I’ve been a fan of propane-powered internal combustion engines ever since I saw how clean the inside of an old propane International Harvester tractor’s engine was when a friend had one apart in his shop. So imagine my delight when I learned that one of my least favorite (due to noise and exhaust) tools to use, the 2-cycle string trimmer, was finally available with a quiet propane-fueled 4-stroke engine on it. Imagine also my surprise when I learned that this new machine was built by a company I had never heard of before – LEHR Incorporated.

 LEHR is the brainchild of Captain Bernardo J. Herzer who spent many a long night converting gasoline engines to run on propane, while cruising the North Sea aboard the vessel Sea Surveyor. Captain Herzer is committed to the application of environmentally friendly technology and finding green energy solutions for retail and commercial products. LEHR products are affordable but definitely not throw away junk.

Over the past couple of months I have been able to spend some quality time with both the curved- and straight-shaft versions of the LEHR Eco Trimmer – thanks to LEHR the string trimmer is no longer my least favorite tool to operate. The LEHR Eco Trimmer is quieter than the 2-cycle versions of the string trimmer that I have experience with and it vibrates less, so my hands don’t buzz for an hour after trimming the road ditch. But the most noticeable and delightful aspect to the LEHR Eco Trimmer is that it emits no smoke and since propane readily combusts to carbon dioxide and water, there isn’t any hydrocarbon smell spewing at you either. And come to think of it, fueling the LEHR is as easy as strapping in a propane canister and attaching the fuel line. Only a very small amount of propane escaped during the process that I never even smelled it – try that while mixing and pouring 2-cycle engine fuel.

Make no mistake the LEHR Eco Trimmer is a heavy duty unit that’s capable of motoring its way through heavy grass and the 40 or 50 species of coarse-stemmed weeds that grow along the corral fence at my farm.  The trimming will be easier for me next time because with the LEHR Eco Trimmer I am much more likely to actually stay on top of the job rather than avoiding it, which I did with the 2-cycle trimmer that’s hanging in my barn. I prefer the LEHR Eco Trimmer because of the lower impact it makes on my immediate environment while operating it. The machine is quiet and not smelly. But as it turns out, the LEHR Eco Trimmer is easier on the broader environment too. And I don’t care what you think about climate change, where’s the harm in helping keep hydrocarbon vapors and other nasty stuff out of the air and soil?

If you are tired of smelling like an oily smoke bomb and tired of having your hands vibrate and tired of mixing gas, then you most definitely want to check out the LEHR Eco Trimmer. You can find them online and at some lawn and garden centers. You can also get a Craftsman-Branded LEHR Eco Trimmer at your local Sears outlet. Go for it and we’ll all get to breathe a little easier.

August isn’t the month that I usually start thinking about winter, but with the lows in the high 50s last night, it definitely felt a bit like fall. And fall does get me thinking about winter preparations – and wondering how much snow we’ll get this year. Snow makes me think of snow handling tools and there’s nothing quite as satisfying as blasting the stuff out of your lane with a tractor-mounted snow blower.

To help with this year’s snow wrangling, Deere and Company’s Frontier Equipment group has released a new front-end loader-mounted and a pair of SB12 Series 3-point-hitch-mounted snow blowers.

The 76-inch wide SB2176 Snow Blower mounts on any current John Deere 400 Series Loader and gets its power from a PTO-driven, 3-point hitch mounted, hydraulic power pack that’s fully independent of the tractor’s hydraulic system. And if you need a bit more traction with the blower mounted, the power pack can be fitted with suitcase weights for added rear ballast. Operators use the tractor’s loader hydraulic controls to adjust the snow blower’s cut height and pitch while moving snow.

“The SB2176 has an industry-exclusive system that automatically monitors the torque applied to the impeller. The auger automatically slows when maximum torque is sensed and this allows the impeller to move away excess snow and helps to reduce plugging during operation,” says Michael Horrell, Frontier Equipment marketing manager.

For farmers and acreage owners who own utility tractors, Frontier also announced 74- and 80-inch, 3-point-hitch-mounted, . These machines are more traditional PTO-powered tools, but they are built to move a lot of snow very quickly.

“This is a commercial-duty snow blower for customers with compact-utility or utility tractors between 30 and 80 horsepower. It’s a great fit for large property owners or contractors who desire to own a commercial-grade snow blower at an economical price,” says Horrell.

I have yet to need a snow blower here in Kansas, but when I farmed in South Dakota, there were plenty of days when I could have made good use of any of these new Frontier machines. Pushing out 10-foot tall drifts isn’t that much fun with a loader – especially when the wind rebuilds them faster than you can remove them.

If you live in the snow-belt or are considering a snow-removal side business, you just might want to head down to your nearest John Deere dealer and have a look at these new snow blowers from Frontier.

When it comes to digging in new waterlines, setting cistern tanks, creating small ponds, excavating footing trenches for new buildings and even planting large trees at your place, nothing can beat the compact excavator for efficiency. These digging machines are designed to do one thing and they do it well. I recently spent some quality time with the Bobcat 418 compact excavator – it is really on the miniature end of the compact excavator range – and found it to be capable and a breeze to operate. In fact, I wouldn’t mind having a Bobcat 418 compact excavator of my own – just to play in a big-boy’s sandbox with. Seriously, I can think of plenty of uses for the machine around the farm.

The Bobcat 418 compact excavator is small enough to get into barns for digging in that new water hydrant and it’s narrow enough (with tracks retracted) to easily scoot through a 30-inch gate. A skilled operator could get the machine through a 28-inch wide opening, but I know I would scrape something in tight conditions like that. If you think about it, you could pretty easily drive the Bobcat 418 compact excavator through the front door of your house and tear up the living room floor to excavate footings for that new masonry chimney you have planned.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that the Bobcat 418 compact excavator is too small to get much useful work done. Nothing could be farther from the truth. This excavator weighs in at more than 2500 pounds, has a digging depth of 6 feet and a bucket breakout force of 1,865 pounds per foot. Tree roots, stumps and thin limestone layers are no match for this excavator. The Bobcat 418 compact excavator also swings within the footprint of its tracks when they’re extended, which eliminates tail overhang and decreases the possibility of the excavator’s weights and engine compartment coming in contact with buildings, fence posts or other nearby objects.

Operating the Bobcat 418 compact excavator was a breeze, thanks to a pair of joysticks that controlled everything from swing to boom crowding to bucket curling. The seat is comfortable, the noise level is low and in the event that you do wind up topsy-turvy, this excavator is equipped with a tip-over protection system (TOPS) that will keep you from landing on your head.

If you have a significant amount of backhoe work to accomplish in a relatively short period of time, I would recommend renting a Bobcat 418 compact excavator or another machine in the same class. If you anticipate a lot of backhoe work over a long period of time, it might make more sense to purchase the little excavator new or used. Check with your Bobcat dealer for more details.

Last week I had the good fortune to travel to Bismarck, North Dakota to visit the folks at Bobcat and to take a close look at a herd of fine new machines. The event was designed to showcase the company’s new M-Series loaders and excavators – I will discuss those in future posts, but today I want to report on my test drive of the company’s new Toolcat 5610, which I first saw at the National Farm Machinery Show last winter. The Toolcat 5610 is a truly revolutionary machine that is part tractor, part utility vehicle and part loader. The only thing that comes close to the Toolcat 5610 in versatility is the Mercedes (Case, Freightliner, etc.) Unimog but it is in a completely different price and size class.

