Tractor for mountain property

[coolbrze]

Hi - I'm purchasing a piece of property in the mountains & am thinking of a new tractor for the property. For a hilly/mountainous property, do you recommend a manual or an automatic? It would be used both at the steep mountain property (pushing snow, raking the driveway, bush-hogging trails, moving logs, etc.) & also on my farm which is mostly flat ground. Anything else I should consider?

 

[coldsteelva]

In my opinion, hydrostatic is much easier than a geared transmission when it comes to finer operating control in non-level terrain. Seeing as you are in NoVA like me, our 'mountains' are generally just big hills (as compared to Rockies and Sierras). How steep is the grade? Do you only need to maintain drive access or are we talking wooded trails?

Folks here swear by their Power-Tracs for hilly terrain, but I don't know enough about them other than they are right here in VA. Power Trac

 

[Otgaugres]

I agree hydrostatic would be a good option. I'm on my third hydrostatic John Deere and have no regrets. My latest 4066R has an operator panel adjustment of the "sensitivity" of the HST. Essentially, it allows the operator to fine tune the acceleration and braking when pushing or letting off the HST pedal. Essentially, with braking in particular you can adjust from a gentle roll out to almost instantaneous stopping. That could be a nice advantage working on steep grades.

 

[jeff9366]

Your heavy chassis Kubota Grand L - L3010 should be fine on slopes.

Fill the rear tires 3/4 with liquid to lower the tractor's center of gravity. Set the adjustable wheel width to its widest adjustment. You should be ready for any reasonable slopes. With R1/ag tires the rear wheel spread can be v-e-r-y wide. (Potential rear wheel spread widths are shown in your Kubota Operator's Manual.)

(These are the two key recommendations for preparing all traditional tractors for work on slopes.)

Also desirable features for slopes are heavy tractor chassis weight relative to width and 4-WD. Your L3010 has both.


Tractors with less than 80-horsepower sold today are about 90% equipped with HST transmissions. The HST has max torque starting a pull, which is ideal for slopes. Few would argue that HST today is more trouble free than any type of gear transmission and Kubota HSTs have a very good reputation, probably the best in the tractor industry.




A Power Trac tractor would be worth considering if you are mechanically adept, as Power Trac has no dealers. Tractors with four equal size wheels are more stable on slopes but lack the pulling power for ground contact work of traditional tractors with large rear wheels providing mechanical advantage and greater traction on level ground. Implements mostly work off the front, rather than the rear of tractors with four equal size wheels.

 

[CobyRupert]

Fill the rear tires 3/4 with liquid to lower the tractor's center of gravity and set the adjustable wheel width a its widest adjustment and you should be ready for any reasonable slopes. (These are the two key conditions recommended for preparing all traditional tractors for work on slopes.)

:thumbsup:

Let me add fuel to the gear -vs- hydro debate :stirthepot:: On sidehills, as well as mud, I've gotten into situations where it's been necessary to use individual rear brakes to turn, otherwise you just keep sliding downhill, or continue "crab walking" regardless of how you're steering. I've heard that unless you use cruise control tricks, some hydros make are difficult to steer using the brakes.

 

[oosik]

I've had both manual (Ford 4WD 1700) and Hydraulic Shuttle Transmission (Kubota 4WD M6040) here on the property. Both worked fine and you soon learn the finer points of operation with each type transmission.

I think many favor the HST type because there is less of a need for the clutch. I certainly would not make "transmission type" a go/no go situation in considering a good deal on any tractor.

 

[TerryR]

I live in similar territory in the mountains of western North Carolina, at 3500 ft.

Pushing snow, grading my steep gravel driveway, chipping downed limbs, and twice-a-year mowing of a pretty steep field are the main tasks for my tractor. It's a gear JD 870, which performs perfectly for my use.

The only time I've considered that a HST might be useful is when mowing, so I could more precisely set the ground speed to the maximum for the conditions. But I have to use the steering brakes on corners because of the hillside and I'm not sure how easy it is to use the steering brakes while starting from a standstill with an HST.

I agree with Jeff that setting the wheels as wide as possible and loading the tires are key for mountain use.

 

[abeal]

Where in the mountains? I have a place in Highland County VA - definitely mountains up there. Have an L3200 and M5640 there - M5640 is generally used for mowing but the L is used for everything from trail and driveway maintenance, food plots and whatever else is needed. I would definitely say HST in the mountains. And also have them place wheels at the widest option. Have had a couple close calls on the L - it's a little top heavy to begin with.

 

[/pine]

...HST today is more trouble free than any type of gear transmission...

What?...I realize there are a lot more HST compact tractors represented here than gear drive tractors...BUT...you almost never see a post in regard to a gear drive tractor...where on the other hand there is a steady stream of both minor and major issues with HST machines...

 

[houstonscott]

Hi - I'm purchasing a piece of property in the mountains & am thinking of a new tractor for the property. For a hilly/mountainous property, do you recommend a manual or an automatic? It would be used both at the steep mountain property (pushing snow, raking the driveway, bush-hogging trails, moving logs, etc.) & also on my farm which is mostly flat ground. Anything else I should consider?

smallest NH with tracks.

 

[Thomas]

If I,I would lean towards HST,all four tires loaded and not R4 tires...good set tire chains just in case.

 

[fishheadbob]

I have a gear drive and a hydrostat, both work fine and have been trouble free. The 23 hp hydrostat is on a smaller tractor used mostly for mowing, the gear drive is on a 50 hp utility for heavier work.
You would get better answers if readers had an idea what size properties you are on and what your plans are for the properties.

 

[houstonscott]

Here you go...

 

[JamesF]

I have manual shuttle shift on my CUT I use on sloped property and have no issues. The more important thing is water in the tires and 4wd. The hydrostatic transmission would have cost me $2000 more and I'd rather have the money saved for more attachments.

 

[Teachu2]

I'm near JamesF, and went with a manual shift. My right knee was having issues at the time, and holding a HST pedal steady was painful. Got a partial knee replacement, but still prefer the manual for my rather rugged property. It just works for me. The split brakes get some use.

I got the last of the manual shift pre-Tier IV units. It's a no-frills model, but it gets the jobs done. The wife can't drive it comfortably - is that a bad thing?

 

[arrow]

Here you go...

Tank you. I want one and I have little hills.

 

[LouNY]

everyone has missed one big advantage of a gear tractor, if you are in a steep slippery rough spot and need to get off your tractor
to do anything, on a hydro you are relying on your brake lock to hold your tractor a gear tractor can be placed in its lowest gear
shut off and it will not move, no brake is going to jump loose or slip off.

 

[Snobdds]

everyone has missed one big advantage of a gear tractor, if you are in a steep slippery rough spot and need to get off your tractor
to do anything, on a hydro you are relying on your brake lock to hold your tractor a gear tractor can be placed in its lowest gear
shut off and it will not move, no brake is going to jump loose or slip off.

That is a valid point. I know I rely on my brake more than I should.

 

[MossRoad]

Tractors with four equal size wheels are more stable on slopes but lack the pulling power for ground contact work of traditional tractors with large rear wheels providing mechanical advantage and greater traction on level ground.

If that were true, you'd never see tractors like this in farm fields...

 

[MossRoad]

To the OP.... how steep of slopes are you talking about and what tasks do you want to accomplish on those slopes?

Power Tracs aren't ideal for tasks such as plowing fields and stump pulling. They are ideal for tasks like mowing, snow plowing, front end loader, post hole digging, post pounding, material handling, etc... but not pulling like traditional tractors. They make slope machines that will handle 45 degree slopes.... that's 10' up in 10' forward!

Anyhow, you need to decide your tasks before deciding on a machine or two.