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gcrank1
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# Posted: 29 Sep 2022 10:35pm
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Ive had some lawn & garden 'tractors' but just bought a 2020 J.D. 1025R c/w bucket, rear rotary mower, rear grading/snow blade, a pair of clamp-on bucket forks, 3pt cat.1 hitch, only 175 hrs and kept mostly garaged when not in use.
Im pretty stoked! 
My next door neighbor at the cabin property recently got an out of state job offer he couldnt refuse, sold his place in a matter of a week and just by chance I stopped to say hi. He told me the tale and I asked what he was going to do with the tractor, next thing I knew we were making a cash deal.
This is going to be a game changer at the cabin. At almost 70 and my wife getting a total knee replacement next week I can use the mechanical advantage.
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ICC
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# Posted: 29 Sep 2022 11:46pm
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Big, medium or small, a tractor with accessories is a handy tool. 
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Irrigation Guy
Member
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2022 07:38am
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That looks to be the same size as my Kubota. Very useful. Congratulations!
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Tim_Ohio
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2022 07:41am
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Cheers. You will never regret owning it.
Tim_Ohio
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paulz
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2022 08:49am
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Gas or EV?
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Tim_Ohio
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2022 09:16am
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Useful helper for holding walls up before bracing them.
Useful for everything.
Might have not gotten married a second time had I met my tractor first.
Tim_Ohio
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Brettny
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2022 09:45am
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Il warn you now..you will never be without one once you own a tractor. I had 3 at one point, down to 1 now.
If your bucket is quick attach and do any pallet fork work get a set of forks. Those machines dont lift a whole lot and moving that weight back towards the pins really helps.
Also if you get freezing temps stock a pair of new fuel filters along with some fuel antigell and diesel 911. You just never know when it's going to happen.
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2022 10:35am
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Ah, good tips Brett!
Yep it is a 3cyl diesel '25ish hp' (Ive never had a diesel anything though my dad did). Rig is spec'ed as a sub-compact.
Bucket is QD and I know my clamp-on forks have serious limitations. Mostly we will be trimming jack and white pines and hauling that to the burn pile; light bulky stuff. Should be able to pile a bunch on the bucket + forks.
Im hitting up all my friends for what they have in cat.1 attachments/implements to borrow. Found a trencher, a box grader and post-hole digger in just a couple days.
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travellerw
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2022 11:15am
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Thats a cool little tractor. Owner is tractor is like owning a hammer. Everything looks like a nail. You will be surprised at all the uses you find for it.
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paulz
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2022 02:11pm
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Yep, used 2 of my old clunkers this morning. Tried to uproot this stump that sticks out into my driveway with the backhoe but couldn't budge it. Then climbed onto the the other one to grade the asphalt grinding in the new carport.
I'll try my skid steer with a chain around that stump next time I have it out.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2022 07:16pm
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I spent the afternoon widening the loop trail about the property with the rear rotary, then put on the rear grading blade to do some prelim driveway improvement, made up a load of prev cut limbs with the bucket and clamp on forks, also moved a bunch of saved tree trunks from the recent toolshed placement and moved a heavy duty outside work bench over by the shed to be more useful.
Basically did several days worth of work in about 3hrs and still looking for nails to hit with this hammer, lol.
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paulz
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2022 08:42pm - Edited by: paulz
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You got a bunch done! I find tractor work as tiring as being on my feet. Always a reason to climb off and on, which alone on mine is a pretty good workout. Then there's always something in the way that needs moving, and dealing with whatever loads your moving, checking progress..
This Sunday I am volunteering at the free green waste dump day at the local compost yard, basically checking people in, making sure they have no dimensional lumber, nails etc.. The owner asked the other day if any of us was a heavy equipment operator, I was the only one. They have a big JD loader, I'm supposed to push all the loads up into the pile. I've only ever operated my old junk, hope I can pull it off. Probably crush someone's pickup..
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Aklogcabin
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# Posted: 1 Oct 2022 10:11am
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We have a 1959 case backhoe that has helped in many ways. I'll be on her again today in fact. Out families 1941 Farmall H still just purrs. Barely here her running. I put new tires on it before I hauled it to ak. Family heirloom. Got a 40s something case and our little one , a speedex with front blade.
I'm a tired iron guy
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 1 Oct 2022 09:23pm
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Quoting: gcrank1 Ive had some lawn & garden 'tractors' but just bought a 2020 J.D. 1025R c/w bucket, rear rotary mower, rear grading/snow blade, a pair of clamp-on bucket forks, 3pt cat.1 hitch, only 175 hrs and kept mostly garaged when not in use. Im pretty stoked!
