Need to impress wife w/ new tractor-backhoe

AuCivil · Aug 30, 2002

Need some ideas.

Getting my tractor in the morning (JD4710, Loader w/4-in-1, JD48 Backhoe, mx6) and need to impress CFO to justify purchase. I've made promises involving landscaping, hogging etc... Any ideas on showy projects?

gator · Aug 30, 2002

Ask her where she wants the new pond dug.

Kodiak · Aug 30, 2002

You could start out by leveling and adding drainage for the new tractor shed/barn/workshop/garden shed. Have you mentioned that her car may have to stay outside until you get the tractor storage built.

Anonymous Poster · Aug 30, 2002

Well...

If yours is like mine they see through what you do and accuse you of playing rather than working, regardless of what you accomplish...

Worst of all, they are right!

Good luck...everyone should have an unattainable goal, I suppose...

Bill

Gary_in_Indiana · Aug 30, 2002

<font color=blue>"Worst of all, they are right"</font color=blue>

Yeah... Don't you just hate it when that happens? /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif/w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

ScottAR · Aug 30, 2002

Got any ugly stumps? overgrown fencerows? Brushy tangles? Find somthing along these lines on your property in a fairly visible area and clean it out.... Fencerows seem to make the biggest impression change in my experience.

karmakanic · Aug 30, 2002

I say dig her a little lily & frog pond.

There's nothing more impressive (and operator satisfying) then digging up something with the backhoe. Anyone who's ever leaned on a shovel, even wives, will appreciate the work being done when they see a bucket full of dirt ripped out of the ground and deposited at their feet.

Whatever you do, you'll win her over pretty quick. Trust me.
And have fun with your new toy,,,errr tool.

Dave Perry

Thomas · Aug 31, 2002

Now thats a tough one. /w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif
How about doing the projects in which your wife has always wanted done first..flower garden,remove a rock or two,fix the or redo the driveway..that way she is pleased and you shall get even more seat time. /w3tcompact/icons/clever.gif/w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Egon · Aug 31, 2002

Really impress her!!!
Start landscaping and dig up the phone or gas line. That's bound to get her attention.

Egon

Thomas · Aug 31, 2002

That would do it Egon..but hitting her car w/the fel or forgetting about her flower garden while tractoring..well I think that would raise both /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif browse. /w3tcompact/icons/mad.gif

Egon · Aug 31, 2002

Thomas:
Morning
If he does that he should probably have a suitcase prepacked and hidden down the road.
Egon

Boondox · Aug 31, 2002

I wrestled with the same dilemma, but very little impresses my wife. She continues to consider my tractor (L3010, FEL, BH, RFM, winch, blade, rake) my personal "toy," despite all the work I've done with Clementine over the years. I can do a great job transplanting trees, crowning the road, leveling the driveway, removing stumps she has long complained about, etc...and all she remembers is the time I hit the house, the time I ran over her apple tree, the time I mowed her flowers (no blooms at the time, the iris looked like fat grass to me), and the time I removed a huge boulder leaving a hole into which she drove the Pathfinder.

Can't win, so just have fun.

Pete

frank_f15 · Aug 31, 2002

one word of advice, when trying to impress her stay away from anything breakable till u learn how th work that thing., nother words don't go near house, garage, cars, . i made that mistake once and i stiil hear about it/w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

rstcso · Aug 31, 2002

Just got mine (er... ours) a couple of weeks ago. My wife was born and raised in New Jersey, so never had been on a tractor, much less having one as part of the family. What impressed her the most was my showing her how to run it and letting her do some shredding. She had a blast, all the way up to the point where she got to see how a sheer bolt works (and why). I honestly thought I'd picked a pretty level, clear place to shred, but she still managed to do it. I don't know how much more she's going to want to "work" with the tractor, but I bought a half dozen sheer bolts, just in case /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif.

chim · Aug 31, 2002

A few weeks ago Wifey was quite impressed with how I took a 12 ton pile of stone and turned it into a parking area. She even quipped that mebbe I should have been an equipment orerator. About half an hour later, I whacked the post light with the FEL while engrossed with what was happening at the other end of the tractor............................chim

rstcso · Aug 31, 2002

The day mine arrived, I took out three cedar boards on the fence between my neighbor and me, also with the FEL. I too, was watching the other end. Luckily, I had a few "extras" in the shed. The worst part was my neighbor laughing as the boards were being splintered. In this case, having a good fence didn't make a good neighbor. Of course, he couldn't be too mean, since he knows I'll remember it when he wants to use it for something.

AuCivil · Sep 1, 2002

Well, got 9 hours seat time, CFO asked what I had done told her - reworked driveway, removed 5 stumps and 2 trees. expecting wife to be impressed but her responce "WHY". Guess I'll try again.

Neighbors did ask me to help with thier driveway.

Tractorgirl · Sep 1, 2002

The best advice I can give is do what is pleasing to the eye. Being a woman myself, help her to find the value in what you do. Encourage her to drive the tractor and perhaps, complete a couple tasks with it that would have taken her some time to complete. Pretty soon, you may need his and her tractors.

ronjhall · Sep 2, 2002

AuCivil
Try building a water garden. A very pleasing site when finished. Check out my pictures at <A target="_blank" HREF=http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/ronfisherman/lst?.dir=/Pond&.view=t>THIS PAGE</A>. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif