Best Job I Ever Had with Tractors

NorthwoodsLife

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Kubota B7100(sold), Kubota LX2610 Cab
Oct 15, 2021
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Post your experience as you wish.

Here is one of my best:

So I had a small tractor business. Kubota B7100, circa late 1970's. I advertised rototilling, light grading and small tractor work.

I get a call from a church. I wasn't a member of the church. So, I meet the pastor, and some other guy, accountant or otherwise for the church. Presbyterian Church, I think it was. I was 17 years old, raised Lutheran, but still they are Christian. Denomination wasn't important.

Anyway...

The front lawn at the church was about 80 feet wide by 120 feet long. In the ground was old cast iron sprinkler pipe. They wanted that old pipe removed. After that, they wanted the area rototilled and then fertilizer spread out and also rototilled in. they would supply the fertilizer and have it dumped in the church parking lot for me to spread.

At that time, I worked (inside info at the time for estimate purposes) for $150 a day with the B7100 Kubota, customer charge. I bid the job at $600 planning for 4 days max. The Pastor accepted it. Told me to do it.

I get home and my dad tells me: "You are going to lose money. You will be there for a week pulling out that old sprinkler pipe."

Saturday job start comes. 7AM. The pile of new fertilizer is in the parking lot at the church. I put the box scraper on the 3 point of the B7100. I manually dig out the end runs of the cast iron sprinkler pipe and lift it up about 12 inches above grade. I back the B7100 rear blade of the box scraper into the pipe and back up. It rolls out like a big roll. The old sprinkler pipe is out in 45 minutes!

I switch over to the 3 point rototiller. I rototilled it, and then used the bucket to spread the fertilizer, And then rototilled it again. 3 times!

Job Done, at 12 noon!

I went and called out the pastor and said that it is done. He walked the jobsite with me and saw the old pipe rolls and the fert tilled in. He was shocked. (So was I).

I told him for the sake of it all I planned 4 days. It took 5 hours. Give me a check for 1/2 of my bid price, $300, and we will call it good. A $300 discount for the Lord's work.

He wrote me a check for $300 and i got a bunch of work from referrals.


When I got home and told what happened to my Dad. He was very happy.

Be well. Tractor on.

Eric
 
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NorthwoodsLife

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
Kubota B7100(sold), Kubota LX2610 Cab
Oct 15, 2021
1,162
1,113
113
Wisconsin
Here's another one:

This job was to rototill a large back yard in southern California. Same era, 1970's. I had to till right up next the house in some places, and i still have the loader on the tractor. So I am constantly watching clearance issues. Out comes a small horde of a couple women and about 6 children. They were overwhelmed with having a tractor at their house! Polaroid cameras came out and they kids and women are all around the tractor. Not too many small tractors in southern California.

I stop and shut the B7100 down. I tell the man of the house, "Sir, I can't have this. So I will let the kids sit in the tractor and women take the pictures. But I can't have anyone, especially kids, around the tractor while I am working it". He agrees and for 5 to 10 minutes or so, I let them crawl all over the tractor, sit in it, and take their pictures.

I am sure that now, nearly 50 years later, there are pictures of me and my B7100 in an old box of family pictures somewhere. A family member looks at them a wonders what the heck these orange tractor pictures are about. Lol.

Be well. Tractor on. Make history.

Eric
 
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