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Historically, here in KY 97% of our energy came from burning coal. The result was dirt cheap utility rates. A certain blue party president started a "war on coal" which really threatened that and caused rates to climb. Then, the 2020-24 administration made it even worse with excessive...

In 2016 my father bought a brand new eXmark E-Series 60” ZTR with a Kohler engine. He and I planned to share use of it for our combined 6 acres to mow. He’s a master mechanic with 50+ years of experience working on everything imaginable so he knows his way around a machine, but he went into...

You know you are old when your child starts getting mail from colleges and it feels like you were just there yourself last week.

That valve that controls the "float" function on mine quit working. Parts were astronomically high so I've been living with it this way. Love the LS/New Holland tractor but the FEL has been complete trash since day 1.

We had two rollover crashes on Friday and I live in a small town! The larger cities are wild. Semi trucks driving off bridges and the whole nine yards. Drivers are getting perpetually worse and we're all suffering for it due to the added danger AND the insurance premiums.

Also, this...

CARB would be in violation of Federal law if that bill passes. That will get really interesting...

When I bought new tires for my utility trailer this spring, the difference between 10 ply and 12 ply was about $8 bucks per tire. It was a no-brainer for me. As far as ride quality goes, you'll never know the difference unless you're riding on the trailer while somebody else is driving.

A 10k trailer will have two 5,200 lb. axles, correct? If so then any 10 ply trailer tire should be overkill (which is a good thing in my opinion).

Goodforayear Endurance is a very expensive trailer tire, very expensive. And as such I would expect it to last for a long time. For me I just go to the local tire shop and ask them for a 10 ply trailer tire and whatever they install is fine. No such thing as a dangerous tire anymore ever...

I concur with the others. For row crop farming, gear drive. For everything else, HST. Once you use a HST tractor for a year doing loader work, grading a road, moving things around, pushing snow, etc. you will never go back. It is safer, easier, faster, and can be controlled with more finesse...

Yeah I bought my Davis station in 2007. It was hit by lightning in 2013. I had it repaired and put it back in service. Used it until 2021 or so, when my buddy called me one day and said he saw a "weather station" in a local store that sells Amazon returns. I went to check it out and turns...

Very frustrating experience for the OP. I remember when I was shopping tractors. I looked at ALL the brands I could possibly look at in person. They all looked pretty good in their own ways. What it boiled down to for me was: when I need help, is the company going to stand behind their...

On my Workmaster 40 here's a hydraulic control lever under the seat. It actuates the rear hydro connections. If it is accidentally moved either direction it will not let the 3-point hitch operate. It has to be in the neutral position, then the 3 point hitch will work. The location of this...

On the news today...

Big thread on this topic already. https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/threads/2025-year-of-the-tick.575235/

I have a 2019 F-250 XLT CC 4x4 with the 6.7L diesel. It's at 105,000 miles now. It's had a rash of issues such as the common upper oil pan leaks, BCM replacement, steering wheel button replacement, steering intermediate shaft replacement, intercooler hose replacement, etc. I've gotten it to...

The main issue with the Ambient stations and other brands like it is that they put all of the instruments on one unit, which means it is impractical to mount the anemometer at 10 meters AGL where it belongs, which means your heat index, wind chill, and wind speed/direction readings are all going...

Yes, Verizon and AT&T will be able to use the service under certain conditions and for an extra fee I think. But, I'm not sure if they will support data/voice. They may just offer texting (in case of emergency). Not sure.

From their website: "At launch, T-Satellite will automatically be included on us on our top plans, Experience Beyond and Go5G Next. To check which plan you’re on or switch to another, use My T-Mobile or the T-Mobile T Life App. Not on one of our top plans? You’ll be able to add T-Satellite to...

Unrelated side note: On July 23rd, T-Mobile is going live with a Starlink connection to phones on their network. Their "Experience Beyond" plan includes access to Starlink, some other plans will offer it for $10/month. The Experience Beyond plan also has unlimited hotspot. So.... in theory...

We went from a 30 HP gear drive New Holland to a 40 HP HST New Holland. Have been using it for 3 years or more now. Here's my experience: - HST sucks for transport (driving the tractor to a new location). It will not climb steep hills unless I'm in low or medium range on the transmission...

Seriously? Johnson Grass is known to produce prussic acid, especially when it's stressed (after a frost, during a drought, etc). That acid is highly toxic. Around here is it hated by cattle farmers. Most states also have strict rules on distributing Johnson Grass, i.e. you must thoroughly...

That tree doesn't look like a 100 footer. And just from the crude pics I would saw those branches off one at a time. The advantage of not having one strong central leader up to the canopy is that you can saw off pieces at a time.

I try to tell people to avoid the COVID trucks. As soon as the gub’ment started shutting everything down, these automakers had to scramble for parts. Parts quality went into the trash. Engineering and design wasn’t far behind. Then they had the disaster with finding good labor when the union...

One of the problems I have is that during summer when it's hot and sticky I HATE wearing long pants. Hate it. I grew up working out in the field in blue jeans because that's all we really had back then and it turned me against long pants in hot weather. I realize that today's tech and fabrics...

Well funny that I posted this thread... came down really ill last Thursday. Tested positive for Lyme disease this week. Waiting to see what the doc wants to prescribe me. Never in my life have I been as sick as I was Friday through Sunday. I'm feeling better today, but I still want a...

