Well, I guess I have caught redneckitis....

Been adding some mods to the tractor as I can find time between running to the emergency room with Connie. Fortunately her sister is staying with us for a while and helping out. It is just helpful to me to have someone with her while I am working outside to keep an eye on her in case she has a problem. Would really hate to be outside and not be there when she needed help.

Anyway, first thing is a hydraulic top link for the 3- point hitch in the back of the tractor. This seemed like a handy thing to have.

Next mod was a robust grill guard to protect the actual grill (and the radiator and battery behind it) from getting punctured by some wayward branches or who knows what else I would be picking up when I get the grapple. I had people telling me that this is essential.

And lastly is a Notch tree/post puller. This thing just intrigued me. Those jaws spread via hydraulic power, and then can be clamped on the bast of small trees and saplings and pull them out of the ground. Most of the time, anyway. If the tree fights with you, you can then close the jaws and shove that pointed edge down into the ground around the tree to help cut the roots to pry it out of the ground. I used it to pull out two dead satsuma tangerine trees that gave up the ghost during that awful freeze we had Summer of 2022 that killed a lot of our citrus. I also pulled a dead palm tree out of the ground with it. I do know I need to put some extra weight ballast on the back of the tractor because several times I could feel the rear wheels come off of the groung and the tractor start to tilt to the left. Sure wouldn't want to roll the tractor onto it's side!!

Oh yeah, had Home Depot deliver something and the darn truck driver squeezed between Connie's truck (I had it out in the driveway after I had unloaded the Notch tree puller off of it that I picked up the day before) and the dead palm tree. Idiot wasn't watching where he was going well enough, and obviously didn't think to use his helper in the passenger seat as a spotter. So by the time I got out there, he had just started pushing over the pole where my weather station was mounted. So I am screaming at him to stop the damned truck! He did stop, so I guess he did hear me. Man I was hot. Anyway, after the bozos left, I got the tractor and pushed the pole back into place using a level. The guys tried to move it themselves, but it wouldn't budge with just people power. Small wonder. When I put it in the ground, I went deep and poured a substantial amount of concrete around the base of that pole. But the tractor sure moved it easily enough.

Well, that's all folks!