FELs arn't worth the risk!

[TBone]

FELs arn\'t worth the risk!

Ha, I knew that would get your attention. Unlike the other "arn't worth the risk" discussions, I would like to keep this one friendly.

I don't own a fel - never have but I won't say I never will. After reading a lot of posts saying they are the greatest thing since duct tape I have a few questions:

The work I do with my tractor is broken down roughly like this:

(1) 80% rotary cutting

(2) 10% maintaining gravel driveway and gravel access roads on my property and neighbor's property

(3) 5% disking and plowing garden(s) and deer food plots

(4) 4% Moving farm equipment and other "stuff" out of the way that interferes with #(1)

(5) 1% Admiring tractor

I have quite a few acres planted in young pine trees. I know for a fact the fel would be in the way at least the 80% of the time I am in activity #(1) because I have to be extra careful without one.

I have removed most of my fence from my property since I don't have anything I want to keep in or keep out so I don't do fencing any more.

I did remove some dirt from the shallow end of my pond last summer while our drought was on. The dirt scoop did the job quite nicely. A fel would have saved me a few hours in the seat. That is not necessarily a good thing.

My box blade does activity #(2) so well my wife thinks I am a professional roadbuilder/driveway guy.

My gin pole, which is on my tractor anytime I am not using the other implements does a wonderful job of activity #(4).

It's probably just me but a fel would distract from activity #(5). It hides the pretty little decals and much of the grill.

My long time neighbor has had a tractor w/fel for 20 years for his cattle farm. He has told me time and time again to use it anytime I need it. (He has the same offer to use mine). I can remember only three times in all these years that I have needed it.

I seriously thought about getting one with my last new tractor but I was afraid it would gather rust and join the other stuff involved in activity #(4) Am I missing an obvious use for the fel?

TBone

 

[Knight9]

Re: FELs arn\'t worth the risk!

TBone,

<font color=blue>Am I missing an obvious use for the fel?</font color=blue>

I don't think so, I just think you have a different set of needs than some other folks. There is no way I could do without my FEL, now or at any point over the past year. I'm in the early stages of landscaping. Once I'm done and I'm maintaining, I hope to be able to reduce the number of hours the FEL is on the tractor to a minimum. If I was bush hogging 80% of the time I'd still want a FEL though. I'm forever throwing rocks, branches, etc in the FEL while I'm bush hogging. Where do you put that stuff? Even after doing it for a year now I still hit new rocks coming up etc.

Also, I'll always have my FEL on for the winter, and for a while I'll likely keep it on almost full time....except for pure mowing duty.

Kevin

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: FELs arn\'t worth the risk!

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/forumfiles/34-71139-JDbrushhigherthantractor.jpg>Brush Hogging needing a FEL or the tractors’ hours are numbered…</A>/w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=safety&Number=70002&page=&view=&sb=&o=&vc=1#Post70002>Some FEL advantages with just Brush Hogging…</A>

 

[TonyC]

Re: FELs arn\'t worth the risk!

Like anything in life we all have different wants and needs. I've heard runors that some folks can't imagine having a use for a tractor at all!! Can that be true?!/w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

I have a FEL and I use mine constantly. Not because it's fun (yes, it is fun) but because my needs dictate it. For starters we have a tremendous amount of landscaping. Before the FEL I would pitch fork it into a wheel barrow (which doesn't hold much) then schlep it across the big yard to it's destination. Now I just drop scoops here and there and my wife spreads it around. Turned a week long job into a few hours. Then there's loading my neighbors horse manure compost onto my truck. Then I move buckets of it to the gardens. I could go on forever. For me, a tractor isn't a tractor without a FEL!/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Knight9]

Re: FELs arn\'t worth the risk!

TonyC,

<font color=blue>For me, a tractor isn't a tractor without a FEL!</font color=blue>

Might want to make a mod to your signature then eh! /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Kevin

 

[TerryinMD]

Re: FELs arn\'t worth the risk!

