Some people live the dream

[akflyer 1427]

A guy I "met " on the back country pilots forum recently bought a really sweet place about 6 miles from my house.  It is his "summer home" now to get away from the Texas heat.  I met up with him for Lunch a couple weeks ago as he was on his way back down south.  I agreed to go mow the place for him in exchange for getting to play on his strip.  Took me 8 hrs to get about 90% of it mowed but I enjoyed helping out a fellow pilot and all around good guy.

 

The main strip is 1700+' X about 100'  The cross wind strip is around 600' long.

 

Here are a few pics of the good times..

 

 

[1avidflyer 1983]

Leni, you need a bigger mower. I used to use my riding mower and pulled a Swisher 42" trail mower behind it. Got about 6' to a pass that way. Now I have a 6' wide estate mower on the Kubota tractor and the trail mower hooked on behind. Do about 9' to a pass with this setup. Next time I have it rigged up, I'll have to get a picture of it. Jim Chuk

[akflyer 1427]

I think I have him talked into a much bigger estate mower to do the place with.  I was thinking a 60" estate mower behind a 4 wheeler would give him the best bang for the buck, then he has the 4 wheeler to get out and roam the trails with as well.  A 9' cut would be AWESOME to knock this thing out.

 

It had not been cut all summer so it was a chore with my mower.  I burned up the mower deck drive belt on my old craftsman and went to home depot to get a new belt.. they didn't have one in stock so I ended up just buying a new mower.  I am pretty certain that I can get it mowed in about 4 to 5 hours if I keep up on it just using the mower I have now, or if I con someone into using my other mower as well we can tag team it and get it knocked out a lot quicker.

 

[EDMO 1078]

Leni,

     I am jealous - Wish someone had left me with a $, so I could have a summer home in Alaska. 

Although the grass grows fast there, the growing season is short, and you can play all winter,

October until next April or May, in the snow - without mowing!

EdMO

Edited 31 Jul 2015 by Ed In Missouri

[1avidflyer 1983]

I was out by the hangar, and snapped a picture of the estate mower. It isn't hooked to the tractor, but you get the idea. The hitch on the back left side of the mower is for pulling the trail mower. 9' cut with both of them and if the grass isn't real long, you can go pretty fast. Jim Chuk

[akflyer 1427]

Thanks Jim!  I like the way you have the various holes in there to vary the tow path as needed.  I could do the same behind my mower and use the 46" mower deck and the 60" estate mower to walk through that stuff pretty darn quick.  The "normal" length grass I was able to run through at about 5 mph, but the stuff that was up to the hood I could only go about 2 or 3 mph.  Would be nice to keep it cut down to a manageable length and be able to run through it at 5-6 MPH and a 100" cut.

 

[Av8r3400 1179]

That's what my buddy Dave does on his place.  Three runways with his 46" Cub Cadet pulling a Swisher 48" "wing" mower.

 

 

Just shy of 8' per pass.