In the spirit of the 12 Days of Christmas, here are 12 ways to use a tractor. We have two orange Kubotas on the farm campus (sorry John Deere), and they’re used a lot. Fittingly, the first way to use a tractor is to hang outdoor Christmas tree lights. (Not recommended for hanging indoor lights, hardy har har.) That’s Steve doing the acrobatics. I would be the one covering my eyes.
The second way to use a tractor is to push or blow snow. The farm dump truck has a plow attachment, but Todd clears our driveway with the tractor. Not only does it give him a satisfying snowy day activity, but it’s better for our epic sled run! (If you’d like to read more, click here for the post, ”Sledding Party.”)
The third way to use a tractor is for home construction and repair. The photo on the left is of our back door cricket being put back into place by Todd after it was sheered off by ice and snow sliding off of the roof. (Did you know that those little door roofs are called crickets? So cute until they come down with a terrifying crash.) The photo on the right is of Steve shingling the front of the Bartlett house with an assist from the tractor. He milled the shingles himself, of course!
The fourth way to use a tractor is to reposition our Casita travel trailer and our pontoon boat. We have plenty of room to store them on our property, and the tractor makes easy work of moving them onsite. Yes, yes, yes, of course we use a different vehicle to go camping! (There’s a tab for Casita posts on the home page, if you’re interested. To peek inside the cute little house-on-wheels, click here.)
The fifth way to use a tractor is to lift and place things, such as the custom pig abode. (That’s Steve on the tractor.) Pigs on the farm enjoy grass in summer, falling leaves and unctuous mud in autumn, and a snug, dry house. That’s Chipmunk looking for a treat. Stale donuts, perhaps? A pig can always dream!
The sixth way to use a tractor is for carpet cleaning. Todd thought this one up, and it worked great! Not only could he elevate the rug for spraying, but he could reposition the tractor to keep the rug in the sunshine while it dried. Mission accomplished!
The seventh way to use a tractor is for moving firewood. We hitch up the cart to haul split wood from stacks where it dries out over the course of a year to our porch where we access it to feed the wood stove over the winter. I did it myself during the year that Todd was away in Idaho, thus the rare photo of me behind the wheel!
Speaking of firewood, the eighth way to use a tractor is to move buildings. Both tractors got into the act pushing and pulling my parents’ woodshed up the drive to its new location by the farm house. It was important that there was snow on the ground so the shed could slide along.
The ninth way to use a tractor is to move very heavy things, such as a 300 lb. wood stove. This one was in our basement for extra heating, but we decided that we didn’t really need it, so it went on to a happy new home with a friend of a friend. Steve used the big plastic tobaggan (loaded behind the stove on the tractor) and a ladder to pull the stove up the bulkhead stairs. Pop some popcorn and watch the video! (That’s Tilley the farm pup supervising.)
The tenth way to use a tractor is for chores big and small. Below, Todd used the bucket to bring up some gravel mix from a pile down the driveway to the car barn to improve drainage from the roof. Have a chore in mind? Todd can figure out a way to use the tractor to do it!
The eleventh way to use a tractor is bound to be controversial, and I debated including it, but this blog is about country life, and the truth is that animals around here are used for food. Pigs, sheep, wild turkey, the occasional rooster who starts attacking children, and deer during the fall hunting season are all food sources, and the big farm tractor is used for hanging carcasses. Let me be very clear that all animals, domestic and wild, are treated humanely and with respect. This photo is of a 200lb buck shot by a friend. It will feed his family during the winter, and its culling from the woods will help keep the local deer population healthy. (That’s Tilley doing quality control.)
The twelfth way to use a tractor — drumroll, please — is for farming. That’s the purpose for which Peter bought the tractor back at the end of the horse era. (Click here to go to the post ”Horse Days.”) There’s a lot to be said for plowing with something that doesn’t “eat while you sleep,” as Todd would say. But then again, there are those times when horses could be easier!
And finally, I can’t leave the subject without pointing out that tractors can be fun! Below are photos of Steve and Elsa riding together (when Elsa was much smaller than she is now) and our neighbor taking his little grandog for a joyride on his antique tractor. Maybe that’s a thirteenth way to use a tractor, or we’ll call it a baker’s dozen.
Merry Christmas to all, and if you haven’t hung your lights yet, might I suggest a tractor? 🤣
What a great post! Course now I want one. 🙂
So much fun. I can’t wait to see these blogs published in a book. Perhaps ‘the sandwich spread!’ Tee hee. Xo
Wow, somehow I had missed this post. That video of pulling the stove out of the basement is riveting – how did it not slide backwards there at the end of the video?? I think Todd will miss the tractor antics when you are in AZ . . .