Skid Steer

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a buddy of mine asked me to post a picture of "the Skid steer" so here it is. It is a Case skid steer, model 1845. It dates from about 1980. An old girl ( as skid steers go..) starting often requires prayer. She leaks hydraulic fluid, is noisy as all get out, the controls jump all over the place, -- but she makes the difference of being able to get around the place without snow shoes, and every time I get her running I pause for a moment of gratitude. She has a clamshell bucket that opens and closes and we replaced the cutting edge last summer. My brother, Tiny, has a brand new cat version and the old skid steer can do some things easier. Like "back blading", where I tilt the blade almost vertically and use it to scrape a surface smooth while I drive backward.

In the winter time I keep her safely ensconced in the garage with a trickle charger and block heater plugged in.

Clearing the whole yard takes a couple of hours. Three if I do the driveway so the grader doesn't have a problem getting up the hills. After a couple of hours on the skid steer I usually need a cup of ginger tea to settle my notoriously motion sickness prone stomach.

I think she deserves a name, and Zelda, comes to mind.

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