[Homestead] Tractor question, please

Lynn Wigglesworth lynnw1366 at hotmail.com
Wed Nov 19 07:58:44 EST 2008


I have a 1956 Allis Chalmers. It's beat up and old, but does everything I 
need it to. I think it cost about $2000, and I've probably put at least 
$1000 into an engine rebuild and other repairs in the 10 years or so that 
I've had it. Make sure you can either fix it yourself or you can find a good 
tractor mechanic...one of the best in the county lives only a mile or so 
from here. He's taken pity on mechanically-challenged me and will even come 
over to do quick fixes.

A tractor is a very useful thing, even on a smallish place. I've found that 
there is a lot of heavy work that can't be done by anything less than a 
tractor. I use the bucket on the front of mine a LOT, and wouldn't have a 
tractor without one. We've used it to lift someone up high enough to pick 
apples, to lift a building while we fixed the foundation, and to carry 
everything from loads of fence posts to dead animals.  It also has rear 
hydrolics...I use the bale spear throughout the winter to get hay to the 
animals. I couldn't use the cheaper big round bales without that bale spear. 
(well, last year when the tractor wasn't running, I threw chains around the 
bales and dragged them with the truck, but that was a real pain, and I 
couldn't get far into the pasture without getting stuck...).

Lynn Wigglesworth
Tioga Co. PA

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lisa K.V. Perry" <lisakvperry at gmail.com>
To: <homestead at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Tuesday, November 18, 2008 7:46 PM
Subject: Re: [Homestead] Tractor question, please


> It really comes down to we either need a tractor or we at least need a
> scythe to stay on this farm. We have hilly terrain, a long gravel & dirt
> drive (it's also a hill), a pond, and a couple of good-sized fields. This
> tractor is expensive (to us), but others that cost less were junk or not 
> 4WD
> or both. A good scythe is far less expensive and fossil fuel free, but it
> can't scrape your driveway or fill in potholes or dig holes.
>
> lkvp
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