Tractor Sizing Which Tractor to buy?

[rlyddane]

Hello there,
I really need your help with these questions, so bear with my ignorance.
Now, first and foremost, is there anyone who would like to lend me $15k to buy what I want? Oh well, it was worth a try. OK, here we go.

1. I live in the woods in Mead, OK on Lake Texoma. I have 1 acre of treed (Maple) land. Fairly hilly. High to low point is about a 15' differential. High point is where the house is. Low in front yard by road, about 10' drop, lower point in back yard, about a 15' drop. Property is rectangular 175' wide by about 255' deep. Gravel/cement circular driveway in front. Driveway is in a total state of dis-repair.
2. My plans are the following over a 2-3 year timeframe:
A. Cut all interior trees in entire yard, and keep perimeter trees. Trees average about 15" diameter and I have about 40 to cut.
B. Fell, trim, buck, split and carry all wood to my wood area for winter burning in my wood burning stove. Will probably need a heavy duty utility trailer or loader for some of this hauling.
C. Pull, burn, bury all remaining stumps. How would you cut trees in order to simplify this project? (For BH, loader, scrapper?)
D. Once all stumps are removed, I need to rough grade property for landscaping and final smoothing for lawn. I may need to have fill/top soil trucked in for proper smoothing. I am NOT planning on bringing yard to level, just gentle drops and rises. I figure I need a tiller for this, plus maybe a loader or box scrapper? I need your ideas on this.
E. Mow lawn (MMM) Fix driveway(box scrapper)
ANY and ALL advise is WECOME. Thanks.............Rich

 

[dodge man]

A BX or a smaller B series would be good for the long term. The main problem with your plan is the stumps. It takes a large machine to remove a lot of stumps. Think large construction grade backhoe to remove a lot of stumps.

 

[art]

I'd consider renting a excavator for a weekend to remove the stumps from the ground after you have removed the wood you want to burn.

Other wise a BX with loader could handle the rest of the chores.

 

[rlyddane]

Thanks, Do you think sub contract to someone for the stump job? Also, should I get a finish MMM? I am looking used on all the equipment. (Can't afford new)

 

[rlyddane]

Thanks, What are some of the smaller B models you would recommend? Should I try to find a package deal with most/all of the attachments? Or get basic tractor and purchase attachments in piece meal?

 

[DAY]

Others here say pushing them over with a big piece of equipment is better than cutting down, then digging out the stump.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

rlyddane,

Not exactly the same, but TBN REALLY helped me decide what to buy.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/buying-pricing-comparisons/216841-what-should-i-buy-many.html

Best of luck and Happy Tractoring!
David

 

[rlyddane]

Yes, I've heard that too, only a little different version. Cut trees and leave about 4' high stump for bull dozer to easily push over. That way, you can start work on cut trees right away, and deal with 4' stumps when all trees are cut and trimmed and bucked and hauled off, leaving ONLY stumps to deal with.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

rlyddane

Here is another where I asked many similar questions...
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/216379-what-best-way-clear-5-a.html

I decided on having a contractor come out and mulch all the stumps and slash. I had loggers harvest back in Nov 2010. The contractor is due here at my place any minute, so... Maybe I'll have updates to it also.

Be well,
David

 

[rlyddane]

Thanks David,
I'll look forward to what happened ................Rich

 

[TripleR]

For hilly property, it is really hard to beat a BX, we have been very happy with both of ours. In spite of their low ground clearance, about 8", you can use them for the tasks mentioned if you hire someone to take care of the stumps which is what we did.

If we need a back hoe/mini excavator/skid loader, we rent them.

A B can also fill your needs as well as other makes/models from different manufacturers. When shopping new or use, but especially used, you need to remain open to all makes.

I would definitely get a loader and 4WD though.

 

[rlyddane]

Thanks TripleR,
I am definitely going with a Loader, MMM, and 4WD. If a BH, or Tiller, or Box scrapper is available cheap individually, I will deal with that, then. I really like the BX series, but cost may force me to go with an older B7100 series. Still a good tractor. I also definitely want Power steering. I read from other advisors, that if you are getting a loader, you must have power steering, so you don't strain yourself trying to handle the loader with manual steering. Any thoughts on that?

 

[TripleR]

Thanks TripleR,
I am definitely going with a Loader, MMM, and 4WD. If a BH, or Tiller, or Box scrapper is available cheap individually, I will deal with that, then. I really like the BX series, but cost may force me to go with an older B7100 series. Still a good tractor. I also definitely want Power steering. I read from other advisers, that if you are getting a loader, you must have power steering, so you don't strain yourself trying to handle the loader with manual steering. Any thoughts on that?

Having grown up driving tractors without power steering, I will never get another tractor without it. I learned to drive with my thumbs outside the steering wheel, but still managed to jam a thumb, ginger or wrist from time to time. The last time, the tip of the hub caught a tree and dislocated my thumb so bad I couldn't get my glove off. I finally managed to pull it back in place, but it was not something I want to repeat.

I agree, operating a loader without ps, is a real bear.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

Thanks David,
I'll look forward to what happened ................Rich

Rich,

Me too! 10/25 is the first day they are coming out.

I have a bunch of prep work I can to to make their day more efficient by removing the stumps the loggers popped, breaking downthe few large piles of debris, and moving the falen trees and decent logs out of their way.

I've got a good excuse to get me some hours of seat time!

Best of luck with your project as well sir.
David

 

[dodge man]

I've seen used BX's for the $7000 range with a loader and MMM. They usually have quite a few hours though. Used B's are also pretty common. I would say power steering is a must.

As far as a mower goes, a rear finish mower is usually cheaper, and easier to hook up. A MMM is a easier for most people to use if you are mowing near stuff or have a lot of things to mow around.

I'm not sure what your budget is, but knowing what I know since buying a tracator, I would want to budget at least $10,000 for used and all the atachements you would need. It would be easy to spend more, and you can spend less, but the less you spend, the older it will be and the more hours it will have.

 

[caloway]

It takes bigger equipment to push over a tree than it does to dig up a stump.

 

[rlyddane]

Thanks, but are you referring to a tree thats been cut down with only 4 feet high left? Or the entire tree? All of these trees are about 12-24 inches in diameter. Many years ago (1974), I had a yard wooded with at least 20 pine trees at least 50-75 ft tall. In a few months, I had cut them all down to as close to ground as I could, maybe 1 foot off ground. I had a friend, who had a full size bulldozer, if he could bulldoze the stumps. He said, "I wish you had left them all cut about 4 feet high" , "then I could just push them over and clear them".

I'm not contradicting you, just curious about the different schools of thought. Thanks for your reply.............Rich

 

[crazyal]

I would look into either renting a stump grinder or finding someone who will grind them for you. Stumps suck. I cleared close to an acre for my homestead and had another 40 to put the stumps on. But I had a full size backhoe and a 2 1/2 ton dump truck to move them. Unless you're talking 5 or so trees then grind them and get it done with. The plus is you're not going to need as much tractor if you are not trying to remove or move stumps around.

 

[rlyddane]

Your stump grinding idea sounds like the most practical for my situation. I never gave it a thought about where to put the stumps, once I had them out. I only have 1 acre, so I probably would not have room to bury them. I live on VERY rocky terrain, so trying to dig holes to bury them would be a disaster.

Thanks for the suggestion..................Rich