|
angryrobots posted:The result of my madness. Some like the cinder block will get used for *farm things* and maybe I'll use some for a fire pit. No idea what to do with the rest. We've gotten a bunch of free red bricks as well, my SO wants to make raised garden beds from them.
|
#
?
Aug 24, 2020 09:08
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 27, 2024 10:12 |
|
|
A 50S RAYGUN posted:if you have zoysia how often are you mowing? it shouldn't be often, surely? It’s not a matter of how often currently, but just looking for a good mower. We have a lot of our back yard that is bit of zoysia and a lot of this really thick pokey poo poo that takes over most of everything. So the plan is during the spring to reseed the back yard
|
|
#
?
Aug 24, 2020 12:22
|
|
|
I have Empire Zoysia and I mow every Wednesday and Sunday. Unless it's rained, I usually water Monday and Thursday, maybe on Saturday too if it's been especially dry. Every lawn in my neighborhood is dry and mostly brown, mine is dark green and very healthy. Feels good to dominate.
|
|
#
?
Aug 24, 2020 15:12
|
|
|
Does anyone have a recommendation for a quality leaf vacuum/mulcher? I'd prefer something somewhat portable because I have a lot of small spaces to get into but I'm open to anything.
|
|
#
?
Aug 24, 2020 15:45
|
|
|
wandler20 posted:Does anyone have a recommendation for a quality leaf vacuum/mulcher? I'd prefer something somewhat portable because I have a lot of small spaces to get into but I'm open to anything. I have the Worx 12-Amp Electric Blower/Mulcher and I like it just fine. Get the attachment that lets you discharge into a trash bin if possible -- that little collection bag fills up fast.
|
|
#
?
Aug 24, 2020 19:07
|
|
|
Hubis posted:I have the Worx 12-Amp Electric Blower/Mulcher and I like it just fine. Get the attachment that lets you discharge into a trash bin if possible -- that little collection bag fills up fast. This one seems to be pretty well reviewed, thanks for the suggestion.
|
|
#
?
Aug 24, 2020 21:42
|
|
|
Well well well, it's that time of year. Magnolia scale. And Distance IGR only comes in quarts. So I just spent $250 on a $100 magnolia I planted last year. Sigh. (I can use it for more than that, so it's okay)
|
|
#
?
Aug 25, 2020 23:04
|
|
|
It's nothing crazy and not a very good picture but most of the houses in my neighborhood have yards that look like the one on the right. Mine is the one on the left. Walking back from our mailbox today I was pretty proud of how much better mine looks than most of the others.
|
|
#
?
Aug 25, 2020 23:10
|
|
|
That reminds me. Came home one day last month and found this: Apparently my neighbor (who's dad was living with him at the time) called the city to come fix their ditch because of poor drainage. The screwed that up and then to fix it they had to "regrade" (I put that in quotes given the hatchet job they did) the ditch for 3 houses in a row to drain to the closest drainage culvert. All three ditches they regraded they hosed up. Not just in the looks (I mean look at that poo poo) but in that each one... right before it gets to the driveway culvert... goes too low. Still waiting on them to come fix this poo poo.
|
|
#
?
Aug 25, 2020 23:30
|
|
|
Looks like standard county work. And they can regrade that all the want, but I bet the culverts aren't graded properly either so........the water's gonna sit somewhere.
|
|
#
?
Aug 25, 2020 23:59
|
|
|
Daric posted:It's nothing crazy and not a very good picture but most of the houses in my neighborhood have yards that look like the one on the right. Mine is the one on the left. Walking back from our mailbox today I was pretty proud of how much better mine looks than most of the others. 
|
|
#
?
Aug 26, 2020 01:14
|
|
|
Hexigrammus posted:Bit late, but I'll throw in my $0.02cdn anyway. I love me some SCUTs. Not sure what made me think of this effortpost, but quoting to give it a new page after getting lost in grasschat. I still wouldn't want a machine that requires unique attachments, but I appreciate the info. Same (well, one) reason I've stayed away from JD stuff despite them being the only local dealer.
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2020 02:17
|
|
|
angryrobots posted:Not sure what made me think of this effortpost, but quoting to give it a new page after getting lost in grasschat. Are attachments for most other major brands interchangeable?
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2020 02:40
|
|
|
Motronic posted:You are much more detailed with what you will do with grass than I am, and I appreciate the additional insight.  This is definitely a result of having a small enough lawn to afford to fuss over and a personality that won't leave well enough alone. I worry I make it sound too dogmatic or like too much effort when really what I mean is the basics are pretty straightforward, but if people are willing to spend a little more time (scaled by acreage) there are some added details worth considering. I've got a scant 1/4 acre of suburban corner lot I've decided to try and make the absolute most of, but none of this is to cast any aspersions whatsoever on you guys with 5000sqft to multiple acres of actual grass to wrangle. I sure wouldn't have the time.
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2020 02:50
|
|
|
CommonShore posted:Are attachments for most other major brands interchangeable? Seems to be far more likely. Category 1 three point hitches used on CUTs and up are standardized unless the manufacturer screwed up, so you can drag anyone's accessories behind the tractor. SCUTs get a bit weird with their Category 0, I don't think that size of three point hitch was supposed to exist in a sane world. John Deere likes to use a proprietary connector for the front end loader bucket, making it difficult to attach anything that uses the standard Bobcat connector a lot of other brands use. Between this and the games JD plays with their software on recent tractors (your home repair won't function unless an authorized technician comes out to the farm and resets the computer) I'd buy something else if I was buying new. Probably a Kubota, assuming they aren't playing similar games. My machines are old enough to be untroubled by computer technology.
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2020 03:58
|
|
|
CommonShore posted:Are attachments for most other major brands interchangeable? I don't know about SCUTs, which from the post I quoted seem to mostly be unique in their attachments. In the case of larger tractors, a real handy thing to have is a skid steer style quick attach loader. There's a universal type which allows you to buy attachments from any maker, and then there's JD's type that isn't interchangeable. Their green attachments are not competitively priced. Many people will get an adapter to use non-JD stuff, but that's a heavy steel thing that further reduces your lifting capacity. So that annoys me, and when I was shopping their sales rep couldn't say whether a 3038 (one of the common models of JD compact tractor they advertise in a package with attachments) would pick up a 4' hay bale. "Maybe on the 3 point hitch" was the exact quote iirc - which isn't very helpful to me. He said I needed a ~50 HP tractor in the neighborhood of $50k to buy new, when I walked in looking at a package deal that was under $20k. They do make good stuff that lasts, just comes down to your budget and what capabilities you need. Friend of mine bought a 3038 with no loader just to run a finish mower, and for that it's perfect and competitively priced.
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2020 04:17
|
|
|
Double post - to put the John Deere compact tractor loader capacity in context, the similarly sized 25hp New Holland I bought instead, lifts the hay and stacks 3 high with no complaints .
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2020 04:51
|
|
|
poo poo anyone have any experience with the 42" snowblowers that attach to the front of a John Deere e100 series lawn tractor? I have an opportunity to get a really good deal on one. (edit: I already have the lawn tractor / mower and I'm still trying to decide which snow clearing solution to use)
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2020 20:00
|
|
|
Since this has turned into landscape equipment chat lately.......bring on the insanity: I've got several jobs to do and just can't stomach $350/day rental on these things, so I bought an older kinda worn out shitter that still digs strong. I'm likely to get every last dime back out of it when I'm finished.
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2020 22:37
|
|
|
It doesn't look very worn out. Also I need it when you're finished.
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2020 23:02
|
|
|
angryrobots posted:It doesn't look very worn out. Also I need it when you're finished. Bucket pins are a bit loose. I don't know if it's the pins themselves or if it's all wallowed out in there. Either way, it's not bad enough to be a real problem at the moment.
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2020 23:16
|
|
|
Motronic posted:Bucket pins are a bit loose. I don't know if it's the pins themselves or if it's all wallowed out in there. Either way, it's not bad enough to be a real problem at the moment.
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2020 23:43
|
|
|
How does one of those mini excavators compare to a backhoe on a CUT? I know it's better, but is it a luxury or a ton better? I've been keeping an eye for a used CUT to use on my 6 acre property, mostly to move stuff around with the FEL and dig some french drains. I had been looking at a used kubota b26, but also thought about a cheaper CUT for the front loader and an old mini excavator. I had been leaning towards a TLB as it'd probably be a little cheaper and then I'd only have to maintain and store 1 old used machine.
dyne fucked around with this message at 02:43 on Aug 29, 2020 |
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2020 02:40
|
|
|
Lol, well I'm pretty sure that was a quick coupler bucket that was... Not coupled. Motronic's appears to be a regular pinned bucket. The pins are supposed to be a softer steel than the bearing surface, but they will wallow eventually if you run it too long with loose pins. All ours at work are garbage. I was backfilling a trench today between two houses, and had to account for how much the bucket would tilt when side sweeping dirt off the grass.  Anyway, what kind is it? How many hours?
