(800) 853-2651
SHOP NOW

life-changing tools

S

steve terplak

Member
A post on the tool talk forum about a planer made me think about tools i've acquired which, now, i can't remember how and why i used to do work without them...had tractors my whole life...but always tell friends who acquire their first that they will soon forget life without one...

my planer

miter saw - spent way too much time using a circular saw and speed square

nail gun - framing and finish - still amazes me
3 pt. hitch forks - use them for everything

dump trailer - best use of a non-running dump truck ever

4 wheeler

anything on your lists?
 
My first thought would be my auto darkening welding hood. It has definately made my life alot easier, not to mention the increase in production you see with one. No way I would want to go back. I keep and old #10 lense around in case of emergency but thats all.
 
2 or 3 yrs ago, we invested in a front-end loader for the Ford 2810.

Wonder how we managed all those years without it.

Best %5,000 we ever spent.
 
#1 Built a set of forks for my loader.... use them more than bucket!

#2 Got rid of cheap chainsaw, bought a good one, day and night difference!

#3 Plasma Cutter,,,,, how did I cut steel before this???

#4 4wd tractor, now when I get stuck, I'm stuck!

#5 This site, gotta question, somebody has the anwser!!
 
Ditto on that, Galen! Especially handy when doing things like stitch welding sheet metal, where you're trying to precisely place a large number of welds. Another thing that I wonder how I got along without is a horizontal/vertical bandsaw. About $200 for the cheap smaller ones and they really speed up your fabricating ability. A third was a 7 x 12 mini-lathe. About $400, or $500 nicely equipped from any of the importers such as Harbor Freight or Grizzly, and it gives you an unbelievably expanded range of fabrication capabilities. Of course, the problem with buying a small lathe is it's like buying a small motorcycle--pretty soon you want a bigger one, and there's no cure for that disease!
 
I don't have to have an excuse, I just go buy a new tool. I will say my backhoe tops the list. Second are cordless tools. Third are my tractors. A dump trailer is going to the head of my list to buy? Anyone have a recommedation on which one to buy?
 
for me it was the hydraulic press i build,no more hammering and banging and destroying things.
Now Easy does it with just the push of the button.
 
1 Acetylene torch

2 Arc welder

3 Sand blaster

3 Bead blast cabinet.

4 Cordless drill set with 2 saws, 3 flashlights and 2 drills

5 Dump trailer, home made.

6 Small bulldozer

7 Skid loader.

8 homemede 3 point hitch drawbar for moving trailers and some field implements.


Gosh, there is no such thing as a tool that's not favorite.

Gene
 
Cobett energy free cattle waterer.

GMO crops.

Pickup.

A loader tractor with all hyd.

More tile.

--->Paul
 
I guess I'm a little older that the rest of you folks, but I have to vote for the aluminum scoop shovel. As a kid, a # 14 steel scoop shovel was way too much for me. An aluminum # 12 was just right.

Stan
 

1) Switched from small square to big round bales (expect the 300 or so I bale myself).
2) Tposts instead of wood
3) cordless impact driver
4) 3pt hitch containers for the tractor
5) my ugly quad
6) actually #1, my dog.

a27604.jpg
 
1. Sawzall- used to futz around with hacksaws and all manner of other stuff, now just whack that sucker off, and on to the next thing.

2 Agree with aluminum scoop shovel mentioned below- got one for my wife for Christmas a few years ago, she got me one for my birthday so I could help her in the horse barn. Now that's togetherness, right there. . .

3. Loader for tractor would be on my list, except I've never been without one. Dad told me from an early age that it was the single handiest thing you could have on the farm- grew up with 8N and trip bucket Dearborn loader, but am considerably better mounted, now.

4. Power hack saw
 
I was just thinking about that today when I was grinding feed. I bought a power corn rake a couple of years ago. What a back saver! When I marry it up to a single chain aluminum elevator it looks like something that would make Rube Goldberg green with envy,but the older I get,the more I appreciate such things. Biggest labor saver around here since the gutter cleaner and pipeline milker.
 
I guess my 4 wheeler is pretty handy. Chain saws and log splitter, and the torches and welder. Oh the Dewalt 14" cut off saw is handy. The dump hoists in my pick-up and rack truck. And the bedding chopper. And my Black&Decker bright stick light, which I always seem to misplace. ( cant find it right now) Thats a must as it gets dark so fast. Last would be my Honda generator for power outs.
 