/w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif... what is and what isn't... /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif

Based upon your original post, I guess I have to ask why are you even bothering to ask the question./w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif It appears as though you can justify NOT having or using a FEL with the information provided. Not being argumentative, just reflecting on your remarks. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

I believe the preponderance of the remarks made by TBNr's suggests that a FEL is one of the more important attachments on your CUT. I know that I had to think about it twice, work the numbers, hem and haw, scratch my head, held numerous consultations with the CFO, and have our fine dealer listen to the arguments (pro and con). In the end, we got one. I was convinced after the first time I used it! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

I venture to say that the FEL is on the CUT at most 30% of the time. Then why have it, you might say!! Because when it is on it's for a specific purpose, either to move, mash, smash, dig, pull, tear, or <font color=red>use your favorite adjective here</font color=red> something. We have been able to get lots of work done quickly. The amounts of material that you can move in a short amount of time is amazing. Clearing out an overgrown section of property prior to using a rotary cutter is great (I personally have trouble just driving into or backing into an overgrown area). There are many more FEL tasks that have been covered by others in previous posts.

It just occured to me that you asked about the risk. Ahh.. different question. Is that a risk of wasting money, not using a particular implement, or physical risk? This is a totally different approach to the age old question.

If you are going to qualify a FEL or other implement/attachment by the amount of usage as "risk", you are approaching the problem quite differently. The question become moot. Each implement has its proper use and limitations. So, you would need to purchase a particular implement to satisify the requirement (need).

Rotary cutter = keep brush/weeds in control
Rear blade = grading and smoothing surfaces
Box Blade = heavier grading and smoothing surfaces
moldboard = turning the soil
middlebuster = digging potatoes, trenching, and breaking up soil
MMM = mowing lawn
FEL = digging, moving materials, lifting and dumping materials, etc
dirt scoop = moving small amount of material, trenching, etc

Some implements have multiple uses (no prejudging on proper/improper use).

So, the net of my argument is that you have to make a decision as to the use and benefit of the implement you purchase. I have several implements. The most used implement is my MMM. The next is my FEL and rear blade (usually use both at the same time for my applications). The rest are used about the same (rotary cutter, tiller, middle buster, moldboard, and disc harrow). Each was bought for a specific purpose in mind. Some get used more than the others. Just like a set of tools. You have many different sizes of wrenches and sockets. Some are used more often than the others. However, when you need that 11/16ths socket, ya gotta have it then and there.....

Terry

 

[Harv]

Re: FELs arn\'t worth the risk!

Heck, TBone, when I first went shopping I was just looking for a FEL, and then I found out you had to get a tractor to go with it. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

I would take a wild guess and say that if you had one, you would be using it a lot more than you think. That doesn't mean you need one, but there's something about having your very own hydraulic biceps that is addictive.

Of course, I'm the same guy who says I don't need HST. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

 

[TBone]

Re: FELs arn\'t worth the risk!

Thanks for the pics John. I don't go into much "unchartered territory" anymore but I can see where it would be helpful if I did. I have had this land about 10 years and I have learned where the obstacles are in the part I keep bush hogged. The wild stuff I have let turn in to wilderness.

I have some machine planted plantation pines that are just barely wide enough to get my tractor and bush hog between. When I turn at the ends I have a hard time keeping my front end and my back end from taking trees with them. I would definitely be at a disadvantage if I have more sticking out front than I do now.

You guys have a wonderful and SAFE holiday week-end.

TBone

 

[TBone]

Re: FELs arn\'t worth the risk!

<font color=blue>Also, I'll always have my FEL on for the winter</font color=blue>

Kevin, I forgot to mention - We get pretty regular snowstorms down here, about 1" - 3" every 15 or 20 years./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

I can see where a fel would be great for clearing snow - I kinda wish we did get some.

TBone

 

[TBone]

Re: FELs arn\'t worth the risk!

<font color=blue>It just occured to me that you asked about the risk</font color=blue>

Terry,

This was a joke. If you missed them there were a couple of posts about the risks in buying certain kinds (brands) of tractors that started quite a bit of controversy. I was really making light of that.

TBone


Oh, thanks to all of you other guys. As I told JM3, ya'll have a wonderful and SAFE Memorial Day.

TBone