I am new here. There looks like a wealth of knowledge so I thought I would post a question I have. I have 175 acres in NE Ok and about 50 acres need to be cleared of mostly small trees, thicket, and vines but does include a few larger trees. I also have been wanting to build a pond. I have a 70 hp tractor with a brushhog and homemade boxblade that I use for maintenance. The area to be cleared is mostly on sides of hills. The question is would I be better served by a dozer (60hp range) or a 4x4 backhoe 60hp range. Thanks in advance to anyone that has any input.
Backhoe or Dozer
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Jackfr
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I agree buy the dozer you might look for a shovel dozer with a 4 in 1 bucket
s78wingrider
Gold Member
Rent a trackhoe :thumbsup:
20 20
Elite Member
excavator
CurlyDave
Elite Member
I agree excavator, sometimes called a trackhoe.
Maximum tree removal, minimum ground disturbance.
Maximum tree removal, minimum ground disturbance.
Mousefield
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Around 1982 we had a former property fenced, had a bulldozer clear three sides, about 2,600 ft. On our current property we had an excavator clear a couple of acres and some fence lines. Much prefer what the excavator did. Both occasions some trees, stumps and brush had to moved. I think on slopes a track machine is mush safer. 
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
The very best, do it all maching out there is a backhoe. A full sized, commercial, yellow iron, 80hp backhoe. A 60hp dozer is useless at clearing land. It's a toy and only good for leveling off dirt that has already been dug up by something else. You will not have enough weight or power to dig through the hard pan with it. Even 80 and 90 hp dozers need rippers to break up the ground before they can grade it.
Taking out one small tree with the dozer might be easy. But then when you get several on the ground, you will find that a small dozer is terrible and moving them. It will only be able to handle a few of them, and it will not have the weight or power to turn while pushing.
The little backhoe will do all that you want it to do, but it is too small to last very long. Bigger means stronger and more durable. All your commercial backhoes are in the 80hp range. Some are more, but those are the bigger models. You just need a regular sized backhoe.
Ideally you want a 4 in 1 bucket and 4x4. The 4 in 1 bucket is important because after you take out the trees with the hoe, you can pick them up and carry them to the burn pile. The very best, fastest and least damaging to the land way to get a tree to the burn pile is to pick it up. The dozer is a nightmare for this, even with a rake, it sucks. My dozer is 170hp, it's pretty good sized, andI rarely use it for tree clearing. When I do, I just knock them over and open up an area enough to get the backhoe in there to clean it up.
The backhoe is capable of taking out any sized tree. I've done this thousands of times and it's fast, easy and safe. A 60 hp dozer will be severely limited in what it can push over and even more limited to what it can dig out. Because it takes a lot of power to get through the hard pan, or first 6 inches of soil, the small dozer is almost worthless at land clearing and impossible at taking out just medium sized trees.
For strictly taking out trees or digging dirt, and excavator is much better. Your tractor can drag trees faster and easier then an excavator can, or even a dozer. For digging dirt, and you only have an excavator, moving the dirt becomes a challenge. With a dump truck, that becomes a lot easier, but then spreding out the dirt can become problematic. A dozer is great for this, but no you have three pieces of equipment to do what a backhoe can do. Problem with the backhoe with digging a pond is that you can only haul one yard of dirt at a time. I dug my 3/4 acre pond this way. It was very time consuming, but I stuck with it and eventually got it dug. After awhile, I just dug the dirt and hauled it out of the pond just to get it dug before the rains arrived. Then I spent half a year, hear and there, hauling off that dirt one yard at a time.
Digging is always easy, it's what you do with the dirt that takes up all your time.
Good luck,
Eddie
Taking out one small tree with the dozer might be easy. But then when you get several on the ground, you will find that a small dozer is terrible and moving them. It will only be able to handle a few of them, and it will not have the weight or power to turn while pushing.
The little backhoe will do all that you want it to do, but it is too small to last very long. Bigger means stronger and more durable. All your commercial backhoes are in the 80hp range. Some are more, but those are the bigger models. You just need a regular sized backhoe.
Ideally you want a 4 in 1 bucket and 4x4. The 4 in 1 bucket is important because after you take out the trees with the hoe, you can pick them up and carry them to the burn pile. The very best, fastest and least damaging to the land way to get a tree to the burn pile is to pick it up. The dozer is a nightmare for this, even with a rake, it sucks. My dozer is 170hp, it's pretty good sized, andI rarely use it for tree clearing. When I do, I just knock them over and open up an area enough to get the backhoe in there to clean it up.
The backhoe is capable of taking out any sized tree. I've done this thousands of times and it's fast, easy and safe. A 60 hp dozer will be severely limited in what it can push over and even more limited to what it can dig out. Because it takes a lot of power to get through the hard pan, or first 6 inches of soil, the small dozer is almost worthless at land clearing and impossible at taking out just medium sized trees.
For strictly taking out trees or digging dirt, and excavator is much better. Your tractor can drag trees faster and easier then an excavator can, or even a dozer. For digging dirt, and you only have an excavator, moving the dirt becomes a challenge. With a dump truck, that becomes a lot easier, but then spreding out the dirt can become problematic. A dozer is great for this, but no you have three pieces of equipment to do what a backhoe can do. Problem with the backhoe with digging a pond is that you can only haul one yard of dirt at a time. I dug my 3/4 acre pond this way. It was very time consuming, but I stuck with it and eventually got it dug. After awhile, I just dug the dirt and hauled it out of the pond just to get it dug before the rains arrived. Then I spent half a year, hear and there, hauling off that dirt one yard at a time.
