Senile Texas Aggie - comic relief for the rest of you

[Mike CHS]

Some of my paddocks I will cut down to 4" after the sheep finish it up but I have a couple that I only cut down to about a foo tall.

 

[farmerjan]

We try to set our bush hogs level, but we also mow high so as not to cause the grass to get burnt if we get a hot spell after bushogging. There are spacers we put on the hydraulic arm so that it will only go down so far. You then can run it in the float position, which is easier on the tractor hydraulics, and it can't slowly "float lower" . I don't know if you can use them on smaller tractors with bush hogs, as I don't know the dynamics of the hydraulic cylinder that lowers it. I would say that we don't mow lower than 8" or more, at least. Sometimes I would like to lower it more but my son says no. I have mowed them lower if they are calling for rain right when I am mowing and to even out the pasture where we have cows grazing. When you are mowing thick tall stuff, if it is set low, then you are chewing up the stuff more than once as it cuts it off and cuts it up before you're done. So higher, means you aren't taking such a "big bite" and it naturally won't bog down the mower as much.

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

Thanks to all for your comments on the PTO and mower height.

There are spacers we put on the hydraulic arm

Miss @farmerjan, I guess I have never seen such spacers. Could you provide me with pictures? I have a category 2 3-pt hitch, if that makes a difference.

Today I continued to mow the overgrown pastures. It was a bit slow-going, as I got into the section where there are a lot of trees, so I was constantly maneuvering around them. I also picked up some of the brush that the previous owner(s) left. With the mower deck raised up, I didn't bog down but a couple of times. And the PTO behaved this time. It wasn't turning when I cranked up the tractor, and it would stop turning whenever I disengaged the clutch. Maybe the tractor overheard my calling the repair shop this morning, when I asked how much it would cost to repair it. They recommended replacing the whole PTO clutch kit, which would cost about $950 for the kit, plus another $300-400 in labor. But they said that they were booked solid for quite a while, so no repairs to be done right away. But if the tractor continues to behave properly, then maybe I will postpone the repair.

Last year I had mowed down a bunch of briars and bushes in the overgrown parts of the pasture. Because I had neglected this year to mow those pastures until now, the sumac bushes had grown back up as tall as the tractor! This is what it looked like before I mowed it:


Senile Texas Aggie

 

[Baymule]

Sumac. The red coating on the berries are actually a spice in the middle east. It has a lemony taste and makes a respectable
lemonade. It is good on meat too. I harvested some, let the seed heads dry and rubbed them through a tea strainer to get the red coating off. I like knowing what plants provide for us. Only thing is, the sumac caused a reaction to me, I have chemical issues and some plants can set me off too. Oh well.

 

[Bruce]

I thought sumac was poisonous. Maybe there are different kinds? Or maybe like Rhubarb, only parts of the plant are toxic?

I mowed some today and did notice that pushing in the clutch (which on my HST is required to start the tractor as well as having your butt in the seat) will disengage the PTO.

 

[Baymule]

Here is the sumac of which I speak.

 

[AmberLops]

Here is the sumac of which I speak.

I noticed this stuff all over my property...guess i'll have to harvest some!

 

[Baymule]

I noticed this stuff all over my property...guess i'll have to harvest some!

Sprinkled over lamb or other meats when done, gives it a tangy taste. Just don't overdo it to start with. I reacted to it, but I react to rosemary and several other culinary herbs. It makes a beautiful pink lemonade too.

 

[AmberLops]

Sprinkled over lamb or other meats when done, gives it a tangy taste. Just don't overdo it to start with. I reacted to it, but I react to rosemary and several other culinary herbs. It makes a beautiful pink lemonade too.

Got it!
I'll make some lemonade first, sounds good on a hot day!

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

So, I can start harvesting these berries and selling their products as spices and tea mixes? Wow! I can see it now: "STA's All Natural, Organic, Non-GMO Herbal spices! Proudly Made in the USA" I'll be rich!

pushing in the clutch (which on my HST is required to start the tractor as well as having your butt in the seat) will disengage the PTO

Sounds like your tractor has a live (two stage clutch): https://www.tractordata.com/articles/technical/pto.html

Senile Texas Aggie