Most useful implements?

[Larry Caldwell]

The front loader is most useful only because it's always there. The rotary mower gets used way more hours. The backpack PTO sprayer gets used heavily in the spring. The back blade is handy for road work. In my rocky and tree root ridden soil. the drawbar cover crop disc is the best way to work ground. A harrow behind the mower thatches the pasture and encourages new growth.

 

[ning]

The front loader is most useful only because it's always there. The rotary mower gets used way more hours. The backpack PTO sprayer gets used heavily in the spring. The back blade is handy for road work. In my rocky and tree root ridden soil. the drawbar cover crop disc is the best way to work ground. A harrow behind the mower thatches the pasture and encourages new growth.

In this light (ie not limiting to "most useful implement that attaches to a tractor"), I'd have to say my most useful implement is the pulaski axe.
If we limit it to "attaches to a tractor" I'd go with chain.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

In this light (ie not limiting to "most useful implement that attaches to a tractor"), I'd have to say my most useful implement is the pulaski axe.
If we limit it to "attaches to a tractor" I'd go with chain.

My first tractors didn't have hydraulics. Maybe it's codger habit, but I take the implements off and use the drawbar a surprising amount. I have to admit, though, that I just put shackles on the loader frame and mostly hook the chain there, so I'm giving the loader the credit.

 

[SmallChange]

[...]

Also -- I haven't heard this suggestion anywhere -- buy a pallet, maybe a nice clean plastic one. I'm planning to do this. I find my station wagon can just clear a standard 40" wide one. With one of these I could put the pallet in the back, load up heavy stuff such as concrete bags at the local store (or get them to load it), and then pull it out with pallet forks on the FEL. I think I can wind up with a pallet load of concrete sacks wherever I want it, maybe even at chest level, with zero wear and tear on my poor old back.

I'm replying to myself, but to post a follow-up. It's not like I'm trying to get my attention.

So, I actually have done all this now. I bought a nice clean plastic pallet. I think it was $147 and is rated for 4000 lbs. Other big things I've bought, such as the pallet forks themselves, arrived on a pallet. But when I actually bought a pallet, it arrived in a big and very sturdy cardboard box with big FRAGILE labels on it. It just fits into my station wagon.

And I used it about a month ago to do the following: I went to Lowe's and bought 11 bags of concrete mix, 60 lbs each. This plus me is just under the weight limit for my station wagon. I asked Lowe's to load it onto my cart and then transfer it onto the pallet. Got home and pulled it out with the tractor and pallet forks. I parked it with the pallet about chest high, close to where I wanted to pour a concrete pad to park the big trash and recycling carts off the edge of my paved driveway.

I wheeled my new $200 concrete mixer out there and set it up on the edge of the driveway so I could drag a bag of concrete to the edge of the pallet, cut it open, and pour it into the mixer. Then I mixed it up and dumped it straight into the forms I had set up. The whole thing turned out great, and I never did lift any concrete (which I'm getting too old to do).

But the pallet's great for other things too. I anchor it to my forks with some bolts, and then climb up on it with my stepladder, to trim tree branches over the driveway.

 

[RjCorazza]

Those commercial plastic pallets aren't cheap. $147 seems like a good price. I bought a dozen plastic pallets that are designed as disposable for $6 each. They're not that bad durability-wise, but I certainly wouldn't trust them with more than 500 lbs or so.
I use them mostly for keeping implements off the ground when stored

 

[Fuddy1952]

Actually growing up the implement we used the most and I'll be using tomorrow is the trailer my grandfather made in the 1940s. It's a Chevy 30s leaf spring straight axle, wood with steel bottom so easy shoveling gravel out, carrying wood, etc.

 

[mwemaxxowner]

I'm replying to myself, but to post a follow-up. It's not like I'm trying to get my attention.

So, I actually have done all this now. I bought a nice clean plastic pallet. I think it was $147 and is rated for 4000 lbs. Other big things I've bought, such as the pallet forks themselves, arrived on a pallet. But when I actually bought a pallet, it arrived in a big and very sturdy cardboard box with big FRAGILE labels on it. It just fits into my station wagon.

And I used it about a month ago to do the following: I went to Lowe's and bought 11 bags of concrete mix, 60 lbs each. This plus me is just under the weight limit for my station wagon. I asked Lowe's to load it onto my cart and then transfer it onto the pallet. Got home and pulled it out with the tractor and pallet forks. I parked it with the pallet about chest high, close to where I wanted to pour a concrete pad to park the big trash and recycling carts off the edge of my paved driveway.

I wheeled my new $200 concrete mixer out there and set it up on the edge of the driveway so I could drag a bag of concrete to the edge of the pallet, cut it open, and pour it into the mixer. Then I mixed it up and dumped it straight into the forms I had set up. The whole thing turned out great, and I never did lift any concrete (which I'm getting too old to do).

But the pallet's great for other things too. I anchor it to my forks with some bolts, and then climb up on it with my stepladder, to trim tree branches over the driveway.

I have forks and a quick attach for the loader, and I have several pallets. The pallets are definitely very handy to have around! I have one that is about 7' wide, and it can be very handy. This weekend I moved a big pile of baled pine needles with it.
A few sturdy pallets are must haves!

 

[Vigo327]

One thing i've done with those cheap plastic pallets is.. screw a wood pallet on top of it! You get the structure of the cheap wood pallet with the rot-free ability of the plastic pallet to sit on bare/wet ground forever.

 

[Williy]

Fuddy1952 with a small trailer like that I
would use the bucket on the tractor to raise
the trailer tongue and dump the load where
ever you want it unless you like to shovel???

willy

 

[IndyJay]

Yessir that's it. I really want the grubber you have and the chain.

I have both the Grubber® chain and the BG-20. They do a good job of snatching out brush and small trees. My old MF1250 wasn't heavy enough for bigger stuff but the DK4510 with liquid ballast does the job just fine.