Haul Master Winch from Harbor Freight Tools

Picked up this portable 12 volt winch today hoping to have an easier time pulling some sections of a fallen tree up from a low and angled spot the tractor has trouble getting to.

Hope to get out in the morning and try it out.

Some "Before" pictures

Here are a few of the before pictures showing the thick vegetation and limited view through the trees.

Back in the woods again

Well I finally got back on the tractor and working on clearing the woods up. This lasted a couple afternoons until a alder tree attacked. I got hung up on the stump while pushing the tree over. The result was the suction line for the hydraulic pump being bent and ripped off coupling hoses along with 2.5 gallons of hydraulic fluid.

The best part was finding a new very reliable parts supply with excellent customer service. The Guys at Medina Tractor Sales have a great website with the Illustrated Parts book loaded and the best prices i have found. Check out their link.

I have just received my second order of all the water hoses and filters to get my 2006 CK20H 400 hr/2year services completed.

I hope to post some more pictures soon so you can start seeing the before and after look of the property.

Well finally back home after almost four weeks traveling south of Argentina. My first morning home I awoke to smoke rising from the trees on the back of the property. My wonderful neighbor Dan had gone ahead and applied for burn permits. We burned branch piles for three days this past week until the tractor broke. The loader joystick went limp and floppy after one of the pivot pins broke. I have ordered parts from East Tractor, I will see how quick they arrive or if I need to try a new dealer. They did reply to my email and advise that the design has changed, eliminating the plastic balls and replacing them with stainless pins and balls.

I am looking for recommendations or reviews of a small disc harrow, thinking this might be a cheaper easier alternative to a PTO tiller.

Next update after the tractor is fixed and burning some diesel at $3.80 a gallon!

Back to the daily grind

Well the Christmas break is definitely over as the first week of work for the new year is almost done. I did order the shop and owner manuals for my Kioti Ck20 from eBay today. Saturday I won't get anything done around the property as I will be going to the Seahawks vs Saints play off game, go Hawks!

Kioti CK20 HST Maintenance

Spent a few more hours out breaking up rotten stumps, knocking down more trees and moving limbs. I then decided to do some maintenance on the tractor, which has about 338 hours on it and ran to Wally world for some oil.

I have not purchased the manuals yet but plan to from East Texas Tractor Parts http://www.easttexasequipment.com/ through their Ebay Store http://stores.ebay.com/East-Texas-Tractor-Parts . I have not purchased anything yet but have talked to them on the phone and come across as some nice people.

I picked up a Oil Filter at NAPA P/N FIL1334, they do also stock the Air and Fuel Filters. After warming the engine up, draining the oil and changing the filter, i put 4 qts of oil in.  OK well the oil didn't stay in the engine very well as I forgot to put the drain plug in.....duh. So after the flushing procedure i put the plug in and filled the oil...success it actual shows on the dip stick. That was enough for tonight.

Knocking Down Trees!

Spent the afternoon on my Kioti CK20 HST knocking down trees.  If its less the about 6-7" in diameter i can push it over getting the root ball up. Tomorrow the neighbor and his son are going to come over and help thin the woods. Most will go to them for firewood, their primary heat source for their home. I'm going to save any larger trees for cutting lumber for shelters using a chainsaw mill.