oldpilgrim
Elite Member
This is going to be a weird post, but I discovered another use for a fel, besides just moving dirt and rocks.
My brother lives next door thru a bunch of woods so we help each other out a lot. He's been restoring a 68 Nova for several years and has a real nice solid car in his barn which has been the object of his affection and years of part time work. He also has a very rotted parts cars that he has been salvaging lots of expensive parts off for years. It's been sitting in the woods between our houses for several years.
He had a severe stroke a year ago, and although he can get around ok, the limitations of his crippled arm and leg have taken their toll and he has to let go of the partially restored car and he wanted the parts car out of the way as well.
He found a buyer who will pick up the 2 cars this weekend..... but the parts car needed to be pulled out of the woods. It's been sitting for so long that we weren't sure the wheels would turn, so I offered to try and lift the front end and drag it out of the woods with my Mahindra 3016. He didn't want to just try and pull it as he didn't want to damage the bumper and grill. We took the hood off which had been protecting the 283 engine and dropped a chain down and wrapped it around the frame. I moved the bucket over the radiator and hooked on. I was able to just lift the front end of that car off the ground, but not by much. Curling the bucket lifted the front end high enough to get it up over the stumps, rocks and other stuff in the woods. Backing up in 4WD low, the tractor creeped perfectly out of the woods, with the car in tow.
I don't know what the front end of the complete car weighed but it was just at the limit of the lift capabilities of the tractor. If we had been able to leave the hood on, I couldn't have lifted it !
I'm pleased that it was able to do what it did, as I had no idea if it would. Now I can add one more item to the list of things I can tell people when they ask me what I need a loader for.
it was a beautiful Fall day and a great day to be in the woods.
The 3016/1526 is a great machine that hasn't disappointed me yet. I can't imagine why anyone would buy a tractor without an FEL.
If anyone should ask you how much your tractor will lift, just tell them the front end of a 60's Nova.
My brother lives next door thru a bunch of woods so we help each other out a lot. He's been restoring a 68 Nova for several years and has a real nice solid car in his barn which has been the object of his affection and years of part time work. He also has a very rotted parts cars that he has been salvaging lots of expensive parts off for years. It's been sitting in the woods between our houses for several years.
He had a severe stroke a year ago, and although he can get around ok, the limitations of his crippled arm and leg have taken their toll and he has to let go of the partially restored car and he wanted the parts car out of the way as well.
He found a buyer who will pick up the 2 cars this weekend..... but the parts car needed to be pulled out of the woods. It's been sitting for so long that we weren't sure the wheels would turn, so I offered to try and lift the front end and drag it out of the woods with my Mahindra 3016. He didn't want to just try and pull it as he didn't want to damage the bumper and grill. We took the hood off which had been protecting the 283 engine and dropped a chain down and wrapped it around the frame. I moved the bucket over the radiator and hooked on. I was able to just lift the front end of that car off the ground, but not by much. Curling the bucket lifted the front end high enough to get it up over the stumps, rocks and other stuff in the woods. Backing up in 4WD low, the tractor creeped perfectly out of the woods, with the car in tow.
I don't know what the front end of the complete car weighed but it was just at the limit of the lift capabilities of the tractor. If we had been able to leave the hood on, I couldn't have lifted it !
I'm pleased that it was able to do what it did, as I had no idea if it would. Now I can add one more item to the list of things I can tell people when they ask me what I need a loader for.
it was a beautiful Fall day and a great day to be in the woods.
The 3016/1526 is a great machine that hasn't disappointed me yet. I can't imagine why anyone would buy a tractor without an FEL.
If anyone should ask you how much your tractor will lift, just tell them the front end of a 60's Nova.
Last edited: