One family’s shift from suburban life to hobby farming has been significantly helped by a Bobcat CT4045 tractor from Clark Equipment
Had regulations at an inner-city council been different, Lucee’s journey into hobby farming might never have taken place.
Living in suburban Brisbane with her family, and with a business in the city, they were looking to do a house renovation and spent a long time in council getting that approved.
During the time spent navigating these challenges, Rainy Doo Farm became available and they “just fell in love with it”.
Admitting such a move “wasn’t on the bingo card”, the family’s unexpected lifestyle change and hobby farming journey began, something which has also been shared with more than 5,000 followers on Instagram through her handle @lifewithlucee.
Powering the story
Rainy Doo is located in the Samford Valley region, a rural area in Brisbane’s north-west but still less than 25km from the CBD.
As someone who had no farming or acreage experience, the first question on Lucee’s mind after purchasing the 7.5 acre property was how it could be used as a hobby farm.
“We weren’t going to pigeonhole one thing and we thought if we’re going in, let’s go all in,” she says.
“We’ve looked at animals. We’ve got some goats and we’re looking at cows.
“The property was originally a thousand acre dairy farm going back years ago, which has been split up, but we knew the land was good for cattle, which is why we originally looked at that.
“We were looking maybe at doing beef cattle and then came across Highland cows and thought ‘this is very cute’ and very much suited the house and lifestyle hobby farming.”
The next step was to find a tractor, something which was also a leap into the unknown.
The winner was Bobcat, specifically a CT4045 compact model sourced from Clark Equipment’s Brisbane branch.
An old tractor from another manufacturer which had served the previous owners for many years was inherited as part of the property purchase, but a desire to have a new model which could also handle the hilly and sloping surrounds of their acreage meant reaching out to nearby dealers – including Clark Equipment, where they dealt with territory manager Tim Hoffman.
“With us being new to hobby farming, we thought we just needed something a lot more reliable and that we felt comfortable on,” Lucee says.
“When we went through Clark Equipment, Tim actually came out to the property.
“He looked at the property, saw the areas and slopes that we were talking about, got an idea of the little projects we were wanting to do, and that’s how we ended up with Bobcat.
“When Tim came to see us and we had that service, we were definitely sold.
“To know we had that advice and support just gave us a lot of confidence in this particular machine.”
All the features
Bobcat’s CT4045 provides a 45hp (34kW) four-cylinder engine and is described by the manufacturer as offering “a lot of horsepower at an affordable price”.
Its turbo-charge allows for consistent high performance with impressive low-end torque even in high altitudes, Bobcat adds, while four-wheel drive as standard provides hard-working traction needed for tough jobs.
The tractor offers three-range hydrostatic transmission, while other features include a 1,232kg hydraulic lift capacity and adjustable hitch, travelling speeds up to 29.7km/h, steering brakes, tight turning radius and foldable ROPS.
The four-wheel drive was highlighted by Lucee as a standout feature which has given her extra confidence on the property’s slopes, particularly when contrasted to the old tractor they inherited that does not have this feature.
Perfect partner
The Bobcat CT4045 has been fitted with a Muratori mulcher, also sourced from Clark Equipment, and they have also added a bucket to the front to help with the most common jobs.
Having spent some time using the old tractor before investing in the Bobcat, Lucee has seen major efficiency gains on even the simplest tasks.
“One of the main purposes was having the mulcher on the back to use it for mowing, which we have done a lot of and that has definitely been a godsend,” she says.
“The previous owner gave us a rundown of the property and the tractor and he said it used to take him about eight hours in a day to do all the mowing and we just thought ‘we don’t have that kind of time’.
“He wasn’t wrong. It was very slow, but using the Bobcat has literally just halved the time and it’s also so much more comfortable to be on.”
Another job which Lucee recently completed was trimming the hedges on the property’s driveway, something which gave her an “oh my gosh” moment when compared to the initial experience of doing it without the Bobcat.
“In the first month or so that we moved into the house, we did this and we had nothing,” she says.
“We didn’t even have a wheelbarrow and we did it with all hand clippers and then we had all this mess to clean up – it was just such a mission.
“We did it again recently with the Bobcat and bucket and I thought ‘oh my gosh, how far we’ve come in a year’ by being able to use this Bobcat and take all the clippings down and dump them with the bucket. We’re definitely properly equipped now.”
Constant learning
Lucee’s journey into farming has been different to most – seeking a lifestyle change for her family rather than plans to grow produce and make money from it.
It is a story which has resonated with an online audience for its authenticity, with the Bobcat CT4045 appearing in her Instagram videos.
Freely admitting this unexpected lifestyle change has meant learning about life on the land and how to operate machinery, she has embraced the challenges – many of which have been made easier by the Bobcat’s simplicity.
“We don’t have a lot of hands-on experience, but that’s part of our journey which we’re absolutely loving – it’s just been so fun,” she says.
“There were things that we wanted to do and thought we’ll have to get someone in to do it, but having this tractor and the bucket means we’ve been able to do them ourselves.
“We had some vegetable gardens that we wanted to rip out and to clear the cattle holding yard out, and it was actually so fun.
“We got in there and I felt pretty good being able to use the bucket and rip out these veggie patches and just knowing we have the ability to do things as they come up.
“Having that confidence in the Bobcat has really been the biggest thing.
“Something that stands out for me, being a female and definitely not super hands-on either, is having the confidence to do it which definitely shows how easy it is and the options it’s opened up.”
Bobcat of Australia is a business unit of Clark Equipment and the full range can be viewed online at www.bobcatofaustralia.com
