Two Questions

[IrTxRx]

I am just beginning the search for a new tractor. Visited my first dealer on Friday. I have no preference for color yet (Let's see, represented on TBN there is green, blue, orange, orange, red,red,red???) and believe that for my planned uses and acreage i will need a 35-40HP tractor.

Question #1 In most brands, it seems that there is a difference in frame size between the approx 35 and approx 40 HP variety. Would you rather have the highest HP in a smaller frame tractor or the lowest Hp in a larger frame.

Question #2 A couple of days ago there was a thread titled "weight distribution" which discussed that maybe CUT's were not designed for what MOSTof us used them for the MOST(e.g. FEL work with back tires lifting off the ground). Should I be considering a Bobcat style mahcine with loader and brushcat attatchment instead of a CUT for the mowing, dirt moving, brush handleing and road maintnenance I will be doing in the near future?

BTW, I have been very impressed with the thoughtfullness of members replies, forgiving nature towards all of us newbies and good natured /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif "crow-eating" when necessary.

Thanks in advance

 

[BigAl]

Road grading with a skid steer would be kinda tough . The longer wheel base CUT will provide a better job . I have the DK45TLB Kioti which is a little more for heavy duty use . They also make a DK35 that is very nice . I was going with a DK35 but after talking with some of the old boys on here, decided on a DK45 . I have 46 Acres . Sounds like you are planning to do what I do with mine .
There are lots of good brands out there to look at depending on what you want to do . Transmission choices too ! I think I would stay away from the gray market brands if you don't have lots of Mechanic experience . A good support dealer is a must . Something will break eventually and you will need a replacement part .
So the fun begins ! Get out there and try a few at the dealerships . Once you settle on two or three choices check out the different forums on here and talk with guys that own then and get their "hands on" opinion . They can also help make sure your getting one for a fair price and not getting dazzled my all that pretty paint and neat attachments .Good luck and you came to the right place for help .
Big Al

 

[Gatorboy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Road grading with a skid steer would be kinda tough )</font>

I'm not exactly sure what would make grading a road with a skidsteer so tough? With my skidsteer, I tilt the bucket downwards, put it in float and back drag it smooth. Am I missing something? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[Poppa]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Question #2 A couple of days ago there was a thread titled "weight distribution" which discussed that maybe CUT's were not designed for what MOSTof us used them for the MOST(e.g. FEL work with back tires lifting off the ground). Should I be considering a Bobcat style mahcine with loader and brushcat attatchment instead of a CUT for the mowing, dirt moving, brush handleing and road maintnenance I will be doing in the near future?
)</font>

Tractor VS Skidsteer

IrTxRx: I (hopefully) added a link to one of the many discussions on tractor vs skidsteer. If there isn't enough info their, just search for others cause that discussion comes up almost as often as what to load your tires with /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I will say this though, I have raised the feasibility of the cuts handling the loader work and the more I think about it the more I think that they will handle it just fine. Please note all the "I's" in that statement because I have no "Evidence" that that statement is true.

Can you or anyone else over do it on the CUT with the FEL? Sure but you can overdo anything so that doesn't count as an argument against them. I think (note the I again) that as long as you are aware of what the Manufacturer recommends as far as FEL load weights then the tractor should do just fine. I do know that around here there are a lot of old tractors w/ FEL and for the most part they don't seem to have suffered for it.

Mike

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Would you rather have the highest HP in a smaller frame tractor or the lowest Hp in a larger frame. )</font>

Depends on what kind of work I planned to do with it, how much space I had to work in, which one was most "comfortable" and what the price difference was (both for the tractor and for properly sized implements). /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( maybe CUT's were not designed for what MOSTof us used them for the MOST(e.g. FEL work with back tires lifting off the ground). )</font>

Maybe that word "maybe" is the operative word here. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif You have to remember to kind of sort out "fact" from "opinion" in the discussions; sometimes that's clear from the context of a post and sometimes it may not be. In my opinion /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif, IF all you're going to do is use the front end loader, I'd agree that there are better machines made for that specific purpose, but for all round work on the farm; hard to beat a conventional "tractor". They do require a little careful use because it's easy to turn one over, and most of us want all the power we can get with that front end loader, so that means the back wheels may sometimes come off the ground unless we add fluid to tires, wheel weights, and/or counterweights on the 3-point hitch, so it's certainly not an insurmountable problem.

