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| Sources for Utility Vehicles This list contains links to sources for utility vehicles. |
| Choosing the Right Grease Putting the correct grease in your grease gun and using it religiously can prolong the life of your equipment. |
| Picking Up Lawn Waste Maintaining quality turfgrass sometimes requires that lawn waste be picked up. This trash can include leaves, pine needles and grass clippings as well as twigs, seed pods from trees and pine cones. |
| Slippage With ZTR Mowers ZTR (zero turning radius) riding mowers can do a wonderful job of maintaining turf, but the rapid response and maneuverability that make them so handy can cause problems if you aren’t careful. |
| Safe Handling of Gasoline One of the most hazardous substances most of us have to deal with is gasoline. We tend to take it for granted since it is so common and familiar, but we should pay it more respect. |
| Heavy-Duty Hand Pruning Tools Several heavy-duty hand tools canl help you with intermediate pruning jobs and allow you to avoid the cost and hassle of a chainsaw. |
| Selecting Pruning Shears Pruning shears come in two basic styles and in a wide range of sizes and price ranges. |
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| Remove That Loader Bucket! Removing the bucket from the front-end loader on your tractor is very easy (on newer loaders) and makes your tractor much more maneuverable. You should develop the habit of removing the loader bucket whenever you use your tractor for mowing, tilling, etc. |
| Safety With Post Hole Diggers Post hole diggers mounted on tractors and powered by the tractors’ PTO shafts are useful tools for setting posts, planting trees, and other uses, but they can cause serious injury if not used correctly. The Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association (FEMA) is an organization whose members manufacture post hole diggers. They have developed some guidelines to help you use their products more safely. |
| Overturn Protection for Compact Utility Tractors Compact utility tractors are small diesel tractors with less than 40 horsepower. All current models come equipped with two important safety features: a rollover protective structure (ROPS) and a seatbelt. These two safety components can go a long way toward protecting you in case of an overturn - if you use them. |
| Sources for Walk-behind Blowers and Vacuums This list contains links to sources for walk-behind blowers and vacuums. |
| Lift Boom for Tractor 3-pt Hitch One of the handiest implements you can put on your tractor is a lift boom for the 3-point hitch. In some areas these are called boom poles or gin poles. |
| Adjusting Rotary Cutters Many people use a rotary cutter (often referred to by the copyrighted name “Bush Hog”) to cut grass and weeds, but, in too many cases, the implement is not correctly adjusted. |
| A Simple Hand Spreader for Gardens A simple hand spreader is often the best tool for applying granular fertilizer or pesticides. |
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| Zero Turning Radius Mowers: Selection, Use, Maintenance & Safety This publication is intended to help you select the correct zero turning radius mower for your purpose, then use it and maintain it correctly and safely. (PDF Format Only) |
| Leaf Blowers: Selection, Use and Safety Electrical units are fine for small lawns, gasoline hand-held units are the best choice for larger home sites and backpack blowers are a good choice for professional users. |
| Leaf Blowers: Good or Bad? Leaf blowers are efficient, useful tools that annoy some people. Be aware of the problem, and use your leaf blower responsibly to avoid losing the privilege. |
| Lawn Mower Blades A sharp mower blade produces a prettier cut with less stress on the turf plant. Sharpening a reel mower blade assembly is difficult and best left to a professional, but sharpening a common rotary mower blade is not a big problem. |
| Sources for Powered Pruning Saws This article contains links to sources for powered pruning saws. It does not constitute a recommendation of any of the companies or products. |
| Sources for Chippers/Shredders/Grinders Here is a list of manufacturers of chippers, shredders and grinders. It does not constitute a recommendation of any of the companies or products. |
| Mow Like a Pro Varying your mowing pattern can cause you to spend a little more time mowing, but the result will be a greatly improved appearance in your turfgrass. |
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| Sources for Herbi CDA Herbicide Sprayer This article contains links to sources for the Herbi CDA herbicide sprayer. |
| Lawn & Garden Equipment Engines With Reduced Emissions The EPA found that small spark-ignition engines of 25 hp or less contribute about 20 percent of hydrocarbon emissions and 23 percent of carbon monoxide emissions from all mobile sources. As a result of this perceived problem, the EPA has issued new regulations on small engines. |
| Quick Hitches for Compact Utility Tractors Many implements are available for rear mounting on compact utility tractors, including mowers of various types, tillers, angle blades, box blades, cultivators, bedders and rakes. These machines add versatility to your tractor, but mounting them to the tractor’s 3-point hitch can be a hassle. A quick hitch can make your job much easier. |
| Sources for Walk-behind Drop Spreaders This list contains links to sources for walk-behind drop spreaders. |
| Adjusting Finishing Mowers Finishing (or grooming) mowers typically have (two or) three blades and are designed for quality mowing of turfgrass. They have multiple gage wheels and rollers that allow a relatively low cutting height with minimal scalping. |
| Safety Standards for Riding Mowers and Small Tractors Riding mowers, lawn tractors, lawn and garden tractors, and garden tractors are covered by several safety standards that are designed to protect you, the operator. |
| Garden Tool Quality One of the major distinctions between low-quality and high-quality tools is the way the toolhead is manufactured. |
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| Wheelbarrows and Garden Carts Homeowners and gardeners often use wheelbarrows and garden carts to move materials. This article describes advantages and limitations of each. |
| Sources for Electric and Gasoline-Powered Edgers This article provides links to sources for edgers. This list does not constitute a recommendation of any of the companies or products. |
| Choose Leaf Blowers Carefully, Use Them Safely With fall comes yard and garden cleanup – especially leaves. For many homeowners, a leaf blower can be an efficient and effective grounds maintenance tool, according to Dr. Dick Parish, an engineer at the LSU AgCenter’s Hammond Research Station. |
| Centrifugal Clutches for Small Engines Centrifugal clutches are common on many grounds maintenance machines including string trimmers, chain saws, and some lawn mowers. |
| How To Choose a Lawn/Garden Tractor - Quality Versus Price Do you get what you pay for when buying a mowing tractor? There is certainly a wide range of prices; in fact, you can easily pay twice as much for a lawn tractor at a major farm equipment dealer as you would pay for a lawn tractor with the same horsepower and mowing width at a discount store. What do you get for the additional money? |
| Sources for Hover Mowers Following is a list of manufacturers of hover mowers. Click on a link to see product information from any of the companies. |
| Power Lawnmower Maintenance A power lawnmower requires regular maintenance if it is to provide reliable service. Most of the maintenance steps are easy and can be done by a reasonably handy homeowner. |
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| Sprayers for Home Gardens Whether you have a few rose bushes beside your house or a half-acre garden, you will need a sprayer to take care of your plants. |
| Sources for Powered Hand-Held and Backpack Blowers This article contains links to sources for blowers. It does not constitute a recommendation of any of the companies or products. |
| How To Choose a Lawn/Garden Tractor - Hitches Implements, including mower decks, can be attached to tractors in several ways and in several locations. The larger the implement and tractor, the more likely an upscale, easy-to-use hitch will be provided. Naturally, the upscale hitch systems cost more. |
| Problems with Pulling Spreaders Backward Walk-behind lawn spreaders are designed to be pushed, not pulled. The delivery rate from drop spreaders and the pattern from rotary spreaders are distorted if a spreader is pulled backward. |
| Fertilizer Spreaders - Rotary or Drop? Drop spreaders are best suited to small lawns where you want uniform patterns or have many obstacles to trim around. Rotary spreaders are generally best for large, open areas. |
| Preventing Overturns with Riding Mowers and Lawn/Garden Tractors You might think that riding mowers and lawn/garden tractors are small and low to the ground so overturns are not a problem. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Riding mowers and small tractors can overturn to the side or rear fairly easily. |