Dude, pictures!
All men and many women like tractors.
My progress on my place moved ahead 10 fold after buying my new Kubota.
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paulz
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# Posted: 1 Oct 2022 09:31pm
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Quoting: toyota_mdt_tech All men and many women like tractors.
She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYiWgsmxOTo&ab_channel=Alfredenewmon
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 1 Oct 2022 10:34pm
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Oh, and it came with a 5 gal. yellow diesel fuel 'can'....just noticed today that my fuel gauge was about E so I stopped working lest I be stranded in a bad spot. Spec says Ive got a 5.6 gal capacity.
Question on diesel, since I'll be buying over the road fuel wont it have the winter grade/anti-gel additive already in it?
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paulz
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# Posted: 1 Oct 2022 10:39pm
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Don't know but do not run a diesel out of fuel! Maybe the new stuff is different but on mine it means re-priming the injectors. Pita.
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 1 Oct 2022 11:30pm
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Quoting: gcrank1 I'll be buying over the road fuel wont it have the winter grade/anti-gel additive already in it?
How cold does your area get in winter. Stabil makes a nice additive for diesel fuel and a biocide if it sets long, so it wont grow algae.
Yes, dont let it run out of fuel, ever. Diesel is a lube for the high pressure pump, tears them up fast with no lube. Lots of bleeding, priming and purging air out to get it running again.
Newer common rail set ups is just cycling tyhe key on/off about 10 times. But I am certain yours isnt a common rail. Never run out of fuel either way.
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scott100
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# Posted: 2 Oct 2022 02:08pm - Edited by: scott100
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Congrats. I'm sure you'll find lots for that tractor to do.
We bought a Bobcat CT2025 compact this spring. After having a 40hp Farmall 350D for a lot of years, I was concerned 25 hp wouldn't be enough. For what I do, I've found it to be plenty, and have put around 50 hours on it so far. Even though the brush hog I got for it was 5' rather than the 6' one I had with the Farmall, I don't think it takes me any more time to mow the field. It's really useful for working on our woods trails too, while the Farmall would have been a death trap for that kind of work with its tricycle front end . Also got a 6' box blade and a pallet fork attachment for it.
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Brettny
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# Posted: 2 Oct 2022 02:31pm
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Quoting: gcrank1 Question on diesel, since I'll be buying over the road fuel wont it have the winter grade/anti-gel additive already in it?
Always add your own antigel to the tank and jugs when the temp is going to be below about 35*. You can never trust the stuff at the pump in this situation.
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paulz
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# Posted: 4 Oct 2022 02:45pm - Edited by: paulz
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Quoting: paulz This Sunday I am volunteering at the free green waste dump day at the local compost yard, basically checking people in, making sure they have no dimensional lumber, nails etc.. The owner asked the other day if any of us was a heavy equipment operator, I was the only one. They have a big JD loader, I'm supposed to push all the loads up into the pile. I've only ever operated my old junk, hope I can pull it off. Probably crush someone's pickup..
Well I didn't get to operate the big JD on Sunday. By the time I got there the neighbor kid, same kid who recently bought that Dodge 24v diesel pickup, was having a field day on it, and not about to let anyone else have a go. Just as well, he ran it like a pro.
BTW, he's also having a ball with that pickup. Apparently he has some electronic gadget on the dash that let's him monkey around with the engine management system.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 6 Oct 2022 05:39pm
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Watch out Paul, the Young Bloods are takin over! 
I just bought a 600+ # cement. cat.1 3 pt rear ballast weight today. It didnt take me but a couple days messing around and watching a few u-tube vids about FEL work to realize my 250ish # rear grading blade was inadequate, even for my small machine.
What a deal, a friend told me about a 'tractor salvage yard' not far from the cabin and the fellow had this decent homemade weight, $135 + tax. A Bargain! And just what I had been envisioning having to make. Looks like tractor weights go new for over $1/#, less iffn ya scrounge or luck out on Craigslist, etc.
The tractor is just the beginning.....lol.
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 6 Oct 2022 05:49pm
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On my FEL the rear tires are filled with water. On the backhoe the fronts are.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 6 Oct 2022 06:33pm
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Studying up on weight for a FEL and where/why to place it, the 'leverarm principle' and fulcrum point to unload the pivot and weight from the front axle to the heavier duty, and more stable, rear axle takes weight behind the rear axle; ie, extended beyond the arm end of the 3ph.