I will admit to being somewhat skeptical that the Toolcat 5610 would be capable of doing all of its tasks well, so you can imagine my glee when I learned that the machine would be available for operation at the Bismarck event. Let me say from the get go that I was blown away by the Toolcat 5610. The machine is not your average UTV, it is an incredibly heavy-duty tool – it weighs nearly 6000 pounds when fitted out. As such, the 5610 is an excellent platform for front and rear mounted attachments. Even though the 5610 is equipped with four-wheel independent suspension (and 4-wheel steering), it has been designed in such a way as to provide tractor-like rigidity (and stability) with a bucketful of gravel on the front lift arm. Yes, you can actually use the Toolcat 5610 as a front-end loader.

Perhaps even more impressive than the unique suspension system is the Toolcat 5610’s capacity to do farm and land maintenance work of all kinds. The rear Cat. 1 three-point hitch and 540 RPM PTO allow operators to hitch up to any of hundreds of implements from mowers to scrapers to seeders to snow blowers. From the seat, in the 5610’s comfy climate-controlled cab, I found it easier to watch the rear attachment than from the seat of many tractors. The Toolcat 5610 is fully capable of pulling and powering ground-engaging tools – it had no problem with the 6-foot rotary tiller at full depth in the Missouri River silt at the site. And I did the tilling with a solid stand seeder mounted on the front lift arm. I also experimented with a hydraulically-driven mower on the front lift arm. Impressive is about all I can think of to say.

The Toolcat 5610 may well be the perfect single machine for small farmers, acreage owners and folks who have several acres to maintain. You get a tractor, utility vehicle, loader and recreational vehicle all rolled into a single all-terrain, diesel-powered package. The Toolcat 5610 does each of its tasks well, but if you have scores of acres of hay to make or need a loader 8 hours a day most days, then you would want to make the investment in several pieces of more specialized machinery. If you are in the market for a true working partner around your place, then head on over to your local Bobcat dealer and see about arranging a weekend with the Toolcat 5610, I know you will be impressed.

Just when I was sure the petroleum lobby would squash any possibility of mainstreaming biodiesel, engineers at Purdue University (my youngest daughter Alaina’s alma mater) beat back the naysayers big time. How did they do it? They used real science and a real live study to prove the value of biodiesel in big rigs.

Turns out that there are virtually no performance issues for rigs hauling loads running on a diet of B-20 (diesel blend with 20 percent biodiesel content) compared with those guzzling ultra-low-sulfur diesel, which is the current standard for road fuel in the United States. The study followed 10 semis for more than 1.5 million miles over the course of a year and kept track of idling time, average speed, engine load percentage and engine speed.

Photo: iStock David Freund

Once the study was complete and the statistics were analyzed, engineers concluded that there were no real differences in performance, fuel economy, fuel test results, engine oil analyses or service and maintenance costs in biodiesel-fueled rigs compared with those burning the ultra-low-sulfur fuel. The B-20 did cost an average of 13 cents a gallon more than the ultra-low-sulfur. It should be noted that the B-20 fuel exceeded the National Biodiesel Accreditation Commission’s standards. What does that say to the petroleum lobby, I wonder? I guess biodiesel can be good stuff, eh?

It’s my hope that engine manufacturers will now extend warranties to those who choose to run a little green through their trucks, tractors and construction equipment. Go Boilermakers!

PHOTO CAPTION:
John Lumkes found that a 20 percent blend of biodiesel fuel performed as well in trucks as the standard ultra-low sulfur diesel. Differences in the fuels' performances were statistically insignificant. (Purdue Agricultural Communications photo/Tom Campbell)

Last week, while my daughter Alaina was still visiting, we went ahead and did some chores with the DR Towable Backhoe demo unit that’s in the barn. When DR first offered to send a Towable Backhoe to Kansas for testing, I was just a little skeptical that something so seemingly small and relatively light weight could really perform, but I was burning with curiosity because of the company’s history of building awesome machines that do what they are designed to do quite well.

When the DR Towable Backhoe first arrived, I hitched it to my pickup and pulled it down the highway to the farm without incident. This particular model is equipped with fenders and lights, in addition to highway hubs and wheels. The company recommends that you don’t exceed 45 mph while towing. Even though the speed limit was 70 mph for much of my trip to the farm, I never came close to towing the backhoe at that speed but I might have been a tad over 45 a time or two. The backhoe tracked well; the drive was completely free of any white knuckle syndrome.

Setting up the DR Towable backhoe was a piece of cake. All I needed to do was to pour 10 gallons of hydraulic fluid into the reservoir and fire it up. Oops, don’t worry Julia I also added premium diesel-engine-quality motor oil to the Robin engine’s crankcase, before firing it up. It took more time to unwrap the Towable Backhoe than it did to get it ready to go to work.

Since our Kansas ground is hard when dry and sticky when wet, and since there are plenty of plate-size pieces of limestone in it, I used the Polaris Ranger as an anchor point when digging with DR’s diminutive hoe. It is possible to dig with the DR Towable Backhoe without attaching it to another vehicle, but the vehicle makes it pretty easy to move the hoe around and helps keep it from moving when you don’t want it to. After several uses now, I find the DR Towable Backhoe to be robust, capable and really handy for getting into tight spots and steep places that might upset a tractor.

So what do you use a little backhoe like this for? I find it to be really adept at digging holes for transplanting larger trees, cutting in relatively short waterlines (for long lines, a hydraulic excavator or trencher will cut the time substantially), digging out the broken sewer line that got crushed earlier this spring and digging large, deep holes for setting big, irregularly-shaped Osage orange posts (think butt end of a 50-year-old tree’s trunk). The 6.0 horsepower Robin gas engine is an easy recoil-starting model that has plenty of oomph to supply 2.6 gallons of hydraulic fluid per minute at 2500 psi – even under heavy load. At one point I hooked a piece of limestone ledge about 3 feet down; curling the bucket dragged the entire backhoe and Polaris Ranger toward the hole. The engine’s governor kicked in, but it didn’t lose significant speed.

At right around $5500 (including shipping), the DR Towable Backhoe’s cost is comparable to small tractor-mounted backhoe attachments. This machine is perfect for folks who use ATVs, UTVs, or garden tractors to maintain their places. If you have a compact (or larger) tractor and anticipate a moderate amount of backhoe work, then it will be difficult to decide between the DR unit and a mounted hoe. In either case, the beauty of the DR Towable Backhoe is in its self-contained nature and ease of attaching to and disconnecting from the anchor vehicle. If you use your tractor as an anchor point you may get the full digging power of the DR Towable Backhoe to boot. Other advantages to the DR hoe include being able to relocate at up to 45 mph, and being able to squeeze into places that larger machines simply won’t fit. It also takes up way less space in the shed and you can move it around with ease.

Once I was finished with the dirt work, I hooked the DR Trailing Field and Brush mower to the Polaris Ranger. Alaina and I had a lovely conversation while I clipped about 10 acres of pasture that the cattle had just been moved off of. I know that such heavy mowing isn’t really what the mower was designed for, but it continues to work like a trooper. Stay tuned for more reports on DR’s remarkable products.

With timing that’s perfect for these economic times, KIOTI Tractor has just announced two new mid-sized tractors designed and built for folks living in the country that don’t want or need to spend the money on all the bells and whistles that can be found on much more expensive machines. Don’t get me wrong, these new tractors are fully capable and heavy-duty machines. They just rely on well-proven and re-proven technology whose development has long been paid for. And the best part is that the company is passing the cost savings on to consumers.

