Tractor Time With Deuce

Deuce helps service the John Deere 1023

Dad works hard to keep my yard looking good. It's not easy for him but he's a stubborn guy. He just keeps chipping away at a project until it's finally finished. Mom and I know he works so hard on our yard because he knows we love our yard. Even that skanky Loki likes our yard. 

Mom and Dad have a big John Deere tractor. They call it the 1023 but I'm not sure what that means. There's another smaller John Deere they call a 370 but it can only mow. I'm a smart dog so I know I don't have to know about the equipment, just keep out of its way when it's moving. 

This summer, Dad's been all hopped up about doing something called a two-hundred-hour service on the 1023. I'm not sure what it means, but I know it's had Mom snorting. She's had to crawl under the tractor and that's not her favorite thing to do. A couple of weeks ago they changed the coolant and the oil. Yesterday, they changed the hydraulic fluid. I learned that's what makes the bucket, backhoe, and snowblower go up and down. 

Or something like that. I'm Deuce. I'm a dog. Mom and Dad talk and I hear the words but sometimes it's pretty boring stuff. All this tractor talk has nothing to do with me getting snackies so it's not important. Show me the treats and I'll pay attention. 

Anyway, yesterday it was Dad's turn to get under the tractor. First, Mom set down the outriggers, lifted the back tires off the ground, and shoved blocks under the tires. It was safety first before Dad got out of his chair. 

Well, let me tell you. Dad out of his chair on the ground is not a good thing in my world. Dad on the ground anytime is not a good thing, and this time he did it on purpose. I did not like this. I came over and watched to see why he'd do this. I knew with me and Mom right there it must not be tooooo bad, but I still didn't like it. Once he's down he has to get back up. Not good. It worried me. 

Turns out, it was a good thing he was the one looking at the underside of the tractor. The people sent him the wrong filter (he was not happy) and Mom might not have known it was the wrong one. He put the old filter back on because, he said, the old fluid was still really clear, whatever that means. They take good care of the tractor so I bet that next year, we'll do this again with the correct filter even if we don't have four-hundred hours run time on the 1023. 

By the end of the day, the 1023 was back under the carport, the bucket of old fluid was loaded on the Silverado to go to the recycling place, and Mom was serving BBQ chicken sandwiches for dinner. 

I wonder what's for dinner today?