I GET IT NOW!!!

Guys- that's it. I understand. Light shine on marble head. Dude!

Gotta start with DUDE! I Just had so much fun!!! I installed the new engine, remounted the winch, blah blah blah- I'll save it for the build thread. THEN-

Then I went mudding!!! Man, I had a riot! This 40-year-old felt like a kid again! Even though the diff's still unlocked, the UTLTV did very well. I was slinging mud everywhere, and on the last pass, I mired in. Big time! I flung mud all over the tractor and myself. My clothes, my hair, my face, even in one ear!

Thank God I reinstalled the winch! I tied off to a tree about 15 feet away, and hauled my ass outta there. You should have seen the look on my wife's face, when I got back totally covered in schmutz and grinning from ear to muddy ear! Really- next time, video! For now, some after pics...

Glad to hear it man! Doing this stuff helps me with my depression.

I can see how it would. Hobbies (of any nature) are a great escape. A good way to clear your mind, have some fun, and generally get your s--t together.

Welcome to the club, Doc! Enjoy the tractor like it is for a while and then lock that diff... once you've romped with a locked diff, you'll never want to go back.

Well- the weather's kind of cold and crappy today. I hope it improves. After the fun I had yesterday, I was hoping to get my son out today.

It's funny- I've been offroading many times in trucks. A little mud here and there, but mostly trails and climbing. If you had told me that I would have such a good time doing it on a silly little lawn tractor, I'da laughed at you. How wrong I was!

Looks like you had fun.
And from what it looks like the mower pefoumed good.

It not only performed well, it quite impressed me. It did a LOT better than I expected! I went through some really deep water without any problems, other than some belt slippage due to the wet. In the mud, I honestly thought I'd get stuck a lot easier than I did. Still, it was awfully nice to have the winch available, rather than have to leave it there and got get the ATV.