Digging is always easy, it's what you do with the dirt that takes up all your time.
Good luck,
Eddie
I couldn't agree with Eddie more - and Eddie has a ton of experience with clearing and dirt moving.
I've got a baby dozer, and it performs just like Eddie says. It's good for grading and taking down small trees, but as far as large clearing, it takes a big dozer.
Alot of folks extoll the virtrues of an excavator for clearing, and I've seen them take out trees, but in almost every occasion there is a dozer there to move the downed trees (push them to a burn pit or pile). Without a doubt, the excavator can pile the trees higher, but only within reach of the excavator. I don't think it would be very productive to use the excavator to carry the trees to a pile.
I would think in your case, either of your options would be reasonable. It might just depend on which unit you find within your price range. They both have benefits and drawbacks (again, excellently illustrated by Eddie). You might consider a track loader (not the skid steer size, but the dozer with a loader kind). I have a friend at work that bought an older mid-sized Case track loader (about a 650 size, but I don't remember. He also had an older, ex-military D7. He said he would take out larger trees with the track loader easier than with the dozer, just because he could reach up higher to push.
Again, it all really depends on the size of stuff being removed, your patience level, and your finances. Anyway you go, hopefully you can get a good machine, have fun with it, and be happy with what you accomplished.
Good luck and take care.
I've got a baby dozer, and it performs just like Eddie says. It's good for grading and taking down small trees, but as far as large clearing, it takes a big dozer.
Alot of folks extoll the virtrues of an excavator for clearing, and I've seen them take out trees, but in almost every occasion there is a dozer there to move the downed trees (push them to a burn pit or pile). Without a doubt, the excavator can pile the trees higher, but only within reach of the excavator. I don't think it would be very productive to use the excavator to carry the trees to a pile.
I would think in your case, either of your options would be reasonable. It might just depend on which unit you find within your price range. They both have benefits and drawbacks (again, excellently illustrated by Eddie). You might consider a track loader (not the skid steer size, but the dozer with a loader kind). I have a friend at work that bought an older mid-sized Case track loader (about a 650 size, but I don't remember. He also had an older, ex-military D7. He said he would take out larger trees with the track loader easier than with the dozer, just because he could reach up higher to push.
Again, it all really depends on the size of stuff being removed, your patience level, and your finances. Anyway you go, hopefully you can get a good machine, have fun with it, and be happy with what you accomplished.
Good luck and take care.
Jackfr
Gold Member
- Joined
- May 28, 2008
- Messages
- 325
- Location
- Plymouth, MA
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- NH WorkMaster 33 Ford F5000 NH T 4.90 Ford 2110 JD555B
I disagree with Eddie.
I think it depends on what you have for soil conditions and terrain.
We just cleared and leveled approx two acres on a hilltop and hillside for additional pasture and dressage rings. We hired an outfit to come in and cut and chip the trees (some as large as 24" in diameter)as we can no longer burn when land clearing here. We then stumped, stripped and piled the topsoil and subsoil. Then leveled the 2 acres (approx a 14' cut) and respread the subsoil and topsoil which after discing we planted in grass.
We did this with a 1989 JD555B with a 4 in 1 bucket, a 9 ton 78 hp machine. This shovel dozer doesn't have the heavy grousers you find on a straight blade as it's a loader. The hillsides were to steep to use a backhoe or tractor on until we cut the grades down.
This dozer with minimal damage to woods turf can "pluck" approx 6" diameter pine trees out as longer as you don't make sharp turns.
Here in southeastern MA the soil is a range of "pebbles" the size of houses sitting on the ground down to gravel, sand and clay. There were many 1 to 2 yard stones this machine handled easily and some larger we buried where they were. Yes we do also have a dump truck which we used to haul stumps and rocks away.
With this machine and the 1970 JD450B with 4 in 1 we owned before this one we cleared and back then burned the trees on approx 20 acres that we now have in pasture/hay field, along with miles of horse trails thru the woods.
I think depending on his soil conditions, the shovel dozer with the 4 in 1 bucket would be his best option especially since he is working on side hills and after a little experience operating he will be amazed what this machine will do for his money.
I think it depends on what you have for soil conditions and terrain.
We just cleared and leveled approx two acres on a hilltop and hillside for additional pasture and dressage rings. We hired an outfit to come in and cut and chip the trees (some as large as 24" in diameter)as we can no longer burn when land clearing here. We then stumped, stripped and piled the topsoil and subsoil. Then leveled the 2 acres (approx a 14' cut) and respread the subsoil and topsoil which after discing we planted in grass.
We did this with a 1989 JD555B with a 4 in 1 bucket, a 9 ton 78 hp machine. This shovel dozer doesn't have the heavy grousers you find on a straight blade as it's a loader. The hillsides were to steep to use a backhoe or tractor on until we cut the grades down.
This dozer with minimal damage to woods turf can "pluck" approx 6" diameter pine trees out as longer as you don't make sharp turns.
Here in southeastern MA the soil is a range of "pebbles" the size of houses sitting on the ground down to gravel, sand and clay. There were many 1 to 2 yard stones this machine handled easily and some larger we buried where they were. Yes we do also have a dump truck which we used to haul stumps and rocks away.
With this machine and the 1970 JD450B with 4 in 1 we owned before this one we cleared and back then burned the trees on approx 20 acres that we now have in pasture/hay field, along with miles of horse trails thru the woods.
I think depending on his soil conditions, the shovel dozer with the 4 in 1 bucket would be his best option especially since he is working on side hills and after a little experience operating he will be amazed what this machine will do for his money.