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

[DK35vince]

btw, do the buying of accessories and tractor-modding ever stop??

No.
It slows down after a few years, but it never really stops..

 

[Highbeam]

You can do an almost decent job of pushing brush around using the loader and toothbar as a mammoth rake. If you had a root rake on the dozer then you have already done it.

The crazy thing about the hydro filter's vulnerability is that even a stick poking up at the right angle will pole vault the filter so just deflecting that stick would get the job done. There are many threaded bolt holes under the machine to attach a plate to and I have plate steel on hand but I just always put it off until it's too late.

Just the subframe mount for the woods grapple was more than 800$.

 

[IslandTractor]

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

To save $$$ you could just install a grapple addition to your bucket. You'd still need to do either the rear remote or a FEL hydraulic diverter valve but I'd guess you could keep the whole budget under $1000 without much trouble so long as you do the installation yourself. If you have average mechanical skills and tools it shouldn't take more than an afternoon to install a diverter valve, maybe a bit longer for rear remotes. The grapple arms can be had via ebay for pretty cheap money and can be bolted or welded onto a reinforced bucket top rim.

And, no, the fascination with new attachments never ends. When it does you are officially dead!

 

[RexB]

Nice burn ya' have going there Highbeam. I'm still undecided about a toothbar for this (the dozer blade rake did the brush clearing and rootripping, it's done 'cept for maintenance) --- they're great but don't really need now.

Island Tractor and everyone, I'll be asking more about a grapple install later and will look for good threads on it.


Mod, Mod, Mod away, modify 'dat tractor!

 

[fastpat]

I'm clearing about 1.5 acres of land, my neighbor is logging it off in exchange for cleaning up the limb debris. Of course, that will leave quite a few stumps that must be removed since the land will become part of my vineyard. The question I still have is should I remove the stumps via backhoe (which consumes a lot of time and diesel fuel) or hire a guy with a dozer and get them out quickly? We're talking about a mixture of 10 to 15 inch pines and 15 to 25 inch oaks, hickory, and tulip poplar; with assorted little stuff as well.

 

[Highbeam]

Neither. Hire a guy with a large excavator to pluck them out. A dozer is the wrong tool for stumping and he will be sure to ruin the excellent and thin topsoil layer that you want for agricultural uses. Soil compaction will also be much more severe with a dozer compared to the excavator due to the stationary working method the hoe uses.

Your tractor can do it if you have time and money is short but it will be hard on things. Nothing quite like watching the trackhoe pluck and then shake the dirt out of the stump before splitting it into chunks and then stacking a clean high pile to be burnt. The only thing cooler is watching the machine actually swing and throw the stumps into the pile.

 

[fastpat]

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll ask around to find out how much as soon as all the trees are gone.

 

[ON84]

I agree with Highbeam. We removed about 150 stumps 4" to 16" with the DK45S. The small stumps jump out of the ground when you point the bucket in their direction, and the larger ones took about 30 minutes on average.

In another area, the stumps were too big for our tractor. There were about 70 stumps 16" to 20". We hired an excavator, and as Highbeam says, the excavator plucks and shakes them, then tosses them in a pile. We disposed of the stumps at a local "stump dump" rather than burning them. It took less than 7 hours. Excavator: $800. Dump trucks and disposal fees: $2400.

 

[RexB]

...In another area, the stumps were too big for our tractor. There were about 70 stumps 16" to 20". We hired an excavator, and as Highbeam says, the excavator plucks and shakes them, then tosses them in a pile. We disposed of the stumps at a local "stump dump" rather than burning them. It took less than 7 hours. Excavator: $800. Dump trucks and disposal fees: $2400.

That excavator hire was reasonable, those danged truck/disposal fees were painful ouch.

Burn those mutha's fastpat, sounds like you have enough room there for a good weenie roast

 

[RedRocker]

This l'il tractor can eat the woods for lunch!

Yep, that's what I use mine for.