New member, looking for advice

[bbateman]

Hello all,

My family and I will be moving soon from suburbia to our very small 40 acre farm. Our driveway is about 900 feet long and we're going to need something to plow it. We have enough land that we'll also need some machinery to assist in light dirt moving, hauling, and moving objects (fallen trees etc.). The driveway is currently gravel, but we're planning on paving it, haven't decided for sure yet as we're building our home next spring and it all depends on the budget. Keeping the budget in mind, what kinds of machinery should we strongly consider as a start up multi-purpose tool that we can get the most use out of for the least amount of expense. The property is as follows: 20 acres tilled and rented out, will likely remain that way. The drive bi-sects the tilled area. 5 acres of pasture which we currently rent out but will likely discontinue once the need for our (through-way) pasture to another parcel is no longer existing, and then there's 15 wooded acres which are on two hills which come together behind the location where we want to build. We plan on having about 1.5 acres of seeded lawn around the house and then the equivalent of a half acre of lawn on either side of the drive. I'm going to need a good mower, and a good utility for snow removal and other odd jobs. We're in WI where winters can be harsh so an enclosed cab with a heater.

Here's what I'm thinking, tell me if I'm on the right track: Either a Case or a Bobcat skid steer with a heated cab (all items mentioned used unless advized against it) OR a 4x4 truck with a plow blade and winch system. No idea on a mower yet but I'm starting to look into it among all the other things associated with building a home in the country.

Thanks in advance!

B

 

[GManBart]

First off, welcome to TBN!

Second, I'm not sure that a skid steer is a good/direct comparison to a truck and plow setup. Pickups with plows are great (I have one), but in places that can get a lot of snow like WI, you run out of places to push the snow pretty quickly. In short, your driveway gets more narrow, and shorter, each time it snows. Once you've set the banks or piles, you can't move them later with the truck/plow. The one thing they do very well is move a lot of snow quickly. I can plow my 300ft driveway, and my neighbor's 500' (extra wide) driveway in something like 20 minutes. With that said, I'm looking at pull type snow throwers for my tractor....they aren't quite as fast, but the snow is moved far enough that you never have to deal with it more than once.

For mowing the 2 acres of grass, a good zero turn mower with something like a 60" cutting width will usually be the fastest setup, and give the best cut quality.

If you're going to be doing much of the work/prep work for the construction of the house, a skid steer, or even a decent backhoe would probably give you more flexibility in the long run.

 

[Egon]

Best be wandering around the dealerships looking at all the equipment. Look hard at your needs. They keep changing as time goes on. Don't rush but look lots. Shopping is fun!

 

[XMS]

We have similar needs.

We put nice looking stamped concrete near the house on a huge pad, then leave the gravel to the end of the drive, where more concrete sits as a landing pad. Works pretty well for us and saves cash. Also, we get hot in the summer and the blacktop is not something we wanted. It stinks, and the chemical residue gets into your house, even if you don't see it. That's a personal thing, I guess. In any case, the gravel looks nice, especially as the grass has grown up the middle of it. After a few years of adding stone, everything settled nice. It would be hard to plow, though, and you probably don't want a snow thrower to eat the rocks. I just push the snow with the tractor set high and leave a few inches that the vehicles crush and turn to ice. Just like we did in Upstate NY.

We do our lawn with a mower. I had a riding mower, but it sat unused when I was a traveling bachelor (a few years back), so my brother took it. Travel meant a lawn service company. Today we have a small gas push mower we use, and it's nice exercise for us. We actually chose the push mower over the rider, just so we can walk around more. Your mileage may vary. I would never suggest a heavy tractor with a mower deck for a residential lawn, unless you want to destroy it. Get a cheap Home Depot rider, instead - or a push mower for the ten days of summer you guys get in WI.

As for working the woods or the fields, a skid steer would tear things up, fast. Small wheels, a heavy chassis and very little ground clearance all add up to regret. My neighbor bought one used, and cannot take it off his paved drive because it'll destroy his lawn or get stuck in the woods. And boy do you feel bumps in those things.

For you, I think a truck is an absolute, followed by the lawnmower and then followed by a tractor. That pretty much sums up our existence.

 

[LD1]

For you, I think a truck is an absolute, followed by the lawnmower and then followed by a tractor. That pretty much sums up our existence.

I'll second this.

For a long drive, a truck and plow will be fastest. For only 2 acres, take your pick of mowers. Anything from a cheap rider to a $10k ZTR will get the job done.

I agree bout the skidloader too. I wouldnt want one in a hilly woods for reasons already mentioned.

