Lessons learned by the new guy

[Kevin37]

Well....
It's been three weeks or so since I took delivery of the new tractor. This past week I finally got it out to my property and put about 26 hours on it!! Here are some lessons I learned:

>When your fellow TBNers say check the new wheel bolts for good torque often, they mean OFTEN.
Price for a new wheel bolt: $1.39

>When using the FEL a lot, invest in the knob for the steering wheel. Saves your palm from blistering.
Price for the John Deere Knob: $10.99

>When pushing over those small scrub-brush type trees with the FEL, don't let the trunk get BEHIND the end of the bucket.
Price for getting WHIPPED by a 20' tall and spindly thorn-ridden tree: Scratched nose, scratched lip, multiple scratches on arm, back and neck. Peroxide, cotton and band aides: $3.50

>If it looks like really soft mud that you might get stuck in...it is and you will.
Price to get out of "driver-platform-deep"mud: 2 hours of wasted time in pouring rain.

>When lifting an FEL full of dirt, don't forget to stop raising the bucket as you back up.
Price for stupidity: A hood and mouth full of dust and dirt

>Your shiny new and freshly waxed tractor will get dirty.

>Price for putting 25 hours on my new tractorRICELESS /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

I'll post more lessons I'm sure to learn /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
Thanks for all your input.

Kevin

 

[OkieG]

The initiation begins! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

OkieG

 

[Bob_Skurka]

A few other things off the top of my head:

* Never let your wife know how much fun it is to play, er work, with your tractor

* Always go inside after a session of tractoring and wipe your sweating brow, groan a bit, and sit down for a short rest . . . just as if you had been working hard. . . and then comment in a weak and tired voice to the lovely misses that its a good thing you got that tractor or you'd never be able to get THAT done.

* Never, and I mean NEVER, spill diesel fuel on your clothes and then toss your clothes in the laundry. DON'T ASK ME HOW I KNOW. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

* When you screw up, and you will, and it is worth posting the story on the TBN site, we will think much more highly of you if YOUR NEIGHBOR is the one who screwed up (hey it's your story, you can take literary license with WHO actually learned a lesson).

 

[fivestring]

Violations of rules 3, 5 and 6 will happen again. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
It's in the laws of tractoring! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I'll add another one:
When plowing the garden, don't forget to raise the plow at the end of the row.
DAMHIK.

 

[Egon]

Always know where the WIFE'S car and flowerbeds are. If not have a cot and hotplate in the garage.

Oh, and always rub against the grease points of the loader before going in and sitting down. Stepping in some overflow grease helps too.

Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Bob_Skurka]

And always estimate TWICE the time it will take to complete a project when the lovely wife asks how long it will take. A 1 hour project should be estimated at 2 hours. A 1 week project estimated at 2 weeks.

The only real purpose for that is to allow you some additional uninterrupted seat time, but it also eliminates the complaining that you are spending more time with the tractor than with her!

 

[KirkMcD]

This weekend will be my third week with a BX23, so I think I'm a new guy too.

Some things I've learned:

Keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times. No matter how hard you try, you won't be able to steady yourself or move the tractor by pushing against a pole with your hand. (Almost crushed my finger.)
Nor can you nudge the tractor forward a little by shifting your weight back and forth in the seat.

When the safety interlocks kill the engine because you were bouncing too much going down a hill, DON'T put it into neutral to try to restart it WITHOUT having your foot on the brake, or better yet leave it in gear and slowly coast down the hill. (I was this close to hitting my house.)

If one wheel gets stuck in a hole, don't press down harder on the pedal expecting more power to pull you out. Press the differential lock to send power to the other wheels. (What a mess that was! The hole was right next to a wooden deck and I knocked a board loose and threw dirt all over the deck.)

And the one thing I keep forgetting, RELEASE the break pedal before trying to move. (Why is this thing going so slow? Did I break it?)

-- Kirk

 

[KirkMcD]

One more thing, when driving next to a telephone pole, look out for guy wires.

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

How about...

When using a 3 point implement next to a building, deck, fence or whatever do not turn away from it as soon as you pass it on your tractor seat. The cost of doing so can be huge and you will then never forget the term "gator-tailing" so long as you live. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

The same logic applies to your FEL when backing and looking over your shoulder. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[RobS]

<font color="blue">when driving next to a telephone pole </font>

One early lesson for me (courtesy of TBN) is that you don't drive a tractor, you operate it. This also helps some of the other points made about the wife. Spending a few hours operating the tractor sounds waaaay more difficult than just driving it around for a while /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif