What have you done with/to your GC Series 2300, 2400, 1700 Tractor TODAY

[kenmbz]

I keep hearing that some have them and some don't. Need to check my 1720 and see.

 

[Shawn T. W.]

My 1725 MB has a solid plastic fill cap, and solid steel plugs that I remove when filling to "vent" then put back in ...

 

[hube2]

Wasn't today, on saturday I put the chains on the tractor after going out and getting 600# of rock salt for this winter. Wanted to get that in before I put the blower on so I didn't have to work around it. By that time my old body was done for the day. Then on sunday I got the snowblower on and all greased up. Now she sleeps until I have to move snow.

 

[kenmbz]

Moving rounds to split. Very handy with the forks.

 

[dicktill]

I have a 2022 Massey Ferguson GC 1723EB nicknamed "Fergie" after Sarah Ferguson, Dutchess of York. I also call her "my red-headed mistress".

Today is Fergie's first birthday, and she has 421 easy rough hours on her. She has had all manner of indignities thrust upon her but is holding up well.

It is Fergie's second birthday, and she now has 623 hours on her. If you have been following her sad tale (https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/threads/fergies-in-icu.605909/) then you know that life has not been easy for her. Would be a lot more hours but I had rotator cuff surgery in late March and then the poor gal was incapacitated for 5-weeks.

(Speaking of poor gals, Sarah Ferguson is no longer Dutchess of York, and although she has long been divorced from Andrew, she had been living at his rent-free royal home that he (they) are getting booted from.)

 

[Shawn T. W.]

Went out back and checked out my creek enlargement project, looking good, set a couple of raccoon traps while down there ...

I had hung a bunting off my back deck, and the wind would pick it up over the gutter and onto the roof ... It ended up pulling the gutters apart ... So I decided to fix it today, but ... My 32' ladder is out in the corner of the barn, and I'd need to get my trailer out to get it out, but first I'd need to get the tiller and land plane off the trailer ... So I came up with another way ... 4" step under the bucket, but enough I can still climb it, used the stabilizers to level the bucket side to side and set the 16' ladder in it ...

Then I loaded up a few traps to take out front ...

 

[irvingj]

You're not he first and won't be the last to use a front bucket to get that ladder just a bit higher... Yeah, dangerous, but doable if you're careful. I've done it, too.

 

[Shawn T. W.]

Ladders could be considered dangerous by themselves ... The bucket was supported by the step ladder under it too ... Not a lot different than staging ...

 

[Shawn T. W.]

Got up early like normal about 3 O'clock, but with the new ridiculous time change, really at 2 O'clock!

At "barely light" we went out and checked the traps, nothing in the six of them ... It was our coldest night so far at 27°F, so we had a good frost along with the fog!

I got my yard sweeper put together ... https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/threads/looking-for-a-lawn-sweeper.613869/ it's not for Little Baby Fergie, but she helped me take away the huge cardboard box it came in, plus others I've been saving for a ride down by the creek ...

I tuck the cardboard and the paper wrapping/packing paper I collected into a brush pile, and light it with a propane torch! No wind, so I figured it was a good morning to get rid of this from my tree trimming earlier in the year ...

When I stack a brush pile I take the forks after I drop the brush, and raise it above the pile, and pack it down until I lift the front tires off the ground, this gives a nice tight pile, and it burns hot and thoroughly, yes there are a few ends that need to get pushed in near the end ...

It's really cooking now!

Little Baby Fergie sure is the most handy and helpful "tool" I have ... Couldn't take care of this place without her!

 

[cdaigle430]

Getting mine ready for winter. Woodmaxx snowblower electric chute motor died. Took it apart and found water inside. Cleaned and sanded and it works again. Relieved because I was having a hard time finding a replacement.
Changed oil, fuel and air filter and oil and Lubed everything.
Last step is to finish putting the soft cab on and then paint loader bucket and add edge tamers. Bring on the snow!
View attachment 4327406

 

[Shawn T. W.]

I went back down after it calmed down a bit ...

And pushed the edges in ...

Then weet back up to the house and had breakfast ... !

Hour and a half later ... This is all that's left, I needed to get going, so I left it ... Now just outside of Chicago.

 

[Cycledude]

Went out back and checked out my creek enlargement project, looking good, set a couple of raccoon traps while down there ...

