#806 

Mike Great Results in Just A Short Time!!👍👊

Hi M,M,H & family. I turned 50 recently. I reached over 1 gas can to grab another 5 gallon can & blew my back out for a week!! Isn't it great getting older?? I love Melissa's smile! I must be doing something very wrong cuz my girl rarely smiles at me like that. I will keep watching & follow your example! Love you guys!!

Both my wife and I have enjoyed your videos that have been informative. We are taking delivery of a Massey Furguson 1740a on the 22nd June and cannot wait. Keep up the good work. Adrian Cook from Hereford, England UK

Hi Mike & Melissa; I enjoyed watching Mike handle that land plane backwards & forward. I am excited to announce that I FINALLY got my new little tractor (22hp) after about 40 years of whining & 2 years watching ODWTM. I am hoping to quickly learn some finesse with it (I practice picking up rocks & moving them). It is also great for hauling wood to my splitter. Duncan Border Collie just runs around barking at me when I run it. It is much different than skid-steer loaders which I have gotten used to on construction job sites over the years, or old farm tractors from the 60s. I am contemplating my next purchase which will be an implement - likely a rotary tiller or land plane (1/2 the price). However, I don't have much need to build roads but need to break up lots of scrub ground & rocks in preparation for seeding with grass, so am leaning toward the tiller. I would be interested in any comments you might have comparing the use of the two. Cheers from Pender Island, British Columbia.

Same problem with using the string trimmer, Mike. Good advice. I used to have the same problem 30 years ago when our kids were young. Leaning over and lifting them into the car seats caused the same problem. Took a while to figure out why my back hurt but I solved it by sitting in the seat holding the child before placing them in the seat. Worked like a charm!

Morning Morgan's. I read all your comments and was just thinking how great America 🇺🇸 is, that everyone can voice their opinions. Great group of people here. Have a day!

Mike: Regarding your comments about the string trimmer usage..... Your favorite physical therapist could not have said it better. Having long-handled tools extended away from the body is challenge number 1, and that gets multiplied when you combine rotation with it. Well said!!!

Mike! Your becoming a Pro with the Tractor!

Theres never enough room on a property lol! Looks good so far. Great point on the string trimmer. Doin that doesnt bother me much but the twist reach combo is definently bad. If you use the ball like Buckin it reduces the risk of an injury. I hadnt used it in several days and a couple weeks ago was just getting into my work truck and twisted wrong and felt it pinch. Missed the next 2 days of work. After the first trip to the chiro i had to crawl back into the house from my truck. 3 days of ice packs and 2 trips to the chiro i was back in shape and on the ball again. Thanks for the video!! Love Be Kind and STAY SAFE!

Work belt that support lower back. Helps me and reminds myself. Easy easy not too much

Another good video. Love my landplanes. Super easy to use and always get great results.

Best tractor brand on the market

I have the previous version of the trimmer you have. Mine is the Stihl FS90R using the metal blade instead of the string. They are a strange unit being that they are a 4-stroke, but you still mix the oil and gas and they don't have a crankcase with oil in it. Got mine from a neighbor down the road. He took it to a repair place in a nearby town and had them work on it and they just made the problems worse. They weren't a Stihl repair place and so they put cheap aftermarket Chinese parts in it that didn't work. He bought a new one and gave me the old one. I checked it out and ordered some replacement parts and got everything working properly except I ended up taking it to the local Stihl place and had them install a new Stihl carb. Works like a champ now. I only put about $125 into getting it running properly (including the carb).

I swear by my inversion table. 59 and no back troubles. Love it.

good job cuting firewoodyou two rocking useing 23 all time god bless all hi hunter

Mike - in the video, take a look at the angle of the land plane while in use. Unless it is intentional so that you only want to use the front blade, the top link should be adjusted to bring the rear of the plane down and the skids more level to the ground in general. Typically, this is how you'll get the best performance from one of these.

I ran the same type of tool yesterday, but with the tree saw attachment. About thirty minutes of that thing overhead was a workout. Luckily, I was able to do a good deal of trimming in a short amount of time. Age shows up in the back for sure.

Mike - Nice work with the Land Plane. Really smooths things out, and fills in the low spots. Thanks for sharing. Blessings to you, Melissa, and the family. Hi to Hunter.

I picked up a STIHL brand harness off of Amazon, that supports the weight of it, and helps you keep it tucked up next to you. It’s good for mass weed whacking like that, and easy to pop the trimmer off again, to do some more awkward trimming...

Hey Mike, Just to let you know, if you don’t already. The locking arms on the quick hitch do not need to be in the up position to connect implements since they are spring loaded; as long as the implement is heavy enough to overcome the spring tension. The levers in the right and left lower arms will retract under the weight of the implement and then spring back to lock the tool. This makes it handy so you don’t have to get out of the tractor to move the lever arms back down. Of course some implements might not be heavy enough to overcome the spring tension. I really enjoy your videos. I’ve learned a lot of tips from your channel. And I really enjoy the Mike and Melissa team!

Mike, I have a Grand L 4060 with a land plane here in Bradford county, Pa and at 72 yrs old you have taught me tricks on it I hadn't seen before. My wife loves how it maintains our driveway! Thanks for educating an old man! Have a day!

Mike Adjust the turn buckle out so land plane stays more level to ground. You have it dipping to ground so you don't get much material moved back bar doesn't get chance to grab anything

Hey Mike, I agree the land plane is easier than a box blade for touching up a driveway but if you really need to tear things up there is nothing like a box blade. The secret to a good box blade is to have a tractor with draft control and hydraulic rippers on the box blade. That way you can tear up a hard packed area with the teeth and then raise them from the tractor and backup and lite grade the loose material. The beauty of draft control is once it's set, the tractor hydraulics will control the depth for a smooth finish grade as apposed to trying to move the position control or lift lever. Just so your viewers know the MX5400 can be equipped with draft control and is a worthwhile option for any tractor if you do a lot of 3pt hitch work like box blading or garden plowing. Great to see you on a Kubota again. I've used a half dozen different brands of tractors with loaders and find the Kubota has the smoothest loader cycle of all!

Mike-I have an older 1996 version L2900 midsize Kubota and love it-never lets me down. But seeing you and the MX5400 makes me want to upgrade! I love the brand! Thanks for great channel!

Wow! Moved the recycled workbench and didn't even knock anything over on it. The bottle was still standing! 😮 Mike, you got skills!!!! 👍

That tractor is doing a nice job , looks good;;;;

Make sure your land plane is level not nose down it will wear right through the skids on the front córner I went and bought some 1/2” x2” plate for mine gonna add tomorrow. My first job with mine on a customers 2 acre yard was to mow some sparse winter weeds then use the land plane to scrape and smooth out it’s a natural DG Sandy dirt and man I had it nose forward just a touch and man it wore through half the skids on it first day ! So I’m adding some hard plate and thicker should be good :) !! Also on the string trimmer get a larger bundle it’s the back saver for sure !

Great advice for my back.

Mike, give buckin a call and ask him about the exercise ball stuff he does for his back. I'm doing the same exercises he does and it works wonders. He's done a couple of videos about it that are worth watching

Right folks, when I didn't even have a gut back in the day (30 y.o.) I was involved in a vehicle collision, other guy's fault. Result = 2 herniated discs, L4-L5, L5-S1. Two back surgeries later, I gained weight. Regardless, even with the weight gain, FULLY 2/3rds of your lower back strength comes from your stomach. I have used the "AB-SLIDE" ever since my surgery recovery. NEVER had anything "GO OUT ON ME" yet.

When you're arms are close to your body. You are using your abs to give your back support in your movement. 62 and 140lbs. I work with 20 year old kids and still set the pace so they complain. LOL Great words of wisdom. Same goes with using a shovel. 👍💪❤

You need a TnT, Top and Tilt, setup to make that land plane sing. Use a float valve on the tilt to follow the side to side contour of the trail. Check with Brian at FitRite or get Kubota to set you up with their TnT kit.

