ck30 is a l'il monsta' in the woods :)

[RexB]

This l'il tractor can eat the woods for lunch! After clearing land for years with the 'dozer then selling it for a frontloader/backhoe to maintain the clearing, I wasn't expecting to get a whole lot of "heavy work" done. But now I'm extending the trails through the woods avoiding most of the trees, the dozer blade was too big to miss them.

I'm amazed. Shift this CK30 into 4Wheel drive low gear, step on the rearwheel differential lock and it pushed trees down (up to 6-inch shallow rooted Alders), clambered up and over fallen 20-inch cedar logs without a hitch, and nosed into and out of 3-foot deep old stump holes in the ground. Plowed and back-bladed through roots and old rotted stumps like a champ.

Just have to work at it longer than a 'dozer of course so it doesn't hurt the hydraulics or loader arms. And where the backhoe is swinging LOL. A 4-way blade would have helped but I'll get over it. I will have to fab a full OROPS though, too many branches falling and brush whipping in. After a while I thought I was on tracks again! Did I say that I'm surprised! Woot! I'm in love with a tractor, OMG what will Donna say?

And pictures, cuz we hate pictures

 

[ChuckinNH]

And I was worried about getting a smaller tractor around in my woods! Looks like the CK30 is working out really well for you, and your results will cause me to take a second look. Thanks for posting the pics.

 

[RexB]

I was amazed surprised and pleased, still get a silly grin on my face just thinking about how well it does. I was really surprised that the 9.5" clearance of the backhoe subframe mount didn't get hung up on humps it cut them down instead. And really protected the bottom filter, no scratches even.

Post back with (if) the CUT you get

 

[Dmace]

Cool pictures, looks like you should have got a cab...

 

[IslandTractor]

Add a grapple to that TLB and you'll have an even better monster woods clearing machine. TLB plus grapple is perfect armament for toe to toe combat with Mother Nature.

 

[RexB]

Cool pictures, looks like you should have got a cab...

...our winters and summers are mild but the brush and branch rejection would be vewy nice...i could get to like cleaning windows too.

Add a grapple to that TLB and you'll have an even better monster woods clearing machine. TLB plus grapple is perfect armament for toe to toe combat with Mother Nature.

It'd be great to have a grapple they just so durned expensive while i'm buying materials for a new steel roof. Tempting ...maybe someday

 

[Highbeam]

Bah, the grapple is cheap compared to that crazy expensive backhoe. Tell you what, I'll buy a grapple and then trade you for your hoe.

Good to see it working well. Stumps are the enemy in the woods. They are hard on a machine and hard on the undercarriage if you miss them.

 

[IslandTractor]

.
It'd be great to have a grapple they just so durned expensive while i'm buying materials for a new steel roof. Tempting ...maybe someday

Depends. You can get a grapple for the Kioti pin system for about 800 bucks plus shipping from Millonzi in Ohio. There are a couple of guys with CK30s who have added the 48" light duty grapple and as far as I know they are very happy with it. You'll need to set up a control mechanism which could be either a diverter or rear remotes (which you might already have) so that does add somewhat to the cost. Best bang for the buck you'll ever spend for clearing brush and debris from tree clearing. Saves HOURS and HOURS of time.

 

[RexB]

Bah, the grapple is cheap compared to that crazy expensive backhoe. Tell you what, I'll buy a grapple and then trade you for your hoe.

Yeah it is but i budgeted for the backhoe in the original purchase, gotta' have it...LOL i'll pass on that trade

Good to see it working well. Stumps are the enemy in the woods. They are hard on a machine and hard on the undercarriage if you miss them.

It's doing great and i still get that silly grin thinking about it four days later, what a machine, it's a keeper

Re the stumps, as you know first hand mowing they are a booger...now if you had a framemounted backhoe (mine haha) the rails are under that danged hangydown filter and keep it well protected, but then mower don't fit. And just 9.5" ground clearance. I won't be mowing, but if it was in the woods with a different rear attachment there's gotta' be a way to weld/bolt a skid plate on to protect the filter (?).

Looking at the undercarriage, it seems a 3 or 4-inch wide by 4-ft length of 1/4" or greater ribbon steel could be run under there. One end bolted to the forward chassis mount for the BH rail, bent to pass under the filter and the other end bolted onto the rear chassis mount used for a BH. It would also protect the hydraulic manifold down there. Weld a small 10 or 12-inch square steel plate onto it under the filter, with the front and rear sides bent up a little to hopefully ride up over those short stumps, onto that length of flatsteel. Give it side-to-side strength by bolting another length of ribbon steel onto the sidestep mounting bolts and welding that to the near side of the skid plate. But I dunno, would have to lookit again and ask around as to the 'smartness' of that idea. I have the steel in stock so if the tractor is ever in the woods with a different rear attachment will have to consider it.

 

[RexB]

Depends. You can get a grapple for the Kioti pin system for about 800 bucks plus shipping from Millonzi in Ohio. There are a couple of guys with CK30s who have added the 48" light duty grapple and as far as I know they are very happy with it. You'll need to set up a control mechanism which could be either a diverter or rear remotes (which you might already have) so that does add somewhat to the cost. Best bang for the buck you'll ever spend for clearing brush and debris from tree clearing. Saves HOURS and HOURS of time.

Another $800 couild be doable by the end of summer, need to install a rear control valve too. I believe ya', coulda used a grapple many times already instead of gettin on & off the tractor, on and off...on and off haul to the burn pile...LOL I'll check into it more and the rear remote installation.


btw, do the buying of accessories and tractor-modding ever stop??
I :heart: it