View attachment 4327316


I had hung a bunting off my back deck, and the wind would pick it up over the gutter and onto the roof ... It ended up pulling the gutters apart ... So I decided to fix it today, but ... My 32' ladder is out in the corner of the barn, and I'd need to get my trailer out to get it out, but first I'd need to get the tiller and land plane off the trailer ... So I came up with another way ... 4" step under the bucket, but enough I can still climb it, used the stabilizers to level the bucket side to side and set the 16' ladder in it ...

View attachment 4327317

Then I loaded up a few traps to take out front ...

View attachment 4327318

What is a “bunting” ?

 

[Shawn T. W.]

It kinda looks like a half circle flag ...

 

[irvingj]

Daigle, does your blower use a linear actuator like the MF (RAD Technologies) front-mount blower?

If so: Take a 10"-12" or so piece of bicycle inner tube, glue it together at the top and stretch it over the top of the actuator. Make small holes for the upper mounting bolt to pass through.

This will prevent water intrusion. a problem I had almost every year until I tried this -- a suggestion from another forum member. Have not had to take it apart and dry & re-grease it since.

 

[cdaigle430]

Daigle, does your blower use a linear actuator like the MF (RAD Technologies) front-mount blower?

If so: Take a 10"-12" or so piece of bicycle inner tube, glue it together at the top and stretch it over the top of the actuator. Make small holes for the upper mounting bolt to pass through.

This will prevent water intrusion. a problem I had almost every year until I tried this -- a suggestion from another forum member. Have not had to take it apart and dry & re-grease it since.

View attachment 4327445

Good idea, yes it does use a linear actuator. The problem I had was with the chute rotation dc motor. Water was coming in from the broken sheath protecting the wires. I have since repaired this and siliconed the entry point in to the motor housing.

 

[irvingj]

Ah. Different problem.

 

[Shawn T. W.]

Got home this morning, popped the BH off, and the bucket, switching to forks as I needed to get back to watering regiment ...

I wanted to add an extension onto the suction hose to my pump, and have a way to weight it down, so I had found some metal pegs/stakes one day while out and about for a walk while on the road, I figured I could heat them up and bend them around a 2" steel pipe, then put them on my 2" PVC extension ... I needed a adjustable height "bench" ...

I used the torch on the first one, and didn't heat enough of an area, so once I started to bend it, it wasn't really round, I tried the second one without heat, and that worked OK! But I really needed to hang my weight on it!

Then I hooked up my water wagon and grabbed the tote for the front, and took the pump out back ...

Everything works much better, bigger pond now, and the straight piece of pipe that not only gets it out farther, it also has a rope to tie to the bank so it won't try to curl and get up to suck air ...

The pump will pump 158 gallons a minute, so when it starts the hose would really flop around when it was unsecured.

Got 350 gallons out today!

 

[Shawn T. W.]

After lunch I decided to tidy up the lawn some, mostly tired of dodging low tree branches when mowing ...

While I could reach most of them with the chainsaw, I used the pole saw pruner as it was quite windy out today, and that let me stay farther away from the chips flying!

Should give me enough room so I don't loose my hat!

And later I mowed the lawn, and yup it's much better now!

Then I moved over to the fence between the lawn and the back pasture ... I left a few cedar trees in the fence line on purpose, eventually when I retire I'm going to have a couple of dogs, plus a flock of chickens, this fence line (once a finer mesh is added) will be the boundary between the two, and I figured the shade will be nice for both sides ... But I was tired of cedar needles getting down my shirt and pants!!!

I got a full fork load and headed out back ...

When I built my ballast box I didn't really have a plan for the D-rings, but they came in handy for lashing down the pole saw, as it doesn't fit in the slots I made for the trimmer ...

 

[Shawn T. W.]

I dumped that first load on top of the ashes from the brush fire I had on Sunday morning to start a new brush pile ... Then headed up to trim this cedar tree that I could fit under with my ROPS, but not my cabbed Kubota ...

Got a full fork load and headed down to dump it on the new pile ... Apparently there were still HOT coals ... And by the time I got down there an active FIRE!

Since Little Baby Fergie is red like a fire truck she scooped up the pile and we spread it out on the grass ... As I really didn't want a brush fire today with all the wind ..

I was surprised it still burned, only really the cedar needles ... Once it calmed down ... We scooped it up and gave it a ride over to my new pond!

And dropped them in!

And that put the end to that nonsense! Glad I had Little Baby Fergie to help me take care of that problem I inadvertently caused!

The cedar tree now looks like I should have room to mow under it with the Kubota!

 

[kenmbz]

Yesterday was moving rocks and dead branches and small trees.
Will need to put the bucket on the finish moving the rocks to a new pile.
Moved a lot of rounds too while I was at it so I could split them later.