B7500 and 4672 Hoe

[5string]

I have been lurking and reading the posts here for quite sometime; what a great forum! From the information gathered here, I pretty much decided that the 7800 with the 4690 hoe was the tractor for me. It seems like for the money vs. performance / capability, the 7800 is the best value. Yesterday, I drove a 7800 with it's respective loader - it seems big. It may be just because I am used to driving a garden tractor (mower). I also drove a 7500 and felt more comfortable on this tractor. I own 7.5 acres (Western WA) of which 5 is second growth alder. The trees very in size from 1" to 7" in diameter. My goal is to put 5' to 6' wide walking trails throughout the property. Is the B7500 and 4672 hoe up to removing many stumps of this size? While lurking on this forum, I have seen some pretty amazing pictures of things / jobs (lifting big logs, digging out large stumps, etc.) that folks have done with this hoe. However, do you think that the 7500 / 4672 is up to the repetitive task of removing many smaller stumps? Alder stumps are known to be stubborn little buggers, will I be able to rip each one out with one scoop or will each one be a battle? Other considerations - part of the reason I am purchasing a tractor is because my Dad could use the extra hand. He lives on the 10 acres adjacent to me and is 81. He can still run 300' of fence with the best of them, but a tractor would really make things alot easier for him. I think that he would be more comfortable on the 7500 than the 7800. I also need to maintain a 1300' gravel dirve, hog about 3 acres and do some sight prep for a pole barn.

I would appreciate your comments and experience.

 

[GregJ]

5string,
I have the B7500 and 4672 BH. I am in the process of digging up 14 alder stumps from a stand that I just recently dropped. I am currently working on a cluster of 6 trees that grew into on large root ball. This one has been ugly. I had to split the root ball in half. I did this using my pressure washer to drill down and expose the root and then chain saw in half. I have dug a ramp with the loader to get underneath this mess and then used high pressure water to remove the dirt, so I can move and then burn them. These trees vary in age from 20-40 years, (8-24 inches in diameter). This is a slow process with the B7500, but as a "weekend warrior" it ends up being a fun challenge. 1"-7" alders should be very easy to get out. I don't know about 1 scoop on a 7", because it depends on the soil and root structure. For the small 1" alders, I would recommend a toothbar on your loader. It will handle the small ones if they aren't in hard clay. Of course the more power you have, the faster and easier stump removal will be, but it is nice to have a smaller footprint tractor the rest of the time. There are times I wish I had a bigger tractor and time when I wish I had a smaller one. This tells me that I got the right size. BTW, did you talk to Mark at Issaquah? Good luck with your shopping.

Greg

 

[5string]

Greg,
Thanks for your response. I believe that you posted one of the pictures that caught my eye. It sounds like you can fully relate to how stubborn some of these alder stumps can be. If you get a chance, I would sure like to see a pic. of that project. I guess I am some what hesitant to sign on the dotted line because I do not have a good understanding of what is considered too much for the 4672 hoe. Your soil type is probably similar to mine. Any problems with digging in a semi-rocky clay type soil? Does the tractor get tossed around much by the hoe when you encounter stiff resistance? It sounds like the cluster of 6 that you are working on is a handfull; would the 4672 hoe have easily handled each of those six trees if they were independent (not root balled together)? And finally, have you taken the hoe off yet? How difficult is it to remove and reattach the 3pt. hoe?

My apologies for peppering you with all these questions; this is a major purchase for me.

I have not yet contacted Mark at Issaquah. I plan to as soon as I have a better understanding of what these tractors can do and what my own requirements are.

Thanks

 

[hayden]

I'd recommend the B7800 and 4690 hoe, even thought it might seem large to you now.

I used to have a B2400 and woods 6500 hoe which is essentially the same as the B7500/4672 combo. I now have a B2910/4690 and it's a MUCH more capable machine. The extra reach of the 4690 over the 4672 or woods 6500 makes a huge difference in how often you need to reposition, etc. You'll get used to the size real quickly. Given all you describe on the two properties, I think the larger combo is a clear win.

 

[Boone]

Are you sure that you need a back hoe? I took my B7500 into a field that was growing up with 2 inch willow and just mowed it down with a brush hog. The field looks great after a couple of mowings.

I cut larger stumps flush to the ground with a chainsaw. I've cut trails through other areas the same way. Just mow it down, keep it mowed and the stumps will rot.

 

[GregJ]

5String,
I just got in after a full day of seat time. I do have some photos to share. This project is really pushing my B7500. Trust me, if I was a "professional stump digger" I'd be looking at something a lot bigger. However, since I have no aspirations of making a living digging stumps and I only have a few more to go, the B7500 is just fine. I also agree with the last post regarding the B7800. It looks like a fine machine. However, I looked at it and found that the 4690 has more reach, but exactly the same digging power as the the 4692. The loader on the 7800 has about 200lbs. more capacity and the 3pt. about 300lbs. It would be very costly for me to trade up, and that really isn't that much improvement to justify to dollars, for me. I could barely afford my B7500. Anyway, I have 4 photos and I will attach each in seperate posts with descriptions.
The first photo shows the full cluster, although you can't see all 6, but you'll get the idea of what a mess this is. I used a pressure washer to expose the roots and the ended up chain sawing them apart.

 

[GregJ]

This is a photo of the first half that I broke off. This is two stumps. I was actually able to lift this with the loader. I had to use a little leverage to get it up, but it worked.

 

[GregJ]

This is a picture taken from above the ramp and hole that I dug to get these monsters out. I used the chain to tip up the root ball so I could blast it with water to get the dirt of so I could move it and eventually burn it. To get it out of the hole I used the BH to roll it.

 

[GregJ]

Here is the monster out of the hole. There were 4 trees growing out of that mess. No way my tractor could pick this one up. It was all I could do to push it up to the burn pile. I'm glad I'm done with this little project.
You asked how much work it would be for single stumps. After finishing this mess, it would seem like a walk in the park. Actually, the truth is, if you are in a hurry, you will be frustrated. If you enjoy seat time and a good challenge, then no problem. It also helps to be Swedish. Also, I have to confess that these stumps were in very sandy soil, so that helps. I do have some veins of clay on my property and I haven't had any problems digging in it. The hoe will walk the tractor around if you let it. I have found it helps to keep my loader bucket full with dirt when I am doing some hard digging. I have had the BH off and on about a dozen times. Taking it off is easy. Putting it on takes practice. My first time it was well over an hour. Each time I got faster and now I can do it in about 15 minutes.
Hope this info helps.

Greg

 

[5string]

Greg,
My goodness, those pictures are certainly worth a thousand words! That was one heck of a wrestling match which you obviously won. Although that took some time, it is clear that the B7500/4672 hoe combo is a formidable machine. Those pictures definitely indicate that the B7500 and 4672 hoe would be more than adequate for what I have in mind. The picture of your loader lifting that beast of a stump was particularly impressive; that thing was almost as big as your tractor. I do not have anything that big to tackle. Boone's post above discussing going through 2" willow with the bush hog also tells me that the 3 Cylinder, 21 HP engine has plenty of torque to handle the bush hogging chores that I have in mind.

Thanks again for the pics. They were exactly what I needed to help me understand what the machine is capable of. Your direct answers to my questions were also very helpful. I am going to walk my back five this afternoon for kind of a reality check (7500 Vs. 7800). I will be giving Mark a call soon.

Dana