The fields are greening up faster than ever. Probably because it never got super cold this winter. We expect a good hay crop this year. Lee took the tractor out to try to scrape the area we are preparing for blueberries.
Our big orange tractor is a Dae Dong. And I mean that in a nice way. Just know that I think the company has since been named Kioti. We live just up the hill from a John Deere dealer and would have us a big green tractor, but that green paint is mighty expensive, so we don't.
The tractor steering arm broke while working the "blueberry patch". This had happened once before, so Lee knew where to order the part. He also knew that working in the field was an unpleasant way to work on equipment. Especially when you realize the tool you need is in the shop. So he decided to drive the tractor to the shop.
Of course, driving was the issue. When he told me how he got the tractor moved I was very impressed. It reminded me of pilots landing an airplane with no ailerons. Practically heroic.
First he tied the front wheels together going straight. Then he dropped the front loader and the back scraper. No it doesn't scrape your back. It is a road scraper that you drag behind the tractor.
Then Lee backed the tractor around the house and up into the shop. It seems he used the individual brakes to slow or stop one or the other of the rear wheels. Pretty smart, huh?
The question is, how did it break? He was scraping our blueberry patch to smooth it out. It was a straight shot and level. It must have been stressed and ready to break doing anything. I am sure glad it didn't happen on a slope. Lee's pretty handy to have around and I would hate to lose my tractor mechanic!
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