Based on the same field-proven chassis as the premium KIOTI line, the new DS4110 (41 horsepower; tractor only with ag tires has a MSRP of $17,750) and DS4510 (45 horsepower; tractor only, with ag tires has a MSRP of $18,650) both feature the same powerful yet fuel-efficient and well-proven Daedong Diesel engine with the injection pump tweaked for different power levels. Both tractors include standard features like a rear 540 rpm PTO (33.4 PTO horsepower DS4110 and 37.6 PTO horsepower DS4510) and a constant mesh shuttle transmission with eight forward and eight reverse gears.   Both tractors are also equipped with four-wheel drive, power steering, wet disc brakes, rear differential lock, a comfortable and adjustable seat, foldable ROPS, seat belt and a choice of Ag, Turf or Industrial tires. Both also come with KIOTI's four-year, full fleet warranty.

"We have positioned this line between the so-called economy tractors offered by other OEMs and our premium line, which is highly regarded in this marketplace,” says Ron Parrish, Marketing Development Manager at KIOTI.  “We believe we have an extremely competitive product here at an extremely competitive price point.” 

I have not yet given these tractors a test drive, but if you are looking for good dependable power around the farm or homestead, I would definitely consider these machines.

Just as virtually every machinery company has jumped on the UTV bandwagon, Kubota charges out ahead with an innovative new concept that carries more people OR more cargo, depending on your immediate needs. The all-new RTV1140CPX features a transformation system that quickly converts from one- to two-row seating, which allows the operator to choose between passenger capacity and best-in-class cargo volume – and there is no compromise in safety since the system is mounted on an OSHA-compliant roll-over protection structure (ROPS).

 “The RTV1140CPX provides exceptional comfort and safety accommodating four adults, as well as unmatched cargo configurations, capacity and convenience,” says Dan Muramoto, product manager for Kubota.  “The RTV1140CPX has exceptionally broad appeal, from ranchers and farmers to property owners, facility managers and outdoorsmen; this new utility vehicle is a unique solution for a wide variety of applications.”

The RTV1140CPX 4-wheel drive utility vehicle is powered by a fuel-miserly 24.8 horsepower, three-cylinder Kubota diesel engine and features 4-wheel wet disc brakes and hydraulic power steering. The transforming UTV also features Kubota’s new triple-range, hydrostatic VHT Plus transmission that delivers power and torque for any situation, easy speed and direction changes and smooth dynamic braking. Maximum cargo load is 1,102 lbs., with a towing capacity of 1,300 lbs. The new utility vehicle is offered in Kubota Orange and Realtree^® Hardwoods Camouflage models. Look for the RTV1140CPX at a Kubota dealer near you.

Cub Cadet is celebrating spring by offering customers a chance to experience top of-the-line outdoor power equipment and win more than $40,000 in prizes during Cub Cadet Days. NASCAR fans, outdoor enthusiasts and everyone who enjoys a great looking lawn are invited to stop by a local Cub Cadet Dealer or Bass Pro Shops to test out their premium products and enter for a chance to win a limited edition Cub Cadet Volunteer 4x4 Utility Vehicle designed after the #1 Martin Truex Jr. Sprint Cup Series™ car and also a Nitro X-5 bass boat.

 Throughout spring and summer, customers can visit their local participating Cub Cadet Dealer or Bass Pro Shops and enter for a chance to win the limited edition utility vehicle and Nitro X-5 bass boat, or a VIP experience for two at a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™ Race during the 2009 season.

“As the official outdoor power equipment and utility vehicle sponsor of NASCAR and associate sponsor for Bass Pro Shops Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Team, we are happy to announce the start of Cub Cadet Days,” says Jeff Salamon, Cub Cadet director of marketing. “NASCAR fans, Cub Cadet enthusiasts and everyone looking to own the industry’s best lawn, garden, turf, and outdoor power equipment are invited to visit their nearest Cub Cadet Dealer to demo our extensive line of products and enter for a chance to win truly one-of-a-kind prizes.”

Valued at $20,000, the limited edition, Volunteer 4x4 Utility Vehicle comes standard with a high performance 748cc V-Twin EFI engine, a solid 3-inch welded steel frame, a top rated 1,400 lb. towing capacity and other premium features like a 4-wheel fully independent dual A-arm suspension that provides a smooth ride over the roughest terrain and heavy-duty locking rear differential for additional traction through slippery and unstable conditions.

This limited edition #1 car-inspired Volunteer 4x4 Utility Vehicle comes well accessorized with 16 high-performance add-ons including a 4,000-lb. premium Warn® Winch designed exclusively for the Cub Cadet Volunteer, polished steel SuperTrapp Sport Exhaust, AM/FM Sirius Satellite-ready Stereo/CD player with 105-Watt marine grade speakers, electric bed lift, 14” aluminum rims with off-road tire kit and is even signed by the #1 car driver himself, Martin Truex Jr.

The fully-loaded Volunteer utility vehicle also includes:

• Gun Boot
• Light Bars
• Rear View Mirror
• Bed Liner
• Front Receiver
• Fog Lights
• Electrical Accessory Harness
• Floor Mats
• Head Rests
• Grab Bar

One grand prize winner and one first prize winner will be selected in October. To enter, simply visit your local participating Cub Cadet Dealer or Bass Pro Shops from now until September 7, 2009. For more information, contest rules or to learn more about the products offered by Cub Cadet, visit www.CubCadet.com.  

Massey Ferguson just announced a plan to promote its new MF 1600 Series lineup by giving away a brand new Model 1635 compact tractor to a lucky sweepstakes entrant. This program, which the company calls the “cloud 10” sweepstakes is easy to enter by mail or online. The giveaway was launched yesterday and will run through June 30, 2009.

“We are excited to offer our customers the chance to win one of the new Massey Ferguson 1600 Series compact tractors,” says Steve Barcuch, Massey Ferguson product marketing manager. “This new series of compact tractors was designed to raise the bar across the entire product class. The tractor is the ultimate combination of function and fun – a tractor that enhances the joy in the work.”

Power under the hood of the MF1635 is delivered by an efficient Iseki 3-cylinder liquid-cooled diesel engine with clean-air technology that meets Tier IV interim emission standards. Two easy-as-driving-your-car transmission choices include the 12 x 12 PowerShuttle and a three-range hydrostatic transmission to match the customer’s needs for economy, durability, power and agility. Heavy-duty cast-iron housings and oil-encased bevel gears mean smoother operation and longer life.

Making the tractor the most comfortable in its class are a noticeably larger operator’s area; form-hugging, standard deluxe spring-suspension seat; standard large armrests; and a platform which rests on rubber isolation mounts to minimize vibration at the operator’s level.

Redesigned, right-hand fender-mounted implement controls reduce operator back and arm fatigue by having the controls right where operators need them. Owners will enjoy the uncluttered layout, color-coded controls and easy-to-read gauges. And the wide-open platform makes getting on and off the tractor a breeze.

The ‘Cloud 10’ sweepstakes is open to legal residents of the 48 contiguous United States and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 years of age or older. Canada residents must be over age of majority and skills test applies. For official contest rules, visit www.masseyferguson.com/cloudten.

With its global commitment to providing products that help folks maintain their property in an earth friendly way, Husqvarna is proud to offer its EcoSmart property-care solutions. From new zero-emission battery-powered products to high-tech, low emission gas-powered engines, EcoSmart solutions help consumers easily identify innovative, “green” products for the lawn and garden.

“In 2000, Husqvarna issued environmental declarations on several products – the first outdoor power equipment company in the world to do so,” says Dave Zerfoss, president of Husqvarna Professional Product, Inc.  “Today, we are proud to introduce new technology that speaks to our heritage, leads the way in “green solutions” for the lawn and garden enthusiast and exceeds the performance demands of our consumer.”

EcoSmart solutions from Husqvarna currently include nine products and two engine technologies that power a wide range of handheld products including chain saws, trimmers and blowers.