I really don't know. We've always had them of course, but this year they are PROLIFIC and unbelievably numerous. They say possums will eat thousands of ticks, maybe we need more possums.

46 years living and playing in the rural parts of Kentucky and I have NEVER seen ticks as bad as they are right now. It's only May and I've gotten two dozen off of me, wife, cats, dogs. Literally can't even walk outside into the yard without finding a tick crawling up my leg. They are more...

The reason Ford has sold more Mavericks than they can build is because of price. As that annoying commercial on TV says, "Price. Price. Price." You can buy a very well equipped Maverick for $35k and it'll tow 2 tons. You cannot even look at a Tacoma for that price, and with all the problems...

EF-2. The part of the path confirmed to be EF-4 is over in the London area. Interestingly, that's the only EF-4 ever recorded in the Jackson, KY NWS forecast area. They did have one rated F-4 on the old scale back in 1974. Also, deadliest twister ever in their forecast area.

They say the NWS costs each taxpayer $3 per year. I'd gladly double that and pay $6 per year if they would fully staff WFOs and update the aging radar network which saw its last big upgrade in 1988.

I didn't know until two months ago that FEMA existed prior to 9-11-2001. I think that says a lot.

That storm was on radar for 420 miles. It had pretty much consistent tornado warnings posted on it the entire trek across Kentucky from Paducah to London. In my opinion the NWS wasn't slacking at all and did a phenomenal job. Sadly, in EF-3+ twisters if you are not underground you're in major...

Another advantage of sticking to large brands. I walked into a Tractor Supply store last year and bought a can of New Holland Blue paint for a song and was on my way....

This is an excellent point. It's really hard to convince people to get out of a warm bed in the middle of the night and go sit in a box. Especially if they have to go outside in the rain to do it. The more convenient you make the storm shelter, the more likely it is to get used. The ones...

Here in KY, underground shelters begin at about $5,000 INSTALLED and go up from there depending on how many people you want it to be able to hold. I doubt you can build your own for that price. So I would strongly suggest looking into a pre-fab and pre-engineered solution like so many...

Ford specs 5W20 in the 5.0 V8 cars....UNLESS you order the "track pack" in which case they spec'd 5W50 on the exact same engine. Hmmm.... heat and stress need better viscosity? You don't say... Ram slowly decreased viscosity on the 5.7 V8 as the years went on to appease the EPA, and it didn't...

There are videos on YouTube about that very topic. Yes, it is an excellent idea to ditch the 0W20 water, er, oil if you plan to keep your truck. The "Hemi tick" and other issues will disappear if you do this when the truck is brand new. 5W30 minimum. 5W40 if you live in a warm climate. "MDS...

You could do what I do and just use longer length of hose. I have three hoses connected together and I can reach any spot on my 2 acre rectangle from the back of my house.

I use a land plane on my driveway and the 1/2 mile gravel road that serves our "neighborhood" out in a rural area. It works REALLY well. But, I have found that timing is key. I don't want the gravel road to be too dry because then the land plane bounces over the material and is not effective...

I disagree with this 100%. And yes, I've owned ALL of the truck brands sold in the U.S. My Rams have been the most reliable with the fewest shop visits, and it's not even close. Currently I've also got two Ford trucks with a combined 327,000 miles on them. We use them daily. Not only is the...

I was referring to the Kawasaki Ridge. Seats are WAYYYY too high. The Mule seating depends upon model. The FXR and similar has a flat bench seat and it's also pretty high, though not as bad as the Ridge. The MX seat is really nice. I haven't sat in the SX. The MX isn't actually made by...

The CFMoto is the best on this list. But, it's pricey. My dealer was getting $17k plus $2k in dealer fees and taxes. That put it out of range. The Kawasaki seating is terrible. It's like they got Shaquille O'neal to be the stand-in for designing those seats around. I'm 6'3" and they are...

All of these were cut at an angle for that very reason. Nope. In fact, the posts that are painted and rotting are up hill from the ones that are not painted and are solid, and the painted ones get a LOT more sunshine. I really think the paint is rotting the posts from the inside out. Just...

Four years ago I had a few hundred feet of wooden farm fence installed around a couple acres of my property. Several months later I had a farm fence painting business come in and paint 2/3rds of it in the traditional black paint that is used on fences around here. The other 1/3rd I did not...

No. You brought it up, and it's 100% relevant here because most of these compact tractors come from Korea and other western Pacific and Indian nations. He is asserting that these tariffs are not being described in honest fashion, and I don't think that's true. As far as how it's affecting the...

So when they say Taiwan is applying a 90% tariff on goods exported to the U.S. and we're in turn going to apply a tariff of 40% on goods they export to us, you're saying that the U.S. is lying? Or fudging the numbers? In the press conference today they specifically listed numerous nations and...

Thankfully, the last payment to them was sent for our New Holland tractor a few months ago. Having said that, I want to remind everyone that these tariffs are RECIPROCAL tariffs. And, in many cases President Trump is only applying tariffs at 25-50% of what the other nation is applying to us...

Exactly. Two years ago I spent over $4k getting a manual transmission rebuilt at 100k miles because the synchros were worn out and I took that opportunity to install a new clutch to minimize future costs. Plus, they need fluid changes every 60k. By contrast today's automatics have 150k mile...

This is definitely a "catch 22". If you're passing a new vehicle it sucks. But if you're driving a new vehicle and you can actually see the road (something that never existed before LED lighting) then it's amazing. The issue is that the IIHS and NHTSA started considering headlight performance...

