[sg69]

Hi everyone......I've had my Craftsman for about a year and a half now, 90 hours....love the forum BTW!:trink39:

• I need to do some grading and scraping around the house. In the pic across the street stands my new house and i need to add about 5 or 6 loads of top soil and do some leveling.
• I'm thinking about doing a dozer blade. Will it handle the dirt? What do you guys think? Scoop of blade? Opinions on the different ons out thereraying: .

Anyone out there use their mower to do a little dirt work? after i get it all leveled I'm gonna lay sod.

Thank in advance!!:thanku:

 

[NoTime]

Welcome, Nice lot and mower!

You really need a "garden tractor" (rated for ground engaging work) to do more than pulling around a cart of dirt.
I'm sure your tractor will move around some dirt, but it will be at the great expense of a much shortened mower life, especially if you have a Hydro transmission Heat kills hydros and the more grunt work, the more irreversable heat damage... A manual may pull longer before failure but the gears, etc are not intended for hard pulling/pushing and axle not intended for much more weight/lifting..
In the long run you will spend less money renting the proper machine, or buying an old used GT (to sell if you do not need it in the future) and still be able to enjoy a longer life with your current rider.

 

[SockPuppet]

I've moved several dump truck loads of gravel with my '94 LT4000 (6 speed trans). If you have a manual transaxle, I would say go for it. However, if you have the hydro, I don't know how well it will hold up.

If you get a truck driver that can spread the loads, a dozer will smooth it out nicely. If you have to move the material from a pile, a bucket is the best bet. It takes forever to move a pile with a dozer and you can't 'skip' areas. You have to make a line of material from point A to point B. With that said, back blading with the dozer makes for a really nice finished job.

Your biggest issue will be traction, especially on the new, uncompacted material. You may need to add either AG tires, chains, fluid filled tires or wheel weights. A combination of all the above works the best. This is even more necessary if you add the weight of a loaded bucket to the front.

 

[D-Dogg]

Welcome.

Johnny Bucket does have a scoop or blade that will fit the tractor.

Beyond that, depending on how you use it will determine whether your tractor lives through it.

As mentioned already, you don't have the heavier frame of a garden tractor, and if you have the hydro drive, you may easily overtax it. You will need more aggressive tires and weight for traction whether you go scoop/bucket or blade.

Some people find that in the smaller tractors a rear balde works better for leveling than a front blade. In this case you would need a sleeve hitch, which can be adapted to your frame but is not advisable.

I suppose I would recommend either upgrading to a new GT or finding an older heavy duty GT for your earth moving needs. Get the right one and you can add a loader, 3PH, etc.

 

[RStocker]

I have a YS4500. The tractor is not designed for any ground engaging attachments. The trans is so light that if you break it you could have rented a tractor with a bucked to do the job. It is like people who break tools. They use the wrong tool for the job. As a machines, contractor, farmer and builder of furnitue and cars I have used almost every tool there is. I have worn out rtchets that I have had rebuit but I have only split one socket sence 1955. It was a Craftsman and I put a cheater bar on the socket. I did not have a 3/4 drive set of sockets at the time. I have tweeked cheap allen wrenches and broken cheap Tiwan tools because I was helping some one else and using their tools. Think of using your tracor with a bucket as puting a cheater bar on a ratchet. For every foot in lenth you double the pounds of pressure. Have you read the post here on GT6500 tractors. The frames on those are not as storng as they once were. They are bending those frames. It is like taking a Beetle bug and pulling a house trailer. Even if it does not break you will put undue ware on the trans. I do a neighbors yard with my little tractor. The grass is thick and is raised up a little over the cement. If i try to go up on the grass with the wheels turned the tractor slides and does not go up over the grass. The belt slips and I have a new belt and it is adusted properly. It is just not designed for anything other than mowing and pulling a cart. I once had a 800 foot drive way that was up and down small hills. I had the dump truks spread it out as they dumped it. I had mud and muck. it took me 39 tuck loads to pack the drive way. Glad it was 35 years ago when it was cheap. You need a good work out. Get a little trailer and start shoveling. LOL

 

[HeartlandTX]

Most people have used their pocket knife for a screwdriver, or a screwdriver for a chisel. However, with that being said, all of us know it isn't smart. We've split the handle out of the screwdrivers and broken the blade on our knives.
I've quit doing these things, and now my favorite pocketknife is 35 years old and all my screwdrivers have decent handles.
I bet you might see the analogy. LOL
I wish you luck and hope you find the right tool for the right job.

 

[sg69]

I do, I see it. In the Navy we had a book called "tools and their uses". It was a joke that if someone was using a crescent "hammer" we'd hand them a copy of the manual. :fing20:
I was really not wanting to buy a tool I’d only use once and not have much use for in the future anyway when. perhaps in the future I may want to get a scoop for it to move some garder dirt around but it'd need to be a good deal on something used. I set-up to rent a bobcat for the weekend......that should work out well. I'll leave the little Craftsman for the grass…..thanks for the advise.

I look forward to asking plenty of question in the future.......stand by!
:drunkie: :trink39:

 

[turbosuzi]

This is a great reason to go and get a GT. For what rental of machine you could get an old suburban withe a dozer blade and still have the mower to use on its own.