Automower Solar Hybrid

Husqvarna’s Automower™ Solar Hybrid is a fully robotic lawn mower partly powered by the sun and uses no fuel or oil.

The Solar Hybrid mower is designed to handle lawns of up to a half acre. Incorporating solar and battery power, it uses considerably less energy than any conventional mower with its large integrated solar panel and is emissions-free. When there is daylight available, the solar cells enable the mower to extend its cutting periods before requiring a recharge. Lower power consumption and an extended battery life enable a faster, more environmentally improved cut.

Automower™ Solar Hybrid mower is programmable to and charges itself when required by returning to its base. The 22-pound mower cuts every day, day or night, rain or shine and has a 4-digit pin code lock feature.

Automower™ 230ACX, 220AC, 210C

Husqvarna’s newest fully automatic, battery-powered lawn mowers take the manual work out of an often tedious chore.  Three models, the 230ACX, 220AC and the 210C, offer options for the homeowner looking for a “green” way to mow.

Automower™ functions in the same capacity as the Automower Solar Hybrid, however it operates on battery alone.

TB 1000 Battery Cultivator

Husqvarna’s battery-powered cultivator delivers like any gas driven cultivator in its class, but without noise and emissions.  This cordless, multipurpose cultivator is a versatile tool that can be fitted with accessories for ridging, detaching and edging.

The high capacity battery offers the same performance of gasoline engines and delivers 30-45 minutes of battery life per charge. The touch-controls, adjustable handlebar, and overall ergonomic and compact design make this cultivator very comfortable and easy to use.

Electric Utility Vehicle, Husqvarna HUV4210E

Husqvarna’s compact, electric HUV is ideal for estate owners, nurseries, gardeners, farmers, landscapers as well as homeowners.  The 48 volt electric motor can haul up to 800 lbs. – without producing emissions and noise.

Advanced Engine Technology

X-Torq^® - Husqvarna’s X-Torq engines reduce fuel consumption up to 20 percent and emissions up to 60 percent.

LZ6131P Propane Powered Zero Turn Mower

This zero-turn mower is ideal for the professional user or large acreage owner.  The 31 horse power Kawasaki FX850LPG engine meets EPA regulations and operates with lower fuel costs.  The fuel quality remains consistent (propane does not go stale like gasoline) and the likelihood of spillage is non-existent.  It also provides a faster fuel throttle response under load.

Husqvarna 540 Push Reel Mower

For homeowners seeking less impact on the environment when mowing, there’s a renewed interest in reel mowers. The new model offers easier maneuverability, requires no gas or oil, and has zero emissions with a quieter mowing experience. Homeowners can reduce their carbon footprint with a cost-efficient alternative to lawn care and get healthy exercise while mowing.

Bar & Chain Oil Designed Specifically for the Environment

This EcoSmart solution is made from 80 percent canola oil, is non-toxic and extends the life of the chainsaw’s bar, chain and sprocket.  With minimal environmental impact, the oil biodegrades within 21 days.

 For more on these and other Husqvarna products click here.

I am excited to learn that Ariens, the venerable lawn and garden equipment manufacturer that traces its roots way back into the early 20^th Century, has joined Hustler Turf in the electric riding mower arena.  The Ariens AMP™ Rider shares center stage with Hustler Turf’s Zeon all-electric zero-turn mower in a show that’s bound to only get better over time. The all-electric, rear-wheel-drive and front-wheel steer AMP is very much a traditional-style riding mower that delivers as much drive and cutting power as a conventional gas-powered riding mower without the emissions, oil, belts or noise associated with petroleum-powered mowers.  

Industry sources indicate that the Ariens AMP will be available in May of this year at The Home Depot and select Ariens dealers throughout the United States.  The AMP™ Rider will sell for around $3,299, which makes it the lowest priced all-electric riding lawn mower on the market … for now anyway.

The AMP features a 34" wide twin-blade cutting deck with precise quarter-inch height adjustments from 1.5" to 4.5". The folks at Ariens say the little machine can cut an acre of lawn in an hour and that it can cut continuously for up to 75 minutes, depending on terrain, grass length and a few other environmental parameters.

Charging the AMP’s batteries is a 16-hour proposition with the standard charger, but that can be cut to 5 hours with an optional 20-amp charger. And the battery management system automatically shuts off the charger and puts the battery into hibernation mode when a full charge is achieved.

I am excited by the prospect of giving one of these mowers a whirl down on my farm. If I get that chance, you can read all about it in this blog.

For much more on the Ariens AMP, click here.

We knocked off another one of our pre-garden projects this weekend. Between taking down the tree on the south end of the garden area and cleaning up a bunch of brush in the small woodlot on our property, we had a fair amount of chipping to do. For a few years now, I’ve been trying to talk Sue into buying a chipper even though we lived in town. But she’s pretty frugal, and she always pointed out that chipping up fourteen branches a year hardly justified the cost of buying, or even renting one. She was right of course.

Now I’m not going to claim that I wanted to buy this property as a chipping opportunity, but it’s definitely one of the projects I had in mind when we signed the papers. So I tied a rope around bunches of stuff in the woodlot and dragged it out with a John Deere LA115 lawn tractor, and we carried the rest over to our chipping area to start the project.

We used a Bandit Model 65XP chipper, which is a real guy toy. The 35 HP engine is beefy enough to keep going with barely a whimper. We were feeding in whole small trees and brush with root balls as large as 4 inch diameter without a break, and it handled the stuff like it was butter. It got a little indigestion with pine needles and when it got to the tips of shrubs where there were a lot of small branches, but hitting the reverse bar for a second or two cleared those out easily. When it got the occasional chunk that was a bit big for its gears, it broke it up with a hydraulic hammer action. Overall, this is a very impressive piece of equipment.

Probably the best part was that it vindicated my long-standing quest for a chipping session. Sue work right along with me, and before it was over we were competing for the chance to feed yet another big chunk of brush into the thing and watch it reduce to sweet-smelling rubble. Sue used to buy wood chips every spring to mulch the garden, and this place has a lot of flower gardens, not to mention the vegetable garden we’re getting ready to plant. So even she has to admit that at $8 a bag for a couple of cubic feet, we saved a ton of money by making our own wood chips.

I just hope those tree vines were wild grapes like I told her they were. If she comes down with a case a poison ivy every time she works on the garden, I’m going to play dumb.

Getting the tough work completed in backyards, barns and animal or hay lots just got easier with the new Bobcat T110 compact track loader. The T110 is the seventh compact track loader available from Bobcat and at only 47-inches wide the machine can squeeze through narrow gates and get into stalls with ease. But with its incredible flotation and traction this little loader is able to push, pull, dig and do just about every other task you would ask of a much larger loader, and it is comfortable powering all kinds of non-digging kinds of attachments.

Bobcat offers 26 attachments for the T110, including hydraulic breakers for demolishing concrete or asphalt; pallet forks for fertilizer and seed; soil conditioners and tillers for preparing garden beds; augers for planting trees and installing fence posts; snowblowers for clearing snow; and trenchers for installing utility or irrigation lines. And to top it off, the T110 comes standard with Bobcat’s Bob-Tach mounting system and 12.5 gallons-per-minute auxiliary hydraulic flow to make sure those attachments go on and off easy and have plenty of power to get the work done.

This 5200 pound, nearly 42 horsepower machine is no toy, but it is sized to be a perfect partner around the farm or acreage. Check the T110 out at a Bobcat dealer near you.

It used to be that we just put used coffee grounds in the compost heap or directly into the garden, but now it seems that used coffee grounds make a great feedstock for making biodiesel. I have just gotten used to the smell of french-fries emanating from the tail pipes of  some city buses and a few pickup trucks … the smell of coffee might be more than I can handle.

