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Fw: (ET) Bucket loader



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!