Snow Man

A late winter storm blew through New England this past Monday, leaving behind some six to nine inches of damp snow here in southern Connecticut. Some of us are anxious for spring and were sorry to see it come. For Dennis David, however, it was a dream come true, for the popular school teacher and CarPort honor scout had a snow day in more ways than one. Not only was his school closed - he got to play with his newest toy.

Dennis recently notched up a milestone birthday, and to celebrate he treated himself to a nifty little Kubota B7100 tractor. Long the dream of many a suburban homeowner, the tractor is a four-wheel drive 16 hp 3-cylinder diesel; equipped with a front end loader it will make short work of many outside chores. More important right now is the ability to simply detach the bucket, with a couple of pins, and mount a snow blade. Thus converted the tractor is ready to plow away the snowfall. What can't be plowed can be easily lifted by reinstalling the bucket. Dennis and his wife Susan had fun all day.

The Kubota was Japan's answer to the American farm tractor, of necessity because that country's farms are much smaller than those in the West. The first Kubota was built in 1961; by 1969 the company, parent of which dates to 1890, was exporting compact tractors to the United States, where they immediately became popular. In 1972 a headquarters was established in Torrance, California; a plant in Georgia now builds front end loader and backhoe attachments. The compact tractor segment has grown to include a number of models from familiar names like John Deere, Massey Ferguson, New Holland (née Ford tractors) and Cub Cadet (née International), but the Kubota name has become almost generic for the breed. Kubota owners and enthusiasts have an excellent resource on the web at OrangeTractorTalks, which dispenses news and technical information - "everything Kubota" according to the headline. TractorByNet also has information and forums on compact tractors.

I've long had a hankering for an old gray Ford tractor, either 8N or NAA "Jubilee". The Fords are small and maneuverable, in comparison to big Farmalls and the like, and were the first to use integrated hydraulics. However, in comparison to the Kubota they are primitive, lacking four-wheel drive and full-time hydraulic operation. When fitted with the very useful front end loader they're hard to steer, as power steering was not available. So as much as I'm fond of the Fords, I have to admit a Kubota would be much more practical. Dennis tells me there's a Kubota B6200 available not far from him, and I, too, have a (more advanced) milestone birthday coming up...