Wasting your tractor Dollars...

Soundguy · Oct 4, 2004

Lets see.. I regret buying a gas powered trail mower when we bought out property initially. I though i was going to have to finish mow 3 ac on a fairly timely schedule. Turns out we built the house less than a year after we bought the land.. and then as soon as the fence was up.. grass eating animals started showing up... then the barn went up.

So far.. I've used that 700$ mower twice. Once on my property.. and once on a neighbors property.

for the tractor? I've pretty much used every implement I got.. most of them were bought with a task in mind.

Oh yeah.. i did buy a sod roller on impulse... have yet to use it.. but it was on sale.. and I guess i might use it one day?

Soundguy

Soundguy

avclay · Oct 4, 2004

I guess mine is the 72" mower (rear mount). I've grand ideas of how much grass I'll being mowing someday, but in reality its years off. The loaded tires also make the tractor the wrong tool for mowing in most places.
The upside is I'm using it as a bargaining chip to trade up..

Soundguy · Oct 4, 2004

( My biggest waste of money was my used 60" Woods back blade. Its really to light to be effective since I currently have no down pressure. )

Back blades aren't used for cutting thick dirt.. they are used for grading loose material.

Box blades are heavier and have sides for better cutting and dragging.

Box blads can be angled so that you don't need down pressure... the cutting edge is sucked into the ground.

In either case.. weights can be added to a back blade or a box blade.

keeney · Oct 4, 2004

Largest wasted money = Front-mount snow blower. For my driveway, even here in MN where we get plenty of snow, a front blade is much better for removing snow - quicker and it doesn't blow in my face. With less than two hours on it, I plan to sell the blower unit this fall.

Other minor waste = landscape rake. I did use it to help prepare our lawn, but after that was done, I thought it would be good for dragging lakeshore beach. Tines are too wide and it pulls too much sand with it. I plan to sell it also.

Best use of money = FEL.
2nd best use = $50 fork tines for self-built forks for FEL.

- Rick

hazmat · Oct 4, 2004

I'm with you Rob.

Occasionally I wish I had ponied up the bucks for a 30HP machine with 3 range tranny, suspension seat etc.

Don't get me wrong, the TC18 is a real workhorse, but there's always room for improvement.

My biggest regret was getting Industrial tires instead of turf. Last year I remedied that when my dealer made me an offer I couldn't refuse on a set of turf tires (50% of retail). Lawn is much happier...

fishman · Oct 4, 2004

I can honestly say that as far as tractors go, I have yet to think I wasted my money on any of my implements. Of course, so far I only have a FEL with tooth bar, box blade, post hole digger, and a beat up shredder. I think that studying and researching before buying (on TBN, where else? /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif) has prevented me from making any majorly bad decisions.

Now when you talk about non-tractor related purchases, the list is long indeed. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif I could start with my wife's SUV, but I think I'll be quiet now.

eee · Oct 4, 2004

( Back blades aren't used for cutting thick dirt.. they are used for grading loose material. )

Hmmm,thats a new one to me, I have a JD 45 back blade with about 400 to 500lbs in a custom made( ballast) box on my blade and I have cut a lot of roads,landscaped banks etc,in red clay that had not been loosened in anyway prior to my using the back blade.

bczoom · Oct 4, 2004

roughcut,

By adding the ballast box, you've created the weight of a box blade and it can now dig in. Without that ballast, would it penetrate?

eee · Oct 4, 2004

Yes it would penetrate without the ballast but the ballast helps it to penetrate even more,I kid you not I have people seen the work I done and they thought I had a small dozer on the job. I have cut small roads on my farm and banked them and everything else,I have even dug some small stumps out. Where there is a will there is a way.

MadDog · Oct 4, 2004

I have yet to use my Woods rearblade, although I use the boxblade, FEL and backhoe frequently and all other tractor attachments from time to time.

I've been debating (with myself) getting a PHD to try to dig the post holes for my polebarn. Trouble is, I just used the FEL to excavate a smallish landscaping pond and I can't believe that the boulders that I pried out wouldn't stop any PHD cold. Of course, I could hope that there aren't as many boulders, or at least not as many large ones, at the barn site, but that's probably wishful thinking.

