Red_rider
Bronze Member
I didn't grow up on a farm, but we spent a lot of summers on my uncle's cattle farm when I was a kid. Every holiday was "family reunion" time on the farm, complete with the traditional hayride. I'll always remember his 1949 Farmall C with the front tires side by side (not his in the picture, but could be the twin). Always made it interesting when you hit a hole or rock with one of the front tires. I still remember the "sounds and smells" of those rides.
As a teenager the "tractor" at home was the 1963 Sears (pre-Craftsman) garden tractor we used to cut grass and plow snow. It was a whopping 6 HP and cut 4 acres of grass for more than 25 years. I inherited it from my father in 1989 when he replaced it with a Duetz-Allis - kicked himself in the rear for several years after that move. It was still going strong several years ago when I traded it to a friend for a wood stove. I think the last guy to own it finally retired it when the frame developed more stress cracks than you could weld.
Out of college and I started working for a contractor building houses. The best part was we did all of our own site prep, etc. I learned how to run a Case BH, a Case track loader, a D9 dozer, and an old road grader. Digging trenches for the water lines, sewer lines, etc. for over 100 houses offered me a lot of seat time.
My first "tractor" was a 1994 Craftsman GT600 Garden Tractor. I bought it when we got our current property - 4 acres of woods with a house plopped down in the middle. It has cut it's fair share of grass, plowed it's share of snow, and has "worn out" two garden carts hauling firewood, etc. After 10 years of trying to get someone else to come in and do the things we needed, we made the committment to buy the "red tractor" and do it ourselves. About the only thing left that we need to buy is the BH. I am very lucky to live where neighbors share their 3PH equipment on a regular basis. I have access to everything from a rake to a tiller to a PHA. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
We seriously considered buying a 46 acre "farm" last year. Most of it was wooded (35+ acres). Nice place, not-so-nice price. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif Land around here is pretty expensive - guess that's cause they ain't makin' it no more.
As a teenager the "tractor" at home was the 1963 Sears (pre-Craftsman) garden tractor we used to cut grass and plow snow. It was a whopping 6 HP and cut 4 acres of grass for more than 25 years. I inherited it from my father in 1989 when he replaced it with a Duetz-Allis - kicked himself in the rear for several years after that move. It was still going strong several years ago when I traded it to a friend for a wood stove. I think the last guy to own it finally retired it when the frame developed more stress cracks than you could weld.
Out of college and I started working for a contractor building houses. The best part was we did all of our own site prep, etc. I learned how to run a Case BH, a Case track loader, a D9 dozer, and an old road grader. Digging trenches for the water lines, sewer lines, etc. for over 100 houses offered me a lot of seat time.
My first "tractor" was a 1994 Craftsman GT600 Garden Tractor. I bought it when we got our current property - 4 acres of woods with a house plopped down in the middle. It has cut it's fair share of grass, plowed it's share of snow, and has "worn out" two garden carts hauling firewood, etc. After 10 years of trying to get someone else to come in and do the things we needed, we made the committment to buy the "red tractor" and do it ourselves. About the only thing left that we need to buy is the BH. I am very lucky to live where neighbors share their 3PH equipment on a regular basis. I have access to everything from a rake to a tiller to a PHA. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
We seriously considered buying a 46 acre "farm" last year. Most of it was wooded (35+ acres). Nice place, not-so-nice price. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif Land around here is pretty expensive - guess that's cause they ain't makin' it no more.
