MikePA
Super Moderator
First Time Tractor Owner\'s Advice
I give this advice to myself frequently (and not just about tractors /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif) so I thought I'd pass it on. Perhaps it's obvious to some, but here goes anyway. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Many of us were/are fortunate enough to be able to buy a tractor with the attachments on it that we knew we needed. A mmm for mowing a lawn, a FEL for handling horse stall cleanings, a snow blower for clearing a snow filled driveway multiple times per year. So, what's my advice to us first time owners?
Give yourself plenty of time to actually use your tractor, in all seasons, to see how many of the plethora of available attachments you really need. And not only which attachments you need, but how often you'll need them. For example, while a box blade can smooth out that ground where you're going to seed a lawn, how many times will you be planting a lawn? Perhaps a rear blade, while less convenient, can do the job almost as well, at less cost, plus it can be used for other purposes. Or those loader forks you are lustfully gazing at. Would a boom pole suffice, at less cost, for those few times you need to unload something?
What prompted me to offer this advice? In one of my semiannual desk cleanings, I found a hanging folder that contained receipts for some of software packages I've purchased over the years. This was not a thin folder! Upon opening it, I discovered that the receipts were primarilty for software I used when I ran OS/2. Guess what? I no longer run OS/2 and was therefore no longer running any of the software /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif. No, I did not add up the cost of each package. I didn't want to get depressed.
Take time to get to know your first tractor and how it performs before you (we) spend your (our) hard earned money.
I give this advice to myself frequently (and not just about tractors /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif) so I thought I'd pass it on. Perhaps it's obvious to some, but here goes anyway. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Many of us were/are fortunate enough to be able to buy a tractor with the attachments on it that we knew we needed. A mmm for mowing a lawn, a FEL for handling horse stall cleanings, a snow blower for clearing a snow filled driveway multiple times per year. So, what's my advice to us first time owners?
Give yourself plenty of time to actually use your tractor, in all seasons, to see how many of the plethora of available attachments you really need. And not only which attachments you need, but how often you'll need them. For example, while a box blade can smooth out that ground where you're going to seed a lawn, how many times will you be planting a lawn? Perhaps a rear blade, while less convenient, can do the job almost as well, at less cost, plus it can be used for other purposes. Or those loader forks you are lustfully gazing at. Would a boom pole suffice, at less cost, for those few times you need to unload something?
What prompted me to offer this advice? In one of my semiannual desk cleanings, I found a hanging folder that contained receipts for some of software packages I've purchased over the years. This was not a thin folder! Upon opening it, I discovered that the receipts were primarilty for software I used when I ran OS/2. Guess what? I no longer run OS/2 and was therefore no longer running any of the software /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif. No, I did not add up the cost of each package. I didn't want to get depressed.
Take time to get to know your first tractor and how it performs before you (we) spend your (our) hard earned money.