Glad this little info was helpful. I was at a loss, trying not to break something, so I figured someone else may face this issue. Stay safe, Dan

Hey Nelson, thanks for commenting. Yes, you’re right, my ignorance at the time led me to believe that my Golden Rod fuel filter was both a water separator and a filter. Maybe it was my experience with a ‘57 Chris Craft I owned, where the filters I installed served these purposes, but this was not the case here. So, water from the new diesel fuel tank made its way into the Kubota. The Kubota does have a water separator but it is small and must have been overwhelmed by the amount of water. I subsequently installed a water separator in line with the filter on the tank and have had no issues since.

Sorry I didn’t get back to you earlier, we were down in Fl with some friends before Spring really kicks in! Looks like you’ve got the same perspective as us, on the self-reliance and resiliency piece so we can definitely share some thoughts back and forth. Re the YT channel, you may note that I have not posted to it in some time and I will be removing it entirely in the near future. I will be over on Rumble just for family and friends and will shoot you a link so we can keep up. I will binge on your channel when we get back settled here, but have cattle joining the chaos on the 11th and need to get more fencing in. Cheers, Dan

@appalachianheartsong5487 Ode to sweet Florida! Happy travels! It seems to me that self-sufficiency is the only revolution that matters. Fighting a war only produces more of the same old shit. Last time I was in Florida was the last time I saw your Mom. I sure do miss your folks. Have a most excellent time! I look forward to your Rumble link...

Thanks for participating on the channel. Since I had a Tacoma on the property, which I used in sort of the same role before buying the Kubota, I get your perspective. The only really functional benefit of the X1140 to a pickup or other UTV is the hydraulic bed, which is very handy as we move a lot of soil and other material around. A practical benefit to the RTV is size/weight, as some of the lanes are quite narrow and with 30+ degree slopes around the property the Tacoma was stuck or sliding more often than with the RTV. If you could buy just one and had more level ground and open pasture, I would agree that a small pickup wins hands down.

@@appalachianheartsong5487 your response was very respectful, l own a Honda 4trax for the last 20yrs, it's very versatile and unstoppable. When l went to look at a side by side, didn't see much in the way of passenger comfort . Just wish they were a little more weather proof for the price. Even my Honda has been modified. l too like a narrow 4x4, I'll probably never get rid of it. Take care, hope you get 20yrs from your ute👍

There seems to be no problem with the power load on the slopes. Although difficult, I try to maintain balance between the two blades of the mower to help alleviate some of the shift in weight distribution along a full stroke but the box angle is definitely a factor.

What size is the cutter?@@appalachianheartsong5487

You were correct, it’s a 6’ cutter. I don’t recommend the Land Pride, it is way too lightweight for real work without extensive damage to the box, but that lightweight may be an asset when it comes to power distro.@@upnorthyooper1196

Appreciate the comment my brother. The X1140 really is a great machine for what it is designed, as a utility vehicle capable of hauling and dumping loads. It doesn’t have the fun factor of an ATV and it is quite noisy but for farm work I don’t think it can be beat. Yes, we too consolidated as much of our farm vehicles to diesel so that we can store and use it right here. Cheers, Dan

Thanks for commenting. Overall, I cannot recommend this particular machine, it self-destructed this last summer chipping red cedars. Specific to leaves, it does alright but they don’t have enough mass for the shredder to really grab so half the leaves are expelled before they are mulched. The denser the pack the better it works but, beyond a leaf compost application, it’s not the solution for leaf mulching. Of course, it does better with branches, until it rips itself apart internally. Hope this helps, Dan

@@appalachianheartsong5487 thanks so much! You saved me from a $600 mistake.

@@appalachianheartsong5487 We just bout the DK2 OPC513 version a couple of weeks ago. We don't have a lot to chip, but what do you mean, specifically when you say that it "self-destructed" ? Did the motor blow? Or the bearings in the internals? Other? Please do let me know as I'd like to be ready for any possible issue. I hope not the motor, however, because I figured, if the rest of the machine does go poof, as long as the shaft is the same size as the shaft on our snow blower (5.hp briggs, I think it is) then this Kohler motor would be good to repurpose for that. Thanks in advance.

@@BlondieSL Thanks for participating on the channel! I’ll respond to both your comments herein. So, it sounds like you purchased your chipper for light duty residential use and it should serve you well in that role. It’s hard for me to say exactly how much material was chipped before the blades dulled but I had to sharpen them about twice a day. Re its terminal act, it consisted of the metal shredders attached to the back side of the cutting wheel breaking loose from the wheel and tearing up the wheel and internal housing. We never really used the shredder side of wheel because the vines we would have shredded just wrapped themselves around the wheel. So, not sure if it was centrifugal force or chipped material that led to the shredders detaching themselves. It sounds like a plane crash when it happens, so you will certainly know if it happens to yours. Hope this helps.

@@appalachianheartsong5487 Thanks for that info. WOW that failure really sounds horrible. I'm assuming that the damage done made it not worth rearing? As for blade sharpening, twice a day? WOW! But seeing your video, I guess it makes sense with all you have to do there. May I ask, what method did you use to sharpen yours? For our old, electric shredder, with much smaller blades, but similar design, I bought a dual wet stone and sharpen those by hand, making sure to keep the exact same angle on the beveled part. I've seen one guy get a 1000 grid belt sander belt and just use that, also keeping the angle. LOL So I'm curious what you used and how. Clearly, it works. Again, thanks in advanced and much appreciated.

Jp, we also had to compromise. We now use the zero turn for the relatively flat pastures, pulling a manure spreader, and for the slight grades we use a subcompact New Holland tractor with mower deck. Its all a learning experience, and sometimes our ignorance is costly but it works out in the end.

Thanks for commenting Fred. If you’re looking for a workhorse and don’t mind the quirks, this is a great tool…our most used tool on the property for sure.

Brother, I’ve just raised the posts to 8’ and the Dexters will fit under them no issue. Looks like the Devons are taller so maybe a 9’ but it’s a simple process to move the shades and you can leave the posts all year. The animals seem to like the cloth running over their backs and they sort of scratch on it and the posts, so a little low is a benefit. If I can help you in one way to the thousand ways you’ve helped us, please Lord let it be so.

@@appalachianheartsong5487 Thanks, Dan. Looking forward to following the journey!🤠

Hey Rich, thanks again for commenting. We have had great progress this year, with Elle arriving full time and smashing the garden. Really happy with how this is coming together and we will try to catch everyone up to how far its come.

Thanks for commenting Tom! Absolutely, we may have been figuratively herding sheep in our past lives but now it is all too real. Can’t wait to see you, Dan

Thanks John. Yeah, I don’t know if the loader would lift any more weight, if the hydraulic lines or coupling are different to lessen the capacity is beyond my knowledge. I only know that the folks I spoke with who purchased the 555 are less happy than the folks who opted for the 805. Anyway, re the PTO, I have not used the chipper on this tractor but a 75hp Holland with 6” PTO chipper I once used was awesome. I wore out the 3” DK chipper I featured on another episode, and it literally self-destructed internally. Not the engine, the steel chipper disc inside the hopper tore apart and destroyed the housing. It sounds like your getting a lot done, I wish you continued success.

I haven’t seen a leak but had the one instance of overheating, and still can’t figure that one out. I better check my coolant level again this morning :)

Thanks for commenting Bubba, great name and pic btw. I have never heard of that there device of which you speak, I wish I knew that before I laid more than 7K down on the Toro…but I do actually, really like my mower. It’s a death trap, though, so we have to take that into account. Thanks again, God Bless, and Happy Independence Day!!

Manual says 160lbs, which is what I do, but that’s with a single wheel and they don’t give specs for a something they disapprove of :)

Thanks for commenting. I use an additive because I have a 300 gal tank but if I were filling from a station and running it regularly I wouldn’t use an additive.

The tractor was not running. The shop vac over the hydraulic oil fill port creates a negative pressure at that end of the system which causes the oil to flow much less freely when the the filter is removed. It still flows out, but I would say at about 1/4 the rate without this little hack. Regarding how to hold the vac hose at the port, I found that the suction held them together without further effort or requirements. Let me know how it works for you, Dan

They are doing great. My brooder is too small for the oversized radiant heat plate I got, so I got to fix that, but they really are thriving. Having a bird dog reside in the same house with birds is another story all together. Not sure how that’s gonna turn out…

Thanks Rich, we are very excited to get some critters on the homestead, although the bees have certainly been entertaining for us…

Also, if that doesn't work, then try physically moving the rtv forward a little bit. This also can be applied when trying to switch into 4wd.

Thanks for commenting Bob. The Layens hive has worked well for me, but I am focused more on pollination than honey. Horizontal Hives will claim that the bees separate the honey from the brood frames naturally, but I have not found this to be the case. They do tend to concentrate honey on the end frames but only in the latter months after brood production slows. At least half the honey in my hives is in the top third of each frame with brood below it. If you get serious about switching I think you will want a queen excluder, which is something you are very familiar with already given your experience. Cheers, Dan

@@appalachianheartsong5487 That's how they are supposed to work. They whole idea of layens frames is to leave enough room at the top of the frame for honey, even if it's a brood frame. That's the hive storage for winter. That's why they are taller that wider. The point is NOT to fully separate brood from honey, unless that's more than the bees need. Extra honey goes to the side further away from the entrance. That you can harvest, as it isn't used in winter because the bees can't reach it anyway. Bees pack in a ball. When the queen stop laying, they are at the bottom of the frames. During winter they slowly move up, consuming stored honey. They don't really move sideways. Those lateral frames full of honey can be effectively unreachable by the bees in winter. The cons are that you can't harvest all honey produced by the bees. The pros are that you don't need to worry about feeding them. That fits a natural low disturbance beekeeping, not a commercial one, which makes use of every drop of honey bees produce but has to feed them with (way cheaper) sugar when needed. You can adapt horizontal hives (you can make honey supers for them) to some extent to produce more honey, but at the end of the day most commercial beekeepers need to be nomadic anyway, and horizontal hives are not that easy to move around by design, compared to the stacks of boxes of vertical hives.

Yes, it took me the first try to figure this out but in my latest you will see I had to divide them again and did as you suggest. All three now have queens but not sure if either of the two new ones have taken their mating flight. I am giving them a couple days and will then check for eggs. Wish me luck, and thanks Tom for the insights.

Glad you’re ok and it was nothing but a lesson learned. Brandon commented exactly what I have learned over time, which is only take the steeper grades uphill. If I have to go downhill I’m literally creeping along, often with the deck off. Of course, I mostly mowing pasture and don’t care if I tear up some turf so I have the knobby tires, which are a huge help. Stay safe and have fun, Dan.

I need to find some solution to the hive beetles and folks say if I can keep them several feet from the entrance they can’t get in. We’ll see :)

Thanks for the pro comment, it is definitely more art than science! Of course, you also have to produce a professional product where I’m mostly doing pasture and will dig that mower down to the frame if I have to :) Cheers, Dan

Thanks for commenting and, yes, I think you’re right. The frames have been a bit frustrating getting into and out of the hive box. I bought additional frames from horizontal hive this year and they slide in super easy. I thought the box itself was warping but your insight seems spot on.

@@appalachianheartsong5487 to make my frames I use old ship lap boards 5/16 to 9/16 in thickness it veered because it is made out of the cutoffs from milled lumber you can problem get new ones from some store? I don't know. I get mine out of old houses that are getting sheet rock put on to replace the ship lap boards. I cut them to length and use a dado blade at 1/2 to take a 1/4 from each side and leave 4 in on the top it saves me a lot of time at the table saw not having to rip them down just cut them to length and run through the dado. I make 100 frames at a time and it costs me only the glue and staples since the lumber comes from the trash. I also made Dr leo's wiring jig and frame jig for putting them together. it cost me about 25$ to make both since I just needed to get the plywood.

Thanks for commenting, and you’re right the chips would take quite a while to break down and are not ideal for composting. When the blades are real sharp the chips are pretty thin and would break down more quickly, but that condition doesn’t last long :) Cheers, Dan

@@appalachianheartsong5487 I assume you are saying that the blades go dull quickly? I wonder what "quickly" might mean as clearly, you have a lot of trees and bushes to use. We only have the 1 big tree and a few small ones. LOL So you may ask, WHY OH WHY would we spend that kind of $$$ for such a machine when we won't be using it often. LOL Fair question. it's because to get a 'tree person" to come and do it, around these parts, costs more than the machine! In fact, almost double. So I felt, better to just buy the thing so that there's something to show for the expense when done.

The Kubota dealer, but they are an aftermarket product not endorsed by Kubota.

Yes, but it is a bit tricky given that the frames were actively being used as brood frames. I got lucky and hit the frames right on the center rib with the screw so they were quite secure. The biggest issue I had was my own hesitancy in pulling the frames out of the box. I kept thinking they would stop using them if I moved those frames further away from the core hive, but I finally just had to sacrifice what was on them which I should have done earlier. Waiting allowed the hive beetles and wax moths a place to escape to, between the temporary 2x4 insert and the hive box.

Thanks for commenting Shawn and providing the really helpful guidance on building the Layens frames. Funny, in prepping for the apiary build this Spring I called Tom about making more frames and he said he would rather poke an eye out. We decided that some things are meant to be mass produced :) I did assemble the frames I subsequently bought from horizontal hive but admit I was happy to pay the price of maintaining my/our sanity!! I hope your bees did well over the winter, cheers.

Thanks for commenting Charles. No, I bought the tank from the coop and had it put on my trailer and then filled with diesel. So, I got the diesel from the coop but they did not deliver it.

@@appalachianheartsong5487 Over the years I’ve had a fair share of trouble with contaminated fuel tanks for outboard motors. Stored fueled has a time limit within which it has to be used. Additives can provide you more time, but some engine manufacturers won’t honor a warranty if it’s used. I’ve got a Kubota Tractor and the Service Mgr. told me not to use any fuel stabilizer in the diesel fuel.