3520 arrived...first impressions.

tuolumne · May 29, 2007

Saturday and Monday were spent felling trees, bucking to 12' lengths and chipping. Once I found the adjustment on the chipper to open it up to 1/4" things went much better. It was a lot less work to feed, and a 6" log will disappear pretty quick. Mostly I was chipping the toppings that were less than 4".

This grapple is great. Grabbing one log or a bunch was quick and easy.

I couldn't budge any of the logs in this bunch by hand.

Again, I am very glad I did not get a bigger machine. The 3520 has plenty of lifting power and is very maneuverable in the woods. Most of the property has mild slopes, but a 12 degree slope can quickly put the tractor to 35 degrees when a tire goes over a stump. Once I got used to what was an unstable situation (quickly drop bucket) and what was manageable things went really well. I am very thankful for loaded tires. That chipper is fairly heavy, but a load of logs would still make the back end light. My pucker factor has certainly decreased...the seatbelt helps. I found that running at about 1500 rpms provided good steering speed and power for grapple work, and supplemented with the foot throttle as needed. I found myself constantly using the brakes to steer, especially to bring the front end uphill in a hurry. Am I going to wear anything out? I did get the rear end hung up on a stump near the drawbar support. I quit spinning before it got to bad. I had a grapple full of logs, and by dropping it quick and stopping the back end would lift up. It was hairy but got me out. I'll probably post a project thread with more pictures of the progress as we build our home.

Edit: I should have mentioned...at the end of the day yesterday I put 5 gallons of diesel in the tank and it filled it to the top. That's pretty good for 17 hours of work. I run at about 1500 rpms when doing grapple work, and I run the chipper at about 2200 rpms.

B8FISH · May 29, 2007

Nice setup--and great pics!

GreenMtns · May 30, 2007

Telescoping Draft Links
Part # LVB25308

It really makes changing implements easy. I have a set of Pat's but don't use them since I discovered the Telescoping Draft Links. Just pin them wide open, back up almost to the point they would go on and pull the pins and pull the link out to where it will slide over the implement pin. That easy.

Something new to add to your collection.

Mike will be waiting.

Al

debushau · Jun 6, 2007

This is an interesting thread for me. I just picked up a 3520 with a 300CX loader on Saturday and have a fairly similar set of uses as tuolumne.

For this task (clearing some forest) which of the implements do you find the most essential (chipper, grapple, backhoe, all of the them)? What were the considerations that went into picking the 448, Frontier and Salsco (other than the fact that these might have been what the JD dealer had). Besides the backhoe, are there any other ways to remove stumps?

For me, this would be a first tractor so I am thinking of going the same route by just getting the JD dealer to install the equipment.

thanks,
Shane

tuolumne · Jun 6, 2007

debushau said:
...For this task (clearing some forest) which of the implements do you find the most essential (chipper, grapple, backhoe, all of the them)? ...

The chipper would be the most essential. I do not have water available, but even if I did I would not consider a burn of that magnitude. I've used 3 full days chipping so far which would be $800 of rentals + the pickup hastle etc....we only go to the site on Saturdays and every minute counts. I have many days left for sure. I am also glad I spent the money on a 6" chipper (6"x9" opening) since feeding the tree tops is so much easier. If I had a 4" every fork would need to be cut with the chainsaw. Long term I now have a chipper to use every year when harvesting firewood or clearing more land. The backhoe will be essential for popping stumps and digging for the utilities. I only used it for a few hours to take out stumps along the driveway so far. The grapple is not essential, but well worth the expense as a timesaver. It allows quick transport of logs when compared to chaining a log to the bucket or trying to drag them from the drawbar. Consider a grapple with 4 logs from 10" to 16" diameter (1500 lb load) as shown in the picture. It is a 2 minute operation to grab them and run 100 feet to where I'm storing them (big stack). How long would that take to by other methods? How would they be stacked if dragging?

debushau said:
What were the considerations that went into picking the 448, Frontier and Salsco (other than the fact that these might have been what the JD dealer had). Besides the backhoe, are there any other ways to remove stumps?...

447 looks like a toy next to 448. If the 3520 can handle it, I wanted the biggest backhoe available. Salsco is American made (CT I believe) and it is what the dealer had in stock. I have no point of comparison, but it works well. The construction is very heavy. I had it apart last weekend to inspect the blades...they did not look like they had been used yet! The frontier implements are also what the dealer stocked...the front implements were compatible with the JD quick mount. They seem very robust. I would say a large track hoe would do a quicker job for the stumps. I may have the neighbor bulldoze out the majority of them and then used the backhoe to sift them out of the topsoil.

In general terms for the type of clearing I've been doing (decent slopes) I would say loaded rear tires are essential. If not, consider adding some additional weights to the chipper as ballast for the loader or grapple work. The backhoe is extremely simple to get on and off. The 3PH chipper is a little more awkward and quicker with two people. I-match makes little sense for me since most of my switching will be from the backhoe to some 3-point accessory and the i-match would just be an extra step. Did you order yet? 3rd function is necessary for grapple whether frontier or aftermarket bolt on style. I love the power reverser transmission.

debushau · Jun 6, 2007

Thanks for the great info.

