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The UTILITY in CUT

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2007-01-12          138738

Ok guys, with spring just around the corner for most of us, soon it will be time to dust off the CUT's and put them to work.

So, in an effort to get us back to talking about tractors, I was thinking a little about all the varied tasks I do with CUT's, probably more so because of my work, but still, lots around the house too.

I would like to start a thread here, sort of a survey if you will, about the odd jobs you each use your CUT for. CUT's started as a modern version of what farmers have for generations called "chore" machines. Small tractors to help with the work of running a farm, things like, pulling wagons, running blowers, pumps and a long list of grunt work.

My idea is, maybe with a list of how the other members here make use or CUT it will give new memebers and old alike a few good ideas for labour saving uses of their CUT.

To start the list building, I use a utility mount in place of the bucket on my FEL a *lot*, it has pallet forks and a 2" Reese-style receiver, along with lifting hooks. By plugging adapters into the trailer hitch socket it can also take a snowplow, or any standard 3pth implement. It can be seen in my pictures as # 15 & 18. It makes a great platform for non-PTO-powered implements, things like a 3pth static sweeper or log-splitter, being able to see it without turning around, and to have nearly infinite adjustment as to height or angle makes light work of jobs. It also makes spotting trailers a breeze, garage doors just a few inches wider than the trailer are no problem when you're up high and facing the right direction with a good clear view.

I also use the tractor itself as a carrier for lot of *other* utility items, putting a generator or water pump on one end, and a tool carrier on the other end it makes short work of jobs out of reach of plumbing or electricity. I often pick up my entire rolling mechanics tool chest with the forks on the FEL to go down the street and help a neighbour out. having everything at hand and put right back in it's proper place afterwards is a big help.

Firewood is another big job made smaller with a CUT. Even if you have the wood delivered, it still takes the manual part of the 'manual labour' out of the equation. Make up small boxes, the size of a pallet, and put the wood in them, cover them with small cheap tarps and then just put one in close to the house, when it's empty, swap it for a full one. If you label the boxes as to the date the wood was cut, or when it will be seasoned, there is no shuffling of firewood to get to the good stuff cause the wet stuff is piled in front of it. Also it keeps the wood a safe distance from your house, limiting fire risk, and helping to lessen the chance of inviting critters who might live in the wood into your home.

So, there's a start, what do you do with *your* CUT?

Best of luck.


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kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2007-01-12          138740

We have a walkout basement and the tractor is great for hauling heavy stuff down the hill to the backdoor instead of trying to walk it through the house and downstairs. It's a fairly steep hill and when the soil is wet the 4WD truck has a hard time making it back up the hill but the tractor does nicely. I move water softener salt by the ton this way. I also have a pinball machine hobby so it's nice to put a 250-400 lb machine on the tractor carry-all and drive it around back.

This year I bought a dump trailer. During the summer it's great for mulch. The chipper shoots chips into the trailer and we can dump them along the trail while driving forward. We discovered another nice winter use for it. We load it with firewood, throw a tarp over it and park it right outside the door so we don't have to walk all the way to the woodpile on cold, wet nights to get firewood. ....

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Billy
Join Date: Oct 1999
Posts: 975 Southeast Oklahoma
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2007-01-12          138741

Some of you may not know but I'm a commercial poultry farmer. I use the tractor to renovate the litter between each batch. Then there's road maintenance. Those 40 ton feed trucks sure do leave their mark.

Other than that it's the seasonal things like mowing the yard, bush hogging around the barns and anything else that comes along. The good thing about a smaller tractor is they're so versatile. ....

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hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
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2007-01-12          138743

I have a couple "H" Farmalls that we used to call our handy tractors, after using the 4310 the "H's" just take up shed room because the seem so clmbsy compare to the CUT. Mine is a 12/12 reverser with a 430 loader with the 4 in 1 bucket and a 48 hoe,along with three pt. tillers,MX5 rotary cutter, Land Pride 72 in rear mower, Land Pride box blade, landscape rake, home made three pt. sprayer, etc. I use the backhoe to dig out rocks the tennant hits with his chisel plow. dig out small saplings then turn around and grab them up with the 4 in 1 bucket to carry away. In the summer I use the MX5 cutter to mow the rough stuff in road ditched, then use the Land Pride rear finish mower to trim it up a bit better. I've used the box blade to move an amazing amount of dirt with, then used the land scape rake to level things out. Also the landscape rake is real neat to level new crushed rock in the drive with.The little 8 ft. homemade sprayer is use to spray the lawn or use a hand held nozzle in fencroes, etc. The tillere we're going to use for our own gardens and perhaps do a few around town. Several years ago I went into town with a tiller on the back of a 345 lawn tractor to do a garden for a friend. That was about 8 in the morning, people saw me tilling ,and asked if i would till their's. About 3 that afternoon I got done, never charged anybody, it was just a fun thing to do. TodayI ordered a 25KW PTO generator for it, but it will be a while getting here, the dealer said most all the generators sitting around here in Iowa got sent to Nebraska in the last few weeks. All in all it's a great hobby that you can do so many things that you nornaly would have to hire someone for. Return on Investmen might bee kind of hard to justify to a banker, but the satisfaction of doing things yourself and the thearapy time you gain while mowing tilling, etc. easily justify the investment. Frank. ....

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MacDaddy
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 95 Western NY
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2007-01-12          138750

Since I purchased my 4310 a couple of years ago my wife claims that I won’t work on anything unless it involves the tractor. I’ll admit, I do tend to find (create) jobs that might not otherwise do. Besides, as far as I know, they haven’t invented an attachment that does the dishes.

I used it a lot when I was building my house. cleared brush, skidded logs, used the 48Bhoe for stumping, laying utilities and drainage, the FEL for carrying lumber, and pulling contractors out of the mud. I used a pto auger to dig all the posts for my deck. (the only implement I don’t like using). I also used the box and york rake for prep for seeding 3-acres. I’ll know in the spring if I did a good job.

Now that the house is done, I don’t put nearly as many hours on it: But my general tasks include the following:

-carring firewood with the FEL from the shed to the house
-Carring tools, chainsaws to remote parts of the property.
-snowblowing 1800’driveway
-driveway maintenance (spreading stone and regrading with the box)
-digging holes for planting trees.

And generally anything else I can think of…..
....

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kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 5275 South Carolina
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2007-01-12          138752

MacDaddy,
"york rake" did my fingers type this or what is it? ....

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MacDaddy
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 95 Western NY
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2007-01-12          138758

The guy I borrowed it from called it a york rake (?) So thats what i've called it. I think most people call it a landscape rake. ....

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2007-01-12          138763

The term York Rake is sort of like Kleenex, it doesn't matter who makes it, it's known best by the name the inventor or most popular manufacturer gave it. Not many people ask for a Facial Tissue when their nose is running.

York, now York Modern, is a company that makes them Kenneth.

You know, kind of like bush-hogging a field with a (insert your favourite brand of rotary cutter here) cutter? ;)

Best of luck.

....

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cutter
Join Date: Feb 2000
Posts: 1307 The South Shore of Lake Ontario, New York
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2007-01-12          138772

Someone called me? Hmmmm, I would take up too much space to list everything I use mine for these days.



  • spraying with three-point boom-type sprayer

  • york rake, back blade for driveway maintenance

  • clearing snow with front loader and rear snowblower

  • moving my trailers around

  • lifting almost everything that my back with two shifted disks can not

  • dozer work, well practically

  • bush hogging my fields (my old Chalmers)


  • pulling blue and green tractors out of trouble spots


....

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kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2007-01-12          138773

I didn't post all the things my tractor is used for, just the odd jobs. I also skid logs, use the grapple to haul slash around, box scrape trails, use the backhoe to dig stumps and countour the ground, use the MX5 cutter to cut the weed growth, etc. Lots of uses. ....

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ncrunch32
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 762 Kingston, NY
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2007-01-12          138775

I have used my tractor with loader,backhoe for:

- adding on a poolyard extension (digging ground,carrying rock, stone dust, bluestone, railroad ties, digging fence post holes)
- installing 6" drainage pipes around the yard
- installing underground pvc pipes for routing garden hoses out of the way
- like Murf says I built wooden bins for hauling firewood
- brush chopper to eliminate large brush piles
- moving 6' spruce trees (and other plants) all over my property
- deep holes to bury our long time friends (pets)
- bringing stuff down from the attic over the garage (Christmas and halloween)
- leveling and finishing areas of the yard with rockrake, backblade
- splitting wood
- hauling chips left by state trucks to the neighbors
- helping neighbors install hot tub, move dirt around
- pulling engines out of boats and gravely
- taking down the basketball hoop
- putting all leftover stone, decking, on pallets - moving with forks for organizing in my lower yard
- carrying stuff from house to shed and back in lower yard
- its on call to pull my boat out of the woods if necessary after a long winter
- and on and on ....

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ncrunch32
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 762 Kingston, NY
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2007-01-12          138776

York rake, landscape rake, rock rake. The old timer who sold me my landscape rake referred to it as a "rock rake". ....

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dkheckmanl
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 134 Middleton, ID
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2007-01-12          138778

Lots of uses but the biggest one has been for placing 60+ cy of landscaping rock. I am on my second shoulder joint and the Dr has ordered me not to do any shoveling. ....

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BillMullens
Join Date: Jun 2000
Posts: 649 Central West Virginia
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2007-01-13          138799

My active tractors right now include a Farmall Super C, Massey 135, and the NH TC29, as well as my Farmall A.

The 135 gets used mostly for bush hogging at the farm.

The Super C does my spring plowing, some pushing of rocks and brush with a box blade, and some bush hogging.

The TC29 gets the most hours; it does all of my finish mowing and tilling, 90% of my firewood hauling, and occasional use with the 3ph backhoe, box blade and dirt scoop.

The FAA is relegated to pulling a trailer, since it doesn't have hydraulics or a lift.

Any of them may be used to pull logs off the log pile. Usually the Super C because it is outside and easiest to get to.

My Super C is the favorite. Not as user-friendly as the little NH, but there is something special about it.

Bill ....

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beagle
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1333 Michigan
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2007-01-22          139035

Fork Truck
Steel Hoist
Boom Truck
Snow Plow
Loader
Grader
Mower
Post Hole Drill
Wheel barrow
Cultivator
Log Splitter
Tow Vehicle
....

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SG8NUC
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 579 g
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2007-01-22          139043

haul land scape rock
turn compost pile
haul fence post
drag cut down trees
haul rock with FEL and spread with scraper blade
haul plants, and compost for planting
haul tools around property
level flower beds
maintain drive ways
dig flower beds
haul dirt, and materials ....

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