My new helper

We needed to complete landscaping and drainage work on a tight schedule - to pass the final inspection. My contractor Matt suggested I could use a tractor and that he knew a good place to shop for one. I compared the cost of paying a contractor to do the work and renting a suitable rig to do it and then I checked out some generous offers from a couple of tractor companies, among them Kubota. No money down, low interest and 6 years to pay. Hmmmm.

The Kubota tractors are pretty and Jessica the sales manager was friendly and courteous. It didn't take much to convince me that the tractor was key to completing work the the final inspection.

I added weight to the box scraper to make it more effective in moving soil, learned the controls and let Matt teach me what to do. First I finished work shaping the ground in the back, then extending the emergency vehicle access at the driveway.

I learned that the tractor was helpful for more than I needed so it was a welcome addition to our project. I piled rolls of sod into the bucket and moved them as we were laying sod, which save a lot of time and effort (we laid 1800 square feet of sod in one day!). With the addition of two pallet bars I moved all the old fence pieces from the front yard to the trash in back.

Now I have a list of projects I need to do, I'd never complete them without it.