handcuff
Member
Hey guys,
I'm trading up to a new cabbed Kioti DK4210SE and take delivery in a couple of weeks. While waiting to take delivery, I am trying to decide on a root rake for my tractor and figured I'd ask for help. I've read all sorts of threads on the subject, but the more I read, the more questions I have (isn't that how it is *supposed* to work?) =)
So I came on to ask a few questions to help get some clarity:
First, let me give you my situation - I live in Kentucky, on a hobby-farm of 7.5 acres. I mow/tend ~5 acres of that and try to keep the remaining portion 'clean' - it is a wooded area. but I want it clear enough that I can walk through the woods without much obstruction. I use a lot of firewood over the winters, and often go cut the firewood from homes wherein trees have fallen. When I do this, i often take my tractor to load the firewood on my trailer before bringing it home. I also use the bucket and chains to 'grab' a bunch of thorn bushes that overgrow the fence line/edges of my property and try to rip them up (usually somewhat unsuccessfully).
My current tractor is a B2400 with an LA351 loader, so my new tractor will be a huge step up. I tell you this so you know what I've been working with for the last 4-5 years. That tractor is being sold as of tomorrow.
I am trying to decide on a few different things:
First - solid bottom or tines? - my dealer suggests going with a 'bucket' style bottom on it (not tines) so I could use the bucket also - this one. he says that this is what he has on his loader (for a skidsteer), and they work very well. I see most of the guys on here with tines, not buckets.
Second - short or long bottom? I see some guys that have the 'long' tines on the bottom, making a long "L" that functions a lot like a scoop with a lid. Then I see other guys that have very 'short' tines on the bottom, making it more like a clamshell.
Third - how wide? I was planning on going with a 48-60 inch, but my dealer suggested the 'same size as my normal daily bucket' (i.e. 72 inch) so i would be used to the footprint size of it. I think they 72 inch may be overkill, but figured I'd ask.
Finally - how 'hefty'? I believe I don't need a super heavy grapple for my size tractor and my needs. I don't want something wherein the tines will fold/bend, but I also don't need something over-engineered for a 75-150HP tractor that will weigh my tractor down without providing additional benefit. Lighter is always better, if everything else were equal...but everything else ISN'T equal, so often we trade weight for strength. How should I be thinking about this?
Then as an add-on question - DIY?: I was planning on having the dealer add the front remote and the trigger, but I hear guys on here doing it themselves. I am relatively non-mechanical - I CAN do mechanics, but I absolutely HATE it...like as in my-tractor-sat-for-six-months-because-I-didn't-want-to-change-the-alternator-and-alternators-are-easy level Hate. He is charging $800 to get the front remote installed and a trigger set up for my FEL stick/handle (I am fairly certain I want the trigger on the stick, but don't now how I'd add it there myself). It's a cabbed tractor, so I don't know if that adds to the complexity or not, but figured I'd toss it out there to get feedback...is this something that I do myself (and make my older teenage sons help with, so I have to not swear QUITE so much), or do I leave it to them? $800 seems in line with other dealer-installs, so I don't know how that compares to DIY.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions/advice.
-Scott
I'm trading up to a new cabbed Kioti DK4210SE and take delivery in a couple of weeks. While waiting to take delivery, I am trying to decide on a root rake for my tractor and figured I'd ask for help. I've read all sorts of threads on the subject, but the more I read, the more questions I have (isn't that how it is *supposed* to work?) =)
So I came on to ask a few questions to help get some clarity:
First, let me give you my situation - I live in Kentucky, on a hobby-farm of 7.5 acres. I mow/tend ~5 acres of that and try to keep the remaining portion 'clean' - it is a wooded area. but I want it clear enough that I can walk through the woods without much obstruction. I use a lot of firewood over the winters, and often go cut the firewood from homes wherein trees have fallen. When I do this, i often take my tractor to load the firewood on my trailer before bringing it home. I also use the bucket and chains to 'grab' a bunch of thorn bushes that overgrow the fence line/edges of my property and try to rip them up (usually somewhat unsuccessfully).
My current tractor is a B2400 with an LA351 loader, so my new tractor will be a huge step up. I tell you this so you know what I've been working with for the last 4-5 years. That tractor is being sold as of tomorrow.
I am trying to decide on a few different things:
First - solid bottom or tines? - my dealer suggests going with a 'bucket' style bottom on it (not tines) so I could use the bucket also - this one. he says that this is what he has on his loader (for a skidsteer), and they work very well. I see most of the guys on here with tines, not buckets.
Second - short or long bottom? I see some guys that have the 'long' tines on the bottom, making a long "L" that functions a lot like a scoop with a lid. Then I see other guys that have very 'short' tines on the bottom, making it more like a clamshell.
Third - how wide? I was planning on going with a 48-60 inch, but my dealer suggested the 'same size as my normal daily bucket' (i.e. 72 inch) so i would be used to the footprint size of it. I think they 72 inch may be overkill, but figured I'd ask.
Finally - how 'hefty'? I believe I don't need a super heavy grapple for my size tractor and my needs. I don't want something wherein the tines will fold/bend, but I also don't need something over-engineered for a 75-150HP tractor that will weigh my tractor down without providing additional benefit. Lighter is always better, if everything else were equal...but everything else ISN'T equal, so often we trade weight for strength. How should I be thinking about this?
Then as an add-on question - DIY?: I was planning on having the dealer add the front remote and the trigger, but I hear guys on here doing it themselves. I am relatively non-mechanical - I CAN do mechanics, but I absolutely HATE it...like as in my-tractor-sat-for-six-months-because-I-didn't-want-to-change-the-alternator-and-alternators-are-easy level Hate. He is charging $800 to get the front remote installed and a trigger set up for my FEL stick/handle (I am fairly certain I want the trigger on the stick, but don't now how I'd add it there myself). It's a cabbed tractor, so I don't know if that adds to the complexity or not, but figured I'd toss it out there to get feedback...is this something that I do myself (and make my older teenage sons help with, so I have to not swear QUITE so much), or do I leave it to them? $800 seems in line with other dealer-installs, so I don't know how that compares to DIY.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions/advice.
-Scott
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