My I think I need a tractor thread

[laz]

Basically our house burned down in a forest fire. We are getting quotes
of 8k to remove the foundation (4-6 foot no slab, 1200 square feet). I figured
at that price I can do it my self and buy tractor to help. I am looking
for used BUT not a project, while my garage did survive, it has no power.
the land is 40 acres of mountain property everything from flat, to
"i'm not going to the south east corner ever again because i know how
hard it is to hike back".

So my price range is up to ~18k. My immediate needs are:
Front end loader to remove the foundation (i plan on renting a concrete saw
and cutting it into smaller pieces). and move logs.
4 wheel drive.
Back/box blade to cut access into burned areas to remove trees.
Chipper. Prefer 8 inch, prefer rotating exhaust chute so i can spread the
chips without a rake, automatic feed is mandatory (no gravity) prefer
an adjustable speed on the feed. I could possibly go down to a 6 inch
but i have had issues with 6 inch being undersized (towable from a
local rental company).
I can see a backhoe being very useful. Just don't know if i can afford it.

My long term abuse of said tractor would be maintaining the driveway
(grading snow, removal), chipping, hauling logs, pulling people out of the
ditch, anything to help with re-building, digging holes just because, or just
sell it after i am done.

Oh and i drive a stick so the transmission type shouldn't matter.

So my question is within those parameters what size and tractor should
i get and what chipper (i haven't been able to find a local chipper used so i
am assuming that will be new). If it makes a difference location is the
mountains out side of boulder colorado.


thanks

laz
Ps whats a CUT? i figured out some of the other acronyms but i can't get
that one

 

[LD1]

For starters, welcome to TBN and I am sorry for your loss.

Now onto the tractor issues.

For starters, if the 18k budget is for everything, figure on about 5k of that being eaten up with the chipper and box blade.

And BTW (by the way) CUT stands for Compact Utility Tractor.

If I were you, I'd recomend going to a dealer and looking at some new tractors. Not so much to buy, but to get a general Idea of what size tractor you are looking for. Some things to keep in mind that might limit the size you want are any tight areas on your property that you may need to get through, garage door height and space, trailering ability(weight and length) if that is an issue, etc.

Once you have narrowed it down a bit, post back with some of the model #'s you think are the size you want and we should be able to give you a lot better feedback.

But basically, ANY tractor from the small SCUT's (Sub-compact utility tractor) and up will do what you want. But obviouslly the bigger you go, the faster it will do the work and the larger log it will pull.

If you dont have any limitations on size for reasons mentioned above, get the biggest you can afford. And used tractors vary alot in price based on age, hours, and condition. If you dont mind buying a 8-10 year old tractor with ~2000hrs on the clock, then you should be able to get a pretty good sized tractor for your budget. Like a full sized "utility" tractor in the 40-50HP range. But if you are only looking gently used, like 2-3 years old and only a few hundred hours, you are going to be limited to something in the ~30 HP CUT range.

Do your homework and narrow it down a bit. You dont want to buy something you are going to be dissapointed with.

 

[Baby Grand]

Good advice. I will only add 3 things:

When I started pricing tractors I was shocked to discover that they retain their value much better than most things. There is very little depreciation with age - it's more a matter of hours of use and condition.

Determine what size implements you will need to do all the jobs you want done and then buy a tractor that can handle those implements.

Have an eye toward stability. Wheel track width and center of gravity become very important issues the minute you start working in the woods or on a slope of any magnitude.

 

[MarkV]

Wow, that has to be terrible to lose your house. I kind of question the need for a big self feeding chipper. They are very expensive. With 40 acres can't you push into piles and wait for burn season? I've gotten where I don't even bother to burn anymore. Just push into pile in the wood line for wildlife habitat and the piles go away naturally in 3 or 4 years.

Good luck,
MarkV

 

[TripleR]

Can't really improve on the advice. You might want to add a little more to your profile for members to understand your situation.

Like MarkV, I don't chip anything, too much work. I pile it up and burn it or use it for wildlife cover.

I personally would like about a 50 HP of which there are a bunch out there. If you are completely new to tractors, rent one a couple of times to get a little seat time and yardstick to measure needs and performance parameters.