According to a study carried out at the University of Nevada Reno, coffee, the dregs of most used beverage in the world have value as an oil source for the production of high-quality biodiesel. In an article published in the March issue of Biodiesel Magazine, Susanne Retka Schillthe reports that the concept of using coffee to produce diesel fuel has been around for a few years anyway. It seems that bio-fuel pioneers down in Brazil have been using excess and reject coffee beans to make biodiesel for some time now. The new research indicates that used coffee grounds contain from 11 percent to 20 percent oil that results in a stable, but sulfur-rich biodiesel. In order to meet ASTM standards for on-road diesel fuel, the sulfur needs to be removed first.

the University of Nevada, Reno study concluded that if all the coffee grounds were collected from Starbuck’s they could be processed into about 2.9 million gallons of biodiesel each year. And once the oil is extracted from the coffee grounds, the remains can be turned into pellets and used as a heating fuel. The scientists working on the project realize that coffee grounds can really only amount to a small fraction of fuel needs globally, but I believe that their work is important because it makes clear that solutions to our fuel issues can be found in unlikely places, if only we can see them.

I know I would gladly run coffee biodiesel in my tractors and pickup, if I could find it. It makes more sense to me to take a waste product and turn it into biodiesel than it does to grow a crop like soybeans just for that purpose. What do you think?

I just discovered that Cub Cadet has finally redesigned its website as a single point of information for all of its constituents. Folks can now easily access homeowner-rated equipment, Volunteer utility vehicles, commercial products and Cub Cadet Yanmar machinery through one dynamic, easy-to-use website. In the past, you had to jump from one site to another to capture the scope of Cub Cadet products … think that was a pain? It was.

Cub Cadet’s redesigh is based on some market research that indicated that potential and existing customers turn to the internet long before stepping into a dealership or retail store. Cub Cadet’s new website provides visitors with an experience that compliments their in-store experience by providing in-depth information on all products, including zero-turn riding mowers, compact utility tractors, commercial mowers and more. Browsing through all four product lines can finally be accomplished from one location, with the click of a button.

“Short of entering into a dealership or retail store, we set out to make CubCadet.com the go-to resource for all things Cub Cadet,” says Jeff Salamon, Cub Cadet’s director of marketing.  “We are giving consumers a central location to experience what we call the fundamentals of Cub Cadet products – innovation, progressive thinking, high performance and premium quality.  We want them to leave our website with the confidence and reassurance they need to feel that their investment is well-placed.”

In addition to showcasing Cub Cadet’s products, the new website connects visitors to dealers and retailers. After reviewing products and comparing details, website visitors can add products to a shopping list and with the click of a button and proceed to check-out. CubCadet.com then allows visitors to arrange purchase from the nearest dealer.

What’s even more exciting to me is that this convenient purchasing process extends to parts. With 20-something vintage Cub Cadet garden tractors in my collection, online parts ordering is a real plus.

I don’t often wax excited about corporate websites, but Cub Cadet’s website redesign is refreshingly useful … enough so that I am really excited. Click on in to www.CubCadet.com to marvel at the depth and breadth of cool tools and machinery the company offers.

Last January, John Deere added a pair of special edition GATORS to its award-winning family of heavy-duty UTVs. This time, the special machines share a common platform with the XUV 620i and come with special paint and other unique features.  

The Special Edition XUV 620i models are offered in either Midnight Black or Metallic Silver.

“With the release of these special edition models we are meeting the demand from a growing audience of outdoor enthusiasts, interested in custom vehicles,” says Kevin Lund, utility vehicle group product marketing manager for John Deere. "These new models provide our customers with unique vehicles they can further customize, depending on how they use their vehicle and what they want their vehicle to say about them.”

The Midnight Black features a carbon-fiber pattern that is professionally applied with an exclusive Final Finish® process on the hood and steering wheel cover. It also sports premium SLX polymer high gloss black fenders that deliver a quality painted look in a mold-through color that resists UV fading and marring. The Metallic Silver Edition is coated with high quality paint on the hood, fenders, cargo box and tailgate.

Both special edition models come equipped with five-spoke alloy wheels, 21- inch high-back sport seats, billet aluminum controls and a special edition nameplate on the front fenders. Custom options include adventure lights, a high-performance slip-on exhaust, a heavy-duty brush guard, heavy-duty fender guards, several windshield options and more.

If you are looking for something special in an ATV or UTV this spring, you need look no further than your local Polaris dealer. The company released several limited edition Sportsman ATVs and Ranger UTV machines that will make your work seem more like play and your play more fun.

The Sportsman line of ATVs will now include three limited edition models, including one that is really tricked out for farm and ranch. The limited edition 2009 Sportsman 850 EPS LE comes with a Tequila Gold paintjob that’s sure please, but the package is much more than cosmetic. This new work machine comes with electronic power steering, an extreme front bumper PIAA lights, rear work lights, rear rack extender, winch, front storage box and much more. This 4-wheeler would make an excellent partner for riding fences, hunting, checking cattle and general utility work around your place. Hose it off at the end of the workday and you can head on into town … or at least to your local recreational trail and do some pleasure riding.  Other limited addition models are based on the Sportsman 800 Touring and Sportsman 500 H.O. chasses.

Among its Ranger and Ranger RZR UTV offerings, Polaris is adding seven limited edition models. I am most intrigued by the , which includes Stealth Black painted hood, dash and glove box, custom cut & sew Browning seats with buck trademark, factory-installed 4,000 lb. Warn winch, dual lock and ride rifle scabbards and 12-inch Crusher rims with PXT tires among many other hard-working features. This machine is set up for hard work, back-country exploration and agressive play.  

In the RZR lineup, the limited edition models that really grab my attention are the 2009 RANGER RZR and RANGER RZR 170-Passion Pink & Pink Power. I am not sure just who would want a pink-colored Ranger RZR, but it is a boldly colorful move by Polaris. Additional features on the RANGER RZR limited edition model include: Passion Pink painted hood, dash and box panels, custom cut & sew stitched pink and charcoal carbon deluxe seats, white painted front and rear suspension springs, 12-inch Black Crusher Rims with Maxxis tires and much more.

Designed to look just like the RANGER RZR, the RANGER RZR 170 comes with several standard safety features including safety whip flag, two helmets and side nets. The recommended minimum age to operate the RANGER RZR 170 is 12 years. Additional features on the RANGER RZR 170 limited edition model include: pink Power bodywork, limited-edition graphics, special Pink Power upholstery, and silver painted wheels.

Check out all of these Polaris limited edition vehicles here.

Two of my favorite companies, Bobcat and Polaris recently announced a long-term strategic alliance that will include co-development of work vehicles, global distribution of highly differentiated work vehicles and technology sharing. The first products resulting from this alliance should launch by the second half of 2010. I can’t wait to see what they come up with.

“We are thrilled about the long-term implications of this alliance,” sas Richard Goldsbury, president, Bobcat Americas. “Bobcat’s and Polaris’ long traditions of innovation, product passion and similar cultures complement each other very well.”

Scott Wine, Polaris Industries CEO, says Polaris initially will produce and sell highly differentiated work vehicles to Bobcat for sale through the Bobcat dealer network. The breadth and depth of cooperative efforts will eventually include co-developed vehicles for both Polaris and Bobcat as well as other technology sharing efforts.

“We are combining the strengths of the number-one compact construction equipment manufacturer with those of the number-one off-road vehicle manufacturer to deliver innovative product solutions for our customers,” Goldsbury says. “This alliance will enable both companies to extend our customer bases and provide profitable growth.”

Stay tuned as this cooperative effort unfolds.