Dave, I made a box like that for my scooter. Then I went around the top half with a 1 1/2 inch holesaw, hole every 4 inches or so. Lots of points to hook bungees to. And c'mon, give it about three coats of blue enamel :)

Gordo
 
Hydraulic wood spliter
I have burned hundreds and hundreds of cords of wood which my spliter has split. Just have to push the lever. Wood has been the prime heat source of our home since it was built in 1970. We also went through far more 4' wood in the evaporators making maple syrup. That wood was split with a spliter that I built as a teenager. It mtd. to the 3pt horizontally and ran off tractor hyds.
 
(quoted from post at 16:40:56 12/10/10) Dave, I made a box like that for my scooter. Then I went around the top half with a 1 1/2 inch holesaw, hole every 4 inches or so. Lots of points to hook bungees to. And c'mon, give it about three coats of blue enamel :)

Gordo
Click to expand...

Don't think my girl'd tolerate having bungy cords stretched over her :roll:
That's her seat and I can only carry something else in it if there is still room for her. I dumped the trunk and put another wooden crate on back. Gotta keep her happy. Got bored one day at work and found a can of sand como paint so everything kinda blends in now.
 
Don't know what it is about dogs. I actually like my daughter's dog Tanner as well as my own- he's a mutt, Rottweiler/German Shepard cross, from the looks of things. Big enough to burn diesel, but friendly as can be. His reaction to the grandkids is to lay on his back and let them crawl all over him.

He's never "down"- always enthusiastic- when he wants in, he always waits to see if you're going out at the same time, because no matter how long he's been out, there's no way he's coming in if there's something going on outside. I swear, if you did 200 repetitions of "going to the barn", he'd accompany you on every one. And sniff the same places every time.

Never bothers our Pom when she growls at him, just "smiles" and continues to wag his tail. But the neighbor Rottweiler came over one time, and Tanner was a force to be reckonned with- kicked the neighbor dog's butt in about 30 seconds, then backed off and let him go home, yiping. He hasn't been back.

I swear, if people had personalities like good dogs, we wouldn't be in the fix we're in.
 
AW hard question to answer but:

4 wheeler so I can "play" when I work

JD compact with loader so I can "play" when I work

Stihl chainsaws to put on the 4 wheeler

Mounted can crusher so I can "play" while I work

Well, you get the idea - cept for the antique pulling tractor so I can "work" while I play!
 
I hear ya on the "work while you play" with antique pulling tractor. Put a Western V plow on the F-250 so I can stay warm pushing snow. (play while I work)
 
I second the 4wd kubota with a loader, front forks for it, and most of all the heated cab. The older I get, the more I appreciate it. Don't know how I ever did without it.
 
At 67 years old all those things mentioned makes it nice by my I COULD NOT DO WITH OUT LIST
l 4650 KUBOTA 4 WHEEL TRACTOR WITH LOADER
RTV 900 KUBOTA 4 WHEELER
LT40 WOOD MIZER SAW MILL
AUTO DARKING WELDING HELMET
DURA BUILT 1.5 YRD DIRT PAN FOR KUBOTA
 
Lots of time and energy saving tools, but I'd pick my 10,000 lb rubber tracked excavator, once I head to the field or woods I lose track of time cause I'm so busy digg'n and play'n. Thats how I got my handle.
 
In our spare time my wife and I buy and fix up old houses that we try to sell and turn a profit. Almost all have painted shut windows. It used to take hours of miserable work to unstick them, or even worse buy expensive new windows. We bought a Rockwell SoniCrafter and it now takes about 2 minutes to unstick a painted shut window and it is fun.
 
6 inch dial caliper, the cheap one that I keep in my desk drawer at work. I'm an engineer at an aerospace company, and that calipers has come in handy more times than I could have imagined. The other can't get by without tool is my linen tester, which is a little foldaway magnifier with integral stand. Perfect for inspecting solder joints and anything else that's tough for my aging eyes to see.

Around home, the life-changing tools would includ the power miter saw, table saw, finish nailer(s), cordless circular saw and cordless drill(s). Impact wrench is probably right up there, too.
 
The tools that I couldn"t live without is basically all my tools as they have already , or will someday , save my rear. The main ones is my 60 gallon air compressor ,along with my air tools. My 1/2 " and 3/4 " impact wrenches. Saved me many times.


