I wouldn't mind having a goat to move around on my land up north. Between the ferns and the underbrush, it's hard walking around up there, but I don't know what I'd do with it during the winter. I suppose I could let the bear take care of it in late fall, and get a new one in the spring. Perhaps, I could come up with something more humane, although that would leave the bear scrounging for ants beneath logs.
I installed my chain saw holster today. It was a fast job. Install the bracket with the U-bolt...............slide in the plastic scabbard....................slide the saw into the scabbard. This holds saws up to 20". Some guys cut the bottom of the scabbard off if their saw is longer than that. There were some complaints that since the scabbard just slide-fits into the bracket, the saw kinda vibrates in it. I did what others have done and wrapped a bungee cord around the engine to take the edge off of the vibration (the saw is plenty secure in the scabbard.) But tractors vibrate when they're running, so being secured too tight to it is gonna make it act like an ultrasonic parts cleaner and possibly shake all sorts of stuff loose. The bungee cord has some give to it so the saw's not locked down real tightly, but the elastic cord takes a little of the movement away. Besides, I'll only have the saw in there when I know I'm gonna need it...it won't live there. The scabbard sorta snaps into the bracket and can be removed when not in use, only leaving the bracket on the tractor. It has weep holes so condensation/oil/gas/whatever does not accumulate in it. This is a real handy addition. I can cut up trees and branches, and have a safe place for the saw as I drive around and push the debris into the woods with the tractor. SawHaul Universal Chainsaw Carrier Kit at Amazon.
I received my tool bar carrying system that mounts to the roll bar. They make versions that mount to ATVs and to other equipment. Installation was a snap, and it does not interfere with my ability to fold down my roll bar when needed. There is the main assembly, and then the back half that fits on the inside of the roll bar. You run two bolts through them to clamp the halves together around the roll bar. Spacers are provided to accommodate different size roll bars on different types of equipment. I did not need any. Here's the product page picture: The bottom set of brackets are removable..adjusts 360° in 22.5° increments...weed eater and pole saw mounted. This holds tools very securely, and being able to lock in angles at 22.5° increments helps to find the most stable way to carry the unevenly balanced stuff, like weed eaters. The tool mounts also slide closer together or further apart (I guess for smaller tools like hammers and axes.) There are a couple of carabiners for carrying hearing protection, gloves and stuff like that. The only ding I have in the very brief time I've had it is that the brackets are perfectly sized for garden tools with shovel-diameter handles, but that pole saw has a fat, oval-shaped handle, and I had to really stretch the slotted rubber straps to lock them in place. I'm afraid that puts too much stress them, so I'll figure something else out for the oversized stuff. I think the pole saw is the only thing that's gonna give me troubles...the weed eater handle is fatter than a shovel handle, but it's round. Having the weed eater with me as I cut my grass will be real handy for me to trim the outer boundaries of my property as I go along. And I often take my pole saw (and chain saw) along our right-of-way as we keep stuff cut back from the road, either after storms or when we do general maintenance. RACKS360 - Roll Bar Tool Carrying System. Available at Messick's Tractor Supply or at Amazon. Messick's charged me shipping, but I ordered it yesterday just after lunch and got it today. They ship same-day up until some late afternoon cutoff time.