It's not really up for debate. Look at the Monroney stickers. Today's automatics are achieving equal or better MPG than manuals in the same vehicles. There isn't nearly as much parasitic loss through a modern automatic as their used to be, there are double the gears, and the ECU can totally...

I learned last year that racoons are tougher than they look. We've got a big problem with them coming up on our front porch every night and terrorizing our cats and stealing the cat food. One night I caught them on the front porch eating and opened the door to scare them away. When I did my...

If the soil is good (no bedrock) then all you have to do is get the helper to place the T-post and hold it straight while the operator gently pushes it down into the ground with the loader bucket. As long as the operator is experienced and the helper isn’t standing under the bucket there...

That new Kioti subcompact with A/C and backhoe looks interesting.

Now that I'm thinking about it again, I should go look at that label and make sure I read it correctly. Nope, I didn't. It says CHECK oil every 8 hours, not CHANGE oil every 8 hours. I pulled out the manual to confirm and it says 6 months/100 hours for oil change. Oops. Oh well, I have...

There's a sticker on my Predator 3500 inverter generator that says "change oil every 8 hours". There is no way I'm changing the oil every day in this thing during a power outage. They're crazy. I DO keep Sta-Bil and a small dose of carb cleaner in the tank, and I am on a schedule of running...

Yes, corrugated plastic. Reason being if it blows off it won't damage any other properties. So far it's baked in the summer sun for two years with no issues. We'll see....

Let me give you some advice. Secure that thing to the ground, and secure it well. Two years ago next month we had a weather system come through with high wind. Not t-storms, just high wind due to the pressure gradient. I had a 10x20 chain link dog kennel with a home made tin roof on it...

Biggest pieces of s*it you'll ever have taking up space in your shed. Most over-rated brand in powertools hands down. I've been using saws and other power tools for 35 years and I've never touched a Stihl product yet that was worth pissing on if it caught fire. This is double true in cold...

True, but my tractor doesn't get me to work and back every day. Nor does it get nearly as many engine hours put on it. The truck needs more attention and better care.

I would prefer to keep my tractor in my detached garage. But it's either the pickup truck or the tractor and the pickup truck is more valuable. I hope to build a carport style canopy on the back of my property to keep my tractor and implements under in the next couple of years.

Nope. I've had several F-150s before. Still have one left today. 100% different ride quality. F-150 has IFS, less rigid chassis, lower ride height, different shocks, the whole nine yards. Not the same rough ride at all.

I understand what you're saying, and on paper it makes sense, but it doesn't really work out that way. My truck has 18" wheels (smallest possible due to brake rotor size) and 35x12.50 tires with lots of sidewall, and I run them 10 psi under sticker. It still rides like garbage. I have been...

I've had trucks from 1988 to 2022 model years. I've got personal experience with all brands. My 2019 F-250 is the worst ride quality I've ever experienced in ANY pickup truck in my life. It's honestly so bad that I don't like driving it daily. I think Ram started doing the coils in the rear...

The Ford Super Duty rides like absolute trash. I have a '19 and my cousin has a '20 and both are horrendous. My father has a GMC 3500HD and it's slightly better due to the IFS but it's still rough. Ram is the best, especially in 3/4 ton configuration because they use a 5-link rear with coils...

3 years, 250 hours on our NH Workmaster.

How do you accomplish this? I have the same problem, my gravel always rolls and accumulates on the edges of the road. But I haven't yet found a good way to drive along and move all that gravel back to the center. A blade makes it worse because half goes to the middle of the road and the other...

It will do a burnout. It's an electronic feature that shuts off the front drive. It's only available on "Stage 2" cars. The decline happened immediately after the "no more Hemi" announcement. This has nothing to do with Stellantis. Up until 2022 they had the #2 selling pickup in America...

Dodge was selling nearly 80,000 Charger vehicles per year. The new one now is EV. They got 82 orders for it. Eighty. Two. That says everything that needs to be said. Stellantis is now scrambling to try and save the company, as their stocks have been plummeting for the last 12 months. The...

I live in a rural area. I installed this one last year: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Architectural-Mailboxes-Oasis-TriBolt-12-in-W-x-18-1-in-H-Metal-Black-Post-Mount-Lockable-Mailbox/999918502 It has three advantages. - The door has a key lock, so it will not open in the wind or weather - It's...

Are you having issues because your driveway is at an incline? Or are these problems with a relatively level/flat driveway? My driveway is 500 feet or slightly more. I installed it 8 years ago. Laid heavy duty fabric down the entire length of it, then covered with #2 crushed stone, worked...

Several times over the years I've seen renders of a new Ramcharger based on the 1500 platform. I think that could have sold very very well if they went about it correctly. I mean, you can't swing a stick without hitting a Tahoe/Suburban. People, especially women without kids, absolutely love...

Hotshot trucker with the 6.7L Ford diesel engine finally had to get a rebuild just prior to 1,000,000 and it wasn't because of the internals. Something else let go. You just don't see this with Cummins 6.7L engines anymore.

"I don't need 100 HP in a machine..." Guys said that back in the 1990s when we were pulling huge loads with diesel pickups that made 225 HP on a good day. But, I don't hear ANYBODY complaining about the new trucks with 450 HP. Almost every single competitor to Honda builds ATVs with 50+...

