roll it on.

put bigger WHEELS on it for dirt!

willy

 

[90cummins]

My 3pt pallet forks are my most used attachment. When using my loader I slip my forks under my 1000lb counter weight for better traction & stability.
My next favorite tool is a pallet jack so I can easily maneuver attachments to install or remove.
90cummins