This is a horribly long diatribe about my mower deck problems. I am both fleshing out my thoughts and seeking input. Let me know if I need to write a check for the server space I'm about to consume. I'm still struggling to find a way to mount my mower deck without throwing out my back. I burned up several hours today making a wheeled dolly, then taking it apart, then trying a different design, then taking that apart, then driving to Loews to get some hardware for my 3rd and final attempt. My tractor is a Kubota B3200 My deck is a Kubota RCK60-27BA (60" deck, bought in 2010) I have only found You Tube videos showing the installation of the 72" deck, which is a completely different (and easy-to-use) setup. Here's my deck: -The green-circled rear wheel is the anti-scalp wheel. It is small and hard plastic and does not swivel. -The red-circled rear wheels are the rear gauge wheels. The mowing height is controlled by these and the front wheels. -The front gauge wheels are pneumatic and swivel 360° just like the wheels on an office chair. The way you install the deck is: -Pull the tractor along side the deck (on top of the black arrow) to position it to roll the deck under the tractor --The deck is to be pulled/rolled under the tractor in the direction of the arrow -Turn the steering wheel hard left to turn the tire to make room to pull the deck -Pull the pin on the anti-scalp wheel's rod, turn the wheel assembly so it points in the direction of the black arrow, reinsert the pin to fix the wheel in that direction of travel -Raise the rear gauge wheels (the mechanism for doing this has a spring as strong as a bear trap) --This presents a challenge when the deck is finally under the mower, because this mechanism is then hard to reach, and I have to beat the adjuster with a hammer to lower the wheels At this point the deck is supposed to roll under the tractor to be mounted and connected to the mid-pto. -The major problem is that I am on gravel, and that anti-scalp wheel does not roll at all. It is a tiny plastic wheel that digs in to the gravel, even when pointed in the direction of travel. -The other problem is that the other rear anti-scalp wheel (on the opposite side of the deck) is a fixed-direction roller, so you are supposed to sort of raise the rear-right of the deck as you roll it under the tractor. -The front gauge wheels are pneumatic and they swivel & roll OK, but they still struggle on the gravel. -The other problem is that this weight 348# and it don't roll sideways. I usually end up getting a 4 foot crowbar, reaching from the opposite side of the tractor, grabbing under the lip of the deck, and literally dragging the deck like a stubborn dog under the tractor...it just does not roll on the wheels. One time I ran a chain under the tractor, hooked it to the deck, tied it to my truck, and used my truck to drag it. (Maybe I should just do this as a routine.) I have struggled with this since I bought the tractor in 2010. I've had small-sized pea gravel, almost no gravel, and now large gravel. The problem has always been the same. All of this is why I install it as late in the spring as I can get away with, and it stays on until the last mowing in the fall. Solutions I'm Trying I have some large (6" or 8") casters from another project, and made a couple of attempts to make a moving dolly to set under the rear gauge wheels. My thought is to put large enough wheels on the back side so the thing will roll on the gravel. The double benefit is that I would not have to mess with adjusting those wheels, and I would keep the small plastic rear anti-scalp wheel off of the ground. I've made (and unmade) 2 dollies for the gauge wheels that didn't work, and have the stuff for a 3rd design tomorrow. If that doesn't work, I could consider making a large dolly to set the entire deck on to wheel it under the tractor. I can raise the tractor by tilting the front end loader on its lip and pushing down, but I then have to figure out how to attach the deck (that's sitting on a raised dolly) by lowering the tractor "just enough" to attach the deck, then raise the tractor back up to remove the dolly, and then lower the tractor all the way down. Removing the deck would be done in reverse. I may still have this headspace issue with the dolly I'm building. >I've thought of building sectioned ramps so I could drive the tractor over the deck and then remove the ramps, but the the installed deck nearly fills the gap between the front and read tires...there is no room to do this. >Another solution might be to just lay down 2 sheets of plywood to try to roll the thing on...but then I'd have to store them and keep them intact solely for this purpose. I wonder if I could get away with something thin and light. >I could build a dedicated area out of decking, or maybe just a decked "walkway" to roll it on. >I'm considering pouring a cement slab specifically for this purpose, but buying a bigger deck that does not have this design issue would be cheaper...or even finding a used pto-finish mower would be the best solution in the long run. I just hate to not make use of the deck that's already paid for...but I have got 12 painful, frustrating years out of it. Maybe looking for a finish mower would be best after all. But since I took the time to type all that, I may as well post it. Just once, though, I'd like to try to mount this thing on a hard surface so I know how mad I should (or should not) be at the Kubota design team.
You are just having too much fun with your attachments, @John Brunner. I have dealt with a smaller deck of the same design and found it to be a real pain. The only solution I have seen that kinda works is your dolly idea. Perhaps you could just put a 3/4 inch sheet of plywood under your dolly with the deck on it and drive the tractor onto the opposite end of the plywood, then pull the deck under the tractor that way. I wish you luck with it.
You could perhaps get a couple wethers cheap then sell them for meat at the end of the season. If you leave them on the property unattended, they will get eaten anyway. We lost a goat that we had loaned to a local Boy Scout camp one summer. A grizzly got her, but the llama that was her companion escaped due tot he distraction.
