Trivial use of tractors

[SteveV]

Back in Nov of '01, Hayden had a thread for "Rediculous uses of tractors" and I think it ought to be updated on a regular basis during the busy season. My current project is painting a utility trailer, the one that was under the logs in my earlier posts. I run the forks on the loader most of the time now that it has been proven possible to remove and reinstall the loader without the bucket, and on dirt (the forks are on in place of the bucket). The tractor lifted the trailer to flip it over to paint the underside, was the jack that allowed the wheels to be removed (they got painted white last year) AND picked out two cement blocks from under my deck to set the trailer axle on to paint the topside. I can proudly say that they were moved one at a time, without leaving the tractor seat. One was picked with a fork underneath it and the other was rolled to have the holes facing the tractor and speared through the largest of the holes in the block. Sorry, no pictures cuz the trailer isn't completely painted yet!/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif SteveV

 

[Boondox]

I have a Honda ATV. I really hate changing the oil in the beast because, unlike the Kubota, there's not a lot of room under. So now, instead of crawling around on the ground, I simply use my FEL chains to lift the entire thing in the air so I can work without bending over. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Pete

 

[RoyJackson]

"I run the forks on the loader most of the time"

What kind of forks do ya have, Steve? Where'd ya get them..and the price?

 

[Hawkflyer]

This one is hard. Before I owned a tractor, it was hard to justify buying one because nothing seemed to qualify as needing that kind of machine to get it done. Now I use it for everything, but I never considered these things as "trivial."But I suppose you mean like planting roses with the backhoe. Or raising the bucket to a comfortable hight for seating during breaks. or bringing the empty trash can back from the street with the loader (trick it to pick it up without getting off the tractor).Of course I am just speculating. I would never use my tractor for trivial tasks such as these.

 

[SteveV]

There's a picture of the forks in the thread "Forks on a FEL, economy" my second to last post and you can follow through how I wound up where I did. More directly, here's a link to the post, but sometimes they don't work for cookie issues or other unknown gremlins.
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=implement&Number=153527&page=&view=&sb=&o=&vc=1#Post153527>Forks on a FEL, economy</A>
SteveV

 

[SteveV]

You get my respect if you can pick the trash can with the loader without human touch. Also says that there isn't a bolt-on cutting edge on that bucket! I remember a contest at a heavy equipment dealership to pickup an empty aluminum beer can with an excavator awhile back. In my opinion, it wasn't as much of a challenge as the trashcan because it was in plain view in front of the operator! Maybe we could add one of those backup cameras like those used on big motorhomes to view around the FEL bucket. SteveV

 

[Gatorboy]

Here is the link to your picture Steve:

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/forumfiles/5-153527-05260001.jpg>Bucket Forks</A>

 

[Soundguy]

I used the boom pole on my tractor to hold my riding lawnmower at a good angle to change the blades on the deck.

Sure made it easier than the last time i did it with no tractor.

Soundguy

<font color=blue>I have a Honda ATV. I really hate changing the oil in the beast because, unlike the Kubota, there's not a lot of room under. So now, instead of crawling around on the ground, I simply use my FEL chains to lift the entire thing in the air so I can work without bending over.

 

[RobS]

Semi-trivial I guess:

I routinely use my FEL to put the fifth wheel hitch in and out of my truck. I could muscle it, but it's much more fun with the tractor. Also used it just the other day to load my compressor into my truck /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[cstocks]

One of my wife's hobbies is maintaining a mulch pile. She puts grass clippings, leaves, kitchen trimmings and such in it and turns it from time to time with a pitchfork. It lies loose on the ground with no sides to contain it and she just kinda moves it around the yard, digging from one side and moving it slowly in the opposite direction over time. The other day I was piddling on my tractor and had a brain fart. I eased up to her pile and with two scoops using the FEL completely turned the pile. What usually took her a week or two at ten to fifteen minutes at a time was just done in about 90 seconds. Smart fellow I!