Suggestions for tractor loader

[jfkid]

Hi! Long time lurker could use your advice:
I will be building a home soon with 1/2 mile driveway. I plan to contract out the home build but will plan to do all the landscaping after construction myself. Also will plan to snowplow out the driveway an average of 2-3 times a year. I am thinking that a compact or full size backhoe loader would be ideal. A Deere 110 or Yanmar CBL40. Is there some similar tractor loaders that were loaders without the backhoe? Can I save some money that way without sacrificing loader performance?
I can borrow a 5 ton mini excavator, 4 ton dozer, farm tractor with 3 point & pto, and a single axel dump truck. I’m in Eastern Washington.
Thanks for any ideas or advice!

 

[m1garand762]

Please provide more details. What works for all of us may not work for you you may need a subcompact or you may need a 60 horse machine without better clarity the repsponse will be all over the place

 

[dodge man]

Something like a JD110 is a nice sized machine. Kubota also makes some construction grade machines in 3 different sizes. It might be something to keep for a few years and then sell and get a regular tractor.

Do you plan on mowing with it, handle brush and firewood? Till and plant a garden? Build fences? All that will affect your long term solution.

 

[MossRoad]

Hi! Long time lurker could use your advice:
I will be building a home soon with 1/2 mile driveway. I plan to contract out the home build but will plan to do all the landscaping after construction myself. Also will plan to snowplow out the driveway an average of 2-3 times a year. I am thinking that a compact or full size backhoe loader would be ideal. A Deere 110 or Yanmar CBL40. Is there some similar tractor loaders that were loaders without the backhoe? Can I save some money that way without sacrificing loader performance?
I can borrow a 5 ton mini excavator, 4 ton dozer, farm tractor with 3 point & pto, and a single axel dump truck. I’m in Eastern Washington.
Thanks for any ideas or advice!

A true tractor loader is a rare beast. It's a permanently mounted front end loader on a tractor with a 3pt hitch. The loader is not removable easily. I had one. A mid-late 70's International IH2500B. It was an industrial unit, not an agricultural unit. Other than being 2wd (did not like my sandy soils), it was a really good option for a machine. It was built to take the abuse of a front end loader. The front axle was beefier. It was a low tractor. You straddled the transmission hump. So it was not a walk-through operator's station. You had to climb over it. It was also 8000#. The 3pt was the exact as it's agricultural counterpart, the IH574. It had draft control, as well as position and depth control.

I don't know that anyone makes a true tractor loader anymore.

 

[MossRoad]

Mine was almost identical to this photo from tractordata, but yellow.

 

[wolc123]

My suggestion would be to skip the backhoe and just get yourself a CUT with a loader. Those are basically just toys if you have access to a real excavator. If you can find a pre tier-4, low-hour, 45ish hp model with low hours, I would take that over a new one any day. Set it up with loaded rear R-1 tires, a block heater, and a back blade and you will have a snow clearing beast.

Something like this 1000 hour, 2005 John Deere 4120 would be perfect:

 

[Jchonline]

If you have access to a 5 ton MiniEX not sure you need a backhoe. How many acres are you managing? I have a permanently attached loader only M62, but it is a construction grade machine. Kubota also makes a 26 and 47HP version..but again they are expensive. I got this because I was able to do all of the dirt work for my house build (foundation, trenching, backfill, etc) and most of my property is trees or rocks. No farmland/mowing/plowing.

Lets start with your acreage, then what type of work you expect to do.

So far:

1. snow lowing 2-3 times a year on a 1/2 mile drive. Is it gravel/rock?
2. landscaping for a new home? You can probably rent a weekend machine and finish it all. It also sounds like you have access to what you would need to accomplish this 1 time task.


No mowing, field work? Just trying to get a good idea of the tasks.

 

[MossRoad]

Really, if you're gonna be plowing 1/2 mile of driveway, a plow on a pickup is so much faster, and way more comfortable. Zip out the drive, turn around, then zip back in. Done with the long part in 5 minutes.

 

[Jchonline]

Really, if you're gonna be plowing 1/2 mile of driveway, a plow on a pickup is so much faster, and way more comfortable. Zip out the drive, turn around, then zip back in. Done with the long part in 5 minutes.

I agree. I have a RTV 1100C, heated cab with a Boss V Plow and studded chains. It does great on my 1/4 mile disintegrated granite drive. It sure beats getting pelted with snow on the M62.

 

[jeff9366]

I plan to contract out the home build but will plan to do all the landscaping after construction myself. Also will plan to snowplow out the 1/2 mile driveway an average of 2-3 times a year.


The Deere 110 and Yanmar CBL 40 are construction machines weighing circa 7,000 pounds, ill suited to landscaping and plowing. Well suited to rutting moist soil when the construction machine rolls over it.
$70,000 new.

You need a compact tractor with a bare weight of 2,500 to (probably) 4,000 pounds. Compact tractors within the 2,500 to 4,000 pound weight range ample for five to fifteen 'tractorable' acres.
$25,000 to $40,000 new

Impossible to narrow down the recommendation without more information from you.

How much total acreage do you have? Flat or hilly?

How much of that acreage will you operate a tractor on? Flat or hilly?

What do you intend for above land?

Do you have previous tractor experience?

What is your location?