Does anyone have any experience with the Foton 354. Im looking at purchasing one with a FEL but dont really know that much about them. Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.
Emil

Started to watch the inauguration this morning, but couldn't take the suspense, so went to work. I have been cutting trees and carrying firewood the past month, in order to have wood for the new outdoor wood burning furnace.

So far have about 15 cords stacked, of which 50% to 60% will need splitting. I have the pipes installed into the basement, and runinng under the porch, ready to hook in to the furnace-which is sitting on my car hauler in the garage.

I have been preparing a concrete pad for the furnace...but the weather isn't cooperating with my efforts. May get the pad poured next week, and after that it should be about 2 - 3 days of light work to install the furnace.

The tractor is indispensible for this kind of work-I can usually get a cord of wood carried in 5 - 6 trips with the FEL on the tractor-with little effort on my part. I cut 2 trees that were over 3' in diameter, and I was able to move the large pieces-about 2' X 3' in diameter-by pulling up under them as far as I could go, then taking the cable ties I bought from Harbor Freight, and wrapping them around the top area of the pieces, and tie them back to the tow hooks on the front of the bucket. Lifted them up about a foot and carried them to the woodpile.

I couldn't get the last 8 feet or so of the tree cut up because my saw didn't have enough bar length, even after cutting from both sides. I got a brainstorm (you get more of these the older you get!) and thought that I could push it to the woodpile with the bucket. Put Snorkel down in FWD, low side, high gear, and gave it a try-the tractor didn't even know there was something in front of it-just idled the section of the tree right over to the pile with nary a drop in RPM's. I love these little tractors!!

I built a ripper over the winter, and am needing to install some outdoor wiring, so will give it a try in the next few months. With the way the tractor pushed this stump, I think the ripper will work just fine.

Daughter coming Thursday, so I have to go out and make more wood so she can help to pick it up!!

Selling out. Had a heat stroke this past summer and doing ok. I am sell all farm equipment. Most are already gone. Have one Jinma left and attachments, some are for larger tractors. If courious contact me at beartrackfarms@hotmail.com or phone 573 996 2279 weekdays 7am to 3 pm. Its just another part of life.

I just purchased my first tractor at an auction. It is a 2006 Foton FT404 and has only seven hours on it. Everything seems to work preety good including the FEL but I do not get any response when trying to operate the 3 point. I was wondering if there is something preliminary that is done when dealers prepare them for delivery because I'm pretty sure that this tractor came from a small failed dealership as it was one of three at the auction that day.Any insight would be much appreciated.

Well I finally decided to try to cross the creek...I want to get the tractor over there so I can "clean up" on the other side. I had already made a semi road on one side so I needed to work on the other. I only had about a 5 foot bank to whittle away, how hard could it be??? That is until I started. First fun started when I got into the clay that was wet from the creek. Down to the frame I went,, didn't get stuck, but need the 4X4 to move. Couldn't stop with that. I cut 3 trees out of the way, all were only 6 inch across, and the stumps came up fairly easy with the wet dirt. Started chewing away at the opposite bank, and realized this might take a while, as it was as hard as compacted dirt, but with the added bonus of rocks, some aprox 3X3X3. Well it took a while but I almost made up the other side before dark, I guess I'll have to wait another weekend to finish up

Aubrey



Well just came back from the long weekend, but did not get much accomplished. We actually had some rain, about 2 inches and I could not finish up gettin across the creek. I was so deep in the mud that the box blade was full, in the raised position. I was pushing mud from the battery box. So I'll have to wait for another weekend, a dryer one.

Finally got the liner problem resolved. The liner Mfg. sent me a new liner. I have patched the original, and will leave it in until this season is over, replace with the new liner next Spring.

I installed a wrought iron fence all the way around the pool, with a sand beach about 7 feet out from the pool all around. Now I'm trying to build the deck between the house and the pool-but it wont be easy! The area the deck has to be located over houses a 200 year old brick cistern, with a bell shaped top that is 15 feet in diameter. Hard to drive a support post over air....so will have to be "innovative" (whatever that is!) and develop a plan B in order to install the deck.

I'm thinking a row of posts next to the pool, and then a post on either side of the bell about 18' apart and about 3' from the house, then cantalever both sides back to the rear header with 2 X 10's, catching both posts on each end, plus a single link from the center front post. This will result in about 30" of overhang on the rear posts supported by the cantelever bracing.

I'm using dimension 2" boards for the decking, so they resist flexing better than the 5/4" decking material.

Will see what develops....

7/14/08 406 hrs checked fluids, lub
8/28/08 414 hrs checked fluids, lub
9/18/08 420 hrs checked fluids, lub
10/1/08 427 hrs checked fluids, lub, tightened brushog gear box bolts
11/1/08 433 hrs checked fluids, lub added radiator fluid
12/7/08 438 hrs checked fluids, lub, added PS fluid, LF wheel cracks noted
12/31/08 440 hrs. 81 hours used this year.
2/23/09 448 hrs, checked fluids, lub
3/17/09 454 hrs check fluids, lub, FEL Hydraulics weak, won't lift front end of tractor? plenty of hydraulic fluid,

Don't know what happened to the first post-must be out there in hyperspace.....anyway, I hired a pool installer to install the pool, thought it would save me much time and agony. The installer showed up a week ago Monday, and took all the pool parts out of the boxes, had them laid out on the ground ( Thats the first thing to do in the instructions).

Then, he repackaged everything, and came over to talk to me. He said that this was a new generation pool, and that he had never put one like this together. He wanted several days to get with the selling agent, and the pool supplier to go over the installation specs, and insured me he would not install it until he knew how to do it.

The installer has been doing pools for over 15 years, so I think he was pretty good to wait until he had the correct installation info.

Pool went together yesterday, looks great, 16' X 26', with an emerald blue liner. I'm in the process of filling it up, with about 8" to go to get to the full mark......thats when I noticed the muddy area getting larger on the North side of the pool.

Turns out I have a defective liner, and it will have to be patched or replaced, necessitating pumping out thosands of gallons of water, either replacing it or repairing it, and then going thru the filling process all over again.

Maybe by September, I can go swimming.

I bought an above ground pool so the wife can get the exercise she needs for the leg muscles. Started today preparing the pad in the back yard. The pool is 16" X 32", and has 54" sidewalls.

First I used the box blade with the scarifiers down all the way to scalp the sod. Then started the levelling process-had to cut down about 10" from East to west-used the box blade with scarifiers up, and made the rough cuts, then scraped the entire footprint for the pool until it was close to level.

Finished the day by running the harrow, rough side down, over the footprint area quite a few times to get a good finish, plus pull up most of the rocks so I can get it pretty clean and smooth.

Next week, after the dirt is rained on, I will put about 2" of sand on the area, and fine level the sand for the pool pad. Then it's time to put the pool together!

Pending the lack of an ice storm, torrential rains, or floods, I may get the pool done before Fall.