Well, let me tell you all about my day...The fellow TBN member that I told you about who offered to let me try his
L48 PMed me last night and told me he had a project today and that I was welcome to come and watch. Well, I did, and am glad of it, as I got to see what the
L48 could accomplish. I was also impressed by the little piece of heaven that is the property which he calls home. The project involved digging out an old-growth stump that was a minimum of 2 feet in diameter. The root ball was the size of a pickup truck! My
L48 mentor put me at the controls and let me have at it, which I thought was inordinately kind as well as brave in light of the fact that I am new to tractors, and I pulled at dirt and roots under his tutelage and actually began to feel comfortable with the controls. I have to tell you though, the skill of my mentor was extremely impressive: not only could he make the BH dance while sitting at the controls, he did so while standing in front of the machine with me in the seat, reaching up and working the controls standing backwards to the machine and looking the other way! Should I develop half this skill I will have accomplished much.
My teacher finally took charge of the machine and ripped the daylights out of the roots, and finally tore the stump out and pulled it and the gigantic rootball out of the hole. He then filled the hole and graded the driveway with the FEL bucket, pulling it backwards with the front wheels off the ground, sort of a reverse wheelie! The machine is everything I want, and watching this display of power (and skill) has convinced me to buy the
L48. I have to add that my mentor tipped me off to a dealer who will save me a ton of money on the machine and attachments.
Gray, thanks for the info, it sounds like the machine will take care of heavy pallets. I will check out that SSS auger.
V8dave and Rowski - Boy, that thumb looks handy! Question: Does using the thumb compromise the structural integrity of the BH? Another option I'm considering either in place of or in addition to the thumb is a grapple on the FEL bucket. Thanks everyone...Tony