The folks at KIOTI Tractor, a division of Daedong Industrial Co., Ltd, now offer a pair of new cab tractors to the North American market. . The DK50SE HST  and the DK35SE HST Cab bring the number of tractors in KIOTI’s popular DKSE Series up to 6 models that range from 35 – 49 horsepower.  These new tractors bring comfort and performance to KIOTI's extensive tractor lineup.

The brand new KIOTI DK50SE HST 49 horsepower tractor boasts a Tier IV, 4-cylinder, water-cooled diesel engine. A Rear PTO with optional mid-PTO allows users of this mid-range tractor to power a multitude of implements and attachments, making it capable of handling a wide pretty much any chore around the farm or acreage.  The Category I, 3-point hitch further enhances the DK50’s versatility.  “Many users have come to love our DKSE HST tractors for their ease of use and versatility,” says Ron Parrish, Market Development Manager for KIOTI Tractor.  “Anyone who can drive a car can get into the operator’s seat of one of these machines and quickly become comfortable and productive operating it.”

KIOTI’s new DK50SE HST model is available with or without a cab, although the company expects most to be delivered with the cab, which gives buyer’s the luxury of heating or air conditioning and protection from the weather.

Standard features on these new models include: high visibility glass, power steering, front and rear working lights, wet-disc brakes, rear differential lock, joy stick loader control, electronically engaged four wheel drive, electronically engaged PTO with auto and manual positions, an oil cooler and KIOTI’s 4-Year, Full-Fleet Warranty.    

All of the features found in the DK50SE HST are also found on the slightly smaller KIOTI DK35SE HST, 38 horsepower model.  “The success of our DK line in large part is due to all the standard features built into the machines,” says Parrish.  “Many competitive tractor manufacturers offer these same features at an additional cost.  When you purchase a KIOTI, they are part of the package.”

Although I have yet to operate these machines, I did get a chance to look them over and I continue to be impressed with KIOTI’s approach to growing their compact and utility tractor lines. Test-drive these new cab tractors at your local KIOTI dealer this spring.

Bobcat recently released its latest and greatest utility-vehicle/tractor/loader and it drew quite a crowd at the 2009 National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville last week. This diesel-powered machine features four-wheel steering, four-wheel independent suspension and a smart fulltime all wheel drive system that sends power to the wheel(s) with traction. The more I learn about utility vehicles and Toolcats in general, the more I have come to believe that they have a place on the farm.

This Toolcat comes with a front-end loader that’s capable of handling more than 40 Bobcat attachments and many more from other manufacturers. Optional equipment includes a high-flow auxiliary hydraulic system, rear 540-rpm PTO, rear category 1 three-point hitch and much more. With the rear PTO, three-point hitch and the front lift arm, you can use two different attachments on the Toolcat 5610 simultaneously as long as one of the attachments is non-hydraulic. For example, a hydraulic soil conditioner can be mounted on the front while a non-hydraulic hitch-mounted seeder is used on the rear of the machine.

Missing from this highly-capable utility vehicle is a rear cargo box. In its place, the Toolcat 5610 has a pair of  rear compartments capable of carrying up to 50 pounds of load each … located on either side of the engine compartments ventilation grate. Available operator amenities include cab with CD player, heat and air conditioning as well as keyless start and tilt steering wheel.

The Toolcat 5610 was designed for heavy-duty applications around the farm, acreage or jobsite. When equipped with the rear 3-point hitch and PTO, you can expect this workhorse to list at right around $50,000. Intimidating as that sounds, this machine will do most of the work you can accomplish with a small skid loader, compact tractor and utility vehicle.

Test drive the Toolcat 5610 at a Bobcat dealer near you.

Kubota is growing its mid-size tractor lineup with four new models that were released at the 2009 National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville last week. The new releases include the M100X, M110X, M126X and M135X with 97.7, 107.5, 125, and 135 net horsepower engines respectively.  The M135X is Kubota’s most powerful M-Series tractor to date, with a 374 cubic inch, turbocharged direct injection four-cylinder diesel engine that boasts 118 PTO horsepower.

“Increased horsepower and enhanced design elements on these M-Series deluxe mid-size tractors will allow operators to be more efficient during long days in the field,” says Paul Williams, Kubota product manager. “Leading the pack is the new M135X, a deluxe, high performance tractor with advance features at an affordable price.”

Other standard features include a dual-range eight powershift speed transmission (16 total speeds forward and reverse) wide-front tread that provides an overall 70-74 inch tread spacing, making straddling wide windrows in baler applications easier.  Float links have been added to the three-point hitch, which provide lateral floatation for the use of wide implements. To provide for a smooth, comfortable ride on the M135X, especially when equipped with a loader, Kubota offers optional front axle hydraulic suspension with a toggle switch to turn the system on-and-off. These features, combined with the standard radial tires on each M-Series model, provide excellent traction and a quiet ride.

To further enhance the new M-Series designs, Kubota is also introducing two new loaders: the LA1953 and the LA2253.  Each loader is configured with Kubota’s current quick coupler system or, new to these models, is the ISO Euro-coupler system.  The LA1953 is performance matched to the M100X and the M110X and has a lifting capacity of 4299 pounds, while the LA2253 is matched to the M126X and the M135X and has a lifting capacity of 4934 pounds.

If you are in the market for a chore boy in the 100 plus horsepower range, check these new utility tractors out at a Kubota dealer near you.

I made a quick stop at the 2009 National Farm Machinery show on my way to the airport on Saturday. I had a chance to meet with Tammy Wecksler, Massey Ferguson’s marketing communications manager, before the day’s events really got under way. Tammy and I had a marvelous conversation about upcoming Massey compact tractors, the rural lifestyle market and life in general. Stay tuned for more on Massey’s new releases.

The mood at the 2009 National Farm Machinery Show was optimistic. Most folks whose product line serves the rural lifestyle reported no, or minimal, layoffs. Some companies were committed to making adjustments through attrition by not filling vacant positions. Most corporate folks I spoke with had at least one extra hat added to their portfolio of duties, but all were optimistic that the economic pain would ease in the next year or so.

The mood of show goers at the 2009 National Farm Machinery Show was equally optimistic. Hundreds of thousands of people streamed past booths large and small. Orders were up on larger pieces of equipment, and they were holding steady on the machines geared toward the rural lifestyle market. I see this as a sign that when it comes to getting the most out of your property, people are still willing to risk a large purchase in these less-certain economic times.

A few more cautious individuals suggested that the economic-slowdown bull ride was just beginning. Their approach was to hold on for dear life in anticipation of the ride of their lives. I suspect that the reality of our current situation is somewhere between the very optimistic and the pessimistic. Much of any economic crisis boils down to attitude and perception. If the American farmer is any indication, it looks like better times are right around the corner.

My flights took off and landed without a hitch on the way home to Kansas. I was communing with the pigs by 4:30 p.m., just in time for a nice Valentine's Day evening with Kate at the farm.

Wow, this show is huge and plenty of fun. There’s still time for you to come on over to the Louisville Exposition Center … the event runs through tomorrow and ends with the tractor pull of all tractor pulls. I will be heading back to Kansas in the morning though … as much fun as this is, I really like to spend time on the farm.

I was lucky enough to get some time with friend Rodney Miller late yesterday afternoon. Rodney is a rock star of the agricultural equipment world … his title is CEO of McCormick International USA, but he is still an Illinois (and now Georgia) farm boy at heart. Rodney and I share a passion for vintage International Harvester equipment. Check out Rodney’s blog about spending a precious few hours away from the office putting his International 1206 to work in a Georgia county where farm fields are few and far between.

