??? Game Changer ???

[Biggkidd]

What was or is your big game changer around your homestead? What was the tool or equipment or even idea that really let you get things rolling on your place?

Over the years I have had several. My tractor with it's FEL and other tractor equipment including a TPH backhoe make a huge difference around here. Then again I owned them before moving here. Although when I bought them I did plan on moving out somewhere in the sticks which we did just about 2 years after getting the tractor and stuff.

Tools of all sorts are honestly needed for homesteading but a good welder and torch / plasma cutter are also way up near the top of my list. With them I have made a lot of stuff including tractor equipment and repaired even more.

Really good chainsaws are another game changing necessity. An arborist type small chainsaw and a monster loggers chainsaw along with a good medium saw for everything in between. Around here my smallest saw gets used the most on account of it's weight and size let me get more done before tiring out.

A good 4x4 4 wheeler with a trailer is another game changer around here. It allows me to get around the place toting a load and do lots of chores with less effort than just my body and a wheel barrow. It's a god send when it comes to bringing firewood out of the woods!

But right here right now today I'd have to say my biggest game changer is going to be the 1970 Cat D4 I just got. In just a few hours I cleared nearly a 1/3 acre of scrub brush and trees which would have taken me weeks with the saws and tractor alone.

Imagination is another game changer believe it or not. Without it how would we envision what we want to accomplish.

So what is or what has been or will be your big game changer around your place? What tool or equipment would make the most difference getting what you want done at your place.

For myself I think an excavator and dump truck would fit right in with my plans. Although neither one fit my budget or bank account. Never know what kind of deal one might run up on one day though. Just like I never thought I'd see the day I would own a dozer for the price of a new phone... Now granted if I didn't possess a mechanical type mind and a lifetimes collection of tools a lot of the old broken down stuff I get by using wouldn't be possible. Because believe me this old dozer is not up for daily commercial work but with a LOT of TLC and a little cash I believe I can keep it going for my needs here couple hours at a time. If something major breaks I could wind up right in the middle of **** creek. But will I be any worse off than I am now? Probably not considering the clearing I did with it the very first time I used it has pretty much paid for it already.

Another big game changer for us will be when we get the sawmill built. But again I couldn't do that if I hadn't been collecting tools and knowledge and maybe most importantly JUNK for my entire life.

I guess in all honesty outside the box thinking is the real game changer. But our knowledge and tools along with a can do attitude make the impossible possible or nearly so.

So what are y'all's game changers?

 

[Magus]

My game changer was becoming totally disabled, it changed my preping direction entirely from hunt and scavenge to hunker down and hide.

 

[Tirediron]

I went through a divorce a few years ago, had to split the possesions in half, and couldn't really get most of my bigger stuff until next spring, it took a while to get back on track, I have old equipment and now multiples for most stuff, I would rather have old repairable machines than newer stuff, just due to repair cost and the fact that lots of my old junk come from barter. my most used machine is my jacobsen G4x4 (Bucher tm850) It is handy simple and robust

 

[viking]

At our age I don't think it would come about, but I'd love to have a small Cat to push dirt around, like building flats across the top of our property for growing blueberries or grapes also scraping away all the blackberry vines.

 

[Neb]

What was or is your big game changer around your homestead? What was the tool or equipment or even idea that really let you get things rolling on your place?

Over the years I have had several. My tractor with it's FEL and other tractor equipment including a TPH backhoe make a huge difference around here. Then again I owned them before moving here. Although when I bought them I did plan on moving out somewhere in the sticks which we did just about 2 years after getting the tractor and stuff.

Tools of all sorts are honestly needed for homesteading but a good welder and torch / plasma cutter are also way up near the top of my list. With them I have made a lot of stuff including tractor equipment and repaired even more.

Really good chainsaws are another game changing necessity. An arborist type small chainsaw and a monster loggers chainsaw along with a good medium saw for everything in between. Around here my smallest saw gets used the most on account of it's weight and size let me get more done before tiring out.

A good 4x4 4 wheeler with a trailer is another game changer around here. It allows me to get around the place toting a load and do lots of chores with less effort than just my body and a wheel barrow. It's a god send when it comes to bringing firewood out of the woods!

But right here right now today I'd have to say my biggest game changer is going to be the 1970 Cat D4 I just got. In just a few hours I cleared nearly a 1/3 acre of scrub brush and trees which would have taken me weeks with the saws and tractor alone.

Imagination is another game changer believe it or not. Without it how would we envision what we want to accomplish.

So what is or what has been or will be your big game changer around your place? What tool or equipment would make the most difference getting what you want done at your place.

For myself I think an excavator and dump truck would fit right in with my plans. Although neither one fit my budget or bank account. Never know what kind of deal one might run up on one day though. Just like I never thought I'd see the day I would own a dozer for the price of a new phone... Now granted if I didn't possess a mechanical type mind and a lifetimes collection of tools a lot of the old broken down stuff I get by using wouldn't be possible. Because believe me this old dozer is not up for daily commercial work but with a LOT of TLC and a little cash I believe I can keep it going for my needs here couple hours at a time. If something major breaks I could wind up right in the middle of **** creek. But will I be any worse off than I am now? Probably not considering the clearing I did with it the very first time I used it has pretty much paid for it already.

Another big game changer for us will be when we get the sawmill built. But again I couldn't do that if I hadn't been collecting tools and knowledge and maybe most importantly JUNK for my entire life.

I guess in all honesty outside the box thinking is the real game changer. But our knowledge and tools along with a can do attitude make the impossible possible or nearly so.

So what are y'all's game changers?

DR Powerwagon



I used it to move good soil to the top of The Ridge for my garden boxes.

Used it to move the dirt from drainages ditches we dug and built an access path down to the stream bed.

It was used to move river rock to the spring heads when they were developed. During this work my brother figured out why it has warning stickers telling us not to operate it on hills of more than 30 degrees. He parked crosswise across the slope and started the dump. The center of gravity moved up as he dumped the load and the powerwagon started rolling down the hill. I was impressed by his nimbleness as he kept trying to stop the rolling as it rolled toward him. I kept yelling "Let it go!" but he did stop it eventually. He came away with a bruise or 2 but pretty much unhurt. The powerwagon started right up with no damage.

When I was excavating the basement of our remodeling project it was used transport the dirt off into the woods to dump. The power dump worked great to pin point the dumps to fill a 3 foot embankment and extend the exercise yard of the neighbor's horse farm.

Moving bags of cobcrete from the pallets to where the mixer... Powerwagon.

And those are just my stories. My brother uses it on his projects and declared after the first job he used it on as having paid for itself (funny because he didn't pay for it. ).

The only thing we ever had to fix was the trolley wheel (swiveling coaster to allow steering) needed replaced because we destroyed the swivel bearings (maybe damaged when it when for a roll ? Maybe).

Negative?
Fourth gear is worthless for this old man. I feel like I am running in 3rd gear.

Closing

The Princess once said;

That may be the best toy you ever bought for your brother!

Ben

 

[Neb]

At our age I don't think it would come about, but I'd love to have a small Cat to push dirt around, like building flats across the top of our property for growing blueberries or grapes also scraping away all the blackberry vines.

And blackberry vines are bad because ....?

Ben

 

[Neb]

I went through a divorce a few years ago, had to split the possesions in half, and couldn't really get most of my bigger stuff until next spring, it took a while to get back on track, I have old equipment and now multiples for most stuff, I would rather have old repairable machines than newer stuff, just due to repair cost and the fact that lots of my old junk come from barter. my most used machine is my jacobsen G4x4 (Bucher tm850) It is handy simple and robust

Is that a quad?

I bought one used... It is waiting for some TLC.

Ben

 

[Biggkidd]

DR Powerwagon



I used it to move good soil to the top of The Ridge for my garden boxes.

Used it to move the dirt from drainages ditches we dug and built an access path down to the stream bed.

It was used to move river rock to the spring heads when they were developed. During this work my brother figured out why it has warning stickers telling us not to operate it on hills of more than 30 degrees. He parked crosswise across the slope and started the dump. The center of gravity moved up as he dumped the load and the powerwagon started rolling down the hill. I was impressed by his nimbleness as he kept trying to stop the rolling as it rolled toward him. I kept yelling "Let it go!" but he did stop it eventually. He came away with a bruise or 2 but pretty much unhurt. The powerwagon started right up with no damage.

When I was excavating the basement of our remodeling project it was used transport the dirt off into the woods to dump. The power dump worked great to pin point the dumps to fill a 3 foot embankment and extend the exercise yard of the neighbor's horse farm.

