Kiotis at work (the other orange tractor).

I had to re-scroll a couple times to find the bear.
Nice tractor. Is that an Everything Attachments grapple?

A used HLA (Canadian) came my way at a good price. Not sure if I should pay double for the EA.

 

i got a EA grapple getting delivered here tomorrow for a customer....ill post some pics but itll be on a green one!!

 

I miss my backhoe too! I like my cab with heat and air though! But I miss my backhoe.

 

That’s a nice set up! Is that an EA Wicked 55 grapple? I’ve had one ordered since March and I’m still 35 back in line. I hope to get it in another 3 weeks or so.

 

Hmmm...this sounds like the start of a new thread from Gasifier!!
Title: My new workhorse..."Giant tractor with cab/heat/air and Backhoe!!"

 

meet my vator. Ex a vator

 

My wife said no. But it’s orange!

 

A little late in the response (missed your post) but yes, the grapple is an EA Wicked 60.

 

Yeah, there were many times this year I could have used a backhoe. Not sure if it'll be in the budget next year however I definitely miss mine.

 

Yes, it's an EA Wicked 60.

 

I just added some horsepower to my tractor....

 

Great looking tractor! I've loved my NX thus far (bought in May of 2017) so 4.5 years in.

 

When your dog wants to learn how to run the third function on the tractor...

 

If he like mine.. he thinks he can drive!!

 

Today's project. Need to take advantage of what little time is left before the ground freezes.

 

Got the dirt pile that was dropped off yesterday moved and had a load of cleaner fill dropped off as well as another load of stone. That'll make it around 112 yards of fill so far going into my little 'project'.

 

Funny how those "little" projects take on a life of their own isn't it? I love your dog!

 

That is so true. Then there are the times when you say to yourself "I can do this no problem" and then later into the project you think it would have been easier to pay someone else to do the job.

The area I am working on is a section out back that has always been overgrown, boggy, unusable, etc., and sits lower than the rest of the yard. I lost one red oak that was in the center of this area about 11 years ago to a lightning strike and have been wanting to do something to make the location useable for a long time. I finally decided last year to start filling it in. The first step was to noodle the stump from that red oak that I lost over a decade ago (and I hate noodling stumps)...surprisingly the stump wood was still good. I'm not trying to develop an area that a structure will be built on, I just want more room to move and will probably use the location to move my raised garden beds into as well as for additional unprocessed firewood storage (so everything isn't in the middle of the yard).

I took down the other red oak last year that was in the middle of the area I want to build up, spread five dump loads of fill, and started work on the retaining wall. Time flies and life gets in the way so I am only now getting back to the project. It's coming along but I'm at the point where I almost wish I had just had an excavation company come in and do it all at one time. So far I have six loads of fill spread with one more to go (six delivered and a free load moved a bucket at a time from a neighbor's property). I pulled as many good-sized stones for the retaining wall as I could find from around the property but ended up having two dump loads delivered (and the tractor grapple is great, but it is much easier to build a retaining wall with an excavator and thumb). Once all the fill is tamped and settled, I'll top it off with gravel. So to get back to your post, yes, this has taken on a life of its own.

Doesn't look like much in the pictures however when it's finished, I'll gain a good chunk of useable area that will allow me to have more breathing room out back (it was getting to the point where if I had an implement on the back of the tractor that I had to do an 8-point turn just to turn around). I would have liked to have extended the area even further, however it was getting cost-prohibitive.

 

I know the feeling, but it's really satisfying to sit back and know that you did it yourself sometimes too.

 

Second row of stone has been placed (that grapple was a solid investment) as well as the last load of fill. Hopefully getting the last load needed of fill tomorrow and then once that's leveled and tamped, a load of gravel to top it off. Will then let it sit over the winter and see how it looks after spring mud season. May not win a Better Homes and Garden award but it works for me and gives me a lot more area to work.

If I had a few more of those XL boulders I could make my own Stonehenge out back.