My First Muster Onboard

[Bay Driver]

Hello to each of you on this forum. I have been checking the forum for the past year or so. Finally this week I ordered my 825i Gator from my local John Deere dealer and also joined this forum. My 825i should arrive by July 11. I live in Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay on a road called Bay Drive, hence my user name ?Bay Driver?. The road runs along the shore. When I start driving my 825i, I?ll be careful to stay out of the salt spray from the bay. Luckily I have an extra spot in my barn to store my Gator out of the weather. I also have a John Deere 5300 tractor and a John Deere 430 lawn tractor in the barn. But my truck and cars sit outside in the elements. My tractor and lawn tractor are green and yellow, so of course the 825i I ordered is also green and yellow. I didn?t want to mess up the color scheme in my barn.

I retired from the U.S. Navy a few years ago and last year I retired from the U.S. Civil Service. So I should have time to take the Gator for a ride each day. Mostly the Gator will be used for odd jobs around my property, such as hauling firewood and serving as my roving tool box to keep things in ?ship shape? condition. For larger jobs I?ll continue to use the farm tractor. I?m sure I?ll be able to break free a few times and take the Gator onto the trails in the woods that surround my property. Also I?ll probably need a jump seat for the Gator to take my grandkids for rides. Perhaps some of you know of a good jump seat for the 825i.

This is a great forum and I look forward to reading the postings from everyone. When my 825i finally arrives, I?ll try to post some pictures. Until then, may fair winds and following seas carry you forward and may your Gator bring some excitement into your daily chores and excursions.

[GATORDONE]

Welcome aboard matey! :BG:

[john]

Welcome.

[srb08]

Welcome to the forum. The wait is the worst part.
Best,
Steve

[Deputy347k9]

Bay Driver:

A hearty "Welcome to the Forum" and thank you for your many years service to our country. Like you I too retired from the service (Marines) during 1991 and recently retired from law enforcement. The wife and I farm here in Maine (hardest work I have ever done), thanks to John Deere we have made life some what easier, tractors, mowers, bailers, rakes, lawn tractors and of course the 825i.

I look at our 825i like a microwave oven, "how did we ever live without it".

Our farm is now under contract as we are relocating to NC. No more fire wood and no more shoveling great amounts of snow. The buyers of the farm are also buying majority of the John Deere equipment, EXCEPT, the 740lawn tractor and the 825i!

I plan on having some fun, easier life for the wife and I as well as the Gator. The 825i is being converted from a work horse to my pimp mobile.

Larry in ME

[Bay Driver]

Larry in ME,

Thanks for your reply. I felt honored to be a part of the Navy-Marine Corps Team during my active duty and reserve duty years. In my civil service job I headed a group providing Fleet support to Navy and USMC aviation forces. You mentioned your upcoming move to NC. I spent a lot of time at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, NC and to a less extent at New River, NC.

Using your microwave oven analogy, if my 825i is like a microwave oven, then my JD 5300 tractor is a kitchen stove. In truth I spend most of my time on the JD 430 lawn tractor, which is now 23 years old. A couple of months ago I restored the lawn tractor and I'm hoping to get another 23 years of service before my next restoration.

I have always loved Maine. My bucket list includes a trip on my Harley to Maine and the Bay of Fundy. I have been to Naval Air Station Brunswick on a couple of occasions.

Enjoy your retirement in NC,
Jim in MD

[Deputy347k9]

NAS Brunswick was quite the base in her days. Once I retired and entered law enforcement we used NAS Brunswick for training our canines. They had a fantastic course and massive amount of area and buildings they let us utilize for training.

I really miss NAS Brunswick, last major military base in Maine is now part of history.

Like you I spent quite a bit of time at MCAS Cherry Point. I started there with VMAT 203, we were flying the TA4F/J aircraft. Those are now on static display!

I look forward to the move and using the 825i along with my metal detecting gear.

Stay safe

Larry in ME

[Kiwi06]

Hey Bay Driver! A great big welcome to the forum and good luck on the wait for delivery. :BG:

I too have Deere and stuck with the yellow and green scheme (not that I had any choice as I bought a slightly used demo unit). I love my Gator and it lets the tractor sit for a lot of the chores it used to do. As much as I like the Gator, if I was forced to give up one, the tractor would have to stay as there are just some things around the farm that the Gator can't do. For most chores, however, the Gator cuts the time in half or more - and raises the fun factor by several orders of magnitude! I'm have a "gentleman's farm" with horses, hay fields, small vegetable gardens and cattle. I know you'll have a blast with the Gator and won't regret it! :cool:

Again, welcome and looking forward to seeing pics sometime next month! :FX:

- Steve in smoky CO

[Bay Driver]

Good day to Steve in Smoky CO,

Thanks for your reply and comments.

