Clementine has muscles!

Boondox · Apr 28, 2001

Well, most of the snow is gone, and with great swaths of open ground in the meadow I took Clementine out for her first look at her new home in a thawed condition. Took the ice chains off, checked inflation, greased the zirc fittings, and rolled that big L3010 down the road.

Used the TNT rear blade to pull the silt out of the drainage ditches, then to smooth it out on the road. Also used the blade to smooth and level the driveway. Took a tow chain up to the woodpile and dragged several large logs home. Pushed over a very large birch that had too much rot in the trunk. Uprooted two pines as big around as a telephone pole. Harvested stone for the wall I'm building around the family graveyard. Pulled a large fallen cherry off the septic tank lid. Used the bucket to pull up several stones that stick up just far enough to ping my mower blades. Created speedbumps to slow down a particularly obnoxious tourist. Picked up the granite memorials we had made over the winter and carried them to the graveyard, setting them gently in place.

She handled those tasks so well I decided to see what she could do about the 60' balsam fir that blew over last autumn. Cut off the rootball with the trusty Husky chainsaw, then pushed the entire tree down the meadow to the tree line!!! I boggled at the strength this girl has! With my old B1750 I would have spent all day cutting the tree into little pieces.

This is one heck of a tractor! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Pete

www.GatewayToVermont.com

frank_f15 · Apr 28, 2001

boondox: seems like u really put clementine to the test today,and u still have energy to play on computer? don't the abilities of the tractor amaze u? no matter what size you have, they always seem to be able to do more than u expect. think i will get some more land, just to have more to do with my tractor./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

john_bud · Apr 28, 2001

Whew! I got tired just reading about your day. /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif

John Bud

Harv · Apr 29, 2001

Hey! That's not fair, Pete! /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

You had snow hundreds of feet deep, and I just had some wimpy California precipitation, yet you're out working your tractor and I'm still waiting for dry ground. /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

It doesn't help that I only get to see my 'Bota once or twice a month, but I'm jealous nonetheless.

Sounds like you and Clementine had a great day. But which was wider -- her bucket or your grin. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

scruffy · Apr 29, 2001

Ya know Harv, It DON'T hurt the TRACTOR none to get wet. Now the operator, THAT's a different story! You really have to get acquainted with some of the other states! If you look at Oregon for example (Northern California also), if you don't like to picknic in the rain, you might as well move! Anything idle for a short time grows moss! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Harv · Apr 29, 2001

It DON'T hurt the TRACTOR none to get wet.

That part's true, Scruffy, but it doesn't seem to do the ground much good when it's soft and squishy. And of course the really wet areas try to swallow the whole machine. /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif

I spent many years skin and scuba diving, so a little rain wouldn't slow me down much. Just couldn't see where I could do more good than harm tractorin' by umbrella.

BTW -- on our diving trips we occasionally did have picnics in the rain. What the heck -- we were dressed for it. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

scruffy · Apr 30, 2001

Harv, its a surefire bet you wouldn't get lost out there playing in the rain! Just follow the parallel creeks back home! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif
Never tried the scuba diving at all, but sure went swimming in some of the rivers in the rain...you're gonna get wet anyway./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

JayinNH · May 1, 2001

I Just purchased a L3010 (Jezebel) . I only have 10 hours on her but have put her through some test of power. I ripped up some stumps and graded some rough earth with the rear blade. Did you have the 50 service done by your dealer or did you do it yourself? Was it expensive? It's great to hear someone else went for the lower power L series and find it to have enough power. Keep up the good work Clementine!!!!
Jason
PS: And you Pete!

frank_f15 · May 1, 2001

JASON: PETE is still resting form all the work he did 4 days ago. and if u went with lower powered L series, what does that make my poor B2400?/w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif. sounds like u guys are really getting good use of your tractors, and having fun doing it. HEY HARV. did it dry out enough in sunny cali-forn- i-a to use your bota?

Harv · May 2, 2001

did it dry out enough in sunny cali-forn- i-a to use your bota?

It's been pretty warm this week, so I'm guessing things are drying out pretty good. Unfortunately, I'm over a hundred miles from my 'Bota most of the time, so I only get to check on conditions once or twice a month. I'll be heading up this weekend and hope to get some seat time.