I spoke with the dealer today and he recommended that 447 for the 3520 but maybe I should compare. The 447 was $6k or so.

I don't have third function on the loader that that's an add-on but they can get the Frontier 60" debris grapple which seems to be the model you used.

As for chippers, locally I can get the Wallenstein BX62 but there is also a Salsco dealer that I have put a call into. Others have used the Jinma on this forum which would also be a mail order possibility.

I am thinking about loading the rear tires. I ordered one set of wheel weights but at $100 for every 55lb, I am not so sure whether I want to buy more. The dealer used anti-freeze to load the tires which I did not like. I would rather find someone that uses Rim Guard or some other benign product.

The 3520 has ehydro and I bought it used (35 hours) from another dealer that's too far away so that's why I am equipping it after the fact.

Shane

boatermark · Jun 7, 2007

tuolumne said:
I got a Salsco 6" chipper without hydraulic feed. I could only use it for 30 minutes and it beat me up pretty good. The bare logs (and I did some up to 5") went through pretty good, but tree tops would get hung up and need a lot of pushing. The vibrations are what did me in.

Tuolumne...you may have figured this out already, but I found the best thing to do to avoid excessive vibrations are to hold onto the smallest twigs in the branch being chipped. With this in mind I try to keep as many small branches on the larger branches as possible when limbing trees. This gives me plenty of little branches to hold on to. They seem to remove you from vibration better. A 4" branch without anything little to hold on to is miserable...

tuolumne · Jun 7, 2007

Shane - If you fill in your profile to show your location others will be better able to make recommendations for you. Perhaps someone knows of a dealer nearby that will provide the Rimguard. I have the larger available R4 tires and I think they took something like 600 lbs each. If you have the smaller R4's or R1 tires the weight will be somewhat less. Wheel weights will get very expensive to do the same. I did look at the BX62 chipper at another dealer and was impressed. I have never used one. I believe it was more expensive than the Salsco, and the dealer I chose had the Salsco in stock. The 448 hoe is by no means too big for your tractor You should be able to find a 448 hoe for a little over 7k including mounting frame and installation. I would consider this $1000 very well spent. You're putting together a fairly expensive package here, so your dealer will likely provide some discount. I had wanted to install the ATI aftermarket grapple on my bucket and the dealer wouldn't do it. In retrospect, I am quite glad I got a dedicated unit. The geometry allows easier pickup and more logs. You might also consider a tine style grapple that can be used for brush etc. Mine works fine for brush, but it also will pick up some dirt and debris at the same time with the closed lower pan.

tuolumne · Jun 7, 2007

boatermark said:
Tuolumne...you may have figured this out already, but I found the best thing to do to avoid excessive vibrations are to hold onto the smallest twigs in the branch being chipped. With this in mind I try to keep as many small branches on the larger branches as possible when limbing trees. This gives me plenty of little branches to hold on to. They seem to remove you from vibration better. A 4" branch without anything little to hold on to is miserable...

Thanks. I found my trouble was the throat opening on the chipper. Once I adjusted the blades to take a 1/4" bite instead of a 1/16" bite everything has been fine. I had to work too hard to force the wood through with that small opening. I find a 4" log will go through itself with gravity, and the branches take a little more manipulation. I agree that grabbing the smallest branches greatly helps with the vibration. Those big ones can shake you good if you forget to let go! One thumped the side of my helmet pretty good too.

debushau · Jun 13, 2007

Unfortunately no Rim Guard dealer anywhere nearby.

I might visit the JD dealer with a shopping list and see what they can do. In my experience, dealers around here are not much interested in cutting deals (demand is strong?). There's also a NH dealer nearby that stocks ATI and Bushog - I might also take a look at the equivalent bh, grapple, etc. package that he could put together. After the splurge on the 3520, I might have to negotiate with the spouse for these implements.

hayden · Oct 8, 2007

How far does your Salsco 627 throw the chip pile? It looks pretty close the the tractor in the pictures, but it's hard to tell for sure.

tuolumne · Oct 10, 2007

hayden said:
How far does your Salsco 627 throw the chip pile? It looks pretty close the the tractor in the pictures, but it's hard to tell for sure.

I don't have a computer anymore, but happened to log in at the library and saw this. The salsco will throw the chips about twelve feet away, which results in piles starting 2 feet from the machine and extending to maybe 15 feet away if you stay in one spot.

Unrelated to the question, but related to the machine....I am currently putting up rafters on our new home and the tractor has been indispensable throughout the project. I have found the forks especially usefull. Someday I will post some pictures

tuolumne · Feb 2, 2008

Here are some of those progress photos....I tried to just use ones that show the tractor since this is a tractor forum.

The little one likes driving Papa's tractor

. I borrowed the excavator to cut/fill about 4000 yards, pull most of the stumps, and dig the cellar.

