permaculture

[Martin Naylor <martinwnaylor@yahoo.com.au>]

This was from mother earth news
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  January 23, 2007   
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  2 Low Cost Garden Tractors
by Dan Nagengast   

  Most homesteads need a sturdy mower, a garden tiller and maybe a way to 
clear snow from driveways. But buying and maintaining three or more engines 
can get expensive. Many of us dream of owning a standard tractor with various 
attachments, but tractors, too, may be out of reach unless you farm for a 
living. 
  The solution may be a two wheeled, walk-behind tractor that can accept a 
wide range of attachments, allowing you to buy and maintain just one 
powerful, high-quality engine to perform a variety of tasks. Two leading 
walk-behind tractors, the DR Field and Brush Mower and the BCS Walk-Behind 
Tractor, start at less than $3,000 — far less than a riding tractor, and less 
than several separate machines. 
  Both are great products that any landowner could use with pleasure. Neither 
is inexpensive, but their longevity makes them a far better value than 
multiple pieces of less-expensive equipment that do the same work. Here are a 
few of the features that make them so useful. 
  The DR Field and Brush Mower 15 horsepower Pro:     
   A Kawasaki V-Twin Pro gas engine that leaps to life at the touch of an 
electric starter   
   A 26-inch-wide brush mower that never falters through rough, overgrown 
areas   
   A 42-inch finish mower with two swiveling front caster wheels for tight 
turns   
   A mower deck high enough to prevent bent or dented blades   
   A 6,000-watt generator attachment that DR says will simultaneously power a 
refrigerator, freezer, well pump and home heating system   
   A 30-inch snow thrower and 42-inch snow blade   
   Attachments are easy to mount and dismount   
   A lockable differential (a gearbox that sends power from the engine to the 
rear wheels; when it’s locked, they turn at the same rate) for safety on 
slopes   
   A deadman safety feature that cuts off the engine if the operator loses 
control 
Overall, the DR is a straightforward machine, easy to understand and operate. 
It’s quite powerful, which translates to a quick run through most chores, 
without fear of bogging down.   
  The BCS model 853 Walk-behind Tractor:     
   A 13 horsepower Honda GH390 single-cylinder gas engine.   
   Gear-driven attachments, with no belts.   
   Reversible handles that enable use of both front and rear-mounted 
implements.   
   Rotating handles that enable operator to walk beside the machine and avoid 
disturbance of tilled soil   
   Exceptional, high-speed tiller with hiller/furrower for cultivating   
   A flail mower attachment with blades that resist damage from tree stumps, 
rocks or other immovable objects   
   A sickle bar mower for cutting hay or small saplings (up to 1.5 inches)   
   A 38-inch-wide finish mower that can be outfitted with a grass collector 
and sulky (a two-wheeled, pull-behind seat)   
   More than 30 available implements, including plastic mulch layers, 
bedshapers, wood splitters and even minibalers for hay 
The BCS is powerful and can accomplish highly specialized jobs. The many 
available attachments allow it to handle many duties on small farms or 
acreages.   
  Choosing between the DR and the BCS is a matter of what jobs you want the 
equipment to perform. If you’re a small farmer or serious gardener, the BCS’ 
many implements make it the top choice. If you need a piece of equipment to 
keep your land and lanes in top shape, or want to add an emergency generator 
attachment, you’ll probably prefer the DR. 
  Read more in "Miracle Multitaskers" from the December/January 2007 issue of 
Mother Earth News.   Read More
martin


  Desiderata
  You are a child of the universe,no less than the trees and the stars,
you have a right to be here.
  Magna Carta 1215
    40. To no one will we sell, to no one will we refuse or delay, right or 
justice
  I have yet to meet a single person from our culture, no matter what his or 
her educational background, IQ, and specific training, who had powerful 
transpersonal experiences and continues to subscribe to the materialistic 
monism of Western science.
- Albert Einstein 

  
http://www.ucsusa.org/scientific_integrity/interference/a-to-z-guide-to-political.html
 political interference in science
 


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