For example, this past weekend, I turned up one that was 1.5'x2'x3' I still don't quite believe that my FEL had sufficient breakout force to budge it!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

So I'm thinkin' that if I spend almost $1k on a beautiful Danuser PHD, it might turn out to be be a stupid purchase. Then, again, I could always sell it to someone who doesn't live over a glacial moraine. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Laminarman · Oct 4, 2004

Biggest piece of useless dung I've got is a TSC landscape rake. I posted here about raking dead grass after cutting, and collecting some stones. But all it does is roll them and bounce over them.

How about the most frustrating implement? Mine is my two piece chain harrow. Great implement, terribly hard to maneuver and handle. I should have spent the $350 for the rake on the harrow frame carrier as I know that rakes better than the rake does.

Soundguy · Oct 5, 2004

I didn't say it was impossible.. just not it's primary purpose. A box blade is made to dig and drag. An angling grader blad is made to grade.. Grading may entail removing some material. As you have stated.. it did not penetrate as well without the extra large amount of ballast you added. This is what the original poster observed.. that the grader blade skipped along and didn't bite well.. etc.

Lots of differences in quality of back blades too.. most of the thin economy ones wouldn't hold up to extended digging.. even if you added the weight

Soundguy

( Hmmm,thats a new one to me, I have a JD 45 back blade with about 400 to 500lbs in a custom made( ballast) box on my blade and I have cut a lot of roads,landscaped banks etc,in red clay that had not been loosened in anyway prior to my using the back blade. )

Soundguy · Oct 5, 2004

( How about the most frustrating implement? Mine is my two piece chain harrow )

I have a 1-piece 6x8 heavy chain harrow/mat.. but havn't seen a 2-piece one. How does it differ from a 1-piece?

I like my 1-piece one. Hook it to the drawbar and go.. it tracks the tractor like any other drag implement.. say.. like a drag mower.

Is the 2-piece real wide?

Soundguy

eee · Oct 5, 2004

( that the grader blade skipped along and didn't bite well.. etc.

 )

I could cut dirt with out the ballast,its just that it will cut deeper with it,a box blade is great but my back blade I can turn it and roll the dirt over the hill or to the side and I can adjust the height of the blade from one side to the other and ditch or cut a ditch,once I get through the sod I can keep the blade full of dirt.I can build road banks with the dirt I cut etc.
As far as longevity there are cheap made box blades as well.

Soundguy · Oct 6, 2004

( my back blade I can turn it and roll the dirt over the hill or to the side and )

That's the whole point of a back blade.. you can grade with it.. and windrow.. box blades don't windrow.

( I can adjust the height of the blade from one side to the other )

I can adjust my box blade height side to side using my adjustable link arm.. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif But I know you are refeing to the angle / til function that most ( not all ) back blades have. I once saw an older back blade that even had offset capabilities.. could be offset right or left of center a couple feet... neat setup.

( As far as longevity there are cheap made box blades as well )

Due to side bracing.. I get the feeling that a cheap box blade may last longer than a cheap back blade, if both were used to dig..

Soundguy

eee · Oct 7, 2004

( That's the whole point of a back blade.. you can grade with it.. and windrow.. box blades don't windrow )

Nothing new there.

( I can adjust my box blade height side to side using my adjustable link arm.. But I know you are refeing to the angle / til function that most ( not all ) back blades have. I once saw an older back blade that even had offset capabilities.. could be offset right or left of center a couple feet... neat setup. )

Yes...you summed it up nicely.

( Due to side bracing.. I get the feeling that a cheap box blade may last longer than a cheap back blade, if both were used to dig.. )

You are probably right on this one,but I would not buy anything cheap. I would rather spend the xtra dollars up front and buy the heaviest one I could put behind my tractor,whether it is a box blade or a back blade and not have to worry about it breaking or bending. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Moon · Oct 7, 2004

I wasted my money on a shovel. Since I got my FEL I just don't use it anymore. : ) I'm one happy camper!
moon of ohio

rockyridgefarm · Oct 8, 2004

I wasted my money on a second key... It doen't do much good when she's sitting on "my" tractor a half mile away in the back yard... /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

(seriously, theough, we have a whole lotta fun together with this thing, I am glad she likes it!, now don't go tellin' her!)