Today’s project was pulling the last side of the big animal pen fence straight and moving the posts over. We used t posts which tend to get stuck in the ground, especially when the ground is wet.

Previous attempts at pulling the metal t posts out included wrestling them out by wiggling them in all directions (posts always end up bent) , using a pry bar to pry them up (not successful), and using an engine hoist to jack them out. The engine hoist works great but is too hard to wrestle through the mud once it rains so that was out.

So today we thought we’d try and get the tractor! We can loop a strap around the bucket hooks, loop around the t post, and then just lift with the bucket! Backs saved , posts straight, everyone’s happy!

I grab the keys and walk out to the tractor tent. Hop on, turn on the glow plugs, then start the engine. All good! I grab the lever and go to lift up the bucket….uh oh…bucket only moved an inch. Hrm…checked I was moving it right and yep. Settled an inch when I pulled it down but that was all…

I hopped off and went back to the backhoe controls to see if it was just the bucket. Tried to move the stabilizers andddddd…. nada. Zip. Zero. Zilch.

That can only mean one thing…hydraulic system is down. Looked underneath and finally saw where the back area is wet…so either I’ve blown a line or a seal. At least, I hope it’s that simple.

When I bought the tractor I had to buy a warranty since it was financed. I was told everything but the tow charge is included in it..so tomorrow I’ll be calling the dealer for a service call. I’m not looking forward to either the tow bill or the downtime! Hopefully it’ll be a quick and simple fix. I am filing this under “problems” category for sure!

And the t post removal? Back to wiggling and digging with the post hole digger around the posts. Saw a video on YouTube that said not to wiggle the posts side to side to avoid bending, wiggle them front to back only. Tried that and it 90 percent worked. The 10 percent was one post that was already bent so it didn’t seem to matter. Straightened it out by inserting one end into a pipe truck bumper and leaning on it until it was straight ish.

Thought the job was done after 2 hours but discovered pulling the last side pulled a corner post out six inches despite bracing. So we’ll have to figure out how to re brace the corner in a way that will not allow the goats to climb out. More fun!