A good used garden tractor is an inexpensive, reliable, enjoyable help around the property. I also own an ATV, and while it’s every bit the size and power of the garden tractor it isn’t equipped with a 3-point implement attachment and doesn’t have a mower deck. And my garden tractor doesn’t pack down the freshly-turned soil in our garden like the full-size tractor does. The implements are sturdy-I’ve never broken one despite hard use-but they’re still small enough I can move them around easily by hand. The machine is small and easy to climb on and off. In fact, I own a full-sized tractor but often leave it parked in the garage in favor of using my rebuilt 1979 Sears Vari-drive garden tractor. Note the mower’s lightweight rear bumper versus the tractor’s heavy construction and 3-point hitch setup. Garden tractors are superior to lawn mowers in construction and ability. Garden tractors can do anything a full-sized tractor can do-just on a smaller scale. They’re sturdier and much more useful than a lawn tractor, but considerably smaller and more sensible than a full-sized tractor for the serious gardener or homesteader looking to really work the land. With a garden tractor, you can grade the driveway, push or blow snow, de-thatch the lawn, or put in a food plot for wildlife. They plow and dress the soil faster and easier than a walk-behind tiller. They can easily move more wood at a time than anyone can wheelbarrow. These mini-workhorse machines are compact, powerful, and extremely cost-effective for anyone looking to handle increased outdoor chores without going into full-blown farming. There’s another alternative to that big tractor investment… a garden tractor. Leveling ground to create a more enjoyable and usable lawn, or planting food plots to attract wildlife, can become a hobby as opposed to drudgery. Using wood for heat and even cooking is much more enjoyable if you can easily move the fuel source from the woodpile to the woodbox without overtaxing your back. There are some homesteading projects that exceed the limits of the hand tools we used to use, but they don’t justify the financial investment in a tractor and farm implements-not even a small used tractor and second-hand implements. It’s farming just like my ancestors have done since the invention of the tractor-except my machine is only slightly larger than my riding mower, and my “field” is my 30-by-50 foot vegetable garden. All the way off the clutch now and I’m quickly cutting a deep furrow in a perfectly straight line adjacent to the other furrows already turned. The rig rolls forward taking up the slack between it and the plow hooked to the 3-point. I return the choke to open, throttle up the hand feed a bit more, and slowly ease out the clutch. The tractor roars to life and settles into a familiar purr. Then I slip the choke forward, make sure the gearshift is in neutral, bring forward the hand gas feed, and hit the start switch. I climb on the seat and ease in the clutch pedal.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |