WOW--I screwed up!!!

big tee · Jul 2, 2017

Some of you give "MOTHER DEERE" A bad time but I was out mowing with my Deere 5095 and MX-8 and about crapped my pants. In N.E. Iowa the weed called wild parsnip is taking over everywhere. It is a plant that grows about 4 ft. tall and has a yellow head that looks like dill. I try to keep it under control on my side of the fence but the county leaves a lot to be desired on their side. I admit I was on their side when I hit this so it is 100% my fault. I live on a county blacktop and have wide shallow ditches. I was mowing and the weeds were 4 ft. tall-just missed it with my rear tire but the mower didn't. I thought the mower was coming in the cab with me. You can say what you want about overpriced Deere equipment but I would like to see what would be left of a Farm Fleet mower if you hit this. I was surprised it didn't split the gear box. I have sharpened the blades about 5 times so I never even looked under the mower to see what shape they are in--new blades tomorrow. My son hooked the chain up to it and we used my loader and it is in my scrap wagon now. It is a survey marker from years ago. It is a 5 ft. piece on 3 in. rail road iron with about 12 in. sticking out of the ground. I will say again--MY FAULT--Good news though--while taking the picture of the damn thing in the scrap wagon I saw one of my missing C-vise grips.---Tee

Ted in NE-OH · Jul 2, 2017

Maybe the county should pay half as you saved them from hitting it. LOL

fixerupper · Jul 2, 2017

If you would have sat there with it running for a few more seconds it would have eaten the rail up and spit it out! Well, maybe not but it's the sign of a well built mower if only the blades were trashed.

SDE · Jul 2, 2017

I hit something with my JD 240 LT. It spit it out and it stopped by the garage service door. It looked like steel brake line. When I picked it up, it was a solid 3/8" poker. Handle on one one and a bent end on the other. It looks a coiled snake now. I took the blades off to sharpen them and they were dull, but did not have any big dings in them. I was very surprised by how well they held up.

rusty6 · Jul 2, 2017

I can just imagine the noise. I've hit a few rocks with my old Farm King and dented the sides but broke nothing yet. Its a 1992 model and I've only sharpened the original blades once many years ago. I find it cuts just fine with the blades dull and saves a lot of work removing and sharpening them.
Farm King Cutting

Eldon (WA) · Jul 2, 2017

Keep an eye on the bolts that hold the stump jumpers on. I finally sold my MX8 when I could not keep the bolt tight on one side....not a good feeling when your stump jumper goes whizzing by you when you pick up the mower....it was a blessing in disguise, bought a 3008 Bush Hog which cuts much better! Now I have 2.

dahlin · Jul 2, 2017

I did that with a brand new Rhino 6 foot mower mine was an 1 and a half inch axel some one had 8 inches sticking out of the ground it put 1/4 nick in my blades BOY was I happy but they did grind out good and I am still using them sh#t happens. Randy

RBoots · Jul 2, 2017

We run what I believe are CX12 mowers at the county I work for. It has a single wing and a counterweight on the opposite side. They do a nice job mowing, but a lot of times we will hit rocks that some of the farmers won't learn to stop throwing on the roadsides we mow every year. Hit a good rock, say over 10 inches, and in about 20 yards it will have spit the guts out of the gearbox onto the deck. We have 2 of these mowers, and both have been in under warranty to have the gearboxes replaced 5 and 6 times each. There is a plastic bearing cover/retainer on the back of the gearbox, and I have long suspected that as being a weak point. We just got both mowers back 3 weeks ago from the dealer. They did some sort of gearbox update kit, not sure of what it consisted of, but both mowers have been out for the last 3 weeks since then and have had no failures yet.

Ross

flying belgian · Jul 2, 2017

I would not call that a screw-up. How could you possibly know that post was there. Now had you mowed around it for the past several years but drove over it this time, that's a screw-up.

