The "not so heavy equipment" photo thread

[RBMcCloskey]

A opinion question for you:
How would a extremely conservative Yankee ( from NJ) with a D8K, a D4G, a 938G, a 977L, a 321C, a Raygo 84" roller and 3-Loader/Backhoes do if he moved to your piece of Texas to relocate his contracting business?

 

[Bumpsteer]

We're seeing more and more of these 2 acre homesites sprout as the farmers and ranchers die off. Most of the kids don't want to farm or ranch, so the acreage gets split up and sold. ]/QUOTE]

Interesting...it was that way here before the housing bust. Now the builders & developers are broke and the farmers have the money. Farms get sold unbroken for good money.

Our local 9 hole golf course is now 90 acres of corn.

You do very nice work.

Ed

 

[JNB]

RB- I think you'd do quite well. Keep in mind that although there's a lot of work here, there's also a lot of equipment. There are a ton of guys doing work for cheap too. I feel blessed to have found a niche.

Bumpsteer - I think some of the return to farming has to do with it being very lucrative to grow corn for ethanol. I have a relative in Iowa that is making a killing growing corn. He busts his tail and works every angle possible. Not my cup of tea, but it works for him.

 

[JNB]

Got the tracks and new rear idlers on yesterday morning before it got too hot. I've always taken tracks off and put them back on using 4x4 cribbing two high. 'Course that was with old tracks and rear idlers. After I got the new track off I realized that I didn't have enough clearance under the new rear idler to get the new (thicker) track on. For once I was glad to be working on gravel. I dug out a hole to get the first track on. For the second track I drove the machine up onto a couple of 4x4's and set the cribbing three high. Plenty of clearance to get under the idler.

 

[CM1995]

Kudos! That hay spear is the ticket to replacing rubber tracks.:thumbsup

Before I sold my mini I would drop the bucket and use the thumb rolled all the way out to place the track. The two tines of the thumb could be used to lift and push the track into place. Never thought about a hay spear, I bet it works very well in lifting and placing the track over the sprocket.

 

[JNB]

Kudos! That hay spear is the ticket to replacing rubber tracks.:thumbsup

Before I sold my mini I would drop the bucket and use the thumb rolled all the way out to place the track. The two tines of the thumb could be used to lift and push the track into place. Never thought about a hay spear, I bet it works very well in lifting and placing the track over the sprocket.

The hay fork worked ok....but note to self. Don't leave your forks on the job when you plan on swapping tracks over the weekend! :Banghead

 

[JNB]

On another note...and one of the things that makes hanging out at HEF so cool. My wife was on FB today and gets a messenger call on her cell from Hock (hmearth). I'm kicking back relaxing on a Sunday afternoon and he's on his way to the job Monday morning in Australia. We talk shop, family and tons of other stuff. Like I said...

 

[Landclearer]

I like your little helper on the track job

 

[kshansen]

I like your little helper on the track job

No one is going to steal that track before Dad gets it on his machine! Those little ones are the meanest ones around!

As long as he doesn't pull the trick my dad's dog did one time. Dad was changing the tires on his car and when he went to put the lug nuts back on found out the "Butch" had been hiding them! Took about an hour to find them!

 

[Fastdirt]

JNB, I really really really hope those tracks work out for you because I now feel liable and responsible. There is nothing like new tracks for a couple days then it hurts seeing new cuts and gashes. I'm glad it worked out so far and I have seen your appreciation and I appreciate it. You're right this place is great. Best place I've come across. I like your saying... There is a lot of work out there but there is a lot of equipment out there. Makes think every time I want to grow.

 

[JNB]

LC & KS - Yeah, that little pup is all over it, that's for sure! While I was lining up one of the rear idlers and shims with sweat running in my eyes she was licking my hand and (of course) it was ticking me off. But, she's too darn cute to punt across the yard! I think her name is Sis, but my boy keeps changing it so maybe not. :beatsme

Fastdirt - No worries! My feeling is that the aftermarket tracks are all about the same, although these tracks do look beefier than some I've seen. Eric from Rubbertrax was great to work with and that's what counts most. Remember...these tracks are on a Case. At the rate things are going with it they may just outlast the machine! .....wait....

 

[JNB]

Here's a backyard pond fill-in. The property is at the low end of a subdivision. They dug out all of the clay for the dam wall and the soil below was too sandy for the pond to hold water, so it became more of an eyesore than anything. At over 10' deep, the overflow washout had become a hazard for their kids. Before I started the homeowner's tree guys did me a favor and cut all of the trees off flush with the ground. The day I started the job I had a track problem, so while I was waiting for the shipment I spruced up their driveway.

 

[JNB]

Cutting the new runoff pathway. With rain chances that night I stockpiled and focused on getting the swale and banks rolled in nice and tight.


In true Case fashion it broke with a couple hours left on the job.

 

[JNB]

Once again...the tractor had to finish the job. Man...this is getting old.


I'm a sucker for old bottles.

 

[Landclearer]

That turned out great. You could not ask for anything better than that. How long did it take you to do the whole job?

 

[JNB]

That turned out great. You could not ask for anything better than that. How long did it take you to do the whole job?

It took a little less than 2-1/2 days LC. Separating the good from the bad (and stockpiling the good) turned out to be a lucky deal once the ctl sprung a leak. The tractor could have ripped the hard clay, but it would have been one heck of a fight and taken quite a bit of time since it was full of roots as well. Spreading out of the pile was a lot easier. While I was finishing things up the homeowner was busy broadcasting grass seed and setting up a couple sprinkler towers.

 

[CM1995]

That turned out great, nice job.

Your Case might be my T250's cousin..

 

[Landclearer]

I can see why they were seeding it before you left. It did not need anything else done to it. 2.5 days is pretty quick to move a lot of dirt with the skidsteer and tractor. If you run out of work down there we can sub some jobs to you

 

[JNB]

CM - If Case was supplying horses to the US Calvary back in the day, we would have lost the West.

LC - Sounds fine to me, but I'm running your 90! :cool2

 

[JNB]

I had to endure this brutal commute for a couple of days this week.


Then 2.5 miles down a private access road to a 125 acre getaway.


The job was to improve two washed out areas on their ATV trail, hog out small catch basins and install owner provided culverts. The hills were a lot steeper than the photos show. When I scouted it out with the landowner we spent a lot of time dragging the skid plates on his Polaris Ranger.


The owner had a ctl there for a year or so. He thought it was a 90hp Kubota, but the size on the broken track looks to be for a T200 size machine.