Tractor or bobcat ?

[Tim M]

I am tryng to decide between a compact tractor and a small track loader. I have a bunch of small trees and large shrubs on my property that I'd like to move over the next year or two. My lot is sloped a bit with very few rocks. I bought one of these:

Dirtworks Tree Shovel (Spade Nose): Bobcat Skid Steer Attachment or Tractor Attachment

and rented a Bobcat T140 track loader. Great combination, more than enough power, but my wife lowered her eye brow a bit at the $34k list price. I also rented the little walk behind MT55 but it did not have enough brass. It was not a lift issue but rather lack of traction/weight to drive the tree shoval into the dirt. (Mt55 is 2700 lbs, T140 is 6600 lbs)

I know I should probably continue to rent the T140 but ... ears plugged "la la la la la la la".

I have been looking for a used T140 or similiar track loader and anything in decent shape is around $25k. ASV RC-30 is probably a bit small as well (2900 lbs). Also, I am not too keen on the hefty track replacement cost.

So I have been considering a Kubota L3400 with 463 FEL (quick attach option for my tree shoval) but, I Can't find any tractor with a quick attach to rent.

My question is will this tractor be able to drive the tree shoval into the ground anything like the T140?

It strikes me that the bobcat's arms/hyd cylinders are made for ramming/digging but the tractor's are probably not?

Although I really do like the track loader I am currently trying to locate a Bobcat S100(tires) to rent. It weighs 4100 lbs and is 33 HP, but again although similiar in weight and HP to the L3400 I suspect it would out perform the tractor in my application.

I also know the track loader will be more stable than a tractor but I am not sure (other than renting and rolling each) how much more.

Any input appreciated.

Thanks,
Tim

 

[montejw]

I have a 30 hp 4wd tractor and I've used skidsteers at work. $24k seems like a lot of cash to move some trees and bushes over the next 2-3 years. Though you didn't say how many needed to be moved.

Skidsteers are great, lots of attachments, fast, etc. One thing about them is that they do tear up the ground more than a tractor would. Yeah, it can turn on itself, but it'll leave a mark, if that's important.

Skidsteers can have limitations on sloped ground too. I've had them sitting on the rear counterweight with a loaded bucket. Partly operator error, partly machine design. You can tip them forward too, keep the bucket low.

Not sure if the tractor you're looking at would push the tree shovel as easily as the skidsteer, but you could probably make it work with a little more effort if it didn't.

 

[teg]

Welcome to TBN... Where are you located? If I had a quick attach, I would let you know if an L2800 would work.... I got some trees to move Depending on soil type, tree & root ball size that you are talking about, it might work.


.

 

[Riddler]

If all you have to do around your place is move a bunch of small trees and shrubs, and that dirt scoop is working, then renting the Bobcat track loader (like you have) makes a whole lot of sense. Now if you had other uses for a tractor, purchasing one would start to look more attractive.

I am no engineer, but a mid or large frame compact tractor with enough weight on it ought to come close enough to the results you've been getting with the rented track loader. I have a TC45 with filled R-4s and a BH attachment on the back most of the time. I suspect that the whole package tips the scales at 7,000 or 8,000 pds. Based on what I have done with a 6' HD loader bucket, I am guessing that I could probably probably bury that pointed dirt bucket rather deeply. I have never worried about the loader's ability to endure some compression stress from the front, and I have never detected even a hint of a problem.

Also, the right used CUT can probably be had for half the price of the track loaders you've been looking into. With the track loader, you pay a premium for high hydraulic capacity, ultra-compact size, skid steer capability and alot of other features that it sounds like you don't really need.

 

[brettliddicoat]

if you dont need the tracks i would stay away from them especily in a used machine the main reason is you can replace a lot of tires before you pay off the track repairs also the tracks are a very rough ride on hard surfaces such as packed gravel cement and i would imagine lawns if they are compacted

the other reason is if where you live you would want to use it for snow tracked machines have to much flotation and there for do not get enough traction on snow

also if you live in wisconsin or near i could talk to the sales person at work and see what i can do right now we dont have a lot of used machines in but during the summer we do

brett

 

[North Dakota]

You should be able to pay a professional tree mover right around $100 a tree. Most likely even less if moving a lot of small trees just from one spot to the next on your own lot.

 

[IslandTractor]

If you were happy with the T140 you could certainly get that sort of FEL performance from a midsized CUT. The T140 has lift capacity rated at 1400lbs. Almost any of the midsized 35-40hp CUTs can match that. For less than $19K I got a Kioti DK40se with 2700lbs lift capacity and it would directly mount the spade bucket you already have. Skid steer QA adapters for the other tractors can be had for between $300-600.

 

[Z-Michigan]

Island - skidsteers are usually rated by safe operating loads (ROC or rated operating capacity) for lift capacity while CUT loaders are usually rated by maximum hydraulic lifting force available. ROC is typically less than half of the hydraulic lifting force available, and a skidsteer rated for 1400lbs may actually be capable of lifting 3000lbs or more, though not necessarily safely. However it can lift 1400lbs safely all day, day after day. The CUT FEL rated for 2000lbs can certainly lift that occasionally but may or may not do well day after day, and likely will require an enormous counterweight on the back end of the tractor (filled tires + a weight box or heavy implement on the 3ph) to safely lift the load, while the skidsteer is ready to go with no added weights. (A few skidsteers have optional rear weights that raise their rated operating capacity slightly.) The CUT's FEL is also limited by hydraulic capacity at the rated weight. I would not recommend using a tractor FEL above maybe 75% of its rated lift capacity (not to be confused with a skidsteer's ROC) and then only with every last ounce of ballast called for by the FEL manual.

While both are fun, they really are two different machines. Skidsteers get stuck in rough fields and are rough riders anywhere. Tractors can't maneuver in tight spaces and are tiresome if loading chores will be done for more than 10-15 minutes a day.

 

[IslandTractor]

Island - skidsteers are usually rated by safe operating loads (ROC or rated operating capacity) for lift capacity while CUT loaders are usually rated by maximum hydraulic lifting force available.

Z- points well taken. However, given the task of using a spade bucket to uproot small trees, I think that the mid sized CUTs would still be sufficient. Perhaps not one with a max lift capacity of 1400lbs as you point out but certainly a 40hp CUT with reasonable loader could manage the tree spade bucket and lift the rootball/tree. Of course you are correct in pointing out the need for counterbalance and that is true for virtually all CUT FEL operations. I appreciate that skidsteers have their strengths and advantages over CUTs but at about half the cost, in this case I think the CUT wins.

 

[Z-Michigan]

On that I agree. And obviously buying either one just for moving some trees once is pretty hard to justify. If that's the main task - keep renting the track loader, or consider renting a backhoe or mini-excavator which might do an even better job. A tractor like the L3400 (or any brand's equivalent) is quite handy and will do a lot of different things, but only if they need to be done! I can't tell exactly how small the trees he's moving are, and it may well be something even a SCUT could do, but I don't know.