Next up was the tractor. Changed the oil filter and oil, changed the fuel filter, topped up the radiator, hydraulic fluid and brake fluid. All grease nipples pumped full of grease, about 30 of them all. One wouldn't take grease but Dave had a can of spares so it got replaced. Missing bolts on the front loader replaced. I have to replace an air valve on a rear tire but that may mean taking the tire off, a big job which we can do in the summer.
I did some road work with the backhoe and I am continually impressed with it! This spring I had removed a number of largish rocks from the road just before the trailhead by hand. The ground was soft and I was able to get about 6 rocks out using a prybar. Lucy mentioned that I had missed one that sometimes cars hit as they drive in (always keep one set of wheels on the high side on a bumpy road, don't drive in the ruts) and hopefully it wasn't too big to take out. Well it wasn't too big but it was big enough. I drove from the sandpit with a load of sand in the bucket, parked just past the "rock" and set to dig it out with the back hoe. Well It turns out that I had to dig out two huge rocks first before I got to the one I wanted out and when I went at it, well it turned out to be the biggest rock I have ever taken out of the ground. I managed to move it to one side and then backfill the hole with the sand in my bucket (a clever trick I learnt). After that I managed to get it into the bucket and deposited it up on the hill. I know I will use it somewhere sometime so I will have to be able to get it in the bucket again.