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canawler
USA
91 Posts |
 Posted - 10/27/2011 : 13:28:55
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I posted a few pics in my introduction thread but I thought I might put a few in the gallery section also.
This Homesteader is sooo much fun to use.
I went from no Simplicity products to this in 2 weeks.
Here's the Homesteader 8 all cleaned up for show duty at the local Steam-o-rama.
Leaf duty is actually fun (no, really) with the Homesteader and my new sweeper. I can't believe I've been raking all my leaves for all these years.
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---Jim
'74 Allis-Chalmers Homesteader 8 X2
'67 Simplicity Broadmoor 717
'74 MTD 990
'67? Pennsylvania Meteor 1010
'93 Troybilt GTX-18 |
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sammiefish
USA
649 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2011 : 13:40:59
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Very nice!! I really like the Homesteaders
I especially like the grill and color scheme... : ) |
Chris 3/4's : ) |
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Talntedmrgreen
USA
4110 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2011 : 14:42:24
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Im a fan too! Nice package. Been curious how those Craftsman sweepers work. I see them often on CL. Wasn't sure how heavy duty they were.
Have you tried your revitalizer? I've had great results from that attachment. |
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1014211
USA
2317 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2011 : 16:02:12
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| Nice! I love the little tractors. I have a 6hp Broadmoor, a 616, a newly acquired 738 (I think about the same as your Homesteader) and in the process of restoring a 535. The small ones are so fun, yet can do quite a bit of work also. Very nice looking tractor! |
Jon
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canawler
USA
91 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2011 : 16:38:09
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quote:
Originally posted by Talntedmrgreen
Im a fan too! Nice package. Been curious how those Craftsman sweepers work. I see them often on CL. Wasn't sure how heavy duty they were.
I did a bunch of homework on sweepers before buying that one. I was watching CL but used prices were high enough that it made sense to buy new. All the box stores had either Agri-fab, Ohio Steel, or Brinly but all I could actually physically inspect had plastic drive gears and after reading a lot of reviews, many of which talked about broken gears, I decided to go with the Craftsman branded "high-speed" unit because it had an actual metal gear/chain drive. It's an Agri-fab but with an upgraded gearbox. Plus they were on sale last weekend.
I've been pleasantly surprised at how well it works but I wish it had a larger hopper. It fills up extremely fast.
quote:
Originally posted by Talntedmrgreen
Have you tried your revitalizer? I've had great results from that attachment.
No, I haven't had a lot of time to play with stuff lately. I want to mount all the attachments just to make sure I have everything I need. My wife and I bought this house about a year and a half ago, and it had some extensive renovations before we got it. Outside they used tons of fill dirt to re-grade the yard away from the house and to cover the trench to hook into public water. Unfortunately, we discovered they used extremely low quality dirt that's mostly small rocks. We've tried to do some landscaping and it's a nightmare even attempting to dig anywhere. I'm worried that the revitalizer would get messsed up if used anywhere near the house. |
---Jim
'74 Allis-Chalmers Homesteader 8 X2
'67 Simplicity Broadmoor 717
'74 MTD 990
'67? Pennsylvania Meteor 1010
'93 Troybilt GTX-18 |
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canawler
USA
91 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2011 : 16:57:09
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quote:
Originally posted by 1014211
Nice! I love the little tractors. I have a 6hp Broadmoor, a 616, a newly acquired 738 (I think about the same as your Homesteader) and in the process of restoring a 535. The small ones are so fun, yet can do quite a bit of work also. Very nice looking tractor!
Looking at parts manuals, it appears that the Homesteaders are a combination of several different generations of Broadmoor. The dash tower is the same as the earlier 707 and 717 Broadmoors. The differential is Simplicity, not a peerless?? like the earlier Allis B-207s used. The center pivot and drive belt / clutch setup is the same as the newer 728 and 738 Broadmoors. Plus I've seen that there's two generations of Homesteader with the earlier one using the earlier Broadmoor drive setup.
As far as working goes, I haven't found a situation yet where it seemed underpowered. I know this sounds silly because I don't consider leaves to be that heavy, but when I was reading reviews of lawn sweepers, I read several where the authors mentioned barely being able to pull the sweeper with newer tractors! One even mentioned his was a 22hp Craftsman. I had the hopper on mine full enough that it was hard to lift to empty it and the Homesteader didn't even notice the weight. |
---Jim
'74 Allis-Chalmers Homesteader 8 X2
'67 Simplicity Broadmoor 717
'74 MTD 990
'67? Pennsylvania Meteor 1010
'93 Troybilt GTX-18 |
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skunkhome
USA
12829 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2011 : 17:59:33
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"Leaf duty is actually fun (no, really) with the Homesteader and my new sweeper. I can't believe I've been raking all my leaves for all these years."