Grading out the gravel in the cellar.

No problem to squeeze back in the cellar to rake ou the gravel for the slab with the tight turning radius.

The indispensible mobile scaffolding...

Some things are easier with a bigger machine, although the 3520 could have done this job just fine if the excavator wasn't available

.

I used a large pallet on the forks to work from at all the single story eaves. This was also used to get the sheathing and shingles up on the roof.
[/ATTACH]
I can drop the ROPS and drive right into the basement, even with doors in place. Here I had just dropped off the wood gasifier inside.

It has been a wonderful machine. Winter is here, and I got the roof shingled just in time (although I had to preheat the shingles and scrape snow off the roof a few times.

Once the windows were in, I used the backhoe to trench for the utilities. Electrical service is now in. I still use the forks constantly to recieve deliveries and unload my trailer. Here in Vermont the snowplow has also seen much use. I recently installed chains after having a few frightening slides on the icy driveway

. The difference is like night and day.

GreatWhitehunter · Feb 2, 2008

I was wondering about your progress. You've been busy, I really enjoy these progression pics. It's amazing how many uses these tractors really have. It's like a swiss army knife. Keep the pics coming I'd love to see the finished product. Thanks

Matt T.

tuolumne · Feb 2, 2008

For those who are interested, I trenched 400' of 4' deep utility trench in a little under 7 hours with the 448 hoe. That's about a foot per minute. Our soil is medium dense tills consisting of loamy silt and rocks (6" and up to several feet) with little sandy material or gravel. I reckon the digging would be a bit slower in dense clays or gravel. I was making gentle s-curves to miss the existing trees. I pushed over anything 4" or less and left the others. That is one advantage of a small machine. I can drive through the woods just about everywhere. One small problem I have is the configuration of the stabilizers in relation to the boom. When connecting the trench to the house for the utilities and the well, I was required to dig with the hoe 90 degrees to the tractor. It is easy to come up under the stabilizers with the bucket, and they also like to be right over the edge of the trench to dig effectively. When it's raining this is not good! It seems there would have been clearance to let those stabilizers sweep back towards the tractor a few inches.

rkylane · Feb 2, 2008

Nice house & tractor. I ordered a 3520 on 1/2/08 and was told by the dealer that it was just shipped. I also ordered a Wallenstein 6" chipper, pallet forks, JD MX5 rotary cutter, frontier post hole digger, & JD 65" tiller. My next attachment will be a grapple bucket. Is your grapple a JD brand ? Is your control for your grapple bucket on the loader control lever or a separate control ?

ddivinia · Feb 2, 2008

tuolumne said:
Roy - Thanks, and yes, we've invested plenty in this rig. I can't say enough about the transmission. If I'm running 100 feet to a pile I can jump from first to fourth on the fly. Loader work feels better than hydro becuase I can coast a bit. With hydro, pulling off of a pedal is like hitting the brakes. I spent a good bit of time on a 4310 hydro which is the same size as this tractor. Chippers are scary, no two ways about it.
PPG - Can't take it out of gear and inch up to the forks at the same time. I can see some safety in a PTO cutout based on operator presence, but the engine cut out in gear seems strange to me. I'm used to older tractors.

I am going through strange withdrawal symptoms today being 150 miles from the tractor.

Isn't that adjustable on the hyrdo? The roll out can be set to different speeds.

Does the 3720 have a shuttle control to adjust how fast the power reverser engages?

D.

ddivinia · Feb 2, 2008

rkylane said:
Nice house & tractor. I ordered a 3520 on 1/2/08 and was told by the dealer that it was just shipped. I also ordered a Wallenstein 6" chipper, pallet forks, JD MX5 rotary cutter, frontier post hole digger, & JD 65" tiller. My next attachment will be a grapple bucket. Is your grapple a JD brand ? Is your control for your grapple bucket on the loader control lever or a separate control ?

HIs grapple looks like the new FRontier one. I saw one at the dealer this past week. It looks very similar to the John Deere Trash Grapple BUcket as they call it that i bought a couple years ago.

D.

tuolumne · Feb 2, 2008

rkylane said:
Nice house & tractor. I ordered a 3520 on 1/2/08 and was told by the dealer that it was just shipped. I also ordered a Wallenstein 6" chipper, pallet forks, JD MX5 rotary cutter, frontier post hole digger, & JD 65" tiller. My next attachment will be a grapple bucket. Is your grapple a JD brand ? Is your control for your grapple bucket on the loader control lever or a separate control ?

The grapple is a Frontier. It is very rugged, and the two separate grapples allow a tight grip on uneven loads. The hydraulics run off the 3rd SCV, with the control lever next to the 3PH control. I have permanent plumbing for this on the load arms; it is also used for the snow plow power angle. It sure is great to grab 12 foot logs and drop them on my trailer for transport to our current home. One thing...condsidering I only use this for logs and branches, something with tines on the bottom instead of the flat plate would be less likely to pick up unwanted debris.