Rodney and I also believe that developing strong relationships with customers is important in life and for the health of any enterprise. It was a joy to watch Rodney greet folks interested in the McCormick tractor line, enthusiastically autographing pieces of literature, T-shirts and other pieces of memorabilia. How often do you find an incredibly busy and successful corporate CEO in the show booth for eight hours a day several days in a row?

I also spent some time with Peggy Horkan and Paul Williams at the Kubota booth. They gave me a tour of some cool new machines … including a big new M-Series farm tractor, a new RTV with a couple of bench seats, hydraulic dump bed and a mess of other very nice features. I will devote future blogs to some of these products individually. As always, it was fun to visit with folks who are so passionate about their products … and their company. With that kind of enthusiasm, it is hard not to get excited about their brand.

The good folks at Kioti introduced me to their brand new DK50 Hydrostat. This dual-pedal-control hydro features a 49-horsepower Daedong diesel powerplant that meets or exceeds current and near-future emissions rules. This largest cab-equipped hydro in the Kioti lineup comes with tilt-wheel, cruise control, stereo, air conditioning, heat and deluxe suspension seat. It’s not a bad place to spend a few hours by any measure … imagine listening to your favorite Bach fugue while knocking down the weeds in the meadow.

Robert Mullett, president of TYM’s Overseas Business, kindly walked me through the TYM tractor lineup and company history. TYM is the second largest tractor maker in South Korea, and they had been supplying tractors OEM to Mahindra and several other makers. A relatively new brand in North America, I expect to see plenty of interest in this bright red lineup, particularly in the compact and subcompact tractor markets.

Well, it is time for me to head back out to the show floor … I need to catch up with the folks at John Deere and Bobcat and … so many machines, so little time.

See you Monday.

I made it to Louisville late yesterday afternoon … the plane literally blew in. Seriously, I haven’t experienced such turbulence on a commercial flight in my entire life. And to make matters even more interesting, the wind has wreaked havoc with the local power grid … electricity comes and goes here at the Kentucky Exposition Center.

In spite of the power issues, folks continue to stream through the doors and past acres of machinery and other must-haves for the farm. I haven’t come close to walking the entire floor yet, but I did stop to visit with the folks at Cub Cadet Yanmar, Land Pride, and New Holland to take a look at some new products suited for smaller operators and acreage owners.

Land Pride has its relatively new All-Purpose Seeder on hand with a brand new small-seed box on it. The small-seed box allows you to sow small seeded clovers along with grass seed … seed tubes from both boxes are metered separately so you can control the relative proportions of various seed types. I am a big fan of Land Pride because their seeders, box scrapers, mowers and rotary tillers have served us so well over the years.

Cub Cadet Yanmar has its new (and now shipping) EX450 tractor and is offering a free bale spear to folks willing to commit to making a deal here at the show. They also have a number of other attachments on hand including a 36-inch-wide-bucket-equipped backhoe, several mowers, tillers and a hydraulic angled front-mount grader blade. I can’t wait to see what Cub Cadet Yanmar introduces next.

The show stealer at New Holland is the Boomer 8N. This retro-classic tractor has generated plenty of interest since the company leaked its presence to the press late last year. According to the product manager, the Boomer 8N will go into production in April and should be in dealer showrooms in May. The tractor’s MSRP should come in with a base of about $29,000 – the tractor at the show lists for $30,500 because of a number of chrome doodads and other options.

Well, I better get this posted and head back out to the show floor. I hope to have more National Farm Machinery Show news for you tomorrow.
 

It's show time in Louisville, and I am minutes away from heading to the airport as I type this. The show in question is the 2009 National Farm Equipment Show (Feb. 11 - 14) which is in its 44th year. This show is the place to look over and learn about the latest and greatest in farm equipment and plenty of other farm related tools, software and other doodads.

I really enjoy attending the National Farm Equipment show because it gives me an opportunity to learn, climb over all kinds of machinery and catch up with old friends. It's also a great place for collecting literature, press kits and photos relating to the latest and greatest from your favorite brands.

I won't make it to the show arena today, but I will be there bright and early tomorrow with cameras and notebook in hand. I won't get my blog posted until later in the day tomorrow, but my goal is to give you a glimpse of what's happening at the National Farm Machinery Show as it is happening.

Stay tuned.

Photo courtesy National Farm Machinery Show (NFMS).

It’s here and more beautiful than ever. No, I am not talking about spring I am talking about Farm Collector Magazine’s 35th Annual Show Directory. Although it feels like spring might be just around the corner, today I am more excited about the beginning of the 2009 antique farm equipment show season.

I can’t say exactly why, but I am fascinated … some would say obsessed with antique and vintage farm equipment … especially tractors from the 1940s through the 1970s. I am also a huge fan of the International Harvester Company and their construction equipment, tractors and light trucks … I am so obsessed that I have written books about Harvester and some of its equipment lines.

Anyway, back to the 35^th Annual Show Directory. This book is your guide to hundreds and hundreds of antique equipment shows, threshing bees, horse pulls, you name it … in just about every state and province in North America. I keep one copy of the book in my truck and one at home. I like to stop at shows as I travel around, so keeping the Show Directory in my truck means that no matter where I am going, I can find some show to visit between here and there.  I expect to take in a few shows this summer … probably in Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

If you have never been to a tractor show or plow day, now is your chance. Get your own copy of the 35^th Annual Show Directory and plan a fantastic family outing or 100 in 2009. For those grandparents among you, I know you have a grandson or granddaughter who would relish a chance to see how things were done in the “olden” days.

You can order your copy of Farm Collector Magazine’s 35th Annual Show Directory here.

Although a lot of folks don’t know it, Swisher helped pioneer the zero-turn concept more than 50 years ago, before many of today’s mower manufacturers were in business. And though the company is known for much more than mowers today, their commitment to the ZTR mower has never waned. Today, Swisher’s commitment continues with a full line of innovative, rugged, dependable and hard-working zero-turn mowers.

All of Swisher’s zero-turn mowers are built with a mid-deck design providing a true 360° turning radius and the low center of gravity and profile provide excellent maneuverability and stability. This easy handling makes mowing around trees, shrubs and other obstacles a breeze. Up to 8.5 MPH operating speed dramatically reduces mowing time … however, with our less-than-smooth lawn, mowing at that speed would be downright scary.

Swisher’s new 42-inch ZTR is called the ZT18542A and comes with the following features:

• Powerful 18.5 HP Briggs & Stratton engine
• 42-inch stamped cutting deck great for residential or commercial mowing
• Cutting height is adjustable 1" to 4" with manual lever, spring assisted deck lift
• 1.1 gallon fuel capacity keeps you mowing for longer periods of time
• Eaton commercial grade hydrostatic transmission
• Stationary front axle
• 8-8x6.5" rear tires and 4-41x3.5" front tires for greater traction and stability
• Two blades cut grass into fine clippings
• Comfortable 15-inch mid-back seat
• Electric PTO clutch
• Automatic parking brakes on ergonomic steering handles
• Sandpaper grit mats on deck for operator safety
• Convenient storage compartment

When you are in the market for an affordable, new mower, check this  model out at a dealer near you.

Just when you think you have squeezed all the utility from your ATV that’s possible, the folks at Moose Utilities come up with something new. The EZ-Load Drop Rack is among their latest innovations. The EZ-Load Drop Rack converts virtually any full-sized ATV into a very capable all-terrain micro-sized pickup truck, complete with tailgate to make loading and unloading easier.

The heavy-duty EZ-load drop rack mounts easily over the ATV’s existing OEM rack. The drop rack can hold up to three five gallon buckets and since it is constructed from ¾ inch square tubing and 16-gauge perforated steel mesh, it can withstand plenty of abuse around the farm or homestead. This new accessory measures 41 inches wide by 14 inches long by 11 ½ inches deep. It retails for $282.95 … look for it here.

