Dusty traded an ACL repair on a Boykin for a riding mower when we first moved to the rental. A much better deal than the time he traded a cat neuter for a chocolate milkshake. I used the rider to mow the 3 acre pasture and it did a good, but slow job. The pasture was a near perfect rectangle and still took 6 hours to do. It also ended up in the shop twice because really the little machine wasn’t made to handle that much grass. I was really worried when we purchased 30 acres of mostly grass. No way could the rider handle it and even if it could it would take me a month to get it done just in time to start all over again.
During farm shopping we had noticed that a lot of the sellers were willing to sell their tractor as well although most wanted way more than the machine was worth. Fortunately for us, the farm we ended up buying also offered up a tractor, but this time we managed to bargain for a great deal. It also came with a ton of accessories with a bush hog being the only one I knew what to do with.
A few Saturdays back I got Dusty to show me how to use it and got busy mowing the large pasture. The new spring growth was being choked out by old, dead bermuda grass that the sellers never mowed and I was worried it wouldn’t grow in very well if not cut back. Plus there were a lot of tall grasses and weeds that needed cut back as well. The weather was gorgeous and Dusty and Wyatt were busy fishing at the pond, so there wasn’t a better time for it.
The 20 acre pasture took roughly 5 hours to do, all the while Dusty and Wyatt were fishing which is a miracle to get my 5 year old to do anything for that long, and looked near orgasmic by the time I was finished. I love a nicely mowed pasture, folks. The horses really appreciated it as well once they stopped being pissed that I interrupted their afternoon nap time. After I was done I saw them start to graze in parts they had previously ignored now that the green grass was accessible.
I didn’t get the other side of the property done as it rained all the next day making it not possible and ever since then it has rained buckets. Now that it has stopped the ground needs a bit of time to firm back up. I’m hoping that happens before I need to redo this side all over again.
It was so nice having a real machine made for the job at hand though. Our little rider broke down for good which means we need to get one of those now as well and we are looking a the zero turn models. We have a lot of grass areas outside the pastures that needs mowed.
Depending on bow fun the new mower is, I may or may not let Dusty use it 🙂 I really love mowing. There is just something about the monotony, the peaceful solitude and the instant gratification of seeing row upon row or gorgeously cut grass that gets to me. I think I’m becoming old.
The Roaming Rider 
Cat neuter for a chocolate milkshake….I’m dying over here!
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He had run 13 miles on his lunch break and the lady came in right after. He was craving ice cream so he told her if she left and got him a chocolate milkshake the cat would be ready by the time she got back. I just shook my head.
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You will LOVE the zero turn!!!! Our farm came with one (and a tractor) and the few times I’ve used it I’ve loved it (I’m not the main mower in the family) so since you love to mow I’m sure it’ll be heaven on earth compared to your riding mower 😊 Also love that your husband cracking up over the chocolate milkshake 😂 My husband exchanged some legal work for a puppy one time and now the puppy is 50lbs of fluffy fur that is constantly floating around our house. But she’s cute and that’s why they made vacuum cleaners right?
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That trade sounds amazing! I’d give away lots of stuff for a puppy 🙂
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i dont know but i didnt get ACL repair on a Boykin till I came back to comment. LOL i was like oh on a dog!! Sigh…brain fried. HA
I love a john deere. and used to love cutting pastures with ours in Texas. it is mindless work isnt it, so nice.
sorry about your hat though. The zero turns scare me a bit. I told my husband if we got one i had a vision of him being tossed like he was on a mechanical bull (he is not the most agile) LOLLOL
Glad you are settling into your farm a bit!!
PS my husband also put a dent in my barn with the front end loader on the JD once. He was forbidden from climbing onto it ever again. LOL
and now i want a milkshake LOL
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I’d be pissed if he ran into the barn! Thankfully I’ve yet to destroy anything with the tractor. My poor hat 😦 I loved that hat.
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I LOVE the look of a freshly mowed field!
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It’s the best!
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Now that is a mower!! If I come visit you I really want to try driving that thing 😀 And you’ll need to get hats with little straps me thinks lol
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It was a sad day to lose my hat. You are welcome anytime and could hop on up!
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You are making me miss driving tractors. I loved the old Kubota i learned on. The JD we got after wasnt as powerful plus the tires sucked, no bueno in winter. I loved dragging the arena, like those little Japanese table sand gardens but big scale.
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It is such a relaxing thing. Thankfully this tractor is old but still run well
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Our bush hog was the best investment
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It’s so much better than the rider.
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That’s a nice looking tractor!
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It old but runs great
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LOL cat neuter for milkshake!!! And I can understand the peaceful enjoyment of mowing – especially with the right tools.
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I forget what he gave for it, but he has also traded services for fresh Wisconsin cheese curds.
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