Farm Tractors

Posts Tagged ‘mowing lawns’

You love gardening. You spend a lot of time taking care of your garden and farm. You plant herbs and shrubs, you cut lawns, till farms, do watering, trimming, pruning – the works! It is a tedious job at times. How about some assistance? Well, garden tractors are there to help you.

Development

The Western Malleable and Gray Iron Manufacturing Company, produced the first garden tractors. The first one was developed in 1937, and was sold by Montgomery Ward. Two years later, in 1939, the first riding tractor became available, and then in 1950, the first riding lawn mower came into existence.

Gradually the size of the tractors went on getting reduced, while the features and facilities, increased. A smaller sized model farming tractor was designed in 1972, and that’s where today’s compact garden tractors found their roots.

Usage

Garden tractors are farming tools to be used for diverse farming activities :

- The job of pulling heavy loads can be physically tough. They can assist you with the job at hand. Let these heavy-duty machines do all the hard work.

- Cultivators, provided with garden tractors, may be used for plowing, thus making your farms more fertile. Tilled land, according to the experts, is always a good idea if quality crops are to be expected.

- Often used for mowing lawns in gardens. Trimming with the help of tractors, helps reduce odd grass lengths, bringing the parts of the surface back in sync.

- Plowshares embedded in garden tractors, are mostly used for purposes other than gardening as well. A stack of snow may be cleared with the help of plowshares.

Handle with Care!

Garden tractors are machines after all! Proper care must be taken while operating the system, to keep ourselves safe and our good investment safe as well. Here are some guidelines :

- One should always turn off the engines before moving out of the driving seat.

- Servicing should never be attempted while they are in operating mode.

- Garden tractors, with running engines, should never be left in closed garages to avoid accidents.

- Neither the driver nor the idle sitters on the tractors, should smoke there.

- Your body should always be kept at a distance from the operating machinery.

- Speed of the miniature machines should be taken care of.

- It is always advisable to regularly check whether the brakes are working properly.

- Untrained drivers should not be allowed to experiment with the machines.

Buying Tips

You need to be cautious when buying. Following are some guidelines to help you:

- Guarantee of the product purchased and warranty period associated, should be checked.

- Getting your new purchase insured proves to be a good move. Do so when it is time for the warranty to expire.

- It is always better to ask in advance if servicing will be provided at some extra cost, or the price you pay would take care of it.

- Be wary while choosing the brand. Verify that the parts are available close to your location. Getting compatible parts at a later date can get difficult.

- First aid treatments should be learnt to help you in case of of accidents and emergencies.

No doubt with the right care and handling your Garden Tractor could last for years.

Garden tractors are primarily used for mowing lawns. They are a must when your gardens produce agricultural goods. It helps you with agricultural work like loading and unloading the agricultural inputs.

In case of small gardens, garden tractors are not that useful. Instead, small lawn tractors can be used for the same function. Gardens with an area of around 2 to 3 acres can make use of lawn tractors for mowing. Small lawn tractors come in capacities of 4 to 6 HP. A lawn tractor is also a cheaper option as compared to a garden tractor.

However, with lawn tractors you have limited functionalities. They cannot be used for other work like carrying heavy loads etc. Hence a garden tractor tends to be a very useful piece of machinery to have around. The work done by garden tractors is very fast as compared to lawn tractors. So you stand to save a lot of time. It can be used for various purposes like aerating the field, leveling the driveway and hauling the firewood from the corners of the garden. Even a small machine can do heavy work like removal of stones in garden and shifting of stones for improving the look of the garden.

Advantages

A garden tractor can get a little heavy on your pocket. However, it is an investment that can save a lot of your money in future by being of great help in various tasks which would have otherwise required a lot of time and efforts. It can also turn out to be an asset for you by making money for you if you give it out on rent.

Selecting A Garden Tractor

Choose a machine keeping the area of your garden in mind. If your garden is less than one acre, you can opt for a small tiller of 2 – 3 HP. If the area of your garden is around 5 acres and if your garden has large boulders, you can go for a large tractor of 15 – 20 HP. For normal maintenance of the garden, a smaller tractor would be enough.

Safe Operation

Once you have your garden tractor, it is necessary that you learn to operate it safely. You must read the given manual carefully. Even a minor accident can prove to be risky. Hence adopt suitable precautions must be taken to avoid mishaps.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind -

- Always make sure that the machine is working properly.

- Using seat belts while driving is a must. It may help avoid any major injuries.

- When you are planning to carry heavy load on a new route, its better you first walk through the route to locate the obstructions, if any.

- Be careful while you drive. A little carelessness may turn out to have devastating effects.

- Use hand brakes after stopping to avoid movement due to gravity.

Fuel is essential for a garden tractor. Hence the excess usage of fuel will definitely increase your costs. Try to make maximum use of fuel without wasting. Here are a few tips for you -

- Check that the tractor is in good condition. – Keep checking and changing the fuel filters regularly. Get your tractor serviced regularly. Clean the injectors regularly. – Clean and change air filters regularly. – Do not overload.

With proper care and use, you garden tractor can be a great asset to you and of course, your garden!