Well, inflation caused the costs of everything to double in the last 4 years. So obviously parts are going to be higher but labor is also much higher because those people have to pay for items to live on like we do. So it's a double whammy. To add insult to injury, here in KY they changed tax...

That makes the assumption that you're paying more than you should for the equipment. What if the equipment you're buying is priced lower than the competitors' tractors, has more standard features, AND comes with 0% financing? I was extremely happy with the deal I got. I elected to do 1.49%...

Mine is an "interlock kit" style, similar to this: https://apelectric.com/transfer-switches/manual-transfer-switches/interlock-manual-transfer-switch-kits/interlock-kit-k-4010-for-siemens-ite-murray-panels/ I shut off the main breaker powering my 200 amp service fuse panel, then slide the...

We lost power again for two days with air temps around 20F. It wasn't a crisis because I have a 3500 watt inverter generator that powers the 120v stuff in the house (fridge, lights, internet so we can work, etc.) and I have a kerosene heater that maintained a 65F temperature in the living room...

You seem to be hung up on the turbo. Turbo chargers need RPM to produce airflow which in turn produces power. So no, the turbo has nothing to do with the fact that a diesel engine makes amazing torque just off idle. "Off idle" means what it says...just off idle, i.e. just above the point...

There is no gasoline engine that I've seen, turbo charged or not, that makes 3 times the torque value vs. horsepower the way that a diesel does. My uncle was just commenting last night about how he accidentally pulled into a ditch in the snow. His Cummins just idled itself in reverse out of...

One should be very careful buying from a company who changes/updates their engine every 2 to 3 years to address complaints and issues. Funny thing is, they didn't update the worst issue of all which has been the roller rocker valvetrain they switched to a few years ago. And they went back to a...

Toyota has always made junk. They've just had a better P.R. campaign than the domestic brands. I recall the 1980s Toyota trucks that were already rusted when they unloaded them from the ship. The 22R engines lasted a long time.....because they made absolutely no power. Hard to tear up an...

It's going to be a mushy mess anyway. It's not like if you plow it the gravel will stay dry. I just don't plow gravel. Gravel provides much better grip than pavement when it's snowy and there's no need to waste fuel, wear on equipment, and risk tearing up the smoothness of the road.

I'm in Kentucky and we got blasted by this storm last night. Still don't have electricity. We get snow every winter. My M.O. is that I don't plow gravel. There's no need. I do plow any sections of our private road that are paved. But on the gravel I just leave it alone. It gets mashed...

I would like to understand it more as well. To date I've had zero interest in it. Can I pay my car note with it? Buy groceries? Pay the utility bill? Will my employer automatically deposit bitcoin to my account twice a month? I don't think so. And so to me it's been a game for teens to...

Well I'll put it this way: My 5 year old steel body F-150 had cab corners rusting out, I sold it before it got terrible. My brother's 5 year old F-150 had entire rocker panels rusting out not long after he got it, finally got it repaired last year. My other F-150 steel body is going to the...

My mother bought me a set of coveralls from Walmart for Christmas last year. Can't remember the exact brand, but they were inexpensive and they are WARM. With temps in the 20s I sweat when I'm working in them. Single digits and I'm good. They're pretty easy to slip into also, nice zippers.

Is it the stupid "treadle" on those machines also? Or do they have dual pedals?

There are 60 HP utility class tractors that have HST?

Bucket cylinders constantly have air in them due to an inherent design flaw, which allows the bucket to be "floppy", which makes backdragging material a pain. And now the float function has stopped working and they are saying the replacement spool cap and spring is $400. And removing the...

Well 40-50 HP is a little vague. Are you wanting something from the compact class or the utility class? I have a New Holland Workmaster 40, which is the largest and most powerful compact tractor they sell. My neighbor has a 5-series John Deere, which is the entry level tractor in their...

Yes, and maybe I didn't mention but mine had no ball(s) inside at all. I carefully removed the cap and nothing came out. What remained on the valve assembly was the spool rod and spring. What remained inside the cap was what appeared to be a press fit ring about half way into the cap, with...

Mower is the scariest for me. Anything with spinning blades and a spinning PTO shaft is a recipe for potential disaster.

So the parts guy at the local dealership is adamant that there is an updated spool valve kit for this tractor/loader. He's giving part # 87300257 at a cost of nearly $400. I can't find any solid diagrams online to confirm that this may be true. And that's a lot of cash for a spring and a cap...

What you're not seeing though is NEW Jeeps on the road. As already mentioned, sales are falling quarter after quarter for Jeep and Ram. They're the ONLY domestic brand showing losses every quarter and this has been going on for 2 to 3 years. It is a disaster. They're scrambling trying to...

The shockwaves (and outright destruction) caused in the economy by the leaders in our government telling folks to stay home and do not go to work are often overlooked. I find it amusing that the cause and effect of all this was OBVIOUS back in 2020/2021, yet the general public still has a...

I have the Titan forks. 42" I think. Nice backrest on them. I use them all the time. It's astonishing just how quickly load capacity decreases as you move out to the end of the forks.

I'll check it but I would think that a stretched or broken cable would show itself fairly obviously. The joystick still has the same range of motion front to rear and the lift/lower range feels the same. Also discovered that the joystick does go to the float position, it's just that it has...

Short version: The CEO is to blame for the disaster that the 2025 Ram 1500 is. Longer version: I think the connection here is that Ram/Dodge/Jeep quality and engineering and even their planned path forward was all dictated by Stellantis and their CEO. The reason these brands have fallen...

Finally got time to fiddle with this. Took the spool cap off. No check balls or anything fell out. There was still lube on the spring. Cleaned everything up. Can't figure out how this is supposed to work. Terrible picture i know, but you can see the spring and the rod.... see the flat on the end...

The Americans I know, myself included, view it this way: It's going to eventually break or need service, so design it in a way that makes it easy to repair or service. We have another term for this. We call it "common sense". My problem with EVERYTHING European that's been in my driveway...

It's awesome. But, Ram trucks can use AlfaOBD and essentially do the same things. A lot of what dealerships can do is possible at home now, and it's great. For the record, there are a LOT of reports coming in that the 3.0TT engine in the new Ram isn't reliable and even things like water pumps...

My first ever ATV was a Honda back in 1987. I bought a new Honda in 2021 also. But other than that I've had Arctic Cat, Polaris, Can-Am, and Suzuki and honestly I'm quite shocked that Honda still does so well with sales. Honda ATVs are low power, low feature machines with very high price...

A bush hog is a small market. Only interested guys are going to be guys who have un-used land they like to clear once or twice a year. And if that's the case, they're looking for something larger than 4'. Conversely, the guys who have small enough mowed area to use a 4' mower are looking...

Thank you guys I'll look into it soon.

Like I've said before, the Workmaster 40 has been fantastic. The New Holland FEL hasn't. It's garbage. Anyway....so now all of a sudden the float function on the FEL has stopped working. For those not familiar, these have a remotely mounted joystick. All the other motions work, but the...

After perusing the entire thread, all I can say is God bless Kentucky. People still help each other out all the time here, and I've never once heard of someone being dragged into court. A person stranded in a rural ditch after dark in the middle of a winter storm is more than happy to have a...

My tractor weighs around 5,000 lbs. including the FEL and box blade. So, half the size of yours. A couple winters ago my step son slid his Toyota Camry off the road in the snow and hit a tree. I drove my tractor down to the accident scene about 1.5 mile and hooked a fabric strap around a rear...

Neighbor has a 2000ish model Deere 5000 series. I like it because we were able to turn the wheels around for her and widen the stance and it made the tractor more stable on our hillsides. It's also a very reliable tractor. It's a better tractor than her other two new-ish 5075Es.

I avoid anything with "Stihl" printed on it like the plague. The most over-rated, shittiest, expensive paperweights ever made. Just wait until you need to cut a tree on a 15 degree morning. I hope you're in good shape, because going to the gym would be easier than trying to start a POS Stihl...

Yep my Workmaster 40 was built in summer 2019 so it's almost 5.5 years old and it has the original battery. And the battery has been through below zero cold snaps multiple times.

Have a relatively new Stihl (POS) Farm Boss and an old Dolmar saw also. The Dolmar will run circles around the Stihl. But if it's anything I can hit with a 12" bar I grab the Kobalt every time for the reasons I listed. Exactly!

Two years ago we built a new deck on the house. I waited a few months and then coated the entire thing with this: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Valspar-Pre-Tinted-Clear-Exterior-Stain-Actual-Net-Contents-128-fl-oz/1000515769 It has a 3 year guarantee. This year, 2 years in, I bought Thompson's...

Had my Kobalt battery powered chainsaw for I think 3 or 4 years now. It has even surprised me the jobs it has done. I absolutely love it. Ready to go in any temperatures, no pulling on a starter rope. Safer because it's not running until you're cutting. Lighter. No nasty fuel to carry...

Here in KY we have "#2 stone" that's larger than golf balls and I started with a layer of that. Then drove on it for a few weeks to work it in. Then covered with "#57 stone" that's quarter to half dollar sized crushed stone and let that get worked in. Then topped it off with "dense grade"...

I had to install about 600 feet of gravel "driveway" to access my house and detached garage. The terrain is very rolling and variable. The two most important things I did that have helped maintain my driveway for 8 years now are: 1) I installed geotextile fabric, the really thick heavy duty...

Well, when every other brand I've ever had my hands on starts just fine and the Stihl won't.... When it's such a rampant issue that there are jokes and memes about Stihl all over the internet..... It's not just their chainsaws. Their weed trimmers are just as bad. I have never in my...

I saw that title on this thread and immediately thought "this must have Stihl equipment in it" but surprisingly I don't see much Stihl garbage in here.

Yeah I do wish the names were standard across the region. Here in Kentucky it's called "dense grade". It's a mixture of stone from pea gravel size up to nearly #57 size, with power mixed in. If it's wet, it'll compact very well and it's almost like driving on pavement. However, as soon as...

When I was in my college days studying meteorology/climatology I had a professor who always said "people have short memories". Often times it seems that it's hotter, colder, stormier, windier, drier this year that it's ever been before but when you sit down and look through actual records you...

One man's curse is another's blessing. The remnants of Beryl ended up passing directly over Indiana, an area of the country that was plagued with drought and in desperate need of rainfall. I even got a small taste here in central KY and we NEED more.

Me? Yes, I assign 100% of the blame to the ROPS. I bought a zero turn mower to mow grass up close to obstacles. If I was going to stay 10 feet away from the bases of trees I'd just use a tractor with a wider deck. So like I said, put the ROPS down and roll on.

We did the same thing 3 years ago... built a deck over top of the existing concrete slab. However, I chose to leave the sides totally open. I get a lot of airflow through there, and the bonus is the dogs like to lay under there on hot days. I do also re-treat the wood with a water resistant...