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2020 02:40
|
|
|
dyne posted:How does one of those mini excavators compare to a backhoe on a CUT? I know it's better, but is it a luxury or a ton better? I've been keeping an eye for a used CUT to use on my 6 acre property, mostly to move stuff around with the FEL and dig some french drains. I had been looking at a used kubota b26, but also thought about a cheaper CUT for the front loader and an old mini excavator. I had been leaning towards a TLB as it'd probably be a little cheaper and then I'd only have to maintain and store 1 old used machine. You can't meaningfully trench with a FEL. You can kinda do it if you try really freaking hard, but they typically cant dig down very far and, well.....the buckets are very wide so yeah, not optimal. Backhoe talk: a proper backhoe attachment on a tractor requires a subframe. It's a huge pain in the rear end and like $1k. You also need to strip ALL of the 3 point hitch stuff off to mount the backhoe, and the subframe usually makes that even harder. I don't see a backhoe for a tractor as an "attachment" so much as a pretty permanent thing that lives on there. I need my 3 point. If you don't maybe that work out for you. On track hoes/min/exes - the thing they have going for them that is more important than anything else is that you can spin the thing. Backhoes have a very specific and limited digging technique. It absolutely works, you can absolutely trench with them. You can do nearly anything with them, just maybe slower. A backhoe would have worked fine for my needs. But since I didn't want one on the back of the tractor I wanted another machine. And if you are in the position to want/need a separate machine for just that kind of digging, get an excavator. It does more better and faster. And you have a baby dozer blade for smoothing/limited backfilling. To answer the question directly: it's a ton better than a backhoe. But in most cases of just trenching and stuff it's absolutely a luxury. A luxury you want. Piped for a thumb you can also put things on there like vibratory compactors. Or rock busters. It's a really versatile type of machine that has it's own niche. I really try hart to use my CUT as "the one thing" but sometimes you really do need something else. angryrobots posted:Anyway, what kind is it? How many hours? It's a Yanmar that claims to be a B08, but matches more closely with SV-08. Little baby diesel, got a 13" bucket with it. It is piped (and bracketed) for a thumb. It has 2200 hours on it. Does the Bobcat/Kubota micro-ex trick where you can suck in the treads (and drop the ROPS) to fit through a 28" doorway for basement work, etc. Not useful to me, but kinda neat. Edit: I applied the appropriate safety equipment:  And lookit that little baby diesel under the seat: 
Motronic fucked around with this message at 04:06 on Aug 29, 2020 |
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2020 03:55
|
|
|
Motronic posted:You can't meaningfully trench with a FEL. You can kinda do it if you try really freaking hard, but they typically cant dig down very far and, well.....the buckets are very wide so yeah, not optimal.
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2020 04:22
|
|
|
dyne posted:Eep, I may have worded that poorly, I didn't want to dig with the FEL, I meant I would use the backhoe on a CUT to perform excavator type tasks. I was looking at a used one of these guys, which is designed with the backhoe from factory: https://www.kubotausa.com/products/tractors/tractor-loader-backhoe/b26. Gonna think a bit more based on your post, thanks! That looks very familiar.......  It's a really great tractor. It makes a good backhoe (I've run one set up that way, not the version I have with a cab) but if you need you 3 point hitch for a rotary cutter or whatever........you don't want it to be the machine with that $9k backhoe on it. Get something else for that duty.
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2020 04:36
|
|
|
I guess they don't make it anymore, but the John Deere 110 had a pretty neat setup for swapping the backhoe for a 3PH. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsGiQ120Pp4
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2020 05:30
|
|
|
I have to trench 3000’ of 2” water main. Terrain is pretty bad. Would a mini ex or a ditch witch be easier? Frost line is about 20”. I can have the plumber do it, but he gets to be pretty expensive on long runs. Reason I ask, a used mini ex is $10k, used trenchers are far less.
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2020 12:46
|
|
|
why on earth do you have to trench 3000' of water main? do you live very far back off a road? the absolute 'easiest' way to do this is to get both - the trencher is going to be worlds easier than digging your trench with a mini-ex, and the mini-ex is going to make backfilling a ton easier (as long as you have a blade). depending on the model of trencher, they can come with a blade, but mine is too old to have one and i sort of wonder how fast it would backfill or how well someone who doesn't often run a trencher would backfill even if it had a blade. if you absolutely must pick one, the trencher is likely going to be much, much faster with a probably more aggravating backfill process. i have the option so maybe i'm just spoiled for choice but if i have to run anything longer than like 50 or 60 feet i'll grab the trencher.
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2020 13:29
|
|
|
How deep do you need to put the water line in your area? Once you're to 4-5 feet you're into a pretty big trencher, but then again you're considering an excavator so that's probably not an issue?
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2020 14:02
|
|
|
All y'all motherfuckers that are digging with them fancy power things, don't forget to call before you dig. Breaking someone else's poo poo (power company, water, gas etc) can be expensive and or deadly.
