Conundrum; takin' down a Box Elder today...

[Steve NW WI]

I've brought it home and stacked it in the shed, the owb burns the junk wood just fine.
I used to be a wood snob when I was burning wood in the fireplace insert.
I remember when I started loading cottonwood and box elder on the truck I'd be thinking, "Oh Lord,,The humanity"!! My deadbeat neighbor, who's L.P. gas is subsidized by the guv'munt, tried poking fun at me for the junk wood I was bringing home. Sometimes I hate that guy..
One of the land owners I cut on likes to see me hauling off the bad with good, the small stuff with the big.

Wanna move next to me? I have elm and cherry to go with all the box elder you could ever want out in the fence rows.

 

[Whitespider]

By the time I dropped that tree I was soaking wet, muddy and dead tired... I just wanted it done. That feed lot ain't been used for decades; it was covered with several inches of dirt, weeds and tangled roots along with small saplings growing up through the cracks. I started cleaning it off Friday night with plans to finish it yesterday... and yesterday it rained on me a dozen times making that lot into a muddy mess. Once I got it all shoveled out I took the pressure washer to it, which splattered the heck out'a me with mud (splattered is an understatement). It was 3:30 before I dropped the 20 inch Box Elder... It leaned hard over the lot, real hard and the damn thing barber-chaired on me (nothing too scary) and was full of ants. It had grown up in an old wire fence so I had to make my felling cuts shoulder high to avoid wire, then barber-chaired sending several trillion ants flying through the air... the majority of which landed on me.

So there I stood, soaking wet, a muddy mess, dead-azz-tired, with a hollow, ant infested Box Elder barber-chaired about 8 feet up and laying on my just-cleaned-off concrete, and more rain clouds moving in from the north... I made a friggin' executive decision!!

I had the pickup and car parked on the concrete by 4:30, my tools and equipment cleaned up by 4:45, showered and was drinkin' beer at 5:00... no regrets on the decision.

 

[Whitespider]

Oh... and, it's jobs like this... like cleaning off an old feed lot... are the reason why I need/want a skid loader, not a tractor/loader.
With every friggin' shovelful I lifted I was thinkin', "Man, a skid loader sure would be nice for this job!"

 

[Festus]

[/QUOTE]

That" s a nicely mowed and trimmed lawn for a guy that mentioned in another thread how he hated mowing the lawn more than once a week. I guess if you take the time to do that good of job, I wouldn't want it to do it every 4 or 5 days either.

 

[Whitespider]

Thanks for the compliment on the yard.

That's correct... I positively hate cuttin' the grass.
But, just because I hate a job doesn't mean I should do it half-azzed... although I don't use the weed-whip much, I use RoundUp 'round most everything!

Oh... and what you're seein' in those pics ain't even close to a quarter of what I mow.

 

[Steve NW WI]

Thanks for the compliment on the yard.

That's correct... I positively hate cuttin' the grass.
But, just because I hate a job doesn't mean I should do it half-azzed... although I don't use the weed-whip much, I use RoundUp 'round most everything!

Oh... and what you're seein' in those pics ain't even close to a quarter of what I mow.

Spent most of the day yesterday on the mower. I'm seriously considering Roundup as an option to mowing. Cheaper than gas.

I have no idea why my dumb azz went from a 1/2 acre yard to over 3 acres mowed...

 

[Festus]

Mowing lawn is like most other chores. If you have good quality tools, it isn't so bad. My problem is mine has been breaking down quite often the last couple years. It seems like I just bought it, but its 14 years old now. When I get parts, they always have to order them, and they usually have a comment like "boy, that's an old one." 2 weeks ago it was the $255 electric clutch for the PTO drive. Last year, I ground the valves and resealed the crankcase. Add blades, belts, rollers, new seat....it adds up. I just want to get on it, mow the lawn, clean it, and put it away. I've borrowed cheap mowers already and I don't understand how people can stand using crap like that. I'm thankful for the loaner, but I end up cussing at it all the way through the job. New mowers are worth buying are lot of $$$$$$. I'll keep mine going another 4 or 5 years if I can.

 

[zogger]

Spent most of the day yesterday on the mower. I'm seriously considering Roundup as an option to mowing. Cheaper than gas.

I have no idea why my dumb azz went from a 1/2 acre yard to over 3 acres mowed...

