Sometimes I wonder.......

[foggy1111]

Why don't one of the tractor companies offer a good 30 PTO HP tractor that is WELL equipped to work in timber?? Add some armor to protect stuff. They could offer some super grill guard, make certain their are no vulnerable hoses, or hydraulic lines that are unprotected from the timber.....and make certain no wires or lights are unprotected from brush or stray limbs. Puncuture resistant radiator, hydraulic lines,....etc. It would not really cost that much to prepare a tractor like this......but alas....every tractor I look at is ill-equpped for use in food plots or timber. They don't seem to know the market they sell to?.....or simply get by with limited offerings. And nobody really offers a good solution?? Like Kubota does not have a decent grill guard??? Green aint much better....IMO. Baffles me.

 

[searcyfarms]

they do it so they can sell you their skid steers...........clear out the path, clear off the food plot, THEN drive the tractor in there !!! been doing it that way for 20 yrs got my first SS in 1998

we tried for years with tractors and to be honest it just too hard on them for the size and what you need to do unless you have a backhoe to rip n tear things up with since they are so heavy duty. The SS is built to be a beast and i have never torn a hose off, never punctured a radiator, never flattened a tire other than tore off a couple valve stems before i got the guards on my rims - then went to solid tires for working in locust and hedge - a SS is so much more versatile in that environment and u don't tear off the lights and damage the cosmetics of a tractor, SS were made for it, tractors are just not, if you are careful and meticulous and take your time then yes you can clear a manicured path and make things pristine but that takes way too much time for me and weekend hunters/landowners with hunting spots so far away - i see tons of small deeres n kubotas on trailers on the interstate headed to hunting lands in the fall - I love using my SS for that stuff and so much more and not tearing up my tractors. that would be my guess not sure if its right but it sure has worked well for me

 

[MossRoad]

Why don't one of the tractor companies offer a good 30 PTO HP tractor that is WELL equipped to work in timber?? Add some armor to protect stuff. They could offer some super grill guard, make certain their are no vulnerable hoses, or hydraulic lines that are unprotected from the timber.....and make certain no wires or lights are unprotected from brush or stray limbs. Puncuture resistant radiator, hydraulic lines,....etc. It would not really cost that much to prepare a tractor like this......but alas....every tractor I look at is ill-equpped for use in food plots or timber. They don't seem to know the market they sell to?.....or simply get by with limited offerings. And nobody really offers a good solution?? Like Kubota does not have a decent grill guard??? Green aint much better....IMO. Baffles me.

That's one of the reasons I like my little Power Trac.... it's articulated, and is two tubs of plate steel. Completely armored. It's like a little skidder. I have a smaller model. It's only 1500 pounds. I drop the bucket with the quick attach, and pick up a plate with a 2" receiver on the FEL arms that has a ring hitch, hang a chain from that and some $29.00 tongs. Then I can run in and out of the woods all day long pulling firewood without getting off the machine. I harvest telephone-pole sized locust and sassafras. Large diameter logs I cut into shorter sections, drop the receiver hitch and pick up my forks and bring them out that way.

Anywho, they make larger models that would make excellent general use woods machines. They are all hydraulic, no PTO shafts. All attachments out front where you can see them. There's about 40 different attachments. They make a winch, but I think it's lacking free-wheel. It would be easy to make my own winch with a pin for free wheeling. I just don't need a winch. The machine can go anywhere I can walk, so I drive up and pull it out.

Here's a video I did a couple years ago, after I realized how much easier the tongs made my life. Pardon the shaky operation, as I'm recording with my left hand while steering and operating the FEL with my right hand only.

This is about a 12-14" locust tree, about 30' long, covered in some very healthy poison ivy.

 

[MossRoad]

 

[MossRoad]

Not too bad for a lawnmower....

Sassafras and cherry in the front, locust in the back.

 

[foggy1111]

^ That "tractor" would not pull a decent disk.....nor plow.....nor pull a planter or do the loader work I need done....or so many other things a real tractor performs. Nope.

 

[MossRoad]

^ That "tractor" would not pull a decent disk.....nor plow.....nor pull a planter or do the loader work I need done....or so many other things a real tractor performs. Nope.

You are correct, they don't do ground engaging things like plowing dirt. They do run a good tiller, and no reason they can't pull a planter.

But you are incorrect about the loader. It is a loader. It's an excellent loader. It'll run circles around a conventional tractor in loader tasks. Pretty much everyone that has had a conventional tractor with a loader that then purchases one of these will tell you they prefer the PT over the conventional machine for loader work.

My last machine was a late 70's IH2500b tractor loader. I prefer this style of machine over that for loader work.

 

[MossRoad]

^ That "tractor" would not pull a decent disk.....nor plow.....nor pull a planter or do the loader work I need done....or so many other things a real tractor performs. Nope.

Also, mine is the smallest frame size. They make several sizes larger, as well as some specialized slope machines.

To each his own. Just throwing out some options.

 

[4570Man]

You can’t run circles around around a decent sized tractor because it’s too small. Now show up with a big skid steer and the tractors go home crying. My buddy has an articulated loader that’s about the same strength as my CTL. I like the fact that the wheels don’t wreak everything, but the visibility off the front of mine is better. The loader is made to be a loader of course it’s better than a tractor at being a loader. But a 1500 pound power trac just isn’t going to beat very many tractors.

 

[AVIVIII]

^ That "tractor" would not pull a decent disk.....nor plow.....nor pull a planter or do the loader work I need done....or so many other things a real tractor performs. Nope.

The little 425 might not, but its big brother the PT-1460 will work and pull circles around that Deere. It weighs ~5000lbs.


T24 Class

My father has a 3520 eHydro and I'll tell you it isn't about to lift 2400lbs 8' in the air, and the sorry excuse for 4x4 on the deere is only good for dragging the front end up over things to get stuck on. Its a great machine, I have hundreds of hours on it, but, like you said, it sucks in the woods. The front end swing is so long, I've had to take the bucket off and drop the weight box to get out of some places.

On an articulated tractor, the bucket/implement, front wheels, and back wheels all follow the same path. Sure, you can get them in bad spots too (like a tree between the wheels), but they are much more maneuverable. The Power-Trac specifically is built like a tank. Its built out of 1" steel plate! It also has a 60hp air-cooled deutz engine so no more punching out radiators. Theres a couple sizes in between too, if that one is too big.

 

[MossRoad]

You can稚 run circles around around a decent sized tractor because it痴 too small. Now show up with a big skid steer and the tractors go home crying. My buddy has an articulated loader that痴 about the same strength as my CTL. I like the fact that the wheels don稚 wreak everything, but the visibility off the front of mine is better. The loader is made to be a loader of course it痴 better than a tractor at being a loader. But a 1500 pound power trac just isn稚 going to beat very many tractors.

Of the same weight and size. Sheesh. I would expect you to understand that I'm not comparing a 1500# machine to a 5000# machine.

 

[4570Man]

My buddy’s loader is twice as big as my skid steer to obtain similar loader specs. His loader is worse equipped to go in the woods than my skid steer is.

 

[MossRoad]

Why don't one of the tractor companies offer a good 30 PTO HP tractor that is WELL equipped to work in timber?? Add some armor to protect stuff. They could offer some super grill guard, make certain their are no vulnerable hoses, or hydraulic lines that are unprotected from the timber.....and make certain no wires or lights are unprotected from brush or stray limbs. Puncuture resistant radiator, hydraulic lines,....etc. It would not really cost that much to prepare a tractor like this......but alas....every tractor I look at is ill-equpped for use in food plots or timber. They don't seem to know the market they sell to?.....or simply get by with limited offerings. And nobody really offers a good solution?? Like Kubota does not have a decent grill guard??? Green aint much better....IMO. Baffles me.

To answer your question as to why? Well, we all know why... not enough profit in it for a limited, small market. That's where aftermarket companies can step in and fill a niche. And it's why so many people/commercial operators modify their own equipment.

 

[4570Man]

The power company has some approximate 60hp tractors with a significant amount of armor, foam filled tires, and a bad to the bone bushhog. They’ve also got skid steers with munchers but I’m betting the modified tractors are cheaper to operate.

 

[Industrial Toys]

They just don't give a crap. I could not believe when I was looking to buy a JD 110 years ago. It was (IMO) falsely marketed as some kind of Construction Grade machine. I was horrified to look underneith to see a maze of the most delicate stuff waiting to get hung up on a stump or something. Yes, they offered an optional belly pan, but that's besides the point. Disgusting!

 

[MossRoad]

They just don't give a crap. I could not believe when I was looking to buy a JD 110 years ago. It was (IMO) falsely marketed as some kind of Construction Grade machine. I was horrified to look underneith to see a maze of the most delicate stuff waiting to get hung up on a stump or something. Yes, they offered an optional belly pan, but that's besides the point. Disgusting!

That's a long time ago....

 

[MossRoad]

Sorry, couldn't resist.

 

[foggy1111]

I just traded my JD 3320 for a Kubota L 3560 HSTC (cab). I have no quarrel with the JD or the Kubota loaders that can lift any trees and dirt that need lifting to heights I need. The loaders and grapples are strong.....the three points are adequate and the power of the tractors is great for properly sized implements. As said.....no quarrel with the performance of the machines......they simply are ill-equipped for working in the timber.......and it would not require much foresight for these manufactures to add a little more protection to hoses, lights, radiators and such to make them more bullet proof. I can do this stuff.....but it would be nice to buy one that way.

 

[Jchonline]

Perhaps a welder and a bit of training would lead to something fun? You can start making and selling aftermarket skid plates!

 

[oosik]

MOSS - don't intend to change the subject but......... the picture in your post #4. Is that the "typical" undergrowth you have on your property - in your area?? I don't have 1/3 of what you can see in that picture - if you scraped everything on my 80 acres into one spot. My property would appear to be bush hogged to you, because there is little to nothing between my big 'ol Ponderosa pines. I continue to be amazed at the heavy undergrowth on a lot of pictures posted here on TBN.

Right now - if I were to post a picture of my tallest and heaviest "undergrowth" - it would be two patches of wild mustard growing out in the middle of one of my open areas. Each is about 15 to 20 feet in diameter and about 4 to 5 feet tall.