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Last Sunday in upstate NY it warmed up -
but it flooded!! I have been chipping away at the 2 or more inches
of ice that formed as the result of a series of ice storms. My hands
have a multitude of blisters resulting from pounding on unyielding sheets of ice
on our front walk and driveway with the traditional "ice spud" .
But today I got even!
I fired up my ElecTrak E-15, equipped with
counterweight box (about 200 lbs patio blocks), tire chains, and bucket
loader. I lowered the bucket and within an hour had peeled up and removed
tons of soft, punky ice from the driveway. At the end of an hour with the
electric/hydraulic unit operating most of the time, the tractor was still
going strong (although the motor on the hydraulic unit got very warm) --
it was re-equipped with a set of USED golf cart batteries bought from a golf
cart sales & rental down the street for $60 last summer. Guess I got a
deal.
I am always amazed and pleased that such a
relatively "antique" piece of equipment still operates so well.
It's quite a testimonial to the engineering that went into these units.
While today our power control technology is better that that employed in the
E-15 (transistorized relay switching), the old tractors still manage to get the
job done. I only wonder why a major manufacturer hasn't used improved
power handling technology in a modern knock off of the ElecTrak.
Now all I have to do is wait 'till spring so I
can go mow the lawn with my other tractor - an E-12!
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