Posted by Dean on July 02, 2013 at 16:23:31 from (24.1.134.162):
In Reply to: O/T The Rain posted by John B. on July 02, 2013 at 13:00:08:
Lots of rain for this time of year here in SE IN.
Though I do no REAL farming, I do maintain a couple hundred acres and spend all of my spare time mowing.
It's been tough this year. Today I started on one of my "big" projects that gets cut once or at most twice each year. Last time was last fall.
I do not like to cut when either the ground or the grass is wet but took this week off and it's now or never.
Today I spent 6 hours on my MF 533/6' Woods BB720X opening things up. The 533 is a 202 CI Perkins derated to 45 PTO HP for the single reduction 533 (2007 version of the 135). I keep the blades sharp but set the mower as close as possible so as to not scalp.
The Woods has ample grass clearance and usually clears well even in heavy grass (experience has taught me that this is not the case with low cost mowers, e.g., IMT, King Cutter, etc.) but the combination of very heavy grass and a bit too much moisture today necessitated ground speed lower than HP would allow (given my very low cutting height).
I spent most of the time in low range second gear. Last year it was low range third gear (big change between second and third) and 4th gear when terrain permitted (it's steep and the are lots of obstacles.) If it does not stop raining, the heavy debris left on the ground will mold, killing the grass beneath (yet another reason why I have been putting this job off as long as is possible). Usually, it's quite dry in late June/early July.
Tomorrow I will switch off the the MF 2635 (60 PTO HP) and Woods 7' BB840X but I expect that things will still be slow going. The 2635 is new, bigger, less maneuverable and I have not yet become completely familiar with it.
If it does not rain tonight, I should finish this project tomorrow but will likely need to go over some of the area again in a week or two if for no other reason than to disperse the heavy clippings.
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Today's Featured Article - Madison's County - by Anthony West. Philip Madison has been a good friend of mine for quite some time. He has patiently suffered my incessant chit chat on the subject of tractors for longer than I care to remember, and on many occasions he has put himself out, dropped what ever it was he was doing, to come and lend a hand cranking handles, or loading a find onto a trailer. Although he himself has never actually owned or restored a tractor, he was always enthusiastic and always around helping with other peoples projects.
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