Limited choices

[KennyG]

I think the forks are universally useful. Having the bucket and forks to carry things is constantly a benefit. After that it is dependent on whether you are dealing with woods, fields, landscaped areas, etc. You should have some kind of counterbalance, either a weight box or something like a box blade. Fgure out what your major task will be and get the best implements for it. Buy them one at a time as the need arises.

 

[mcfarmall]

Brush cutter
Grapple
Pallet forks
Land Plane Grader Scraper with scarifier teeth

 

[TerryR]

Thanks for the replies so far. I was trying to make this generic as possible. Limit to 4 attachments and explain why.

There is no answer to this generic question.

 

[Torvy]

Yes, we own 18.5 acres in the Piney Woods. Building a barn soon, then the final house in about a year. The home boss is a Regional Controller with a manufacturing background. She is used to dealing with people who confuse wants and needs all the time. She realizes we need a tractor, FEL, and brush mower. Beyond that, I will probably have to write a fixed asset proposal with costs, benefits and reasonable alternatives. She can smell BS a mile away. She is not just a finance person either. She has worked on the line and been a plant GM. Her good sense is the reason we will be retired before age 60. ..ok, so she may not make me actually write the proposal, but I darn sure better know my stuff or I'll be making do with an alternative.

 

[Torvy]

For me the #1 implement is a PTO chipper. I use it for brush and tree parts.
If you're going to need to move dirt a box blade works a lot better than the loader bucket. Also good for grading roads.
If you need to mow easements or fields or anything except lawn you will want a rough mower, either a rotary cutter or a flail mower.

I've been checking into the chipper idea. A lot better in our case than a burn pile as I don't want to lose my timber or my house. We don't have a good location that would work for that. I am already accumulating brush from some manual clearing I've done. Old school work with an ax and machete. It seems a PTO chipper will be cheaper to own and operate than a stand-alone gas chipper.

 

[DieselBound]

ONE GOOD IMPLEMENT is better than three that can't do the job that you need done.

Tractors are about WORK. Gotta think in terms of getting work done. What kind of work (conceptualize: lifting? digging? moving/transporting?).

MY most used implements are: Brush hog (though after 10 years I've now got a flail); pallet forks; box blade; grapple (does what is almost impossible with anything else- KEY is a "thumb" action).

For those poo-pooing box blades, I'd have to say that mine have been indispensable. I'd had one on my B7800 for many years (and, well, look at my avatar- I even used it to put wood in to [rippers turned around and plywood place in the box, supported by the rippers and blade) and then when I went to do my big fencing project I bought a 7' one for my Kioti: just for this fencing project (rather than paying someone to do the project I did the work and came out ahead, with a 7' box blade and a dump trailer!); I've subsequently used the box blade for many other things, having recently done extensive grading around my house. They're good for ballast as well.

 

[BackRoad]

Looking back...

I've put 400 hours on the 60hp Kubota in the last year, and it's not been from soil engagement farming or haying.

Use Case: 35 acres mixed, 15a woods, 10a rough fields and 10a smooth fields, majority of the hours have been reclaiming fields, clearing trees, mowing, with limited hours for driveway maintenance and snow management.

Best estimate based on the total hours...
Grapple has been on the front 90% of the time. Use it for clearing trees and mowing (to harvest "new-growth" rocks ahead of the mower). The bucket has been on ~ 9%, forks were on <1%.

On the 3PH end, finish mower has been mounted maybe 20%, rotary cutter is 10%, back blade, landscape rake, land plane, disc and land roller were mounted <5% in total.

The other 65% of the time, my old-school heavy duty, 900#, 1/2 inch steel, 6' box blade has been mounted.

In addition to loaded rear tires, that box blade is perfect ballast for the grapple, compact enough to not get in the way in the woods, and is immediately available to backfill stump holes and level dirt when land clearing.


In my world...
Some type of mower is an absolute minimum requirement
- Grapple is #1
- - Box Blade is #2 (but would not use the grapple without it)
- - - Back Blade may be #3 for driveway and finish grading.

Implement Costs: $5,000

Land Value Appreciation: + $12,000

Customer (Wife's) Satisfaction:

My User Satisfaction: Priceless!

 

[workinonit]

Useless excersize unless the purpose is to get ideas. In my opinion you can't limit yourself to a few attachments. You must accumulate them as you go. For instrance, one of my top 4 would be my Hardee Hyraslide ditch bank mower. I have miles of ditches to maintain and couldn't do without one. It's probably something very few others would have on a list like this. For me, I have implements I don't use but once in a blue moon but I have them when I need them. That's waaay better than needing them and not having them. Heck, until I bought my new tractor I had a Komatsu 22 metric ton track hoe. I didn't need it but I had it if I did. Now I miss not having it. Accumulate is my motto.

 

[Torvy]

Useless excersize unless the purpose is to get ideas. In my opinion you can't limit yourself to a few attachments.

Funny, you actually helped a lot despite this being useless. You described what you use and how and gave reasons. Most of what is on TBN is to get ideas. I may get more implements over time, but I have budget constraints that mean I need to be efficient with my choices. I expect a lot of us who are new to this will have similar issues, which is why I attempted to make it generic as possible.

 

[Citydude]

Summer:
Grapple, chipper, box blade and a skidding winch on occasion.
Winter:
Snowblower, snowblower,snowblower