About 3 minutes after we seriously began considering the purchase of our 5-acre tract known as Aspen Springs, I was dreaming of a tractor. Not a giant combine. But something that had a hydraulic system, good power and big tires. After much research, I settled on a John Deere Ultimate Tractor X740. This is the largest “garden tractor” Deere makes.
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| Arrival day...off a semi-truck from Iowa |
My X740 – which I have named, Big John – is a 27 HP diesel. I have a 42” mowing deck (larger decks are possible but I have a few areas with tight tree spacing). I also ordered a 52” snow blade and it seems I'll be using it very soon. Since buying it, I have also added a 17 cubic yardtow-cart that I use to haul various things around the homestead: cut limbs, firewood, our daughters, etc. I’ve found this to be an indispensable accessory as I work on various projects. Most recently, I got an 18 cubic foot lawn sweeper for the yard: it tows behind Big John and sweeps up grass and leaves into the hopper. Very handy given all our trees. We started our first compost bin with the leaves last weekend.
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| Me and Big John, trying to imitate The Grinch's Sleigh |
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| Precious cargo |
Oh how I love using this tractor! It is mighty powerful and really fun to operate. The girls are having a ball also, begging for a ride in the tow-cart constantly. So far, Big John and I are bonding quite well. He’s the big brother I never had.
For the record, I was not thrilled about the idea of this purchase before it happened. Honestly, I just didn't see the need (yard stuff has never really been my thing.) But now that we're actually here - wow - the tractor has won me over. Mark was right :)
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