Thought I would pitch in here as I have used Snapper RER's for 15 years. It all boils down to respect for the machine. If you fill your 5 bushel bagger with grass clippings and go up a hill without at least 50 lbs of ballast on the front end, you're going to raise the front end. During the fall I actually attach the snow blade to the front end. After I empty my clippings into my dump cart, I hook up, drive to my dump site and dump. When the pile gets too high I drop the blade a bit and push it back. RER's are incredibly versatile. But, if you don't respect the machine it will hurt you. This is no different than any other piece of machinery out there. Learn it and work within its boundaries and you will be rewarded. As to hooking up a Bag N Wagon...Johntommybob, that's just really bad advice. Hooking up a $900 30 bushel capacity trailer to your rear end is not the solution to stopping the front end from rearing up. That wagon should never be used on slopes, even gentle ones. RER's have limits. Once I learned them these things have been among the most enjoyable purchases I've made over the years. These are not dangerous on hills if you know how to use them and use proper ballast and common sense.

Thanks for that tip, David! I googled sod webworms, and found a site or two that explained/described them and had some suggestions for how to identify if you have them: http://www.uri.edu/ce/factsheets/sheets/sodwebworm.html. I first went around and looked closely at the grass/soil, but could not find the signs they said to look for. I then did the soapy water test, but didn't see any of the caterpillars (larvae) come to the surface. I did see one adult moth, but they say that doesn't necessarily mean you have the caterpillars as the moths will fly quite some distance. I then took my hand spade/fork and chopped into some various areas to look under the grass about an inch or so, to see if I saw any grubs, caterpillars, etc. that could be the cause. But only found some ants and earwigs. I don't think either of those could cause damage to the lawn. So I am still at a loss, but will continue to look for any signs of the webworms or grubs. Or I may try to find some of the biological bacteria the sites talk about for killing the larvae and treat it anyway. The sites also mention types of grasses that are more resistant to the webworms (types of ryegrass and fescue). So possibly overseeding this fall with these or other hardier grass(like the Reveille blend that Amester mentioned, or others in the thread you linked to David) may be an answer. I am interested in the EZ Wet and Field Magic that Bob_In_Colorado has posted about and may try some of that - for a smaller sized area, though, as this much lawn area has proven to me to be too expensive to maintain (both with $$ on water, and time!).

sorry, posted in wrong forum and don't know how to delete.reposted in step-family forum. Isabelle

I believe we always used a blanket when our DS was little. He was born in April and it got pretty warm but even then we used a light blanket. I've always been the type that needs a blanket to sleep. Even in the middle of the summer I will still have a sheet and the comforter on me to sleep. My Mom said I felt secure and that's why I slept better. So DS has always used blankets of some sort. Never anything huge. I can't rememeber when but at some point we started using this white blanket with the silky binding on it and that became his blankie and then he got a green one and he still carries them around and he's almost 3. ~Leslie~