Tom - I have a Kubota tractor and implements, and have done a lot of brush clearing and leveling. It's not perfect, and there's still areas I haven't got to yet, but it looks a whole lot better than it did when we bought the property. Hogs and armadillos also tend to mess things up, so it's an ongoing process. I also seeded the front pasture with bermuda year before last, but the rain turned off right after I got it out. The areas that did take were pretty much killed off with last summer's drought. This spring we've had decent amounts of rain, but the grass isn't there to take advantage of it. As far as the dealers bringing out a demo, that apparently doesn't happen around here. If you're lucky, they may have a demo machine at their store you can mow with, otherwise you get to drive it around the parking lot. An alternative is to contact their previous buyers in your area to see if you can demo their machine, which I'll probably end up doing. I really want a good hands-on feel for a machine before I lay out what is a substantial amount of cash for us! I've heard of Walker's and seen them mentioned in forums, but have never seen one around here. I don't think there are any dealers around here either. MS - I've got the Dixie Chopper on my list, but as of now it's lower down due to my lack of knowledge of the engines offered on the ones at my price point. I'm not familiar with Generac at all, and the Briggs Pro series is also a new one to me. I'm still doing the research trying to get as much information as I can before I make a decision. I found a BB Pup 48" w/30 hp Kohler for $6200, which seems pretty decent. I've got mixed feelings on the Kohler Command as I have a 15 hp on my sawmill which has been great, and a 27 hp twin in the Craftsman, which I have had some issues with. I will admit though, after doing a thorough tuneup last week, I think it ran better than it did when it was new, and seemed to get better fuel economy. Any issues with your Kohler? I still have to do the test drives, so it will be a while before I actually buy. Thanks again for your input. Andy

The height is adjustable with the legs. However, if you install the outside airkit and fan, or either, the minimim total height is 45" unless you also buy the remote fan box, then it can be as low as 1" off the ground. I just measured mine, and the trim ring is exactly 11" off the tile hearth, and if I remeber corrected, the fan box was 12" tall, so minus the extra height the trim ring added, and the tile, that makes sense. The top of the trim ring measure 39", so if you look at the drawing, you see I installed mine as the absolute minimum heights, give or take a 1/2"; without buying the remote fan box. If I was doing it again, I'd buy the remote fan box and install it lower, since it makes sense to have it as low as possible. Luckily, I route my convection air instakes to pull the coldest air from the bottom of the room. (See page 21, http://wittus.com/Specs/Optifire%20Manual.pdf) My mantel is much higher the the frame, becuase we wanted it that way, and the install instruction specify a minimum of 28", unless you run the remote hot air outlets, which I did not. . With remote hot air outlets (e.g. above the mantel you can go as low as 12". If you mantel is combustible, it says you have to have remote hot air outlets. Mine mantel is stainless steel and therefor, even though it has a wooden frame, I assumed it was not combustible. (See page 23, http://wittus.com/Specs/Optifire%20Manual.pdf) As far as the outside air, that is the part that I described above as being not all that great. They call it make up air for a reason. Really, outside air should route directly to the combustion chamber, not mix with the convection air, but I suspect the outside air kit was added by the US/Canadian importer to meet certain regulations. The problem with it is, after the fire burns out, with the outside air damper open, it leaks cold outside air under the unit, and in my case out the convection air instakes. Anyway, somehow, you have to allow for 65 square inches of intake air, and you get to count the outside air intake as well as the convection air intake as part of that. Here is a copy and paste from my installation notes on how I achieved the 65 square inch minimum: "The biggest pain of this whole thing is with the clean face of the fireplace it needs a place to draw convection air in and it has to be 65 square inches. Not wanting to put a 12"x6" grate underneath, we choose to slightly bump out the fireplace and put two grates on each side. I think I would have preferred the flat front, but I don't think I would have liked that grate, and it likely would have been a tad louder as well. Anyway, coming up with the 65 square inches has proven to be challenging, but I think I got it. Two grates that measure 13.5"x2" one on each side give me 27 square inches each. And then you are also allowed to count outside air intake, which at 4" gives me 3.14*2*2 or 12.56 square inches. That makes for a grand total of 66.56 square inches. Now if I could just get going on the straightening of the chimney before it gets so cold I can't get on the roof and actually start the framing. I guess I am probably being overly cautious and taking this whole thing at about a quarter the speed I normally would. But now that all the safety related stuff is out of the way, things should go quicker. " So, do you need outside air? Depends on local codes on how air tight your place is. I needed it for both reasons. Our code required it, and my house is so air tight, if I make a fire and fail to open the outside air intake, the fireplace will pull smoke back down the outer chimney liner which then mixes with the convection air and fills the house with smoke. You could also feel to suction on the door when you opened it. The first time this happened, I thought the chase was on fire, until I figure out what was going on. Hope that helps. If you have any more questions, let me know, I try and check back once a week or so. The other night it got down to 44, almost had to make the first fire of the year, in September, no less.

