Fairly new to tractors, will need to clear land and have questions.

[Ihcbigjohn]

RoyKing, In a few months I will likely have access to a large wheel loader for free from work. By saying free I am excluding transportation cost, and getting a raking apparatus for it... and fuel! A 70's era Cat988 is a thirsty old gal, and a bit leaky to boot lol. I don't think that anything I'm going up against would slow it down, not that it goes all that fast, but in all seriousness I think she's probably a bit heavy for current ground conditions on site.

 

[Ihcbigjohn]

In regards to the previous picture, it does thin out a bit as you go further away from the edge.

 

[Ihcbigjohn]

Rustyiron, as long as we are in a county area, not city, we can burn anything as long as there isn't a ban due to dry conditions. In regards to excavator size, you can get a 15-20 year old Cat 323 for the same price you can get a smaller one. Usually in the $20-24k range.

 

[searcyfarms]

sounds like you have it all but worked out with that wheel loader you will have ruts to repair too ;-)

 

[crazyal]

As has been posted, I would rent the equipment needed. Having no clue what shape that Cat 988 is in so I can't offer advise other than it could be great or it could cost you a fortune fixing things. 70's era is quite old so finding parts could also be an issue. Not sure if you work a full time job but in one month you should be able to get a lot done assuming you can work more than just weekends and aren't fighting equipment breakdowns. Around here you can find dealers who sell off road diesel that have portable tanks. They will drop it off and fill it as needed. If you have a pickup you could buy a 12v pump that will screw into a 55 gallon drum and go that route (anything smaller will get old real quick).

 

[Rustyiron]

Rustyiron, as long as we are in a county area, not city, we can burn anything as long as there isn't a ban due to dry conditions. In regards to excavator size, you can get a 15-20 year old Cat 323 for the same price you can get a smaller one. Usually in the $20-24k range.

I was thinking more about what size machine is easier to unload in your local market for your eventual exit to a tractor.
Sometimes machines in that age are limited to guy's like you or farmers/ranchers where a smaller & newer might put you in the smaller contractor market as well. It's all very local. Good luck and show us what you end up doing.

 

[searcyfarms]

regarding fueling, here is what my dad and i did, due to the ulsd/bio storage issues we have one 55 gal drum ( plastic ) and two 16 gallon ( plastic ) barrels that i picked up at a car wash for FREE. They work great for hauling fuel or like above you could get a tank dropped off to fuel with.

I got an electric fuel transfer pump and we plug it into the battery on the truck as needed to fuel with in the field for our tractors. My dad is REALLY getting up there and while he can go and fill up the tanks he cannot climb around nor run a hand pump so it helps him still be able to contribute.

hopefully that 988 is in good usable shape and you can work the fire out of it, can you road it home or will you have to get it transported?

 

[Ihcbigjohn]

The 988 while a serious offer, was a joke on my part. It would wreck the site lol! For fuel I have a 250 gal tank with containment and 12v pump

 

[mikester]

Your first idea of going with a 20-25 ton excavator with a root rake and thumb would be your best bet. Clear everything then sell/trade it for a TLB.