Land planes are great but tend to remove the crown on a narrow driveway. A crown is important for a gravel drive because it keeps the drainage to the side of the road rather than running down the middle. To maintain a crown with a land plane, drop the adjustable draft link on the 3 pt. hitch 1" and work to each side of the centerline of the road as necessary to restore the crown. You will find that the road holds up better with less maintenance.

Mike, You are one smooth operator. Thank you for showing us how things should/could be done. Bravo

Mike, that land plane is priceless, man i am impressed with that thing. that trail was packed in tight, a couple passes and you are now grading it up. Good job Mike, very informative.

Hey Mike' thanks for the “back issue” comments! I have the EXACT same problem!!! Always seems to happen when I am twisting/turning.

Just an observation, but I think you would get even better results if you used your land plane parallel to the ground. Watching your videos shows that only the front blade is doing your work. Both forward and reverse, adjust your top link on the 3 point.

Mike when you're using the land plane with the quick-attach hitch there is enough play in the upper half the plane lifts off the ground in the back and the second blade doesn't make contact when moving forward. Could be just an adjustment.

Good afternoon. Like most are saying, check with your Stihl shop and see if they have the attachment to put on your trimmer, that will allow the use of a harness. You could also snap a picture of it,measure your trimmer shaft diameter and possibly have something fabbed up.?? Hi Hunter and girls. Be safe

I like Outdoors with the Morgans every day. All the best from Germany Bamberg

Thanks for the tip about lower back issues with the string trimmer. Its not just guys out there. Ladies like myself due projects and have lower back strains. We have to take care of are selves or we cant keep having fun. Your work area looks great!

Good advice on lifting. I have spina bifida occluda, translated; 7 incomplete vertebrae in my back, 4 of which are where the spine connects to the pelvis. I grew up on a farm; baled hay, shoveled corn, split wood, wrestled livestock around. No issues. Went out for football my senior year, starting lineman, but 1week before the first game got whacked at an odd angle, no more football. Kept me out of the military. Still ticked off about that (age 66), but I have lifted weights, played sports and wrestled with 2 kids and a host of other rugrats over the years. Had a few bad days, but for the most part life has been good and I've done whatever I wanted. But, the key is indeed to lift with your legs and not your back.

Mike, I have a Stihl FS 90 but with the bicycle handle and it comes with a strap that goes around you head. But I upgraded, Stihl has a harness something like on there blowers. I got that and at 70 I have have no problems working on flat land, hills or high weeds.

It’s amazing what changes can be made in about an hour on the tractor! I love seeing the results at my place and watching yours!

Hey Mike, some things that have helped me with my back is stretching every morning and evening before bed. I spend about 5 minutes really warming everything up, now I can easily touch my toes. Also one of those door frame pull-up bars. I just grab onto it and hang for as long as I can. Really works your core and feels like its straightening my spine.

Same back issue, the twisting action weakens the lower back area and sometime later, maybe a day or two later, make the wrong move and the back is out. To prevent, I wear a Mueller back brace while weed eating. I make as tight as I can pull it, called preventive maintenance. I also wear the brace anytime I do a lot of lifting. Can purchase at pharmacies or Walmart. For me works great and have for fewer back problems and don’t get that ill fated twinge.

I learned to use the sling to distribute the weight of the trimmer when cycling through brush and grass. Keep the twisting to a minimum and have better results. Back has been much better Mike, I do feel your pain ! Have a good one.

Mike I have the old FS 66 straight shaft with loop handle and don't bother with the strap wondered if u ever use it. I also get the pinch on a quick twist takes your breath away,also sciatic problem comes and goes. Welcome to the golden years

We arent getting any younger thats for sure, just keep movin forward. Cant wait to see what you are building next.

Mike you need to adjust the 3point, when you pull forward the box plane tips up on its toe and when you go backwards it sits level your going to wear out the toe of the plane quick that way. unless thats the way you want it, then disregard statement

i will add one thing regards your"strimmer" /"brush-cutter" or whatever your want to call over there in the USA, without any adjustment the stihl is setup by default for right handed people, you can loosen the handle and rotate it 360 degrees to make it left handed easy but the handles then point downwards which makes it awkward to use, safer but awkward i know i have a stihl setup for me and another brand i haven't adjusted (so my son can use it hopefully), the stihl is easier to use but the handles point the wrong is still a pain, if the stihl had controls on both sides it would be easier/safer, try using a circular saw with your left hand if your right handed :), oh btw have a day :)

I like to use a shoulder strap on the trimmers i feel like it helps with that lower back problem helps relieve the back pressure

I have a back problem too and I bought a Cub Cadet S100 i believe thats the model number you push it around and don't have to bend over, best investment ever 300.00 The cutting height is adjustable..

I have a Stihl harness that I got to use with my pole saw. I tried it with my trimmer the other year, and now I use it all the time. It takes a little practice to get use to using it, but puts the weight on your shoulders and makes it more comfortable to use for long periods of time.

Amen Mike!

Good trimmer advice.

Hi, Morgans, again another great video, your videos remind me of the time (I was still young, between 25 and 30) that I maintained the domain of Count Francky. I was also maintaining the gravel roads with a FORD tractor, cutting trees, cutting and splitting firewood, cutting the grass, and so on. The good life.

I have the Sthil FS 110 with bike handles and the swaying back and fourth can be a killer on the back.

love you guys

I know exactly what you are talking about Mike I used to finish concrete , I remember one time reaching across the dinner table for salt and pepper something pinched and I was on my knees gasping for air Central California watching

Hi Mike, Re: 'String Trimmers' Here in the UK we do our usual lazy language thing and compress the two words into one and call them 'Strimmers' :-)

That wood/equipment shed looks great with that stain. I hope it holds its color!

Mike, you're getting me sold on Kubota.....going to the local dealer this morning.......I need to start the process....I just happened on this video , I was #13 , downloaded for 1 minute! There's a lot of people out in RU-vid land that just can't wait for the latest video! Good job, as always.....my favorite channel by far..

I Know exactly what you mean about the back issue. I spent most of last week laid up. I think it was caused by to many days clearing trails on my forest lot of thorn bushes with a Stihl fs 110 coupled with a hard fall on the stairs at home. I definitely need to pace myself a little slower and realize I can't go as fast at 50 as I did at 30 !

Greetings from Central NH (Lake) - Amen on the string trimmer tip. I have exactly the same problem with my back and it triggers just like you describe. Good tip.

Some people tend to bend over when using a trimmer. Stand straight and it helps. Good job Mike. Looks a lot better.

If I were retiring in the near future like you have talked about and the plan you have, I would get rid of that Maple tree and the rocks next to it. With more buildings and activity down there I would hit something there coming in or back into it. The bank on the right side of the wood mizer in my opinion would be a perfect direction to move. Cut that back 40' and pour a wall (could be the back wall for a shed or partial for a building and gain room to stretch out. A big Cat could have that gone and dispersed in an hour. Just my opinion...

Good video mike

Excellent suggestion on saving your back! The facelift on the work area looks great.

Good morning Mike. Great job as usual 👍🚜😎☀️

Good tip mike love from TEXAS

Enjoyed #806!

You are correct. I'm a retired police officer and I can tell you in law enforcement we have lower back, knee, and hip problems. Mostly because of the weapon belt around our waist but also we do a lot of driving and in a second we may have to get out and run and that's not good. God bless.

MIKE, I remember when you had the L3901, you did a video on that very spot when you put down some dirt, raked it by hand, and planted grass! Now yer planting stone. LOL Man, how things are different now! Good stuff!

Mike. Try the stain sealer you have on the cable real table. I’m wonder if it will look as good as the wood shed

Phil here from Kansas City. Good morning all. Putting together an order from Stihl and chain sharpening today.