Get a ~30-40HP tractor would be about right. bushhog for the pastures, FEL for working in the woods and moving stuff.

 

[XMS]

One more thing that I have, you are going to want: Central Boiler Wood Gasification Hydronic Boiler

I load it and poke it in the morning and at night. Saves me $5K in heating and has very little or no smoke. Will pay for itself in five years. In WI, that would probably be shorter for the payoff because your winters are colder and longer than mine. That said, last winter was a cold one and this one will be just as bad, judging how cool our summer was.

We run the house warmer than previous years, and save cash. We do forced-air exchange through two existing propane furnaces, heat hot water and 1400 foot of stone tile in the kitchen and hallways. Our baby would roll mostly naked on the stone tile in the kitchen, in the dead of winter, because the floor was a cozy 90 degrees.

Use that tractor to mine those 15 acres of trees for heat. I have just as many acres of trees and most of what I need falls on its own, or I just pick the next big loser (tree about to fall) and drag it to an area where we slice, dice and Ginsu the wood. Dump it in a pile and stack it in summer. It's great exercise, too. My wife used to pay personal trainers in Los Angeles for those workouts. So I'm double-saving!

 

[GManBart]

For a long drive, a truck and plow will be fastest.

I agree bout the skidloader too. I wouldnt want one in a hilly woods for reasons already mentioned.

Yeah, a plow is great...the first time it snows. After that, you can quickly run out of places to put it. I have a plow for my truck, and there's a reason why I'm shopping for pull-type snow throwers for my tractor. A truck and plow just aren't as good when you get a lot of snow....and the OP probably gets a lot more in WI than folks in OH do.

Skid steers on tracks solve the problem of small tires and heavy loading. My neighbor's is a T200 and is an absolute beast...I've used it in my woods, and all around my property, and it didn't have any issues with ground clearance, or tearing anything up. It does have a bit of a bumpy ride, but it didn't seem to bother me much. It's not perfect, but nothing else is either.

 

[LD1]

Actually, where he is in WI, they dont get that much. 44" per year.

Bout the same as where I live. I live about half way between columbus oh, which gets 26, and mansfield, which gets 48". And plow in both those cities.

Its all about planning. Using a plow, you have to plan ahead and get the snow far enough out of the way each pass. Now if we were talking somwhere that gets 100+" a year or more, I would change my recommendation. But 44" a year wouldnt justify a blower IMO. There may only be once every several years where it would be better than a plow. But the rest of the time, it will be alot slower, especially with a 900' drive. But to each his own.

 

[GManBart]

Its all about planning. Using a plow, you have to plan ahead and get the snow far enough out of the way each pass. Now if we were talking somwhere that gets 100+" a year or more, I would change my recommendation. But 44" a year wouldnt justify a blower IMO. There may only be once every several years where it would be better than a plow. But the rest of the time, it will be alot slower, especially with a 900' drive. But to each his own.

Yep, I tried doing that last year, and still ran out of places to push it....had to move the banks back with the FEL bucket.

I'm not seeing the huge time savings though. If someone has a 6-7' blower, that means one pass up,and one pass back to be done. That total of 1,800ft will only take 10 minutes going only 2mph, which seems reasonable. Sure, it might only be 5 minutes with a plow, but that's pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of storm cleanup.

I don't have a dog in the fight....I have a plow, an 8' back blade, and I'm getting a blower....all bases covered ;-)

 

[Fossil Farm]

I have always used a tractor (30 to 45 HP) and a back blade to plow snow. We have a grassy area deep enough to push all the snow off the driveway and turn-around into. One neighbor has a long concrete driveway, uses a pickup and a blade. He just plows through (north-south driveway) leaving snow on both sides of the drive and it just blows right back in. My long time friend and still farming neighbor also has a long driveway, but also uses a tractor and back blade. Pushes all the snow to the east and has no problem. Both neighbors have no trees on either side of the drive.

A couple points to consider - Build your driveway higher than the existing ground if possible (just a few inches is fine) so snow will blow off and not "settle" into it if it is low.
If you plant trees near the drive, be sure to think of where snow will drift before planting them.
Keep a few "open" areas to push snow into along the drive depending on your land use. Of course it depends on the orientation of the drive (east-west or north-south) and
the direction of the prevailing winds.

Of course budget has a lot to do with it also. As I get older, a cab tractor would be nice, but an hour or so plowing the drive and the farm lane is not too bad, even on windy days as long as I bundle up and have my warm boots on. It also depends on how early you have to leave for work. If you (and/or your wife) have to leave really early, a truck and plow may be the best bet.

Good luck. Enjoy.