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2" spacing. I looked up the specs again. The 2" spacing forks weigh 520 lbs., the 3" spacing weighs 420 lbs. For comparison, my bucket weighs 165 lbs. At the pivot point the 4100 can lift 1,072 lbs. I don't plan to lift any load more than a foot or two off the ground so hopefully I won't have to make any modification to the forks.

Rock Buckets
Loaders Back Hoes
Replies 17 Post by JonB

Markus, I use a flail shredder/mower, which uses hammer knives to cut/shred/mulch just about everything it cuts. The cut isn't as fine as a finish mower, but almost as nice. The biggest advantage is it cuts heavier material (branches from pruning the orchard), and leaves an even layer of mulch behind the mower. I also wanted to reduce the danger of throwing rocks and reduce danger to kids (although there is still an occassional rock). I decided on the flail hoping to eliminate the need to cut the field twice -- once with a rotary to knock down the 4 foot weeds, and again with a finish mower so we could play football. After buying it, I've read others say a finish mower can cut the tall weeds just fine, but the finish mower won't shred and mulch branches. I've had no maintenance problems. Best of luck.

Rotary Cutter or Flail Mower
Mowers Field and Finish
Replies 10 Post by JonB

Well, after looking the iMatch picture over, it looks like Landpride's Quick-Hitch with green paint. I hope it isn't, and can't tell for sure. I've attached a link to Landpride's site if you want to compare them. JonB

New iMatch
Operating and Attachments
Replies 5 Post by JonB

Kute.

King Kutter Klarifikation
Mowers Field and Finish
Replies 5 Post by JonB

Dom, another suggestion. Some of the tractor supply houses sell toy tractors (riding size) that should be perfect for your son. Get him one for Christmas. He'll love riding it while you're riding yours. Just remember to keep him back from the real thing when you're operating it. JonB

Looking for advice on a tractor
Operating and Attachments
Replies 19 Post by JonB

Hillybilly, my JD 4100 pulls a Gearmore flail mower/shredder. Gearmore also sells flail mowers that are not classified as shredders. Mine has nine heavy knives. It not only shreds weeds it shreds branches and larger material (up to 2 inches). In the orchard I drop branches after pruning--and the flail makes them virtually disappear. I do agree with Murf and harvey. There is no collection system, but it cuts down tall weeds in one pass and leaves them "mulched" and spread evenly over the ground. I chose a flail mower/shredder because I wanted to cut the field more like a lawn than a Bush Hog type cut (we use the field as a sandlot ... football & baseball). I have no experience with Bush hog type mowers, but I think the primary difference is the quality of cut.
Best of luck. JonB

flail mower versus rotary mower
Mowers Field and Finish
Replies 4 Post by JonB

Von, remember this is the "golden state." The grass grows golden ... at least once we're in May and the green disappears. LOL. And I doubt they ever see the sunset. Since they're driven by state employees, they probably turn the key off at 4 so they'll be home by 5!

John Deere Orange
Website Operations Howto
Replies 3 Post by JonB

Well, I've found another reason to wish I had a bigger tractor, or at least a wider tractor. I used a potato plow to dig a trench for irrigation line, then added a furrow to get the dirt out. So far, so good. Furrowing the trench pulled the dirt (and rocks) out along the sides of the trench. So the next time I wanted to pull the plow and furrow (to make the trench deeper) I was riding on top of the loose dirt furrowed out. Making it impossible to steer straight or travel quickly. The tractor also couldn't plow deeper as it was riding higher on the mounds of dirt. My solution was to take a landscape rake, and with the tractor perpendilar to the trench, rake across, down into the trench, and up the other side. This cleaned the loose dirt on top away, and did a fair job of cleaning the trench out too. The next time I pulled the potato plow the trench was deep enough, around 10 inches. Some places I've had to clean out the old fashioned way--with a hand shovel. I'll try finishing up with the landscape rake this week. So ... the landscape rake is quickly becoming an extremely versatile tool. But a wider tractor might have kept me from needing this extra technique. I don't think a trenching machine would have worked. In some areas there were more rocks than dirt, rocks from 3 or 6 inches in diameter. Anyway, have any of you with smaller tractors run into this problem? What was your solution? Thanks in advance for advice and comments. JonB

Trenching techniques
Operating and Attachments
Replies 2 Post by JonB

Mark, the grass and weeds I cut were from 1 to 3 feet high, so windrowing wasn't possible as I understand it--the rake more than filled up with less than a single pass. I kept the rake straight, leaving piles at one end of the field. A final pile was completed in a few minutes with the loader. I took the guage wheels off for this job. The weeds are so thick in the ground that I seldom scraped any dirt. The rake "combed" the weeds. I also intend to scape it with the rake later in the year, when the weeds have died, dried and I'm done to dirt, to pull out the top rocks if possible. JonB