Mike, I was thinking to myself while watching yesterday's video, "Oh I wouldn't be able to move after twisting like you were while trimming"!! I'm 61 & have suffered from Low Back Pain since 1986. I've had 2 major low back surgeries & a Spinal Cord Stimulator Implant. I know Exactly what you are talking about Sir!!1

Try a copper fit back belt they work really good I use one.i have a bad back and I wear my one 70 percent of the day it gets me through the the day.

Nice work. You might want to adjust the top link on your three point so the land plane runs parallel to the ground. You are running 'nose down' and the rear of the plane is up above the ground. So only doing half the work.

Yer Mike, darn trimmers are an issue us old fellas, Thanks for the tip.

Mike, Build a 60'x60' pole barn for your tractors and implements. You'll protect your expensive machinery.

Work area looks great, Mike!

Hey Mike! Now your just showing off all your years of tractor operating experience! Very nicely done. I noticed that when you started on the trail, it appears you have the land plane setup so the front end of the plane in higher than the rear & appeared to be digging into the ground more. Is that correct? Would you take a few minutes maybe in a future video to demonstrate the way you actually setup the land plane & box blade for this type work? The MX 5400 really looks like an excellent machine, I enjoy watching you use it too! Thanks for the videos! Say hi to Hunter for me!!

Looks good. Doesn't take long to run out of space.

I used to have lower back issues, but they're pretty much gone now since my wife and I moved to a Select Comfort mattress. I, like you, have come to learn my limitations and don't push it, lol. Good video Mike!

Good morning Mike. Beautiful work with the equipment. Experience and skill at work. Mike it looks to me like you need more space for the Mill Yard. Carry on my friend.....

Nice work with the Kabota and land plane. The renewable resource processing center is lookin a lot better. By the way, how is the clover doing out by the mini cabin? Stay well, stay safe and yall HAVE A DAY 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

Those of us in our age carrying extra weight across the belly, hurting your back is a constant concern

Perhaps you should consider trying the trimmers with the double handle such as the FS91 or FS111? I was wondering if they may provide a different leverage point and be easier on the back.

Thanks for the great videos and advice on the back stuff. I am 2 1/2 years out from my lower back surgery to repair a herniated disc and two bulging discs. Getting around good and working great now.....but running the string trimmer to this day is the only thing that bothers me. Will shorten my strokes and pull it tight now. Keep up the great content. 👍

Looks like you need to adjust that top bar on the 3 point. You should get kabota to send you a hydraulic one to adjust on the fly

I love your title for your work area, "Renewable Resource Center"!!! I can even imagine a sign post tall enough for the MX5400 to drive under positioned over the driveway 40-50 feet up from where it widens near the log splitter with that title on it... 😂

Been there done that!

Looking good! I really enjoy your channel. I maintain 4 miles of private road and driveway in central Colorado with an L6060 Grand and Land Pride land plane. Great combination with good results. I have learned to really watch keeping the land plane flat to the ground after wearing thru the skids pretty quick on the leading edge. Sometimes it depends on whether you are going over a hill or through a valley as to how the plane floats. Might be asking the finance department for a hydraulic top link .

Buy a TINS unit on Amazon. Works great on lower back pain. My latest one is rechargeable and small. About $32.

R.R.P.C. very nice ! are you or melissa the C.E.O. OF THE R.R.P.C. ??? hee-haw now that'll steer things up lol !!! just teasing good to see you folks as always !!!

Hi Mike ; When I use my trimmer, it has a place to clip to a shoulder strap . I've used the strap that came with trimmer, but switched to a single point gun sling with a rubberized grip pad. you can get them at any gun shop.

Hey Morgans

Hello from Sardis City, Alabama looking good Mike. Yes i have the same issue. Cutting with my 025 chain saw. I i forget its not a light saw. The reaching out cutting limbs gets me every time. Great tip. Ill give it a try. When you going to start on the pool? Lol with all the other stuff that needs done. Lol

I know exactly what you’re talking about,when you reach out and turn just a little bit I feel it as well.