Grandson & D7 Cat

[baleflipper]

Today I turned my 12 yr old grandson loose on my D7-3T with my offset disc,He has been riding with me on it since he was 5. He plows as well as I do. Made me feel real good and kinda old.
When he was 5 I bought several old dozers in different stages of dismantle. He helped me put them back together in running condition.One of the first lessons was where not to put fingers on big wrenches.
I hope I have not sentenced him to a life at hard labor.
We are plowing land in an attempt to have it ready to plant wheat for winter grazing if it ever rains. Chance for a storm forming in the gulf in the next week or so.
Kept what wheat we made last season for seed. Hope to plant in early Sept.

 

[kerley]

I spent many days plowing with a Cat D7 back in the late 1950's. I wonder if the newer Cats have pony engines.

 

[baleflipper]

Best of my knowledge the new ones are all electric start.

 

[john250]

Now understand, I started driving tractors when I was 6. Not a lot, but when dad needed me. Ford 8 N and 9N.
But, that Cat is a lot more machine than I was in charge of. Is he really ready? Some kids are, so good for him. It is a merchantable skill to run one of those machines well.

Hope it rains for you.

 

[skyhightree1]

My kids 3 and 5 love equipment they ride with me on my 953. My daughter knows how to turn the key on to start and how to cut it off and my 5 year old can operate the 4n1 bucket. They love equipment. I love hearing about how kids like that kinda stuff because so many kids today are more into video games. Keep up with the good work. I may put my boy on the farmall cub and let him pull a hay rake. He is definately not ready for my JD 9660STS combine or jd 8410 maybe after a few successful days on the cub I will let my kids move up to my MF 50 after the MF 50 then ford 5000 then NH 3930 by that time he will be around 16 and I will let him run the JD 4850. When they are able to run the 4850 I will retire and they can run whatever they want lol

 

[lavacarancher]

Kids and equipment reminds me that I had a young man custom bale for me a few years back. He showed up with a tractor, baler and cutter on a flat bed. Two days later he shows up in his truck and a few minutes later another tractor pulls up with the rake. They went to work, raking and baling. About noon the wife and I drive down to the hay field on the Mule and get them for lunch. The young man drivin' the rake tractor is all of 10 YO. The rake was one of those hydraulic "V" rakes and this kid handles it like it was a toy. Never hit a post or a power pole, nothing. I asked his brother about him and he said he's been helping him bale for two years.

I was proud of this kid like he was one of my own. Don't see that too much these days what with all the video games and computers etc.

 

[baleflipper]

Grandson helps by cutting hay and raking. The Dozer has been his hearts desire for a couple years.He drives the rubber tire tractors regular.The dozer is his pride and joy. There is a picture of him hauling hay with my pickup and my Bale Flipper on you tube,or at "baleflipper.com".
I am very proud of him. He is a good kid that knows how to work for things he wants.He is saving up for a compound bow.

 

[melking]

That is a cool machine. You should be very proud of the young un

 

[baleflipper]

That Bale Flipper hay loader in the video is the original prototype. The newest models have remote start, drive into hook up and push button unload.Work all day and never have to get out of the pick up truck.

 

[baleflipper]

Yesterday the cap on the wish bone that keeps the tracks straight under a cat D7 came lose on one bolt and snapped the other three off back in the threads. Today Grandson learned how to weld the bolt to bring it up out of the hole and weld a nut on it to unscrew it. He only learned a few words he cant use around his granny! I got three red spots on palm of my hand about 3/4" in diameter. getting too old to be crawling around under crawlers.
He is learning real fast and likes working with tools and machines. we finished that field today. start another one monday.

 

[Angus Cowman]

I started running tracked equipment when I was around 8 or 9 yrs old first one was a JD trackloader with a backhoe attachment I think it was a 2010 by the time I was 10 I was running a D6C
Dad said by the time I was 9 I had probably spent more time on a dozer than alot of the guys that ran them for a living
I used to go with him from the time I was about 3 and I would sit beside him in the seat(back then they had a wide seat ) and when I got tired I would crawl up behind the seat and sleep

By the time I was 11 I was baling hay and doing what ever else we had to do on the farm and running dozers moving dirt and clearing timber for customers

Grandson is 2 and he has been going with me on the tractor for a yr now