Raking fields
Operating and Attachments
Replies 8 Post by JonB

Tom, if mowing is all you will ever use it for, consider how much time you want to spend mowing. If you have a huge lawn, consider a rear engine riding mower. If you'll be cutting a field, a mower probably isn't the best machine. Also consider your future uses. I started looking for a garden tractor to mow a field and maybe till a small garden. Now I use a JD 4100 to mow, till, grade, load, drill, rake, and do much more than I even thought possible. Take a look at site linked below. Another good site for smaller, mowing garden tractors, is: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/tractor/
Best of luck. JonB

What should I buy
Operating and Attachments
Replies 6 Post by JonB

Bee Farmer, lots of dealers have equipment sitting in the rain--and think nothing of it since many farmers leave their equipment uncovered. My dealer didn't quite understand when I delayed until he sold his last 4100 on the lot ... that sat in the rain for months. But I got the first one off the truck, shiny & bright ... no rust! I've had the same results with implements. Best of luck. JonB

Wanting to take a leap
New Holland Tractors
Replies 13 Post by JonB

Ralph, personally I agree with Murf; if your wife doesn't mind ... The best justification for me is the tractor saves loads of time (something I have very little of). It also saves wear and tear on the body. Jobs that left me "hurting for days after" don't hurt at all. I can't help you with justifying a service type business, since I stay away from that. Best of luck. JonB

Cost Justification
Tractor Projects
Replies 5 Post by JonB

Terry, I think we're doing the same thing ... cutting multiple paths with the potato plow. I follow this up with the tiller, which breaks up the clods and leaves a nice seed bed. This winter I'm thinking of planting a cover crop and then tilling it under. I don't know if that is more or less effective than a moldboard, or that it would make much difference. Hopefully someone who knows can repond. I can say that using a tiller with the 4100 is loads less painful than the walk behind, and much quicker as you said. Best of luck. JonB

Using a plow on a JD 4100
Operating and Attachments
Replies 7 Post by JonB

TomG, you're right about safety. My first time the post hole digger almost fell on me--and I had help. Now the setup is safety oriented. I also have a safety chain holding it up, in addition to rope that I rachet to raise or lower it short distances. I also have a stand made of 4 x 4 that the bottom links "rest" on. All told, it's held in place in about 6 ways, so the one person connection is simple and easy. JonB

Quick Hitches
Operating and Attachments
Replies 19 Post by JonB

Mark, I built a small "barn" two years ago. Like tractor size, sometimes I wish it was bigger. Anyway, the ground was rock hard and my tractor couldn't scratch it. But it only cost $250 cash to have someone with a big machine level and dig the foundation footings. There was a discount for cash but I think it was well worth it. Best of luck. JonB

which implement
Operating and Attachments
Replies 5 Post by JonB

First, thanks for the advice. I also checked with my local Ag Extension, and was told the best possible soil amendment is compost. They also gave me the numbers for city compost, at about half the cost. They also said hauling manure is usually too expensive to make it practical. I'll use it though if I can find it cheap. I'll let you know how it turns out. JonB

New soil
Parts and Repair
Replies 6 Post by JonB

If I've read the B21 specs right, it is roughly equivalent to the JD 4100. My JD 3ph handles a Gearmore flail mower/shredder at 650 lbs, without problem. Although Gearmore says 17 PTO Hp is required, my 16 HP rated PTO seems to do just fine. JonB

Gearmore E48 Tiller
Operating and Attachments
Replies 3 Post by JonB

Paul, a box is great for spreading material, particular if the truck leaves too much in one area and you need to move it to another. For finishing I prefer a rock rake. I recently got a new rock rake with guage wheels and love it. For a gravel parking area, the rake gave me a virtually perfect leveled surface. With wheels, the rake is much easier to use than the box. Best of luck. JonB

How to spread rocks on a driveway
Tractor Projects
Replies 6 Post by JonB

$500 for a box could be a fair price depending on quality. What brand box is he offering?

What does a box blade do
Operating and Attachments
Replies 10 Post by JonB

Peter, I've never had to use "goop" in my tractor, but have in my kids' bicycles and off-road go-cart--which go most everywhere the tractor goes. Great stuff! I won't hesitate to use it in my tractor when the time comes. I probably should put it in now but am too lazy. Hopefully it won't be difficult at the time. A couple months back there was a thread on this board called "fixing flats" with some great tips for dealing with a flat. Probably the best idea came from Murf ... use a portable compressor to pump the tire up and drive the tractor to your barn or a more civilized repair place. You'll appreciate the thread even if you never get a flat. Best of luck. JonB

Tire Fill Material
John Deere Tractors
Replies 6 Post by JonB