I've been trying to tell people for decades that Toyota superiority is a myth. For every Toyota with 500k on the clock there are ten Fords with 500k on the clock. There is nothing special about a Japanese truck. We went from bodies that were rusted by 25k miles in the 1980s to frames that...

They don't call 'em Goodforayear tires for nothin'.

I have first hand experience with all three. I really like the Ford Super Duty. I have a 2019 currently (which is the same chassis and largely the same body as the 2024) coming up on 100k miles and it’s been an excellent truck. What I like about it most: the frame is stronger than the...

Other than the bucket cylinders which are garbage, the Workmaster 40 I bought three years ago is still doing an excellent job. Over 200 hours now and so far zero issues. I just wish the same could be said for the New Holland FEL that it came with.

Yes. But I think you missed my point. If you ask somebody in their 20s what they enjoy, the answer you get won't usually be the same as the answer you'll get when you ask that person the same question in their 40s, or 60s... So the idea of chasing a career that you'll enjoy when you're...

I've been in my career for 22 years now after graduating Magna *** Laude from a state university. What I've found is that the things you enjoy at 25 are not necessarily the things you enjoy at 45 and certainly won't enjoy at 65. Life changes, priorities change, and interests change. So what...

https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/woman-dies-after-being-trapped-under-lawn-mower-in-drainage-ravine

My problem with Starlink ( why I won't buy it ) is the cost. $600 up front?? And then $120 each month? Are they kidding? So, I will continue to use my T-Mobile ISP modem. They provided the equipment at no charge to me, the data is fast and totally unlimited (we use over 1 TB monthly ) and...

ROPS on a zero-turn mower is a two edged sword. On one hand, ROPS can grab a tree limb and flip you over in a split second which is extremely dangerous. On the other hand if you do roll over without the ROPS up you could be more injured or killed. Which is the greater risk depends on the...

When we bought ours, my father went into the service area and talked to the mechanics. Asked them which engine to go with. They all said not to buy the Kawasaki. They worked on the Kawasaki engines more often than any of the other options. So we went Kohler. So far it’s been flawless in its...

Ours was a Shark. It was more of a pain than help. The roller brush kept getting tangled with hair and debris. Required constant cleaning, which required stopping the vac and removing covers and parts. It also would constantly get stuck under the couch, because the space under the couch and...

Personally, I'd rather buy a used eXmark than a new low end unit, prices being equal. A commercial grade unit is going to have smoother hydro drive, a deck built like a tank that will literally last forever, and better ride quality. It'll also be more stable on inclines and will require less...

We keep the ROPS down 100% of the time on our eXmark mowers because if a tree limb grabs the ROPS it'll flip you over in a split second. Extremely dangerous.

Low precip readings are common on these lower end units. It's just inherent to how the tipping spoons are designed. That's why research organizations like CoCoRaHS that monitor rainfall nationwide require volunteers to use standard tube rain gauges. No household automated stations are...

So just to update, the job went better than expected. Wife ended up claiming the seat of the tractor, so actually all I had to do was handle rigging the chain to the bushes. That sped things up. Ended up pulling 15 to 20 bushes total. Some smaller and some larger but all of them had been in...

This is 100% true. You need to shop around. The first time I bought a Davis station I got it for $385 brand new, list price was around $600 at the time. That was 2007. Second time I bought a Davis station I got it for $250, list price was $1,295 (this is the version with all the bells and...

Looking for a nice used riding mower for my grandfather. I found a Craftsman GT5000 online not far away for $600 and the pictures look good. Owner says all it needs is a battery, otherwise runs and mows great. Can you guys offer any info on these models? I've never had a Craftsman "garden...

When I was shopping compacts a couple years ago I made sure to visit every brand I could in person and actually put hands on the tractors. Price and design are the two things that made me cross Kubota off the list. I ended up buying from New Holland, which is a brand that I see all the time...

What type of tire? R4s are thicker and more robust. Maybe that's why most compact tractors come with them by default these days.

Unfortunately in April of each year here in central KY they start drilling on whatever they can find. Is it a mating activity? I don't know, but it's not uncommon for them to drill on the roof of my house, and that's a big no-no. I leave them alone as long as they leave my house alone.

Well, a Wrangler or Bronco isn't going anywhere close to 30 MPG. So let's use realistic numbers. 1200 miles/19 miles per gallon = 63 gallons of gas @ $3.50/gallon = $220 per month 1200 miles/17.5 miles per gallon = 68.5 gallons of gas @ $3.50/gallon = $240 per month Obviously as prices go up...

On my 2018 Wrangler, the ESS feature quit working. It took 4 weeks for me to get it into a dealership for repair. During that time, I saw a MPG loss of around 1.5. I hand calculate and log all my fill-ups with Fuelly.com. As soon as they got my ESS feature working again my mileage weekly...

That will be plan B. If the Workmaster 40 doesn't have enough rear end to get the job done I'll just cut 'em down and grind on them later this spring.

New development... I checked with her again on which bushes she wants out. Half of them are in an area of the yard that I cannot access with a machine due to a handicap walkway that was built between the house and detached garage and a lilac tree. I guess that makes the decision simple. So...

Some good ideas in here. Like I said, there are a dozen or more of these to do and one afternoon to do them in, so I don't need to go fast, but I can't go slow either. Most of them are probably 3x3 feet in size due to persistent trimming and they've been in the ground for many years so I'm...