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2020 14:51
|
|
|
frost line was 20 inches, he said, which is pretty high.wesleywillis posted:All y'all motherfuckers that are digging with them fancy power things, don't forget to call before you dig. this is good advice (always call before you digTM) but the only reason i can imagine someone non-commercially having to dig 3000 feet of trench is if someone is very, very far from the closest neighbor A 50S RAYGUN fucked around with this message at 14:56 on Aug 29, 2020 |
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2020 14:53
|
|
|
One thing about trenchers is they don't love rocks or tree roots. Smaller the machine, the smaller the rocks it can throw, or roots it can cut without getting hung up. Also the ground needs to be relatively clear and level(ish) for a smaller model. Just mentioning this since I'm not sure what RDB means by "rough terrain". I'd also want both for 3000', unless I was sure the trencher would not run into issues. angryrobots fucked around with this message at 15:39 on Aug 29, 2020 |
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2020 15:37
|
|
|
A 50S RAYGUN posted:frost line was 20 inches, he said, which is pretty high. True, but they might still have buried electric or phone lines.
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2020 15:54
|
|
|
Yeah, so I'm just gonna go ahead and get a full set of pins on order.......
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2020 19:03
|
|
|
angryrobots posted:One thing about trenchers is they don't love rocks or tree roots. Smaller the machine, the smaller the rocks it can throw, or roots it can cut without getting hung up. Also the ground needs to be relatively clear and level(ish) for a smaller model. Just mentioning this since I'm not sure what RDB means by "rough terrain". I bought 95 acres. House is going near the middle, 100’ higher than the road. By rough, I mean its uphill, and it will also go across a hill. Its all old pasture and hay ground, 5’ of topsoil before it starts to hit the rocky layer. I don’t think roots will be an issue because its been open for the last 100 years. I worry about tipping a mini ex on the hillside because its narrow and tall. The hill has been terraced for waterways to collect runoff into a pond. The pond has gravity fed hydrants connected to it, but where the water utility is willing to put the meter that wont be a problem provided I run straight back and over. I also have an RV site elsewhere that needs water line. I already know I will need a booster pump to reach the home site. I thought about drilling a well, but after talking to neighbors its not a good option. There is a lot of coal/iron/some sulphur smelling rock under the hill and they say it affects the taste. One drilled a well, got decent flow and two weeks later regretted it after the water started to reek. I can pay someone to do all the trenching but used equipment is always tempting. The driveway company can do it too but thats 3-4 a foot on top of the $10 a foot for the driveway, and the driveway doesn’t come in near the water meter.
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2020 20:34
|
|
|
Do I need to lay paver base if my subsurface is already pretty compacted and sandy? It's been sitting under 3 in of concrete for at least 30 years, and there's a pain in the rear end to get a shovel into. So I'm going to lay 2 in of paver base and 1 in of sand, I'm going to have to dig 3 in down on average. I'm looking at moving two yards of dirt. This is pretty compacted though, some areas I have to break it up with a pickaxe before I can shovel it. Any reason why I can't just dig down 1 inch and lay the sand layer for the pavers? This is in southern California, there's no freeze thaw cycle and rain is seasonal and sparse. 
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2020 20:57
|
|
|
rdb posted:I bought 95 acres. House is going near the middle, 100’ higher than the road. By rough, I mean its uphill, and it will also go across a hill. Its all old pasture and hay ground, 5’ of topsoil before it starts to hit the rocky layer. I don’t think roots will be an issue because its been open for the last 100 years. I worry about tipping a mini ex on the hillside because its narrow and tall. The hill has been terraced for waterways to collect runoff into a pond. The pond has gravity fed hydrants connected to it, but where the water utility is willing to put the meter that wont be a problem provided I run straight back and over. I also have an RV site elsewhere that needs water line. I already know I will need a booster pump to reach the home site. First off, congrats on the property . It needs a thread imo. But yikes, 100' uphill! I would at least talk to a local well driller who's been established in your area for some time, before you completely rule it out. Not discounting your neighbor's advice, but they may have picked the wrong driller. Or they may advise on treating it. I'm no plumbing expert, but it seems like losing that much head over that much distance is asking for volume issues and/or booster pump headaches.
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2020 21:26
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 27, 2024 10:12 |
|
|
rdb posted:I bought 95 acres. House is going near the middle, 100’ higher than the road. By rough, I mean its uphill, and it will also go across a hill. Its all old pasture and hay ground, 5’ of topsoil before it starts to hit the rocky layer. I don’t think roots will be an issue because its been open for the last 100 years. I worry about tipping a mini ex on the hillside because its narrow and tall. I would worry about that too depending on how steep the grade is. Sounds like a job for a mid sized ditch witch with a blade. Although the blade may not help you much for backfill if it's too steep to run the machine across the grade. angryrobots posted:First off, congrats on the property . It needs a thread imo. But yikes, 100' uphill! I would at least talk to a local well driller who's been established in your area for some time, before you completely rule it out. Not discounting your neighbor's advice, but they may have picked the wrong driller. Or they may advise on treating it. I didn't think of this. That's over 40 PSI of head pressure.
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2020 21:30
|
|