| Sprayer Calibration Calibration of vehicle-mounted boom-type sprayers is simple and can be very accurate. Calibration of hand-carried sprayers is much more subjective, but it is simple to do. |
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| Spraying Liquid Fertilizers and Pesticides on Home Lawns Non-powered wheeled sprayers offer homeowners an easy and relatively inexpensive way to apply the correct rate of fertilizer and pesticides uniformly to home lawns. |
| Sources for Electric and Gasoline-Powered String Trimmers This list provides links to sources for electric and gasoline-powered string trimmers. |
| The Effects of Width and Speed on Mower Productivity It seems obvious that a wider or faster mower will cover a lawn faster than a narrower or slower mower, but this is not always true - and seldom will the increase in cutting rate be proportional to the increase in width or speed. |
| Sources for Pine Straw Rakes This list of manufacturers of rakes suitable for pine straw is intended to be a complete list, but there may be unintentional omissions. It does not constitute a recommendation of any of the companies or products. |
| New Features on ZTR Mowers Zero-turning-radius (ZTR) mowers are popular among professionals and homeowners with larger lawns. ZTR manufacturers offer many new and/or optional features on their mowers that further increase their versatility and ease of use. |
| Mid-mount and Front-mount Decks on ZTR Mowers Zero-turning-radius (ZTR) mowers are available in two configurations: mid-mount decks and front-mount decks. Each configuration has advantages and disadvantages, and each has proponents. |
| Hand-cranked Spreaders In some situations, a hand-cranked spreader is more practical than a wheeled model. When spreading granules in nurseries, beds of flowers and ornamentals, and other restricted areas, a wheeled spreader can be difficult or impossible to use. Hand- or strap-carried, hand-cranked spreaders are a viable option in such cases. |
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| Garden Cultivators If you have a small garden, many manual cultivation tools are available for your use. |
| Websites for Compact Utility Tractors The World Wide Web is a great source of information on many subjects, including tractors. |
| Old Farm Tractors as Alternatives to Compact Utility Tractors Although there are some imported compact tractors available under $10,000, most compact tractors from major manufacturers are in the $10,000 – $20,000 range. Older farm tractors can be a less expensive alternative to compact tractors. |
| Calibration Of Professional Turf Spreaders If you want to apply granular products correctly, you will need to use the correct spreader pattern setting, swath width, and rate setting. This article will tell you how to achieve this. |
| Alternative to Hard Chrome for Hydraulic Cylinder Rods Hydraulic cylinder rods have traditionally been coated with highly polished hard chrome. This surface provides reasonable corrosion resistance and good sealing in hydraulic cylinders, but the material can corrode. An alternate approach now used on some new equipment, including loader cylinders on compact tractors, is a sprayed-on tungsten carbide coating. |
| Thrown Objects Safety With Rotary Cutters All rotary cutters are inherently dangerous. The thrown object hazard is not fully recognized by everyone, yet it can cause injury, blindness or even death. |
| Sources for Electric Lawnmowers This list contains links to sources for electric lawnmowers. |
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| Sources for Manual Post Hole Diggers This list of manufacturers of manual post hole diggers is intended to be a complete list, but there may be unintentional omissions. It does not constitute a recommendation of any of the companies or products; features and quality may vary. |
| Safe Operation of Riding Mowers and Lawn/Garden Tractors Riding mowers, lawn tractors, lawn and garden tractors, and garden tractors are large and powerful. They can be dangerous if not used safely. |
| How To Choose a Lawn/Garden Tractor - Power To Implements A mower deck can’t cut grass unless it is connected to the tractor engine. This is usually done in one of two ways, with some possible permutations. |
| Safety Standards for Commercial-size Riding Mowers Commercial-size riding mowers, including the popular ZTR (zero turning radius) mowers, are covered by a safety standard promulgated by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Even though many of these mowers are used by homeowners, those that are designed primarily for commercial use are considered commercial machines and they fall under a commercial mower standard. |
| Sealants for Tractor and Equipment Tires If you have frequent flat tires on tractors, implements, or other off-road equipment you might want to consider using a tire sealant. |
| Protective Sleeves for Hydraulic Hoses Hydraulic hoses can be a weak link in your tractor’s hydraulic system. The exposed hoses are very vulnerable to wear – and thus leakage and failure. Nylon sleeves over the hoses can dramatically increase hose life. |
| Renting Lawn and Garden Equipment It is not necessary to buy all the equipment you need for your lawn and garden. In many cases, renting can be a practical option. |
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| 2-Stroke and 4-Stroke Engines Most small, hand-carried lawn and garden tools use 2-stroke engines and most larger machines such as lawn and garden tractors use 4-stroke engines. The reason for this has to do with the weight ratio of the engines. |
| Distribution Patterns from Homeowner Rotary Spreaders Some rotary spreaders can deliver a reasonably uniform distribution pattern with some products, but not with others, and some homeowner rotary spreaders don’t deliver a good pattern with any product. |
| Rotary Spreaders With Pattern Cut-Off Rotary spreaders offer the advantages of wide, fast coverage and forgiving patterns, but they are not well suited to working along turf edges. Some spreaders offer a pattern cut-off mechanism to address this problem. |
| Sources for Powered Hand-held Post Hole Diggers This article contains links to sources for powered hand-held post hole diggers. It does not constitute a recommendation of any of the companies or products. |
| Utility Vehicles Utility vehicles are popular and handy. They are making inroads on the use of ATVs for hunting and can also be used for many chores around a small acreage (or a large farm). Utility vehicles are somewhat similar to the small vehicles used on golf courses for decades, but use ATV components to provide more power and versatility.They aren’t cheap, but they are useful and fun to use. |
| Sources for Tractor Rotary Mowers and Rotary Cutters This is a list of llinks to sources for tractor-mounted rotary mowers and rotary cutters. |
| Sources for Tractor 3-point Mounted Post Hole Diggers This list contains links to sources for tractor-mounted post hole diggers. It does not constitute a recommendation of any of the companies or products. |
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| Sources Gasoline-powered Wheeled String Trimmers These are links to sources for wheeled string trimmers. |
| An Easy Herbicide Sprayer That Works Like A Spreader Lawn fertilizers and pesticides are more easily applied as granules rather than liquids, but broadleaf herbicides need to be sprayed in many cases. A push-type walk-behind sprayer that resembles a spreader meets this need. |
| Oil and Fuel Filters for Small Engines One of the most important things you can do to maintain your small engines and tractors is to service the oil and fuel filters as needed. |
| ZTR Mower Maintenance ZTR (zero turning radius) mowers, like all lawnmowers, operate in a dirty environment. Proper and regular maintenance is needed to keep your mower operating at top efficiency and minimize costly repairs and downtime. |
| Fire Safety Issue with Professional Turf Mowers Some ZTR mowers are designed with a serious fire safety hazard. These models should be avoided. |
| ZTR Mowers for Home Lawns ZTR stands for "Zero Turning Radius." ZTR mowers have separate hydraulic pumps driving the left and right tires, and each side is controlled separately. One tire can be turning forward while the other is turning in reverse, thus the mower can pivot around its own center. This feature allows amazing versatility in trimming while mowing. |
| Sources for Seedbed and Landscape Harrows This article contains links to sources for seedbed and landscape harrows. does not constitute a recommendation of any of the companies or products. |
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| New Version of Spreader.EZ – A Computer Program for Spreader Pattern Analysis Spreader.EZ is a computer program that allows you to analyze the patterns from broadcast fertilizer spreaders, determine the uniformity of the patterns, and select the effective swath width. |
| Preparing Small Engines For Storage There are some simple steps you can take before storage to make your equipment easier to start when you need it again. |
| Self-Propelled Spreaders And Sprayers For Turfgrass A relatively new class of products in the commercial grounds maintenance industry is the self-propelled spreader and/or sprayer. This kind of equipment can potentially reduce the effort required to apply fertilizer or pesticides to lawns, but it comes at a substantial cost and will require some trade-offs in operating mode. |
| Selection And Use Of Hedge Trimmers Hedge trimmers are perhaps not as popular now as a few years ago. Many people now realize that it is healthier for plants to be selectively pruned rather than sheared. Nevertheless, there are some situations where shearing plants to shape is appropriate. A hedge trimmer is usually the best tool for the job. |
| String Trimmer Safety And Maintenance As with any power tool, string trimmers are capable of causing injury if not used in a safe manner. String trimmers will last much longer and give more trouble-free service if used and maintained properly. |
| Selecting And Using A String Trimmer A string trimmer is a useful addition to almost any gardener’s toolshed. |
| Trimming And Edging Mechanically Compared With Herbicides There are two ways to trim and edge turfgrass around sidewalks, flower beds, trees, buildings, etc. You can trim the turfgrass mechanically with a string trimmer and/or an edger, or you can use a non-selective herbicide such as glyphosate (Roundup® and similar chemicals). |
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| Turf Edgers Turfgrasses grow fast and aggressively in the South. If not edged back regularly, Southern turf will grow right over sidewalks, driveways, flower beds, etc. |
| Sources for Tractor-mounted Rotary Tillers This list contains links to sources for tractor-mounted rotary tillers. |
| Use of a Rotary Garden Tiller Whether you buy, rent or borrow a tiller, you will find that it has a wide range of uses. It can be a general purpose garden tool. |
| Selecting a Rotary Garden Tiller The right rotary tiller can make the job of gardening much easier, but if you choose the wrong tiller for the job, it can make your job more difficult. |
| Rotary Tiller Safety and Maintenance To get the best performance and longevity from your tiller you need to properly maintain it. You also need to be aware of some of the dangers involved in using a tiller, and take steps to protect yourself and others. |
| Loading Ramp Safety Loading equipment onto a truck or trailer usually requires the use of loading ramps. There are some safety issues involved in using ramps. |
| Ergonomics of Garden Tools and Equipment Factors such as price, performance and durability are important considerations in choosing garden tools and power equipment, but if a tool or machine is uncomfortable or awkward to use, you will regret buying it. The interaction between you and the tool or machine is called ergonomics. |
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| Low Cost Zero Turning Radius Mowers for Home Lawns ZTR mowers have taken over the commercial riding mower market. In the past, there were few low-cost models available to homeowners, but this has changed. Low-cost homeowner models are now available from several companies. |
| How To Choose a Lawn/Garden Tractor - Cost and Life Two questions of interest to prospective purchasers are: How much do riding mowers and small tractors in the various classes cost and how long can I expect one to last? |
| Protect Your Hydraulic Cylinders from Rust A common problem with hydraulic cylinders is rust and pitting of the cylinder rods. If equipment that incorporates hydraulic cylinders is stored outside with the cylinder rods extended, the rods are exposed to weathering. Eventually, the rods will begin to show specks of rust that develop into pits. Once rusting and pitting occur, the rod will destroy the cylinder seal the next time it is activated. |
| Sources for Power Hedge Trimmers This article contains links to sources for power hedge trimmers. It does not constitute a recommendation of any of the companies or products. |
| Using a Hay Baler to Pick Up Plastic Mulch Many growers pick up plastic mulch but several machines are available for this job. Work at the LSU AgCenter has demonstrated that, in some cases, plastic mulch can be picked up by a hay baler. |
| Lawnmowers - Mulch, Bag, or Throw Walk-behind rotary lawnmowers can handle clippings in one of three ways: they can mulch them, bag them or discharge them to the side. Some mowers can do any of the three with minimal adjustment. Any of the three modes can be useful in some situations. |
| Safe Use of Lawnmowers Walk-behind home lawnmowers are covered by safety standards and regulations, but the real responsibility for safety rests with you, the operator. |
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| Do You Need a Power Lawnmower? If you have a small lawn and are willing to get a little exercise while mowing, a good manual push mower can be a good alternative to a powered mower. |
| Chainsaw Maintenance Chainsaws tend to require more maintenance than most other lawn and garden equipment. Proper maintenance will not only prolong the life of the saw and make it easier to start but will also make your work easier. |
| Chainsaw Safety Although chainsaws are handy, they are potentially dangerous and must be used carefully to avoid serious injury. |
| Chainsaw Selection Chainsaws are popular homeowner tools. When selecting a chainsaw, consider the power requirements and safety features. |
| Tires for Compact Utility Tractors Three types of rear tires are available for compact utility tractors, and at least five types are available for the front. The different types of tires serve different purposes. You can select agricultural tires for general farming, turf tires for use on turfgrass, or compromise with an industrial tread. |
| Metric Units on Lawn and Garden Equipment Some grounds maintenance equipment is designed with metric components. This has some ramifications for service and parts. |
| Sources for Powered and Tractor-mounted Turf Aerators and Dethatchers This article provides links to Web sites of aerator sources. the list does not constitute a recommendation of any of the companies or products. |
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| Will an ASAE Standard Quick Hitch Fit? The advantages of an ASAE standard quick hitch include faster, easier and safer hitching. To use a ASAE standard quick hitch, the implement hitch geometry must conform to the ASAE standard. |
| Implements for Compact Utility Tractors The tractor by itself is of limited use. The tractor furnishes the power, but the implements allow the tractor to do useful work. Varied implements are available for compact tractors from both the tractor manufacturers and short-line manufacturers. |
| Leaf Blowers – Good or Bad? In many neighborhoods, the roar of lawnmowers has been joined by the howl of leaf blowers. "The primary complaint with leaf blowers is noise," says Dr. Dick Parish, an engineer at the LSU AgCenter’s Hammond Research Station. |
| Adjusting Mid-Mount Tractor Mowers Mid-mount mowers for lawn, garden, and compact tractors typically have (two or) three blades and are designed for quality mowing of turfgrass. They are not designed to cut tall, weedy grass. They have multiple gage wheels and rollers that allow a relatively low cutting height with minimal scalping. |
| Adjusting Finishing Mowers Finish (or grooming) mowers typically have (two or) three blades and are designed for quality mowing of turfgrass. They are not designed to cut tall, weedy grass. They have multiple gage wheels and rollers that allow a relatively low cutting height with minimal scalping. |
| Sources for Bed Shapers and Light Trenchers This article contains links to sources for landscape bed shapers and light trenchers for landscape us. It does not constitute a recommendation of any of the companies or products. |
| Garden Tool Handles With Interchangeable Heads Most garden tools have fixed handles. Some tools, however, are available as separate handle and toolhead components that can be interchanged. |
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| PTO Generators for Tractors Although most people opt for small engine-driven generators, there are some real advantages to a generator that connects to a tractor power-take-off (PTO). |
| For More Information on Lawn Spreaders The more you learn about lawn spreaders, the more you realize how complicated they really are. The LSU AgCenter has published a bulletin that summarizes 24 years of research on spreaders. |
| Avoid Right-angle Patterns with Rotary Spreaders Some spreader experts and some spreader and granular material operating instructions advise you to go over your lawn twice when spreading fertilizer or granular products, with the two trips over the lawn made at right angles to each other. Don’t do it! |
| Applying Controlled-release Fertilizer Most turf fertilizers contain controlled-release nitrogen fertilizer. There are two types of controlled-release fertilizer and one type can be damaged by your spreader. |
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