Yeh, part of what's complicated my dolly making is I'm using large wheels that I happened to have on hand and have designed around them. I think they are gonna be too tall to get the deck under the tractor so I can mount the deck and still have room to lift it up high enough to get the dolly out from under it. I think a trip to Harbor Freight is in my immediate future. Regarding having fun with attachments...that applies to every one of them except this belly mower. I'm thinking some C-4 may relieve some of my stress. The 4th of July is around the corner...that'll provide some cover. btw: Look at what I found at an auction: High Bid $46. There's also a couple of landscape rakes that (so far) have low bids...I could pick up one of those to get my immediate stuff done while I'm waiting for my new one to be delivered, and then sell it. Of course, there's 4 days until the auction ends. Snipers like me are likely to drive up the bids at the last minute.
One of the leaders awoke and fought the grizzly with a rake to keep it from coming further into the camp. Exciting times all around.
I have to amend my review on the RACKS 360 Tool Carrying System regarding fat-handled tools. The unit came with only the top pair of mounts installed, set up to carry a single tool. The instructions said "Install the bottom mounts for larger equipment." I went ahead and installed the second pair of mounts because I knew I'd make use of both. I did not realize that "larger equipment" meant the diameter of the handles, since both pairs of mounts are rated at 20#. I realized that out today when loaded up my chain saw and my pruning pole (leaving the weed eater behind) to drive up our right-of-way and trim back some overgrowth. When I lay the pole saw in the lower set of mounts, it fit perfectly. I was all ready with small bungee cords to secure the thing. Then I realized what "larger equipment" meant, and why the weed eater fit fine in the lower mounts and the pole saw was a tight squeeze in in upper ones. It also explains this photo with the small pick on the top mounts: Now I know why every marketing pic with a weed eater has the thing on the lower mounts. I looked on the manufacturer's website and don't see the option for "upgrading" the upper ones...not that I really think I need to at this point.
My neighbor has been a scoutmaster for decades. I don't know how many Eagles he's created. He has become the go-to guy for other troops to advise them on the process. Anyway, I was gonna tell him this story, and then realized it sounded like a bad joke: a goat, a llama, and some scouts go camping... So, I need details. Why did they have your goat? What was the llama doing there...what it yours? Why did they take the goat camping...was someone going for his Halal badge? When you have time...no rush.
When I was reading the reviews for this product... ...people were singing the praises of the manufacturer's customer support. One guy said he trashed his on 3 separate occasions moving felled trees around, and all 3 times they sent him replacement parts gratis. So, guess what happened to me on Sunday? It was my own fault. I knew I should have removed the thing before doing the massive tree hauling that I did. I broke off one of the lower arms and some of the mounting parts went with it. I sent them an email--asking for pricing for the parts--and the replacement stuff got sent to me today at no charge! "We got some spare parts laying around." What great guys. This is their only product...a home invention for use on their own farm that now sells through dealers and on Amazon. I was mentioning some of my early experiences and suggestions to the owner, including giving buyers the option of getting two large sets of mounting arms instead of a small pair and a large pair. It turns out that they already have that in the works for the next version. He told me "Our first run at the RACKS360 was for our need on the farm and our weed trimmer fit perfectly in the smaller holders but we didn't take into account our trimmer was a 20 year old Honda." LOL. Gotta love it.
The scout camp asked local livestock farmers to "donate" animals for the summer to enable those kids who had never been around livestock to experience life around animals. We supplied a goat and another farmer supplied the llama. They also had poultry and, I think, a couple swine. The scouts cared for the animals and it allowed scouts to work on merit badges involving animal care who did not have the facilities near there homes to do such things. The animals were in a "livestock care" setting at the scout camp and were not taken on camping trips. We have, however, sold wethers as pack animals for hunters who hunt in "no motor" areas of Alaska. Horses can also be used, but horses require feed. The pack goats can feed themselves as they go.
Since a llama is a natural browser, like a deer or a goat, they would probably be fine for the hunters, too. I remember reading about people who use llamas for hunting and hiking, and they said that it was better than a horse or mule, because the llama walks at a slower pace, more like the person walks. They can carry more than a goat and are quite smart and learn fast. This is a picture of my granddaughter when she was little , riding on Gilligan, my llama. He did a good job at protecting the goats, and loved being around people, just like a goat does.