36F30 · Jul 2, 2017

(quoted from post at 17:29:44 07/02/17) Some of you give "MOTHER DEERE" A bad time but I was out mowing with my Deere 5095 and MX-8 and about crapped my pants. In N.E. Iowa the weed called wild parsnip is taking over everywhere. It is a plant that grows about 4 ft. tall and has a yellow head that looks like dill. I try to keep it under control on my side of the fence but the county leaves a lot to be desired on their side. I admit I was on their side when I hit this so it is 100% my fault. I live on a county blacktop and have wide shallow ditches. I was mowing and the weeds were 4 ft. tall-just missed it with my rear tire but the mower didn't. I thought the mower was coming in the cab with me. You can say what you want about overpriced Deere equipment but I would like to see what would be left of a Farm Fleet mower if you hit this. I was surprised it didn't split the gear box. I have sharpened the blades about 5 times so I never even looked under the mower to see what shape they are in--new blades tomorrow. My son hooked the chain up to it and we used my loader and it is in my scrap wagon now. It is a survey marker from years ago. It is a 5 ft. piece on 3 in. rail road iron with about 12 in. sticking out of the ground. I will say again--MY FAULT--Good news though--while taking the picture of the damn thing in the scrap wagon I saw one of my missing C-vise grips.---Tee

The county put that there to mark something, Like an intake or something else they may need to find. Thats why its painted orange. We use t posts now, but used grader blades were used as markers for years. Something big and hard to remove was the norm so people wouldn't remove them! As a County Weed Commissioner I can tell you that Wild Parsnip is not on the noxious weed list in Iowa and for that reason the county is not required to control it. I don't like it either, but I have 5500 acres of road side ditches and they would have to at least double my budget to treat it. Tax dollars most Counties don't have, and citizens don't want to pay. The experts say the next normal winter will git rid of most of it and they don't even try to control it

FBH44 · Jul 3, 2017

Nope, you did exactly right, you left the chain guards on. Protected anybody who happened to drive by. you done just right.

Bob Bancroft · Jul 3, 2017

Talking about more laws- there ought to be a law against leaving something buried and just sticking up out of the ground a little bit. If a marker isn't flush with the ground it should be several feet tall.

I put a survey pipe through the side of a nearly new rear tractor tire. This was back when I had no extra funds. I could have done great harm to that surveyor had he been there. Fortunately I was able to get the tire repaired, and with little, light use, and a dual next to it, it's still going, many years later.

4520BW · Jul 3, 2017

I can tell your a true Deere man, just look at all the either cans in the last pic! You must have a 30 series?

willL · Jul 3, 2017

Yep, I "C" it!!!!!

big tee · Jul 3, 2017

This one takes most of the either,---Tee

big tee · Jul 3, 2017

It was about 2 foot from a little jog in the fence. I know that crap is not a noxious weed, My wife is county supervisor and gets asked a lot "what's the county going to do about it?". It is some bad news if you get some sap from it on you. I admit-I should have stayed on my side of the fence....---Tee

big tee · Jul 3, 2017

So far it has been a good mower. Bought it new 5-6 years ago. I should stay out of the ditches. Tee

big tee · Jul 3, 2017

Son changed some sweeps on his Field cultivator and we use a c-clamp and a piece of 1x3 flat steel to clamp on the bolts of the sweep to keep the from popping out and turning, it must have got tossed in the used sweep pail.---Tee

Case Nutty 1660 · Jul 3, 2017

I mowed road ditches for a few years at the local County,, we have 2500 miles of roads to mow here,, I have hit about anything you can think off doing it,, at that time they ran Bush hog brand mowers, iron was solid but not the worse you could hit as it threw it out right away for the most part Dangerous yes, the worst thing I found to hit was tires, they do not cut up or get thrown out until you raise the mower,, man I have seen those 10 foot mowers DANCE with a tire in them lol , I am glad I only have 5 acres or so here now days to keep mowed,, 10 hrs a day mowing for 8-12 weeks got old

jddrawbar · Jul 3, 2017

I agree with Nutty, getting a tire under the mower is like a earthquake!

WOW--I screwed up!!!

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