Moving bags of cobcrete from the pallets to where the mixer... Powerwagon.

And those are just my stories. My brother uses it on his projects and declared after the first job he used it on as having paid for itself (funny because he didn't pay for it. ).

The only thing we ever had to fix was the trolley wheel (swiveling coaster to allow steering) needed replaced because we destroyed the swivel bearings (maybe damaged when it when for a roll ? Maybe).

Negative?
Fourth gear is worthless for this old man. I feel like I am running in 3rd gear.

Closing

The Princess once said;

That may be the best toy you ever bought for your brother!

Ben

I can certainly see that being handy as a pocket!

 

[Amish Heart]

Our small tractor, the ride em mower, and cordless saws: the chain saw and pole saw. All of these things husband can operate on his own, even on a mobility scooter.

 

[Bacpacker]

I use my little Kubota all the time. Its a BX1860. I mow all I mow with it, do some plow work with it, drag brush, pull the trailer all over loaded with what ever I need. Just wish I had gotten a FEL when I bought it, and went one step bigger on the HP. I've got an older bigger tractor that I do the heavy ground work and bush hogging with, but it don't get near the hours on it yearly.
Chain saws get a work out pretty regularly. I use my Stihl 180 the most, light wieght and handles most of the jobs I have. I've got a Husky model 51 and just got a model 41 from my dad that I'm getting a full tune up and new bars and chains on them this fall. Both are older with a lot of miles on them, but they'll handle the heavier jobs just fine.
But Like BK mentioned, the ability to think outside the box about how to accomplish a task is so important. Even to the point of "How do I recover from that bone head move". Yeah I do those way too often. Mostly working by myself it takes planning to accomplish heavier, larger task.

 

[LadyLocust]

And blackberry vines are bad because ....?

Ben

Because they will take over and bury everything else.

 

[LadyLocust]

I would say infrastructure: a coop for the chickens, a shed for the wood etc. As far as tools or equipment, I would just say, a system well equipped with good quality tools and put them back after using them so you can get them when needed and a wood-splitter. As one ages, it really is a body saver. Otherwise, a tractor is a handy multipurpose tool.

 

[viking]

And blackberry vines are bad because ....?

Ben

They don't always have many blackberries and their vines choke everything, they also have nasty thorns that can leave bad looking wounds. Sometimes the vines are thicker than my thumbs. They can be poisoned with powerful stuff that only seems to make them grow better. The only way to get rid of them is to dig up ALL of their roots, if you run a rototiller through the roots, every piece of root left will grow new vines. The only really good thing they do is to indicate there may be water not too far down, elderberry bushes indicate water could be about 10' down and I'd rather have them growing as their fruit is medicinal.

 

[Magus]

I heard Llamas eat the darn things, some kinds of goats do.

 

[joel]

First it was my sixteen year old son, at 27 he still helps out when he can.
My tractor & attachments, my tools & Conex.

 

[joel]

Some wild blackberry plant are good, others are bitter & have vines that can reach seven feet.

 

[Aerindel]

The bobcat me and the neighbor kid went in together on is pretty awesome and really changed things. Sure beats the rototiller for making terraces.

After that, the coleman mini-biki I bought a couple of months ago. Its like a set of mechanical legs, can take me anywhere on my land that I could walk, but fast and easily.

 

[Spikedriver]

A large tractor with a 3 point blade and a large loader. I'm talking 125 HP up to 150 HP, and even larger could be useful although it starts to become less agile and tears up the ground just driving when it gets over 150 HP. If you live where it snows a lot, you'll appreciate every last horse it gives you. You can pull small stumps, you can move dirt efficiently, you can do field work, you can run large PTO driven equipment.

Along with the tractor the welder and the torch become important. You will eventually break welds in the loader if you use it hard. And the torch can have so many uses, only limited by imagination.

But one of the most handy things is the air compresser. It fills tires, but it also runs pneumatic tools, which we use on the farm for both building (nailer, etc.) and for repairs (pneumatic impact wrench, air chisel, grinder, etc.)

 

[Cascadian]

My 30 horse tractor with FEL and brush hog. The new log splitter and riding mower help a bunch also. Lastly covered work and storage area. We get 50 inches or rain here.