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Should I be considering a Bobcat style mahcine with loader and brushcat attatchment instead of a CUT for the mowing, dirt moving, brush handleing and road maintnenance I will be doing in the near future? )</font>

In my opinion, probably not. But that's the reason they make so many different machines; it mostly depends on YOUR preference.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

First, I would like to read what you are planning on doing before I make any recommendation. You stated that you believe you need something in the 35-40hp range, but we don't know if that is too big, too small or just right based on what you are planning to do unless you tell us your needs.

Second, I would strongly urge you to consider the Power Trac line of equipment. I don't own one, and as a matter of fact just ruled out buying one, but I ruled it out based on my needs. If you don't have any equipment/implements yet, then Power Trac is a very viable option. It is a better FEL than a CUT and it is a better mower than a Skid Steer, while probably being about the same in mowing ability as a CUT. Again, I don't know what size equipment you need, but if you are thinking a traditional tractor might not be your best choice, then you should consider the NON-traditional tractors made by PT.

 

[BigAl]

Hi Dave ,
What I meant to say ,was with the longer wheel base a CUT is easy to use to grade a road ,for a beginner . "Back dragging" with a skid steer front bucket or blade is one thing . Actually recrowning or rebuilding a gravel road is much easier with a rear blade or box blade on a CUT . Of course the best tractor to grade a road is a small road grader or Gradall .
In "No Way" did I mean to insult all the skid steer owners out there . This is just my opinion after running heavy equipment for 30 plus years and my opinion and ten cents will get you exactly uh ,hmmm, oh yea, ! ten cents . /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Big Al

 

[Soundguy]

Let me tell you.. If you ever brush mow with a skid steer.. you will probbaly hunt the salesman down and throttle him... Like the others said.. routine road maintenance isn't super easy either... skid sters are prone to getting stuck in areas that tractors traditionally don't.. vs/vs skid steers are generally better loaders than tractors .. especially in cramped quarters..

Weight is one of those things on a tractor where you want to know what you will be doing with a tractor... A tractors HP at the wheel is useless if the tractor is so light that the tire spins easilly.. thus a heavier tractor makes better use on hp a tthe wheels. However say you were using a tractor for a stationary power unit most of the time.. like at a hunting camp.. and then only used it for other incedental light duties.. you may want a larger power unit.. and the hp to the PTO is more important for things like a tiller / gennerator.. etc.

As long as you have the room to turn it around.. generally idea is to get as big as you can afford...

Soundguy

 

[IrTxRx]

Poppa, thanks for the discussion link. Sorry, I missed it /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif!

Bob_Surka - Shredding 10 acres sloping down to creek, finish mowing 3 acres, 2000 feet of driveway to maintain, Narrow pond in bottom of creek to clean out during dry seasons (30' wide by 200' long), lots of juniper to cut down and pile and I will need to run a serious heavy duty PTO chipper (hydraulic feed a safety must for me) to handle lots and lots of piled juniper brush. No real dirt agriculture other than a planned garden, but lots of post hole digging for fencing and tree planting.

Oh yeah! Driving down our country road and making my neighbors jealous.

BTW, I will check out power-trac, but am most unfamiliar with them and have never seen one in our area.

Anyone a dealer?

Thanks again everyone

 

[Mark4510]

IrTxRx,
My first few thoughts are dealer, dealer and dealer. Having said that I keep about 600' of gravel road cleaned up, keep our horse arena in good shape, keep the native grasses knocked down(fire hazard), brush piles built (and burned in the winter), keep pastures in shape and am putting in a couple of 1 acre fenced pastures.

For my money a JD 4510, 4610,4710 along with a FEL w/toothbar, box scraper w/ top n tilt, and an auger would probably get it done based on your comments.

I could not be happier with what I have except I still need to get a toothbar and the auger.

Have fun and when you make the purchase reply back with pictures.

Mark

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Power Trac only sells factory direct. No dealers. The company has been building deep tunnel mining equipment for years under another company division. Their Power Trac stuff is for homeowners, landscapers and other business/industrial applications outside of the mining industry. The technology is well proven and reliable. Their tractors have the driver sitting forward, engine in the rear and articulated bodies that hinge in the middle. 4 wheel drive, simple mechanisms, very versitile and high quality . . . odd looking.

Power Trac has the best fence hole equipment in the world, fencing companies swear by PT equipment. They have similar tree planting augers as well. Rear mount augers to fit any other brand of tractor are available, but if you have A LOT to plant or fence, then PT will win a speed contest hands down. PT will probably dig 4 to 6 fence posts for every 1 you can dig with a rear mount auger on a traditional tractor.

Shredding 10 acres . . . by shredding I presume you are talking about "rough cutting" so 30 to 40hp seems about right if you are doing it a couple times a year, but if plan on doing it more often then you could go to a smaller tractor and simply maintain it. It will take longer, but . . .

Finish mowing 3 acres . . . this is too small of a property for a 30 to 40hp tractor in my opinion for finish mowing. I would opt for nothing larger than a NH TC29, Kubota B2910 or similar SIZE tractor. Go much bigger and you will have wider turns making mowing around any landscaping a real chore with lots of wasted time while mowing. I'd prefer an even smaller tractor a lot more because while the deck size will go down, the turning radius will also be smaller making much shorter work around buildings, trees, bushes, etc. So for this, a smaller tractor will make mowing faster.

2000 feet of driveway . . . OK 30 to 40hp sounds good.

Creek to clean out during dry seasons . . . any size will do this, the job is fairly small, no big deal here.

Serious HD PTO chipper . . . why not just burn the piles? I have a chipper. JUST MY OPINION, but it was not worth the investment.

 

[IrTxRx]

Bob_Surka - Power-trac website is down (or maybe I can't access it at work...slow day) but I am interested in something a little out of the ordinary if it is functional and not cost prohibitive. Re: burning - there are lots of reasons for me that burning is not the best... fire risk, you have to burn a cedar pile about four times before it is gone, and I can only work a few hours at a time before other obligations start to interrupt (it's a lot easier to walk away from a large pile of mulch than a large pile of burning brush. However, I agree about limited utility of an undersized chipper. I rented one and it wasn't as well serviced as it should have been, so it was very slow going. Anyway, I had hoped that I could purchase a serious one and sell it in a few years after I had the majority of my big chipping done.

BTW it would also be nice to have one of those tree shears, but I have to be careful not to spend more on implements than i do on the tractor.

Again, thanks for the insight

 

[Bob_Skurka]

I can't access POWER TRAC's website either. It must be down.

Mind you I am not pushing their equipment, but it is well worth a look if you are looking to buy a tractor and implements. The stuff seems pretty much bullet proof and functional.

I will say I did look at their stuff over the past few months and decided NOT to buy it, but that is because I am looking for a small tractor that will be PRIMARILY a lawn mower as I already have other CUTs and implements. PT equipment is basically designed as a versitile tractor FIRST and a lawn mower is one of their options, but not a primary focus. I want an absolutely great lawn mower, and the versitility is a minimal issue for me. But when I first looked at the PT stuff I was NOT impressed. The more I looked at it, the more impressive I found PT to be.

 

[frank_f15]

I am not even going to suggest what tractor/skid steer u should get. I hink the best thing for u to do is visit many dealers, climb on the units and try them out, be they tractors or skid steers.. but from what u stated i think u might be well advised to seriously consider the CUT or UTILITY tractor.

 

[texbaylea]

IrTxRx, Looking at your posts, we have similar problems. I have 30 acres with a lot of juniper and yaupon to clear. About 3-4 acres that I finish mow and a new driveway to build. Now that I have finished my income tax iI will place an order for a Kubota L3130 with a LA723 Loader with Quick Attach option and 1 rear remote valve. I already have a Woods 5000 Chipper/Shredder which works great since I hire manual help to run the cut brush through it. I don't want to burn because of the fire risk and the fact a fair amount of poison oak/ivy is included. I am not alergic normally but the smoke will give anybody a serious case.

I plan to get a Hy-Reach Clipper to use off the FEL to be sold later when I get all the clearing done.

 

[MossRoad]

Welcome to TBN! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I'm partial to finding the frame size that I like, then getting the most powerful engine available for that frame size.