My 250ish# rear grader blade was inadequate for what the front bucket can take. Id say it would only balance at the rear axle for 1/2 bucket of sand or gravel.
The heavier 'brush hog' rotary mover would have been better at 450ish#, and well back, but that long swinging implement out the back is not for any close quarter work.
This block of 'crete is tidy back there. It also made a dandy driveway drag full down, it kinda leveled off some of my high spots without lever control needed.
So much to learn, so little time.....
But some years back I did some Cat D7 dozer and 966 end loader work. Lot of iron there!
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Houska
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# Posted: 7 Oct 2022 08:09am - Edited by: Houska
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Congrats. We use our 42 HP tractor (Branson) all the time.
Suggestion: if not done already, get some hooks welded onto the top of the bucket, or get some bolt-ons like https://www.boltonhooks.com/bolt-on-hooks/
One of the most useful low-tech things a tractor can help with is just lifting or carrying stuff that's needlessly heavy for you to lift yourself. Hooks like these make it easy - just get a 1/4" or 5/16" chain and hang it around whatever you've got and these hooks. Yes, you can do without and wrap around the bucket, but it's enough of a pain you won't do it, while hooks make it a breeze.
Also you say you'll carry branches on your forks. That should work fine. It'll work even better if you loop a chain or rope around them and those hooks to make sure the load doesn't fall off.
Keep the blade or box on the 3PH as ballast even if you don't need it that moment. Tractors love being bulked up to be heavier; makes them more stable and able to safely lift more at the front. As a neighbour of mine says - a [compact] tractor isn't fully dressed unless it has something on the back.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 4 Apr 2024 12:08pm
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A lot has happened since getting and posting about this JD1025r end of Sept, 2022.
Got s pair of those bolt-on hooks with an extra loop too; glad I had a hd 3/4" drill for the bucket.
Somewhere in '23 I bit the bullet and bought a nice aftermarket pallet fork attachment (bucket and forks are quick change). Bought the one with a high back guard, glad I did. We can make orderly ground piles of branches and come in to pick up whenever quick and easy. Talking myself into spending almost $1k was the hard part; after 1 hr of work the pain of the expenditure was Gone! A friend will torch a hole in one fork so I can mount a ball or clevis, etc.
The brush hog is a beast, cleaned out the massive wild overgrown really well.
The 5' back grader blade hasn't been as useful as I thought but no downside to having since it came with the deal. I used to run a dozer some so Ive been getting better with doing similar with the bucket for spreading, etc. but not abusing it. Back-blading on float is a treat.
Im now working on widening/improving the driveway, more fill dirt along the edges and the apron out at the road frontage. Yes, the concrete rear ballast has been great! I did the first 1/2 day with the back blade on but was shy on traction and getting a full load of sandy dirt(gravel would be worse). Switched to the ballast and good to go. My gravel guy was scheduled to come this past Tues but we got a late winter snow storm 
Maybe this Mon or Tues..... I need to get this down so I can pack it (3" base with 3/4" crusher run on top) so we can hopefully get our new prebuilt cabin brought in by months end.
All that to say I Love My Tractor . Yeah, there are times the next size bigger would maybe be nice but this one works about as fast as I do anymore.
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paulz
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# Posted: 4 Apr 2024 12:53pm
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Used mine a month ago to haul and scrape driveway gravel. Raining since..
‘60s ‘70s junk barely hanging on.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 4 Apr 2024 03:33pm
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Dozer looks like fun
Lot of folks don't know how much easier a tracked rig can cut a grade.
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 4 Apr 2024 05:03pm - Edited by: paulz
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That things Italian! Hesson I think. Got a Fiat diesel. Given to me by the relatives of a nearby orchard. Yeah it’s a goat.
Other two are Masseys from a water department auction when they upgraded.
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smitty136
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# Posted: 30 Nov 2024 08:53am
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I'd love to have a real tractor, but that's not really an option for me. I've restored several of these old Wheelhorse garden tractors over the years. I love their olk K series Kohler engines. Here's a pic of one that I keep at my remote cabin site. It has a 14 Hp Kohler and I keep tire chains on it. I used it with this small trailer to haul large stones for my foundation piers and hauling firewood out. Also, I have just under 1/2 a mile of road that I have to mow a few times a summer. It's low budget, but does what I need.
Thanks, Smitty
Wheelhorse garden tractor
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