funcolors, you didn't answer the question...now that I know about lrv, I do ask at the ben moore place and they typically can provide that to me...they also list lrv on their color gallery. Where did you get the other info on feather down? And where might we look for such data? Or do we have to ask? Or is it simply not available to us ordinary folks? No, I didn't. Didn't want to veer too far off sis's topic. And at this point it's a long explanation without a clear-cut answer at the end. You are correct about LRV. LRV is also listed in the index of every major brand's fandeck. Sherwin Williams even puts it on the back of their fan strips and paint chips. We use certified color measurements and then do the conversion to color notations here at The Land of Color. We apply the same exact method to every single color because consistency of method is crucial in order to make valid comparisons using the notations. I'll tell you why in a second. Dunn-Edwards is the only brand that currently publishes notations - in the fandeck index right next to LRV. It's part of what makes their "Perfect Palette" pretty much perfect. Regarding that consistency factor... Even if all brands were to publish notations, it would be difficult to cross brands and compare notations. Because of equipment, method, and algorithm inconsistencies. It's a lot like gloss levels. The paint industry has no universal standards that they all stick to when it comes to glossiness. Which is why one brand's satin looks like another brand's semi-gloss. It's the same with color. No universal standards for measuring color. Even LRV measurements are inconsistent brand to brand - but LRV is less of a problem than gloss or notations because it's just one number, and it's simple, CIE Y; a point or two off one way or another isn't a huge deal. Regarding color notations... As long as you stay within one brand's set of notations, all is fabulous. On average, most people do stay within one brand for their projects. Usually because their painter prefers to use just one brand. With that said, inconsistent color notations brand to brand won't be big swings. Differences will show up in hue more than value or chroma. The general hue family, R, YR, Y, etc. will likely be consistent but the hue number is where measurement and algorithm inconsistencies will show up. Hope that helps.

I'm a wax and oil fan. I have Waterlox on my floors -- a miscommunication. I don't like it. It definitely flakes up. It is not a repairable finish. Some people love it, but I think it looks and feels plasticky, just like polyurethane, and the only thing they say you can do when it gets damaged is to paint on another layer of the stuff, which it sounds like you would need to do fairly regularly. I have a lot of wood furniture, much of it antique. Oil and wax are not rocket science. Don't overintellectualize it. You can use oil, wax or a mix, or use them in sequence. Oil, like mineral oil, is the easiest. I'd put a little of that on first. (But I'd definitely talk to your countertop person before doing anything I learned about on the Internet! They may have finished them with something, or they might be able to do something for you just for the asking.) A 50/50 mix of beeswax/mineral oil, sometimes sold as Beesoil, buffed on at room temperature is next easiest and lasts longer. Gives a nice silky feeling. Buffing on pure beeswax is harder, but it can be done. You need to build enough speed (remember physics class?) that you create heat, melt the wax and distribute it evenly. Don't do something like melt the wax on the stove and pour it out on the counter! You'll just have a big candle sitting there you'll need to scrape off and rub in. We're talking a microscopic layer of wax. But if you don't have time to wax, you can throw on a little oil in between. The counter shouldn't be sticky with any of these. If if is, you need to take the excess off. You can wipe up excess oil, and with the wax, you buff the wax off (the wax melts and cools down to a sleek solid layer), and when you do the floors, you can slide down the halls in your socks. They're literally sqeaky clean. However, once you try this, if you decide you want to Waterlox after all, you'd have to do a serious sanding to get up ALL the oil and wax. But in my personal opinion, the difference is like the difference between painted clapboards and vinyl siding. You're obviously accepting a lot of permanent damage due to chopping. A few water spots aren't going to bother you. That is a beautiful counter. But hey, have you ever thought of using a cutting board?