MIL has about a dozen (maybe a little more) bushes that were injured by severe cold last winter and then finished off by more severe cold this winter. Now that it’s spring she wants me to help her pull them up so she can replace them. These are mostly your typical boxwood type residential...

I tried a 25 HP HST compact. It was miserable. Low range was fine. Medium range was OK for most tasks but the tractor still struggled to climb hills. High range was unusable. So I took it back and got the same tractor with 40 HP and HST. It’s much much better but still not perfect. Can’t...

Interesting. I changed my diff fluid last summer at a little over 100 hours and it looked terrible. Lots of metal shavings and glitter in the fluid. Fluid was dirty looking also. It was definitely time for a change.

The new 2025 Ford Ranger is going to be interesting. Seems that they've done a bit of a refresh on it but at the same time they stayed very conservative in true Ford fashion, whereas GM and Toyota both went hog wild with their new midsize trucks which are both out now. If I was shopping for a...

My New Holland (LS) has 200 hours now and has been 100% flawless with zero repairs. I still have no regrets. I shopped, sat on, operated, researched every brand on the market before buying it. The LS/NH was clearly the best value on the market, and NH dealers are everywhere. I wouldn't touch...

When I bought my tractor new in 2021, I noticed later that there are stickers on various parts showing a late spring 2019 date. Apparently my tractor sat around for almost two years before I bought it. So yes, I would believe that during the covid shut-downs you still had tractors not being...

The Compact tractors are certainly more prone to this. They're lighter and have a higher COG. The Utility class is a different animal. More cast iron, lower COG, wider stance, PLUS the ability to turn the wheels around to widen the stance even more. It’s amazing what the highway mowing crews...

Who's going to the Bowl? Ask Vegas. All this gambling and sports betting is becoming rampant and it's ruining both college and pro football.

Bucket on the floor, box blade on the floor, one strap at each corner. My tractor doesn't move an inch.

A Ram 5500 Cummins gets 12-15 UNLOADED. With that kind of weight behind it you're single digits just like the gas trucks. But...wait a second....diesel fuel is running a full dollar per gallon more than gas where I live and has been all year. So that gas bill suddenly doesn't look so bad. As...

The 7.3 gas engine with 4.30 axle in the F-350 pickup is rated to tow 19,500 lbs. by the SAE J2807 method (which ensures it can tow that weight in any conditions safely). In the F-250 you only lose 1,000 lbs. and the rating drops to 18,500. That's a full 4,000 lbs. more than my 6.7L...

I’ve had two of the Gen 3 versions of the 3.0 EcoDiesel and today I’ve got a Gen 2 6.7 Powerstroke in a F-250. The diesel engines do pull a trailer nicer because they work at lower RPM and stay in higher gears more often, so it’s a less fatiguing experience mentally to tow with them. However...

That has happened twice on I-75 here this year. Once on the Ohio side, once on the Kentucky side. Fatalities both times.

So yes my 1980s and 90s public education didn't teach us about CDs, investments, banking, etc. So I did a little "Googling" on the topic. So currently let's say you get a CD at 5% fixed. You have $10,000 you can put into it. It's a five year CD. So, the money is going to earn $500 bucks...

Wish I understood more about how things like that work. The banking/financial topic makes my head spin. When I hear CD I think about music. Lol.

My dealer uses windshield washer fluid. Cheap, easy to fool with, not dangerous, and won't freeze easily. When my father does them at home he's used antifreeze for decades. Again, cheap, easy to fool with, and won't freeze easily. The risk of a tire puncture leading to a puddle that a pet...

Hmmm.. this might be perfect for the honeysuckle brush that is choking out the hardwoods here. But my 40 HP compact is on the light side for this monster of an attachment.

I had a black Lab. She lived 16 years. Now I have two Australian Shepherds. They are night and day different from the Lab. They LOVE cold weather. As soon as the temperature plummets they perk up and get extremely energetic. One of them wants to play constantly. He brings balls or...

So what I've been using mine for mostly this summer is grading the gravel road with the land plane, and watering young trees. We've gone into a bad drought over the last 6 weeks and some young and expensive trees I planted were struggling. A water hose won't reach easily, so what I do is I...

Not to mention all the small businesses that are taking a beating now because they can't get parts from their suppliers. Unions are evil.

The New Holland blue is perfect. I love it.

Yep that's the same one. I guess those are bad about failing. I'm not sure if you could repair it or not. Probably is hard to find a replacement these days. We just didn't try on ours.

That's the old fashioned analog hour meter, correct? My previous tractor was a TC29 and the hour meter just stopped at 1488 hours. Never worked again after that.

If I can save substantial money, I order online. If prices are even remotely close to being similar, I shop locally at a store because 1) I like supporting the local economy and 2) It's easier to return the item if I have a problem with it. The one exception is hardware. We have an ACE branded...

Yep, so I sold my stick and bought a hydro. Don't think I'd ever go back. The finesse you have with the hydro for bucket work as well as land grading work is just second to none.

Diesel is now $1 per gallon more than gas again here in KY. I guess they'll blame this on the "start up for heating oil production" or the hurricanes or something....

The only bad thing about Marketplace is that when you list things on there you have to deal with the onslaught of stupid and inconsiderate people with no common sense. They'll offer you 60% less than the list price, offer to trade you junk, and generally annoy you to death. I'm not sure an...

Pet Peeve? When people get in the passing lane and drive the same speed (illegally) as the people in the right lane. That is the single biggest contributor to road rage, and law enforcement doesn't do jack about it.

I went through the same thing. Looked at every tractor on the market. Was focused on 25 HP class mainly for price, secondly for lack of emissions. Well, in the end it cost me MORE because I had to take the 25 HP tractor back and get the 35/40 HP class. A compact tractor with attachments on...

I haul mine in my enclosed trailer. I do have to fold the ROPS but that's not a big deal. I use fabric straps, one at each corner. Never had an issue.

The truck I bought is almost 5 years old. It's rated 450 HP/935 lb.ft. The new ones coming out today have 475/1050 standard with 500/1200 optional. Do we need that much power? No. My ancestors got a lot of work done with a couple of mules and a poorly nailed together wooden cart. The old...

Absolutely you are correct. I looked into this a lot. What I found on the Ford trucks is that F-250 and F-350 are the same truck minus an additional leaf or two in the rear spring pack. Everything else about the trucks are the same. Ford sprinkles the GVWR and trailer towing numbers with...

Pulled a 34' reach 4x4 aerial boom home on a tandem axle equipment trailer this weekend. Used it to get some work done up high on our house. Fascia pieces were loose from recent storms. The F-250 tows like a dream compared to all the 1/2 ton trucks I've had before. I couldn't believe the...

Initial impressions after 28 years of driving ½ ton trucks from all the brands: This thing sits up high. Feels like a ½ ton truck with a 6” lift kit on it. My 5’3” wife ain’t gonna’ be happy. 😃 This truck rides like a tobacco wagon. My father has a ’17 Sierra 3500 HD that rides better than...

Thanks, I did decide to go ahead and pull the trigger, signed the papers last night. It’s a 2019 F-250 Super Duty Supercrew 4x4. It’s the base XLT trim so very few if any options. 6.7L turbo diesel. I probably will upgrade the little 4” screen to a 8 – 10” screen so the backup cam is easier...

The Project Farm guy did a video on this for YouTube. The results were pretty interesting as I recall, but I don't remember which product was the winner.

The title was "lithium powered equipment". If I had an electric zero turn mower I think I'd just remove the battery packs when I'm not using it. I do have a chainsaw that I keep the battery out of unless I need to use it. If the batteries are easily removed, that seems like a good idea.

I've been on that forum since 2002. Good place for info.

Well the Silverado HD gas truck I was looking at sold. And the more I think of it, the less inclined I am to go gas because the pulling power just isn’t an upgrade. Most times I go to look at a Ram HD with Cummins diesel it sells before I even get there to look at it. Those things sell like...

That's what is holding me up. A lot of these HD trucks, such as the 2021 Silverado 2500/3500, do not have better gearing. In fact, the gearing on my Ram 1500 is significantly deeper. It's mostly all in the transmission. Engine horsepower is identical. The HD does have a slight bit more...

I forgot to mention that I have a $45k budget, which means I'm shopping used trucks because ALL new HD trucks surpass that price now. And since I'm shopping used it is a lot harder. There are HD pickups that are beat all to hell but cheap, and then there are used ones that are nice but...

Have a very sweet Ram 1500 Hemi truck I got new (leased) last year. Been thinking about moving up to a HD pickup to make towing my big enclosed trailer easier. Diesel HD trucks are insanely high in price. Even with 150k miles on them, you’re looking at $50k around here. So I opened my search up...

Wow. I bought the GS 1572 brand new for $1,495 less than 24 months ago. This country has been ruined.

My 24-volt Kobalt chainsaw starts up every time, regardless of weather. Zero trips to the gas station. Only oil it needs is for the bar. Tool-less chain adjustment. Doesn't wake up the neighbors when I use it. I think I'm hooked. The Stihl Farm Boss just sits on the shelf now.

At 1.5 acres, with a structure and trees taking up a lot of it, and a slope to the terrain, I can't imagine needing a tractor. Zero turn will mow MUCH faster. You can get a leaf bagger or leaf sweeper to pull behind in the fall. When jobs need to be done, rent the perfect machine for the job.

Sad part is, even if they warranty this they'll just stick the same one back on again and it'll be prone to the same problem. Absolutely ridiculous.

I use Filmora Go on my Android devices. Easy as pie, full suite of features. I love it.

Feel free to ask. Son and I ride trails typical of the eastern U.S. Dirt, mud, water puddles, some areas of tree roots, rocks, etc. We don't beat the hell out of our machines. We typically ride low range and speeds are relatively low. On wide open trails we may hit high range. The ATVs are...

My dealer loads the rears with windshield washer fluid on every tractor they sell with a FEL as a company policy. After using the tractor with the FEL, I would never operate it without the tires filled. Heck, even with the tires filled it still needs ballast most of the time so I keep the box...

Whatever you do, don't buy a Can-Am ATV. After 35 years of riding Honda, Suzuki, Polaris, and Arctic Cat I bought a brand new Can-Am Outlander 570 last year. It's been the worst piece of **** I've ever spent money on. I work on it more than we ride it. 13 months old now, 800ish miles on it...

Does anyone here have experience with the Agri-Fab tow-behind lawn sweeper sold at places like Tractor Supply? I'm looking for a way to clean up around 10,000 square feet of leaves and small sticks in the fall. Was wondering if these lawn sweepers work as advertised. And, does the grass have...