 

[Biggkidd]

A large tractor with a 3 point blade and a large loader. I'm talking 125 HP up to 150 HP, and even larger could be useful although it starts to become less agile and tears up the ground just driving when it gets over 150 HP. If you live where it snows a lot, you'll appreciate every last horse it gives you. You can pull small stumps, you can move dirt efficiently, you can do field work, you can run large PTO driven equipment.

Along with the tractor the welder and the torch become important. You will eventually break welds in the loader if you use it hard. And the torch can have so many uses, only limited by imagination.

But one of the most handy things is the air compresser. It fills tires, but it also runs pneumatic tools, which we use on the farm for both building (nailer, etc.) and for repairs (pneumatic impact wrench, air chisel, grinder, etc.)

Yes I am so use to having air I never considered anyone not having it.

I can't speak for others but most homesteaders I know have 30 acres or less. Of us around here my place at nearly 36 is the largest. I'm not sure a tractor that large would sensible on such small acreage. I can sure see it if you are starting out with raw land like I did but most folks have more sense. lol I have an 06 35hp diesel 4x4 chinese made Jinma that seems to fit the size of our land well.

Another point I want to make is the fact we homesteaders can get by with old worn out crappy equipment. Reason being we aren't working the stuff constantly more on an as needed basis. For example take this old D4 I just got. For a company working it probably wouldn't make it a day. Yet I bet I can keep it ticking along until I manage to clear 10 or so acres of small regrowth trees where it was clear cut 8 to 10 years ago. Then again I more than likely will never work it 8 hours in a single day. Far as keeping things running almost anyone can learn and if you can't you probably aren't going to make it homesteading.

You HAVE to be a self starter, hard worker and able to think out of the box to make it homesteading.

 

[Aklogcabin]

My old 59 case rubber tired backhoe I bought for 4300 bucks years ago. It's slower n harder to operate than a new one. But I don't have to hurry. I put a snow plow blade on it also. Works really good. I have another blade without the 16" wings that is used for snow. I figure I can push topsoil or D-1 pretty good. Having both rear brakes working on it would be nice, easier to steer using the rear brakes.
I am able to build things using It's power instead of mine.
Yeppers shes a real beauty

 

[Spikedriver]

Yes I am so use to having air I never considered anyone not having it.

I can't speak for others but most homesteaders I know have 30 acres or less. Of us around here my place at nearly 36 is the largest. I'm not sure a tractor that large would sensible on such small acreage. I can sure see it if you are starting out with raw land like I did but most folks have more sense. lol I have an 06 35hp diesel 4x4 chinese made Jinma that seems to fit the size of our land well.

Another point I want to make is the fact we homesteaders can get by with old worn out crappy equipment. Reason being we aren't working the stuff constantly more on an as needed basis. For example take this old D4 I just got. For a company working it probably wouldn't make it a day. Yet I bet I can keep it ticking along until I manage to clear 10 or so acres of small regrowth trees where it was clear cut 8 to 10 years ago. Then again I more than likely will never work it 8 hours in a single day. Far as keeping things running almost anyone can learn and if you can't you probably aren't going to make it homesteading.

You HAVE to be a self starter, hard worker and able to think out of the box to make it homesteading.

Our farm loader is a 1973 JD4430, rated stock at 125 HP, with a JD 158 loader.
It almost never does any field work. It does the "homesteader" type chores. It lifts bundles of shingles to the roof, it has lifted a Cat 3208 engine in and out of a combine. It moves snow that would stop a 50 HP tractor in its tracks. It loads gravel into trucks and wagons, it grades driveways. We chain trees to it so they drop where we want them when we cut them. It runs the hydraulic log splitter and the PTO generator.. It's the do everything machine for us. It may be larger than needed for some of those tasks, but we've never regretted having the extra capability. And typically, a tractor like it is not that expensive in the grand scheme of things. (Right now the used tractor market is nuts, so this isn't a wise time to buy)

 

[Spikedriver]

My old 59 case rubber tired backhoe I bought for 4300 bucks years ago. It's slower n harder to operate than a new one. But I don't have to hurry. I put a snow plow blade on it also. Works really good. I have another blade without the 16" wings that is used for snow. I figure I can push topsoil or D-1 pretty good. Having both rear brakes working on it would be nice, easier to steer using the rear brakes.
I am able to build things using It's power instead of mine.
Yeppers shes a real beauty View attachment 74627View attachment 74628View attachment 74629

A backhoe can be real handy. There's times we wish we had one...

 

[joel]

I love my back hoe/ front loader.