There's been an ugly pattern evolving over the last few trips up there -- My mom's caretaker has figured out that I'm the one taking care of the property, so she always greets me with a list of things that need to be done. For a while I thought I was the boss, but it doesn't seem so any more. I suppose I should be glad to have someone who actually knows where the problems are, but this caretake rarely comes up with chores that require a tractor. /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

A further complication this time -- I had to hire out (long distance) to have some septic tank work done. The main system hasn't been inspected since '93, so I thought I'd try a little preventative maintenance and called in the pros. I never really knew where the tank was buried, but I'm told they located it with some kind of listening device, and wouldn't you know it -- it's right outside the large shop door where I keep my tractor. It turns out the tank was some 8 feet deep, so they brought in a backhoe (and here I am a hundred miles away). Last I heard, there was an enormous pit outside the shop and the septic people hadn't shown up yet. Now I'm worried about being able to get my tractor out of the shop when I come up. /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif

ronjhall · May 2, 2001

Last I heard, there was an enormous pit outside the shop and the septic people hadn't shown up yet. Now I'm worried about being able to get my tractor out of the shop when I come up./w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif

Harv
Sounds like a good chance to get some FEL time if you can get out of the shop./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

JayinNH · May 2, 2001

Frank,
Different Bota's for different situations. I feel that the work Pete was doing are things that I will be doing and it's nice to hear that the L3010 was doing the work with flying colors. On TBN it seems like there are 2 large mind sets... B series owners and L series. The L series seem to be at the 40 HP or better range. I'm glad Jezebel has friends on TBN

Harv · May 2, 2001

The L series seem to be at the 40 HP or better range.

Really? /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

Seems to me that most are in the 30+ HP range. My little 2500 is only 27 HP and your 3010 monster is around 32 (gross). You gotta get up to the 4310 or better to cross that 40 HP mark. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

JayinNH · May 2, 2001

Harv,
It just seems that most of the subscribers of TBN have B series or the larger L series. I'm glad to hear that there are more of us middle men out there. Thanks
Jason

GlueGuy · May 2, 2001

Jason,

I think I agree with Harv on this one. There area lot of B series, and most of the L series that I notice are in the 32 +/- 5 (or so) area. Oh there's plenty of the bigger (and looks like there will be lots of the smaller now that the BX is getting so popular)./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif I think this has something to do with the size of the pocketbook it takes to deal with the bigger machines (and who actually needs that much power)./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

The GlueGuy

JayinNH · May 2, 2001

GlueGuy,
I guess I was mislead. Reading the articles that I have read it just seems like more posts concern the B series and larger L series than the 3010, 3410, etc. I'm somewhat new to TBN so I apologize. The comments that I have recieved from everyone really helped me with pricing, impliments, and what I needed to have for the size of tractor in relation to the work I am doing.
Thanks,
Jason

Boondox · May 2, 2001

Probably human nature to focus on similar tractors...sort of like travelling across the country and your eyes are drawn to license plates from home. That said, I've noticed enough posts about the big boys (3710 and up) to begin thinking that Clementine was the poor cousin! /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif

I'm still astounded at the power of this girl! Yesterday, just for fun, we ripped out a huge swath of overgrown brush that was in the way of our upcoming work on the septic tank. Can't remember how many times I've attacked those bushes with the Husky chainsaw only to have them back in a season! Now there's only bare earth with the chickens having a grand time going after the bugs!

Pete and Clementine

www.GatewayToVermont.com

Boondox · May 2, 2001

Clementine had 170 hours on her when she came to Vermont. Steve Carver was kind enough to perform all service thru 300 hours, so I've yet to do anything to her.

Clementine tells me she's been dreaming of roaring down I-89 at 0.10mph side by side with Jezebel during fall foliage...frustrating hordes of leaf peepers!

Pete

www.GatewayToVermont.com

JayinNH · May 2, 2001

Boondox,
There's nothing wrong with frustrating/scaring leaf peepers. I did that without Jezebel. Only now they might take me seriously. See you there!
Jay