New Holland TC24D - best attachments for my job?

[horstuff]

Hi all. I have posted elsewhere on TBN about my indecision on which machine to go with, and I finally picked one. Coming next week...

A shiny new New Holland TC24D with 12LA loader and 756C backhoe!

Deciding factor: I wanted it! What the hell. Life's too short. Dealer gave me what I think is a good price ($19,700 TLB), and now I just need to decide which implements I need for what I am up to. Here's the story...

I need to clean up a 1 acre cleared area by rocking/sticking/raking, moving and spreading maybe 100 yards of topsoil (some on 5' high berms that are narrow and steep), prepping the turf for lawn seed by raking/dragging, spreading and dressing about 50 yards of 5/8"- gravel, moving and spreading about 20 yards of sand in the base of a pond (before the liner is applied), picking up/dragging rocks and cedar stump snags that were unearthed (placing them next to or on the berms or in corners of the yard), maybe digging about 30 fence post holes (that's a maybe, but I think so...), digging up a few small (8"-10" diameter) stumps, moving some ice storm damage into a burn pile (limbs and small stumps), tending the burn pile (small, maybe 8x8x6), a couple of power/water trenches (200' - 300' total), digging holes for nursery-bought trees, and moving maybe 20 yards of ornamental rock around to little islands in the lawn.

Obviously, if I want to dig fence post holes, I need an auger. Aside from that, I am not 100% sure what the best things to get would be. I have in mind a 5" Woods rear blade (I have worked with one before on an old Ford 8N) and a 4" Woods box blade. I originally thought I should get the rear blade and a landscape rake, but I have since heard that the landscape rake will not do a good job getting the sticks and small rocks that are buried a couple of inches underground (it would just clog up or not get them at all or break) and that they are really intended for loose stuff like sand.

I am also thinking about getting teeth for the bucket.

It would be great to get some input on what would be the right or the wrong implements to buy for my tasks at hand, and what brands or models or manufacturers might come highly recommended. Thanks everybody.

Bobby

 

[Henro]

<font color="blue"> but I have since heard that the landscape rake will not do a good job getting the sticks and small rocks that are buried a couple of inches underground (it would just clog up or not get them at all or break) and that they are really intended for loose stuff like sand.
</font>

That is pretty much true I think. Still, I am glad I bought a cheap KK rake last summer. It is more of a finishing tool. It will not dig into the soil much, but it will drag things that are laying on top of the soil, and leave a relatively clean area for planting [I am using the term loosely] grass seed or even for just letting the weeds grow into a natural yard...like I seem to do... /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Somehow I ended up with a number of the relatively cheap KK implements. Maybe if I had a good quality rear blade I would feel differently, but so far I seem to use my box blade, maybe followed by the landscape rake, and the back blade sits waiting for the snow most of the time.

I bought my 6" landscape rake at Tractor Supply for something like $340 (10% off I think) and I would do it again without question.

In a nutshell, I find the landscape rake something I use more than expected... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif I got the feeling you will too, after reading what you want to do on the acre you want to clean up.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

I think a landscape rake sounds like the ticket, I wish I had one as I am cleaning up an industrial field and the landscape rake would finish off the job very nicely!!! I also think a box blade is an incredibly useful tool, buy a heavy one with easily adjustable scarifiers.