Agreed, I love my Brinley sweeper, requires little HP and does not raise all the dust of vacuum system. I have learned to cut my leaves first then sweep. Saves space but still don't know where to put all the leaves. The garden is overloaded with organic matter.
sharp little tractor BTW. |
  Phil
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither safety nor liberty."
Benjamin Franklin |
Edited by - skunkhome on 10/27/2011 17:59:56 |
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B-16_IC
USA
2823 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2011 : 19:00:23
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| Nice! I had a Homesteader until recently, fun little machine! I had a tiller also, that thing worked like a charm. |
Life is all about paying. Pay attention, or pay the consequences, the choice is yours. Rich |
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Talntedmrgreen
USA
4110 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2011 : 19:41:12
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Jim, thanks for the info on the sweeper...I haven't looked at any in person, but the Agri-fab's look, well, dainty.
That revitalizer will find any stones or rocks that are within an inch or so of the surface...and you'll know it. I did my acre, which is poor soil also, and was suprised to find only a dozen stones or so. I have mostly sandy soil. |
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sammiefish
USA
649 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2011 : 20:41:36
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I think its important to know where the stones are as I believe the blades for
the revitalizer are NLA... you'd have to make one should one break |
Chris 3/4's : ) |
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1014211
USA
2317 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2011 : 21:26:01
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Jim, to prove your point about having plenty of power, here is the 6hp Yeoman I bought for my daughter towing a 1500 pound water wagon. It did fine...
Insert Image:  |
Jon
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skunkhome
USA
12829 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2011 : 21:32:17
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quote:
Originally posted by Talntedmrgreen
Jim, thanks for the info on the sweeper...I haven't looked at any in person, but the Agri-fab's look, well, dainty.
That revitalizer will find any stones or rocks that are within an inch or so of the surface...and you'll know it. I did my acre, which is poor soil also, and was suprised to find only a dozen stones or so. I have mostly sandy soil.
I would stay away from the Agri-fab the school had one and it was a piece of rolling junk. |
Phil
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither safety nor liberty."
Benjamin Franklin |
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Talntedmrgreen
USA
4110 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2011 : 22:00:16
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| Im looking to have some revitalizer knives cut for future use, while mine are still in good shape. They are amazingly durable, but I dont wanna waer them down too much before duplicating them. |
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canawler
USA
91 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2011 : 08:33:29
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quote:
Originally posted by Talntedmrgreen
Jim, thanks for the info on the sweeper...I haven't looked at any in person, but the Agri-fab's look, well, dainty.
I know what you're saying, but the trouble is that they all look that way. It really all depends which model you're looking at. Each brand has low end and premium models. The comparable Brinly model used plastic brush holders and bushings instead of bearings on the brush shaft. I found weight numbers for most of the sweepers and the Craftsman wasn't really any lighter than any of the other brands (actually more due to the metal gearbox.) It does away with the cheesy plastic drive gear setup and it uses bushings. I will say it feels more solid than it looks. Of course, only time will tell how it holds up. It wouldn't be the first time I bought a piece of junk. |
---Jim
'74 Allis-Chalmers Homesteader 8 X2
'67 Simplicity Broadmoor 717
'74 MTD 990
'67? Pennsylvania Meteor 1010
'93 Troybilt GTX-18 |
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canawler
USA
91 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2011 : 09:05:49
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quote:
Originally posted by skunkhome
Saves space but still don't know where to put all the leaves. The garden is overloaded with organic matter.
Here we actually have leaf pickup. You just get them to the edge of the road and the township comes around and sucks them up, twice a week from the middle of October through the beginning of December. They just came through 10 minutes ago so I got a pic.
Now THAT'S a leaf vac...
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---Jim
'74 Allis-Chalmers Homesteader 8 X2
'67 Simplicity Broadmoor 717
'74 MTD 990
'67? Pennsylvania Meteor 1010
'93 Troybilt GTX-18 |
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B-16_IC
USA
2823 Posts |
Posted - 10/30/2011 : 14:41:54
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| That sure is neat! Thanks for posting the pic, never seen such a rig before. I am guessing the leaves then get composted? |
Life is all about paying. Pay attention, or pay the consequences, the choice is yours. Rich |
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a few Homesteader pics
