Recent content by bluehog

Make sure when you pull with chain, cable or strap that you pull from a low attachment point on the tractor, ESPECIALLY if from the back side. I always attach the chain to the front frame and pull in reverse as it also lets me watch the item being dragged. If you pull from the back and a point...

I definitely agree with the use of some sort of skidding cone, especially if you are dealing in a rocky area or going uphill. I found myself with a large mess on the back and side of my property from a tree thinning project in our community. The forest service did "lop & scatter" rather than...

I have used the ebrake without issue, but I do not trust the ratchet pawl. So here is what I am doing to correct it... I ordered a replacement from Messick's At $63.55 + shipping. The replacement part is a bit different than the stock one with only 6 teeth that appear to be slightly...

To temporarily fix the problem I have repaired the ratchet teeth using a jewelers file to reshape without creating any rounded edges Then to create a better alignment with the brake wedge block I used a couple crescent wrenches to twist area of the ratchet teeth to correct the misalignment...

Here is what I found when I investigated my ebrake assembly. These pics are taken looking from the ground up and show that the teeth on the ratchet pawl had created a void at their contact with the metal bar attached to the brake pedal. The alignment of the ratchet pawl was not and never...

For those of you who have one of these models... keep an eye on this as this retails for $400. Got my set a few years back on ebay for $180 and it has paid for itself several times with just the troubleshooting info. Of course you got to have it near by. Last use was during a two week working...

The Southwest has been hit with drought for several years now. Even up in the mountains @ 8000' where we are the soil has been dry until this summer. This drought has really taken a toll on the forest. With the overgrown population of trees and lack of moisture we have seen great increase in...

CM you do a heck of a job creating a visual using verbiage can't say I will do as well, but here goes. The learning curve was not as bad as I had thought, but I was pretty comfortable with the controls from past use. I did make a few silly beginner errors like forgetting to put the stabilizers...

Here are a few more pics from the working vacation... got some video (but have to figure out how to upload ) These are from the first load = 26 total These are from the second load = 20 or so ( lost count )

Was just for fun since Halloween was close to the trip. All the paint didn't last long... as was mentioned by you and CM, but it looked good for the first few pics.

:jack-o-lantern: Happy Halloween from "Stump Slayer" .:jack-o-lantern: (this was prior to or our last week trip and was a suggestion from a co-worker... made the 300 mile drive a little more interesting when people passed us :shocked: )

Just to let you all know I am back from my trial week with the "Stump Slayer"... all went well and accomplished my goals. :cool2: I will get some pics up in a couple days, I haven't even had time to look at them myself! Here are a few previews

Total cost of materials and supplies was around $300... but the labor would be the real killer. I had help from several close work friends that offered their assistance in this project which I can not put a price on what they did for me. Having use of my employers equipment is another huge...

Well got it loaded on the backhoe. Here are a few pics with it's shinny coat of paint. I however forgot to take pics when I had it out in the front and only remembered after I backed the trailer behind the gate. It's a tight fit for me as I am not a talented trailer operator... so full tractor...

Back to biz... During the completion of the sandblast I bumped the cutting edge against the cart and noticed how soft the cutting edge was. This will certainly mushroom the edge as it enters the ground and I hit a few rocks. The ripper from MIE has a quench hardened edge... something I am not...