"This little tractor is an amazing piece of machinery. Initially bought to slash reeds, bracken and tea-tree it has done a sterling job. It is light and on our swampy parts can get across places you wouldn't believe. The only problem has been that on occasions the slasher dragged the tractor down. The only problem was the weight of the slasher made the front end 'float' - a few weights off a larger tractor made a difference. With the bolt on front collar it was possible to make an 'extension' bracket to carry the weights forward of the collar. About five years ago I added a front end loader with a four way bucket. This additional weight has made the slasher more stable. To connect the hydraulics it was a case of cutting the pipe as it turned from under the seat and went down the side of the gearbox. One line went across to the loader levers and the return line came back to feed back to the gearbox casing. IE: cut the line, pipe to controls and return pipe to tube to complete the circuit. The power drag is noticeable however as the engine now has little in reserve having to run the loader as well as the three point linkage. With care it is still fine. Even on the hot days here (90-100degrees F) it ticks along nicely. I have had a new radiator built as the last one had corroded tanks. Filled with coolant rather than water it works really well for a machine with no speed to force air over the cooling surface - depending only on the shroud and fan to move the air. For a machine that is thirty years old it is unbelievable. As tough as old boots and just as reliable. "