Muddy or dry?

[Robert_in_NY]

If you had a heavier tractor and R-1's you would be ok but still leave a mess that would have to be smoothed off when it dry's. I was working moving some material from our channel bank yesterday but i have a heavier tractor and had no problems with spinning to bury myself, moved the material and pushed some brush and briars back to open up the backside of another pond. Your best bet with your setup will be to wait till drier times then go at it. Have fun.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Problem is if the weather keeps up like this it will force the apple trees and grape vines buds to pop then when we get the rest of our freezing weather it will kill off the buds hurting this years crops. Kinda a double edge sword, like the weather but it hurts the crops. Oh well, have fun anyways.

 

[Buck]

Bob,

As you might remember, I live only a couple of miles from you.

My neighbor owns a fair size excavation company and they haven't worked for a week because of the mud. Thier work seems pretty steady the rest of the year!

My experience with my soil, which I assume is similar to yours, is that even if it is very dry, once you get a layer off it moves easy.

I was out yesterday too. You can't keep me away, especially with my new toothbar, which is everything that people have said they are!

Buck

 

[Joe_W]

I've come up with a little trick that tells me when the ground is dry enough to work. All I do is look and see if any of the "real" farmers are out in the fields. When they are out plowing, discing or whatever, it's been just right for my clay. I tried to do some work when it was too muddy and the tractor was covered in mud, then it froze, and I had to wait for a thaw, then bought a pressure washer. It took me over 6 hours of washing to clean the tractor up. Won't do that again.

Joe W.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

That is a good way to tell when to start but some farmers start too early and then you have problems like these.

And for the JD fans

 

[Steve_in_Ont]

Robert - Great pictures... The problem was that I could not seem to laugh... I think that it brought back some bad memories of being in similar situations. Sometimes it seems that you'll just never get out.

General Rule - It will take something bigger than you to get unstuck... Kinda like the JD picture.

Oh no... old memory coming ... 5 miles from a friend's house, with his dad's tractor pulling my PU out of the woods... The old IH gets stuck in Reverse... Often driving home on the road backwards at the 2AM can lead to interesting discussions with a state trooper. Aaahhh... to be a teenager again...

 

[Thomas]

Now that would make for a long day..nothing done in the fields and washing the tractor plus attachment,also filling in the swiming holes.
I never been stuck like that /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif but did get the Farmall H both tires stuck enough so I was setting on the rear end pumpkin w/both tires spining..and yep the Farmall H didn't have fenders..yuck..took 3 or so hours to get her free up. /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

 

[looch]

Don't worry about it. By my calculations, when July roles around the temperature should be about 140 degrees /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I had our MF 135 buried to its belly in our field while disking, knew it was too wet but gave it a try anyways. Had to use the WD-45 to pull her out and that tractor never even grunted, I still miss her and wish I never sold her. I buried the JD M once after my father insisted I could drive over the black muck with standing water, I insisted I couldn't but he told me to anyways so I had the last laugh that time when she was buried 10' into that adventure. If you have never had your tractor stuck then you don't use it enough./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[EdKing]

Got my LandTrac360 stuck twice last monday, trying to dig a ditch for a waterline. The area is always wet, even in the dryest part of summer. All I can say is thank god for the backhoe and FEL. Between the 2 I managed to push/pull/drag the tractor back to firm ground.

Ed King