WOO-HOO, I've Bought My First Tractor!!!!

Loren49 · Apr 19, 2009

Andy,
I actually bought the tractor in Feb while in the Florida Keys on our small sailboat. We're currently in Annapolis, Maryland and working our way back to Lake Ontario and home as weather permits. So I haven't had a chance to use it yet - so not of much help. My son has played with it some and threatens that I might not be able to find it when I return.
I'm recently retired from teaching and decided to spend last winter in the warmer weather. We intend to winter at home next year - I'm looking forward to many projects. I was raised on a dairy farm and owned and operated one for 10 years after getting married. We kept 12 acres when we sold in 1982. I wanted a compact tractor for years and finally decided to take the plunge. Should be home by mid May.

Loren

miramadar · Apr 19, 2009

*I'd like to see bigger and better pictures of the truck in the avatar!!

That's actually the only photo I have of that truck, and it's very blurry. The truck mainly used when I was growing up on the farm was a '69 Ford 1/2 ton with a wooden bed. That was a great truck! My sister owns it now. I think it has like 60k original miles! I need to wrestle it from her.

Dmace · Apr 19, 2009

Congrats and Welcome to the Pack!

I bet you can't wait to get home. I love my Kioti and can't believe how much I have accomplished with just 21hp. When does the backhoe arrive?

It is pretty powerful and even today I am still amazed at the rocks and stumps I pull with it.

miramadar · Apr 19, 2009

Congrats and Welcome to the Pack!

I bet you can't wait to get home.

Yeah, I've been really anxious to get it! The tractor is still in a crate at the dealer (15 miles away). They're going to assemble it tomorrow and Tuesday. Hopefully I'll get it Tuesday evening. But I should have it Wednesday at the latest.

You know, I've been on this farm all my life practically. I moved "back" officially when my grandpa died in 2001 and I've been here ever since. Owning a tractor really changes your perspective on things. For example, I've got this huge ditch running from my house to our water well (about 40 yards long) that our backhoe guy never came back to fill in. So, it's been sitting there for like 7 years. A real eye sore! Weeds and blackberries have taken it over. Big rocks stick out all over it. It's a real mess. Before, I'd look at it, it would get me down, but I'd dismiss it as something I can't fix. But now, I can fix it! The feeling of self-sufficiency a tractor gives a person is remarkable. And when I look around the farm, suddenly I no longer feel helpless about the sad shape it's in. I see tons of things that I'm going to fix. Going from helpless to empowered is awesome!!!

TBDonnelly · Apr 19, 2009

miramadar said:
Weeds and blackberries have taken it over.....

.......Going from helpless to empowered is awesome!!!

My nieces and nephews all 'want' blackberries.

They all say the same thing (empowered!).

Smartphones, Cell Phones & Smart Phones at BlackBerry.com

Don

miramadar · Apr 20, 2009

I just got a call from my dealer advising that he recommends I space out the rear wheels as far as possible (about 5 inches on each side) for added stability. I told him to go for it. Also, I'm going to have the tires liquid-filled before they deliver it. As a newbie, I want as much stability as I can get (lots of hills around here) and I really appreciate the dealership for calling and telling me that. My dealer is Mountain Motor Sports in Pound, VA. They've been great to work with so far. He said the tractor should be ready tomorrow afternoon. I can't wait!!

Iowachild · Apr 21, 2009

miramadar said:
That's actually the only photo I have of that truck, and it's very blurry. The truck mainly used when I was growing up on the farm was a '69 Ford 1/2 ton with a wooden bed. That was a great truck! My sister owns it now. I think it has like 60k original miles! I need to wrestle it from her.

Did you mean to type 1949 Ford pick-up?

miramadar · Apr 21, 2009

Did you mean to type 1949 Ford pick-up?
__________________
MIKE

No. It was a 1969. It was a 3/4 ton...not a 1/2 ton.

miramadar · Apr 21, 2009

It finally came!! Here are some pics...

Keep in mind that I've never really driven a tractor before. This past summer I drove my father-in-law's early '80's model Case around a lumber yard about 20 yards at a time. So, today was my first "real" experience actually operating one. After about 5 minutes of actually admiring the machine sitting on my property, I went to work. We've excavated a house seat where we plan to build a house later this year, so I have mounds of dirt sitting everywhere. So, I decided to lay into one.

My first impression is that the KL130 loader isn't exceptionally powerful. Of course, I'm sure there's some technique I'm lacking just yet. Nonetheless, I sank the bucket up in a mound of dirt, but it wouldn't lift a scoop out of it. I know there's the curl/lift technique that you're supposed to use, but I'll have to work on that. But I really expected the loader to lift out of it. I had to back up a little bit to lift or curl. But it has rained here for 2 straight days, hard at times, and that probably has a little (or a lot) to do with it.

Next, I decided to take some washboarded gravel humps out of my driveway. My driveway is sort of steep in a section and the new gravel we got about 2 months ago made a series of 4 or 5 decent-sized humps from the traffic going up the hill. So, with the tractor pointed up the hill I back-bladed using my FEL. That worked out pretty well. But the middle section of the driveway is humped up from years of traffic and I had a hard time actually getting down to the gravel in the wheel paths. But the hump didn't last long once the Kioti layed into it!

Lastly, I learned a valuable lesson that should have been a no-brainer. I decided to drive the tractor down into this big swag, on the side of which is a long ditch that has remained uncovered for about 7 years (see earlier post). Once I got down in the swag I remembered that it had rained 2 days straight as the tires sunk up quite a bit. It was VERY marshy. Nonetheless, I tried to back my box blade into the mound of dirt to cut it off and push the dirt back into the ditch. I think it would have worked out well if I would have had any traction. I put it in 4WD and sat and watched all 4 tires spin and fill with mud. So, lesson learned...tractors don't like mud!!