Whizkid
 
Those new cordless impact wrenches. I never thought I had any use for one. Got one with my Makita cordless kit. I would walk past 3 drills to go get my impact-it is that handy!
 
And prolly our favoritest tool is the gallagher smartfix fence testor. Her sole purpose in life is to hang out with me and she'll tear down doors to get there if I don't tell her she has to stay, but she'd give me these aggravated looks and just go lay down when I'd start walking the fences trying to guess where problems were.
 
Lance - you put a piece of safety equipment in your list?????? That doesn't seem like you. ;)

--->Paul
 
Sears Cordless 19.2 tools I think I have them all, A old Case 480E backhoe, with a hyd thumb. A 50 hp JD Compact tractor with a Cab and Loader, Tractor has I match and I finally have all the tools adapted to fit the quick coupler. Can hook up with out getting off, except for PTO shafts. Love it.
 
The loader on my tractor.

Originally bought the tractor (750 JD compact diesel) with a blade on the front, didn't swap it out for the bucket until 4-5 years later.

I thought the tractor was pretty dang handy, but I don't know how I ever got along without the bucket!
 
4 or 4.5" hand held grinder, I can remember dad sharpening sickles with a V stone on a bench grinder before we bought our first one from Montgomery Wards!
 
#1 skidsteers with heat/ A/C

#2 Round balers

#3 cordless impacts
deal with all 3 every day (but not balers just round bales) skidsteer with heat and A/C can sure save a guy whether its plowing snow or grading the driveway. round bales are way nicer to handle with a tractor or skid. and cordless impacts are the handiest thing on a farm to keep in your toolbox as long as the batteries are always charged
M Puller
 
Welder - The junk you can repair with them is amazing. Spent way too many years cobbing old junk together to make them work which would have been so much easier if we had had a welder. Plus, there are some things that just can not be fixed without a welder. (e.g. worn oblong hole in a dawbar or other heavy steel piece: this is easy to fix with a welder. Simply run some weld in there and then grind it close to round again with cheap die grinder stone or cutter and it will be good for another fifty years).

If on a tight budget: I would recommend a good quality Lincoln or Miller 115V Mig to anyone even if you do not have a shop/garage. It is light and portable and can be plugged in virtually anywhere (flux core wire will work best for welding outside). In conjunction with a $15.00 cheap 4.5" handheld grinder with 1/16" thick cut-off discs for cutting metal and 1/4" thick grinding discs for grinding - you can do crude fabrication and make almost any repairs that might pop up. Granted if the metal is thick you might have to make several passes with the welder, but compared to baling wire, zip ties, and trying to design something with bolts or clamps it will often work much better.

Now for those with a shop then bigger welders will offer more capaibility but you loose portability ease as most will require 220V. For my heavier stuff, I use an old cheap Lincoln tomstone AC-225 buzzbox stickwelder (still not very good with stick). An added benefit of this bigger welder is that with a twin carbon arc torch attached (which can be easily homemade) I have intense heat (1000 degrees hotter than oxy-acteylene) for heating things and brazing and never buy gas or lease bottles. (Note: A Twin Carbon Arc Torch should NOT be confused with arc gouging or Arc/airs that are heavy cutters - it is different and gouging usually requires huge welders anyway. Twin carbon arc does not cut metal, but produces a flame similar to a torch with a rosebud tip on it for heating and brazing Savy oldtimers have even used the Twin Carbon Arcs as improvised tig welders, but there is no way I could do it. Still it works okay for me as a cheap source of intense heat as I have infrequent needs for heat anyway.)

Only wish I could have had these 3 items 30 years ago - LOL.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

J
Power Tool cases - rant
Replies
18
Views
3K
T in NE
T in NE
N
Carrying knives and/or guns---- WARNING LONG
2 3 4
Replies
64
Views
5K
GVSII
G
S
2 nice JD 55s and 303 IH to sell - Wellman,IA
Replies
5
Views
2K
Mike Aylward
M
J
Got all Horsed out yesterday!!! Long post warning LOL
2
Replies
36
Views
5K
Nancy Howell
N
B
O.T. nerve of some people !! kind of a funny rant !
Replies
16
Views
3K
LEH
L
Tractor Parts Tractor Manuals

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Copyright © 1997-2024 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters
Website Accessibility Policy

Back
Top