I like gardens and orchards and vines. Mow around that stuff. Just huge expanses of grass, cut short..meh..if you have a bonafide reason for it sure, say you are a croquet freak or some other sport that would require a large mowable yard, but just for the heckuva it, nyet.

Fence off your extra, go back to half an acre, and throw a feeder calf in the extra, when the grass is gone, to the slaughterhouse or do it yourself maybe....

Of course mowing makes me money, so.....I don't mind it and am good at it, but for myself, nope, been gradually modifying my yard to be all gardens mostly. I would rather have surplus food and store it or give it to the chickens or something...

 

[GVS]

I heat with pine and tulip poplar and would love to get my hands on some box elder!

What ever wood is avaliable.In the woods I've burned balsom to keep from freezing to death.

 

[olyman]

2 weeks ago it was the $255 electric clutch for the PTO drive. I'll keep mine going another 4 or 5 years if I can.[/QUOTE]

should have checked on ebay for the clutch..i found on on there,,for a friend,,that was 250 at deere~ the used one,,was 42 to him with shipping!!!

 

[Whitespider]

Yeah... I bought my last PTO clutch for the old JD off Ebay for $35.oo, free shipping...

 

[Festus]

I always check ebay, but I couldn't gamble on it taking more than a week to receive. Local dealer had it in a day. I could've saved $30-$40 on new, but I wasn't gonna get a used one and waste my time putting someone else's problem on. These things never break at a convenient time. You can dang near watch the grass grow so far this year.

 

[Speed]

I always check ebay, but I couldn't gamble on it taking more than a week to receive. Local dealer had it in a day. I could've saved $30-$40 on new, but I wasn't gonna get a used one and waste my time putting someone else's problem on. These things never break at a convenient time. You can dang near watch the grass grow so far this year.

I don't think I've ever had anything break at a "convenient" time!

 

[Whitespider]

I always check ebay, but I couldn't gamble on it taking more than a week to receive. Local dealer had it in a day. I could've saved $30-$40 on new, but I wasn't gonna get a used one and waste my time putting someone else's problem on.

Hmmmm.... I likely wouldn't buy used to save $30-$40 either... at least not on a $255 part. I bought my used PTO clutch from a seller with an Ebay Store and good reputation. He had it pulled apart with very clear pictures of both sides of everything. I used my PayPal account, received it in three days and saved $200.00. Like I said, I likely wouldn't have bought used to save $30-$40... but I'll spend $30-$40 on used to save $200.

I look at it this way... thinking about how much longer the tractor/mower will last (it's 21 years old now)...
New clutch $255, and will give 10 years service(??)... $25 per year, if the mower lasts that long.
Used clutch 13 months ago, $35... even if it craps-out tomorrow I break even, couple more months and I'm way out ahead, and worst case the dealer can still have a new clutch over night.

 

[olyman]

Hmmmm.... I likely wouldn't buy used to save $30-$40 either... at least not on a $255 part. I bought my used PTO clutch from a seller with an Ebay Store and good reputation. He had it pulled apart with very clear pictures of both sides of everything. I used my PayPal account, received it in three days and saved $200.00. Like I said, I likely wouldn't have bought used to save $30-$40... but I'll spend $30-$40 on used to save $200.

I look at it this way... thinking about how much longer the tractor/mower will last (it's 21 years old now)...
New clutch $255, and will give 10 years service(??)... $25 per year, if the mower lasts that long.
Used clutch 13 months ago, $35... even if it craps-out tomorrow I break even, couple more months and I'm way out ahead, and worst case the dealer can still have a new clutch over night.

and NORMALLY!! whats happens is,,the bearing in the clutch,,will start to go..when the clearances get wayyyy off,,it will heat up the coil,,and smoke it. seen one toooo many. the bearing IS replaceable!! done that more than once also. any good bearing shop will have it..just unstake the thing,,and then restake with the new bearing..

 

[greendohn]

Wanna move next to me? I have elm and cherry to go with all the box elder you could ever want out in the fence rows.

Elm?? Cherry?? and I hear the fishin' is good up there as well,,:monkey: Almost sounds too good!!

It took me 16+ years to get my week ends only job that pays a full time check,,Think I better tuff it out
here in Indiana !! LOL !!