Good luck.

 

[bigbull338]

your going tobe doing alot of loader work.so that tells me you need atlest a 40hp 4x4 tractor.you should be able to get that for $18,000 or less depending on what you get with it.

 

[laz]

For starters, if the 18k budget is for everything, figure on about 5k of that being eaten up with the chipper and box blade.

And BTW (by the way) CUT stands for Compact Utility Tractor.

If I were you, I'd recomend going to a dealer and looking at some new tractors. Not so much to buy, but to get a general Idea of what size tractor you are looking for. Some things to keep in mind that might limit the size you want are any tight areas on your property that you may need to get through, garage door height and space, trailering ability(weight and length) if that is an issue, etc.

Once you have narrowed it down a bit, post back with some of the model #'s you think are the size you want and we should be able to give you a lot better feedback.

But basically, ANY tractor from the small SCUT's (Sub-compact utility tractor) and up will do what you want. But obviouslly the bigger you go, the faster it will do the work and the larger log it will pull.

If you dont have any limitations on size for reasons mentioned above, get the biggest you can afford. And used tractors vary alot in price based on age, hours, and condition. If you dont mind buying a 8-10 year old tractor with ~2000hrs on the clock, then you should be able to get a pretty good sized tractor for your budget. Like a full sized "utility" tractor in the 40-50HP range. But if you are only looking gently used, like 2-3 years old and only a few hundred hours, you are going to be limited to something in the ~30 HP CUT range.

Do your homework and narrow it down a bit. You dont want to buy something you are going to be dissapointed with.

My original question is open-ended because i didn't want to limit any
answers to mistaken research on my part. So within my assumptions
and available locally i have narrowed my search to a kubota L3400 and
L2800 both with loader and backblade both about 14k and under 150 hours,
the 2800 has HST, the 3400 has gears. i figured at least 25 horse power
at the pto should be enough to run a chipper

As for the chipper i have ruled out liberty altho the girl is very nice. I am
looking at the http://www.Woodmaxx.com/ possibly the jinma but i don't
like the fixed chute and 6 inch size.


laz

 

[laz]

Wow, that has to be terrible to lose your house. I kind of question the need for a big self feeding chipper. They are very expensive. With 40 acres can't you push into piles and wait for burn season? I've gotten where I don't even bother to burn anymore. Just push into pile in the wood line for wildlife habitat and the piles go away naturally in 3 or 4 years.

Good luck,
MarkV

Reasons for a chipper:
the original fire was started by a slash burn.
the chips hold the hill together from water erosion.
slash doesn't go away in colorado it just grows bigger.
i am going to be using whole trees to make wildlife habitats


laz

 

[laz]

Can't really improve on the advice. You might want to add a little more to your profile for members to understand your situation.

Here is my situation it has been cleaned up since then and either i am used
to it is starting to recover (less then a year). The first 3 pictures are of our
friends houses. Turn down the volume if you don't want music in the slide
show.
http://www.cybox.com/~laz/fire/fireslideshow.mp4
The first slide show is from when we sneaked in.
the second one we where legal and had more time so the more photos.
it has some better pictures of the slope that i WILL not go on with a tractor.
Yes the garage survived no the tractor doesn't get the garage, the motorcycles
get the garage and the garage has no real power (4000 watt generator can't
run the compressor i tried) so no real repairs. hand tool repairs are possible.
http://www.cybox.com/~laz/fire/firstview.mp4


laz

 

[RoyJackson]

i figured at least 25 horse power
at the pto should be enough to run a chipper

...possibly the jinma but i don't
like the fixed chute and 6 inch size.


laz

I clicked on that Woodmaxx link. They don't list (or I missed it) PTO HP requirements.
Undoubtedly chinese due to the price.
As far as PTO requirements, 25 PTO HP runs a Woods 5000 with a 5" capacity. I think you'd want 35-40 PTO HP to chip 8" material.

 

[TripleR]

Here is my situation it has been cleaned up since then and either i am used
to it is starting to recover (less then a year). The first 3 pictures are of our
friends houses. Turn down the volume if you don't want music in the slide
show.
http://www.cybox.com/~laz/fire/fireslideshow.mp4
The first slide show is from when we sneaked in.
the second one we where legal and had more time so the more photos.
it has some better pictures of the slope that i WILL not go on with a tractor.
Yes the garage survived no the tractor doesn't get the garage, the motorcycles
get the garage and the garage has no real power (4000 watt generator can't
run the compressor i tried) so no real repairs. hand tool repairs are possible.


laz

Thanks, my computer wouldn't open it, I will try one of my others.

 

[graculus]

I wonder if it might be better to rent something bigger for a couple of days the foundation removal job (and forget the concrete sawing) and then buy something smaller for the ongoing requirement.

How much of that $8K was dump fees?

 

[grsthegreat]

i have used a 28 HP john deere tractor on 30 acres of trees for 14 years...and it has worked great. i have a Jimna pto powered wood chipper, and i can easily chip up to 6" limbs, but i am usually chopping 6" and bigger for firewood, so i wouldn't chip them anyways. the Jimna cost me about $1400 a few years back. My tractor is for sale right now at 11,000, and Ive had lost of interest in it.

I'm sure you could find a similar sized unit out your way. oh, by the way. skip the concrete saw and rent a jackhammer and air compressor....way more efficient in breaking up old concrete.

 

[flusher]

It looks to me like you have a conflicting requirement--working in the woods generally directs you toward tractors with high clearance while uneven, steep terrain heads you toward tractors with low clearance (for safety reasons). Of course, you can stabilize a high clearance tractor by moving the rear wheels out to their extreme limit to widen the track width. And you can set up for dual rear wheels to increase stability even further and lower the rollover hazard. t

The last thing you want is to spend money on a used tractor that turns out to be too tippy for use on your property. So keep this in mind when you're out tractor shopping.

Otherwise, pay close attention to the pto horsepower requirements for your implements and size your tractor accordingly. My advice is to zero in on tractors that have at least 20% more pto hp than you think you'll need for your implement that takes the most pto hp.

Good luck and sorry for your loss.

 

[laz]

I wonder if it might be better to rent something bigger for a couple of days the foundation removal job (and forget the concrete sawing) and then buy something smaller for the ongoing requirement.

How much of that $8K was dump fees?

3-4k was dump fees. if i do it myself i have no dump fees (just takes longer).
the cement of the foundation is shot. the house was a cedar cabin that
fell in on itself and burned hot and long with no attempt to put it out. the
foundation already has 1/2 inch cracks in it and has moved 3 inches in one
area. as for renting something bigger i can but that is 1.5k and that
money would come out of the money to buy a tractor (altho i would
get the backhoe with the rental).


laz

 

[laz]

It looks to me like you have a conflicting requirement--working in the woods generally directs you toward tractors with high clearance while uneven, steep terrain heads you toward tractors with low clearance (for safety reasons). Of course, you can stabilize a high clearance tractor by moving the rear wheels out to their extreme limit to widen the track width. And you can set up for dual rear wheels to increase stability even further and lower the rollover hazard.

I have been thinking about that an unfortunately the L series kubota's
are higher then the B series......the L series seem like the tougher heavy
tractor.....is it possible to get smaller rims/tires and lower a tractor of
any make? and keep the ratio between front and back wheels correct
for the 4 wheel drive? the ground clearence i need is not that much
most of the time because i have a chainsaw and know how to abuse it....
the only time a really need ground clearence is for the once a year
spring snow storms, otherwise i would just use the FEL to remove any
obstical.


laz

 

[beeforty]

3-4k was dump fees. if i do it myself i have no dump fees (just takes longer).
the cement of the foundation is shot. the house was a cedar cabin that
fell in on itself and burned hot and long with no attempt to put it out. the
foundation already has 1/2 inch cracks in it and has moved 3 inches in one
area. as for renting something bigger i can but that is 1.5k and that
money would come out of the money to buy a tractor (altho i would
get the backhoe with the rental).


laz

If your foundation is that bad, by time you remove it, how deep will you be with disturbed ground? I might be tempted to relocate my house to undistrubed ground if it is not a big issue getting permits to rebuild unless you want to put in a basement. You don't want to save money demoing and then have to spend more on foundation cost. I know what you're going thru, I came home once from work and found the fire department at my place for the 2nd time, it had rekindled, and this was in the city!!