First I just want to say that we are praying for the safety and well-being of everyone affected by the fires in Colorado.

For quite a while I thought I could get by with my JD 5300 tractor for the big jobs and the JD 430 for everything else. But recently I spent three weeks getting my property ready for a graduation party for military test pilots from the Navy Test Pilot School here in Southern Maryland. My son, a Navy pilot, was one of those graduates. By the time the party rolled around I was exhausted. I could really have used the 825i for all the odd jobs. I used the farm tractor for bush hogging and the lawn tractor for mowing grass, lots of grass. The Gator would have been really handy for tasks such as cleaning up the beach, carrying tools to the job (e.g., weed eater, chain saw, tree trimmer, shovels), putting up road signs, installing a new flagpole, moving my boat trailer, and transporting the party tent. Luckily my neighbor Sam used his 625i Gator to transport his tent to my house and to deliver a trailer full of kayaks for everyone to use at the party. Thank you Sam. I'll give Sam the address for this Gator Forum and hopefully soon he'll be signing in for the first time. In the true spirit of John Deere dealerships, Rick, the owner of the local dealership, delivered a "brand spanking new" XUV 550 S4 for the test pilots to play with at the graduation party. Those test pilots loved taking the four-seat XUV for a test run. Rick said he felt honored to loan the Gator to the test pilots for their enjoyment, and enjoy it they did. My son and I spent two days trying to get all the mud off the Gator before it went back to the dealership.

After I recovered from all the work leading up to the party and from the party itself, I stopped in to see Rick and ordered my 825i. Most days I'm 64 years old and I definitely need the Gator to help with daily chores. But I must admit. Some days I'm a teenager and I can't wait to take the Gator off the beaten path for some fun.

But it's still 11 more days before the 825i arrives at the dealership and I sure hope Rick installs all the accessories quickly,
Jim in MD

[Bay Driver]

"Not What I Expected From John Deere"

I live four miles from my local John Deere dealer. The road to my house has no outlet, as it ends right here on the Chesapeake Bay. Driving from my house every day or so means I pass by the John Deere dealership. So obviously I make a couple of stops at the dealership each week. I ordered my 825i less than two weeks ago. Since then, every time I stop at the dealership someone says my Gator was just delivered. Needless to say, they were just pulling my leg. When I ordered the 825i, I was told the delivery date would be July 11. So July 11 is the date I expected it would arrive.

Today when I stopped at the dealership, no one said the Gator had been delivered. So I assumed they were tired of playing jokes on me. Then I noticed a tractor and trailer in the front of the dealership. So I asked Ron, one of the salesmen, what was being delivered. He said there were a couple of Gators on the truck. I laughed to myself and started to leave. But my curiosity was getting to me. So I looked into the back of the tractor and trailer and there it was. My green and yellow 825i was ready to be unloaded. I watched as Ron helped unload the truck. When the 825i was unloaded, I looked at it in amazement. Ron walked over to me and asked if it was my Gator. I said yes. Then I walked over to the driver of the tractor and trailer to thank him for delivering my 825i. So when I was expecting my 825i to be delivered on July 11, it actually arrived on July 5. I’m not the least bit upset that John Deere didn’t meet my expectations.

Within 15 minutes of the arrival of my Gator at the dealership, it was in the shop and they were hard at work on the dealer-installed accessories. Perhaps I can pick up my completed 825i tomorrow. When I do pick it up, I’ll take some pictures and post them on this Gator forum. I guess I need to go to the bank tomorrow and move some money into my checking account.

Have a great weekend,
Jim in MD

[Ocalaguy]

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f98/ocalaguy/Gator%20Pictures/mouse_sweeping_welcome.gif to the John Deere Gator Forum

[Bay Driver]

13251324132313221321


Good day to everyone on the Gator Forum,

Just about the time I picked up my Gator at the dealership I went away on travel for a couple of weeks. Finally today I got the opportunity to load up my 825i with a few tools and to do some work. The attached pictures show the Gator after I finished my chores. While I was on travel a couple of storms came through the area leaving some fallen trees and lots of branches along my driveway and the county road that leads to my property.

In the past few years a farm tractor and a Gator were hit by automobiles on the county highway, hence my ?Slow Moving Vehicle? safety triangle signs on the back of my Gator. My 825i was ordered with power steering. You can see the other options in the pictures. My favorite button on the Gator is the Genie button on the top of the dash panel. It sure is nice to simply hit that button to raise the door to my barn after I get back from a hard day of work and play.

Enjoy your weekend,
Bay Driver

[pugwash4]

welcome bay driver thats one fine looking gator you have


john and karen

[GATORDONE]

Nice ride Bay Driver :cool: