Trail-making dings

[rd_macgregor]

I've spent a lot of time in the woods with my DK45SC this summer and fall, mostly making trails for walking/horse riding and salvaging the resulting wood for our stove. I've gotten pretty adept at pushing over and uprooting trees...and disposing of the debris, but working in the woods seems to be especially hard on the outside of my tractor. Except for scratches in the paint on the body and cab, most of the damages have come when backing up. First I managed to put a 90 degree bend in the bracket for the slow-moving-vehicle triangle, then I ripped the radio antenna off the cab, then slightly twisted my carryall. Yesterday, I managed to put a 90 degree bend in the top of the FEL bucket level indicator rod.

When I got my tractor, I bought new, since all the used ones seemed too well used (and too expensive) for the hours they had. Now I'm starting to see why some seemed so trashed.

BOB

 

[Mousefield]

I have had mine in the bush making trails as well. Nothing major so far but I try to be darn careful. You use it enough and you will get the odd ding or scrape here and there. Really hard to avoid it especially if you get the odd widow maker falling on you. We have a fair amount of dead trees on our place and having branches come down is my biggest concern. At least you have it out and using it rather than just waxing/polishing and admiring it.

 

[BruceWard]

I bought mine with scratches and dings already in place so I dont feel bad about new ones.

 

[o2batsea]

Ive stopped buying the expensive mirrors from Mr Kioti and switched to truck mirrors from NAPA. They have steel housing and seem to take a whack better. Yeah the bucket level stick went in the first week.
The PO did his share of damage. The starboard side steps are bent, the port side fender was bent upwards along with the tail lamp housing, and somehow or another he managed to tweak the back hoe slightly. I think he lowered the loader onto something that pushed in the engine side cover and bent the bejeezus out of the thing.
I dropped a section of barn wall on the top of the cab.

It's all sheet metal injuries for the most part and nothing that affects the operational capabilities. Most of it I was able to straighten out so you can't really tell there is any damage. The side cover could fit on a bit better but is OK as long as the bonnet is shut.
I have a can of orange paint and a can of the gray, so I touch it up when I take the paint off.

I have toyed with the idea of making some limb risers and brush guards for the mirrors and such, but no movement forward as yet.

 

[rd_macgregor]

I took the mirrors off early in the summer and folded the mounts in front of the windshield so they wouldn't catch on branches. If they get pushed back too far, I can't open the cab doors!!
Field work is a breeze compared to traipsing through the woods. The tractor keeps going strong, though, despite the dings.
Its nice (in a way) to know that it isn't just me!
BOB

 

[Lloyd_E]

Bob,

I too pulled the antenna off but I replaced it with two strands of house wire - copper stuff. I drilled out the old antenna at the mount and took the two wires and twisted them at one end and expoxied in place. It works like a charm... and flexes too!

I pulled one mirror of the mount. I took it apart and used bigger washers to hold the swivel mount in place. Lots of scratches on the cab...

 

[rd_macgregor]

Lloyd,
I see you have a cup holder in your DK45. Do you have the newer cab with the factory holder or did you add one yourself?
BOB

 

[wade simpson]

I've only broke the signal lights so far. My ck20s is so narrow I can fit between almost all the trees. My box blade gets hung up a bunch tho. I caught the FEL controller once and started to lift it as I was moving fwd, startled the heck outta me for a moment.

 

[rd_macgregor]

I was planning on using my box blade to smooth out my new woods trails...that's why I put in so much effort to remove the trees, roots and all. However, my box blade is 7' wide; I don't think there's any way I could make it through the woods with that thing hanging off the back!

BOB

 

[Lloyd_E]

Bob, The cup holder is a boating style unit. About $8-9... It folds up when not in use. I also mounted a indoor/outdoor thermometer with clock/date etc. above it. Unfortunately if gives a false interior reading due to the heater hose running in the column of the cab support. The hose heats the column that the thermometer is attached to.

Lloyd

 

[IslandTractor]

I also pretzeled my bucket indicator rod working in the woods (about $100 to replace). I've also busted rear taillights backing into trees and dissembled electric connectors under the operator station while backing into brush. I also get smacked in the face pretty regularly by branches while manuvering in heavy brush.

Someday I will probably spring for a cab model but for now I do to much work in woods and brush to want to risk putting a tree limb through an expensive window.

 

[lakngulf]

One of the best additions I made to my setup was the tooth bar on the FEL. It works great for loosening soil, digging small brush, hauling stuff, etc. BUT, it added a few inches to the front end, and those bars are easy to catch on anything. With a boxblade, bushhog, or disc on the 3pt even my little CK30 is a LONG setup, and often finds trees to scrape or back into.

 

[rd_macgregor]

Someday I will probably spring for a cab model but for now I do to much work in woods and brush to want to risk putting a tree limb through an expensive window.

I'm happy to say I got the rod straightened enough that I won't have to buy a $100 replacement (well, at least until I do it again!).
I really cringe when branches scrape across the cab roof (the paint job is definitely no longer "virgin").
I haven't really had too much worry about the windows in the woods so far. Last summer, when mowing a pasture, I ran over an uprooted cherry sapling and it was just like stepping on a garden rake: BAM, a hard hit right on the side window!! I thought for sure the window was a goner but, to my surprise, it held up. I'm lucky I had the cab since I'm sure I would have taken a serious hit on the arm (if I was lucky) or upside the head (if not lucky). You could have been reading about me in the Safety forum.


BOB

 

[wade simpson]

I was planning on using my box blade to smooth out my new woods trails...that's why I put in so much effort to remove the trees, roots and all. However, my box blade is 7' wide; I don't think there's any way I could make it through the woods with that thing hanging off the back!

BOB

That's why I left it on. It does a great job of making a path I can safely drive on. It gets most of the roots and rocks up where I can move them away. It is a great tool out there.

Those signals lights are in about the worst place they could be. I had one snapped off after a few days. I don't see any reason to replace it as I will just break it off again.