To learn how to get even more out of your ATV, click here.

I received a very compelling letter and information kit from Purdue University Professor William E. Field yesterday. Professor Field is the project leader on the Breaking New Ground program … a forward thinking effort to keep physically disabled farmers farming and ranchers ranching. Professor Field writes that Breaking New Ground’s resource center has recently been selected as the site of the National AgrAbility project, which provides services to 22 state and regional ventures designed to work with physically disabled farmers and ranchers to assist them in returning to independence in agricultural production.

According to the Breaking New Ground website, since its inception in 1979, the Breaking New Ground Resource Center in Purdue's Department of Agricultural & Biological Engineering has become internationally recognized as the primary source for information and resources on rehabilitation technology for disabled persons working in agriculture. Two of the center’s most successful products are The Toolbox and The Toolbox CD … print and electronic versions of a publication that helps disabled farmers and ranchers sort out the various tools and tool modifications that can be used to keep them in the saddle or on tractor seat.

Like Purdue University’s Breaking New Ground Resource Center, the USDA’s AgrAbility project was created to assist people with disabilities employed in agriculture. According to the USDA, this project links the Cooperative Extension Service at a land-grant university with a private nonprofit disability service organization to provide practical education and assistance that promotes independence in agricultural production and rural living. The AgrAbility Project assists people involved in production agriculture who work both on small and large operations.

It seems fitting that the two programs have merged, at least partially. I look forward to learning more about the accomplishments of Breaking New Ground and AgrAbility and will report what I learn here.

Graphics courtesy Pudrue University's Breaking New Ground Project and the USDA's AgrAbility Project.

When I got home from work on Friday, I saw the FedEx truck’s tracks in the snow. I was expecting a seed starting frame, but not copies of my new book: Garden Tractors. My Editor at Voyageur Press originally told that the book wouldn’t be available until February 15. It appears that Garden Tractors has made it to the warehouse … it should be on the GRIT bookshelf soon.

Garden Tractors is a historical look at the evolution of the American 4-wheeled garden tractor and the many companies that produced them. If you are interested in old garden tractors, this book will help you understand how the many different models from many different makers came to be. If you currently drive a Simplicity garden (sub compact) tractor, this book will show you the importance of that particular brand to the industry. Manufacturing company history buffs will get a glimpse of where many of the most important garden tractor companies came from and where they are today.

Garden Tractors is illustrated with my own photography, that of a couple of others and with vintage marketing images. The book has a hardcover and full-color production throughout its 126 pages.

Garden Tractors was a labor of love for me. I have a penchant for vintage Cub Cadet garden tractors, but the entire genre continues to fascinate me. To give you a glimpse of what I Cub Cadet nut I am, I wrote a book about the brand in 2005 or 2006 and have collected about 22 vintage machines. I currently mow our lawn with a 1984 Cub Cadet 882 diesel and have models dating from 1984 to 1961. Most of these machines run and several were refurbished some years ago when I had more energy than I knew what to do with.

If you order your copy of Garden Tractors from the GRIT website, I will do everything in my power to be sure you get a signed copy, if that’s what you want.

See the latest photos here.

New Holland brass still haven’t approved Boomer 8N images for public display. The photos I posted in my initial blog were pulled at the company’s request. Stay tuned, they (and more) should be coming soon. Check the photos here.

I do have some additional information on the Boomer 8N to share, however. The Boomer 8N tractor is based on the company’s Japanese-built, compact chassis … in fact it is essentially the 3050 tractor with a mechanical CVT instead of the 12x12 synchro shuttle gear transmission. Of course, the Boomer 8N also features the retro-classic styling and a few other “unique” features. Neither SuperSteer nor Sensitrak will be available in this first iteration. New Holland plans to have the Boomer 8N available to consumers nationwide in March of 2009. I would look for the CVT to appear in other Boomer models shortly after the 8N is released.

The Boomer 8N is 10 feet 2 inches long, 6 feet 6 inches wide and 8 feet 2 inches tall at the ROPS. The base tractor weighs in at 2,950 pounds. It will be available with a curved-boom loader painted red. Other 8N attachments include a rotary cutter and back hoe … both sporting the red paint job. Other implements will be available … and of course NH’s non-8N 3-point implements will work, too … those that are painted black will look the best, in my opinion.

The Boomer 8N will be customizable. You will be able to select chrome accessories such as exhaust and diamond plate steps and platform, canopies, decals and more. A retro-style grill guard will be available (in red), and  you might even be able to name your tractor and have a decal applied to that effect.

Stay tuned for more Boomer 8N information as it becomes available.

Ruralpolitans and other folks who have a few acres to look after have an entirely new array of tractors to choose from, thanks to John Deere’s commitment to bringing big tractor function to part-time producers and hobby farmers. These so-called utility tractors come out of the company’s agricultural division with engines ranging from 45 to 105 horsepower. The new lineup includes the 5D, 5E, 5E Limited and 5M Series; all designed to perform virtually any task, with any implement, within any budget.

“This is the most complete line of utility tractors we’ve ever offered,” says Rex Edmunds, division marketing manager. “We’ve designed these tractors to meet the requirements of many different customers with many different applications, and we’re providing a wide array of options to bring the optimal configuration and horsepower to their operations.”

I had the chance to look over all these machines and put them through their paces earlier this year. I am tickled to report that Deere and Company has hit the nail on the head with this lineup. I am still a big fan of the compact tractor, but there are times when you need a bit more bulk and some additional ponies to get the work done safely and efficiently. If your budget allows, and you have lots of loader work in mind for your tractor, I would definitely recommend Deere’s proprietary shuttle transmission called the PowerReverser™. It makes forward-reverse shifting a matter of fingertip control.

The no-frills 5D and 5E Series range in horsepower from 45 to 75 and offer durability at economical prices. The 5D Series is only offered with a two-wheel-drive (2WD) axle compared to the 5E, which offers 2WD or mechanical-front-wheel-drive (MFWD) configurations. These open station tractors feature synchronized transmissions designed for smooth shifting and easy-to-reach, color-coded controls for simple operation. These tractors provide an economical solution that’s just right for many folks.

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“The more powerful 5E Limited Series Tractors range in horsepower from 83 to 101 engine hp. These units have more deluxe features including a cab, PowerReverser™ transmission, wet traction clutch, and MFWD axle – all in base equipment,” Edmunds says. “We’ve packaged the 5E Limited Series to offer select performance and comfort-enhancing features at a very low price.”

The 5M Series Tractors range in horsepower from 65 to 105. These higher-end machines feature new transmissions, increased lift capacities, more stability for larger implements, and a new operator environment for increased comfort and productivity. 

“For customers who demand premium performance and comfort, the 5M Series, which ranges in engine horsepower from 65 to 105, is designed to be the benchmark for quality and durability in the utility tractor marketplace. These tractors offer a vast array of options and horsepower levels, with exceptional hydraulic capacities to handle any utility-tractor implement. These tractors will definitely bring more productivity to the farm or jobsite, which makes them ideal for customers who spend many hours in a tractor and depend on their tractor to help make their living,” Edmunds says. “With more weight, a wet clutch design and enhanced serviceability, these tractors provide dependable service for the tough jobs they’re built to handle.”

As you might expect, all 5 Series Tractors can be matched to an array of implements offered by John Deere, Frontier Equipment and other makers. Enhanced hydraulic systems, standard three-point hitches and PTO are all part of the package. Spend some time with your local John Deere agricultural product dealer to find out how a 5 Series utility tractor can become a top hand at your place.