 

[laz]

I clicked on that Woodmaxx link. They don't list (or I missed it) PTO HP requirements.
Undoubtedly chinese due to the price.
As far as PTO requirements, 25 PTO HP runs a Woods 5000 with a 5" capacity. I think you'd want 35-40 PTO HP to chip 8" material.

yes the woodmaxx is chinese. even says so on the web page.

i called and they say nothing under 25 PTO HP. The woods 5000 is
gravity feed and that just won't work. Now the woods 8100 looks doable
but i can't find a price on it.

To better explain my chipping requirements (this area i actually KNOW unlike
a tractor):
while i want 8 inches (doesn't every man) i don't plan on chipping 8 inches.
think a BIG xmass tree about 4-6 inches. Without trimming the xmass tree
at all i want to feed that into the chipper feed and have it pull the whole
tree in and spit it out the other end. We have alot of mistletoe on our
pine that causes the branches to grow wierd/curved so being able to take
a 2-3 inch branch shaped like a 'S' and have it pulled in is key. the amount
of time to get those branches into a small enough peice for a 6 inch chipper
is to much.
an adjustable feed system so that the feed rate can be slowed down on
bigger stuff would be nice, just in case i feed it an 8 inch log.
it needs to have easy access to the blades as something happened to
the trees when they burned and they are a real ***** to cut/work. i had
a 4 inch tree bind up my brand new replacement stihl.
easy jam clearing/reversable feed.
Oh and before people chime in with the 'rent'. i have a continuing need,
and if i own it i won't overwork myself trying to get the job done before
the time is up......the overworking always leads to stupid mistakes.

one of the things i have noticed is that the chinese equipment has a price
tag available on the web, while the american/big name stuff doesn't. for
me i prefer to shop online figure out what i want/can afford, then go view
it. without a price tag ahead of time i have no desire to call 20 different
dealers and try to make a matix of prices/features over the phone.....And
frankly i'm not planing on running a business so local dealer support on
a chipper isn't needed, i can afford the down time and my back and arms
will thank me. If any big name dealers want to email me a price on a
chipper that meets my requirements i would love it, and add it to my
price/feature/HP matrix.



laz

 

[TripleR]

I have been thinking about that an unfortunately the L series kubota's
are higher then the B series......the L series seem like the tougher heavy
tractor.....is it possible to get smaller rims/tires and lower a tractor of
any make? and keep the ratio between front and back wheels correct
for the 4 wheel drive? the ground clearance i need is not that much
most of the time because i have a chainsaw and know how to abuse it....
the only time a really need ground clearance is for the once a year
spring snow storms, otherwise i would just use the FEL to remove any
obstacle.


laz

They do make low profile tractors often for orchards. Yes, you can get different wheels and tires, but that will be harder on some than others.

The most stable tractor we own is this Massey Ferguson 375 set up as an orchard tractor. We have never had problems with ground clearance and it sticks like glue. It is bigger than your needs at 72 HP, but different sizes have been made by different companies.

There are a couple of guys on here who use the Kubota Lxx00 in the hills and they really like them. I think dex336 has an L4400 and uses his in WV; can't remember who else has one, but I know there are others.

 

[laz]

If your foundation is that bad, by time you remove it, how deep will you be with disturbed ground? I might be tempted to relocate my house to undistrubed ground if it is not a big issue getting permits to rebuild unless you want to put in a basement. You don't want to save money demoing and then have to spend more on foundation cost. I know what you're going thru, I came home once from work and found the fire department at my place for the 2nd time, it had rekindled, and this was in the city!!

we are planing on a crawlspace that is 6'6" or just under the defenition of
a basement ;-). i hated crawling under the house in -10 degree weather,
through the critter poop, to fix pipes.......we are also looking at moving
to unburned parts of the property BUT the HOA (ie boulder county) requires
that you have a certain amount of clear space around the structure....which
means we would have to cut down living trees.....still don't know where
we are going to rebuild. we just know we are going to.


laz