Piston
Elite Member
I have posted on here before with some "which tractor to buy" questions and got a lot of very helpful answers. I had eventually settled on a cabbed Kubota 5240 or 5740.
Well recently we had to buy a new car due to a bambi strike totaling our other one, so that took a HUGE portion of the tractor fund away. I'm now down to spending maybe 15-20k or so, at this time less would be preferable.
I am also willing to trade my very mint Harley Davidson towards the purchase of a tractor if the seller is looking for trade.
My wife and I recently acquired (actually in the process of acquiring) 10-20 acres of (family) woodland in NH. The portion we are getting is part of a 50 acre parcel, which is all wooded. I will be maintaining the entire 50 acre parcel after we move up there.
Right now there is no driveway whatsoever. We are planning on a 600-800 foot gravel driveway. I will hire an excavator or bulldozer to do the major site work like the driveway and lot clearing for the house.
My main objectives are:
-Clearing 8"-20" DBH hardwoods for firewood (I currently have a PTO driven winch I will use with the new tractor)
-Skidding log length pines to my sawmill, anywhere from 12"-25" DBH (I also have a heavy duty log arch for logs that are too large to skid)
-Clearing a lot of brush/overgrown blueberry fields to reclaim some fields
-Box blading the driveway
-snow removal
-brush hogging, moving dirt, lifting logs onto the mill
-picking up and moving/clearing a LOT of rocks and rebuilding a LOT of stonewalls
I will also want a root grapple for the FEL for both picking up brush, and loading logs on the mill. I would like a FEL capacity of close to 2,000lbs.
The land is everywhere from level, to gently sloping, to steep. Most of where I will be working is not the steep area. The great majority of trees on the land are of small to medium size.
I have read so many "what to buy" threads that I'm actually getting more and more indecisive. I originally thought I would want the biggest tractor I can afford. I am now thinking the smallest I want to go is around 40pto hp.
After reading more and more, I am starting to think I don't actually NEED that much power, but THINK I want it.
I am hoping to someday have my original choice of a 55hp or so cab tractor with larger capabilities so I am trying to plan for the future by not buying all small implements that I can't use on a larger tractor.
I would like my next tractor to be hydrostatic transmission, definitely 4X4, has to have FEL, and able to do the work I am describing. I see myself wanting a root grapple, pallet forks for FEL (for moving lumber on pallets) possibly a pto log splitter, a heavy duty box blade, a 7' (roughly) brush hog, and maybe a pto snowblower. I don't have to have these all right away.
I would like to start with NH, Kubota, or JD to start my searching, but which models do I start looking at in this range. I don't want a B series kubota or any other that small, whether it will do the job or not. I will tow the tractor with a F-350 diesel. Obviously I am looking at used tractors in this price range, probably '02 to '05 I'm thinking.
It is very likely that the tractor I end up buying won't have forward hydraulics. Is it difficult or overly pricey to add forward hydraulics to run the grapple?
I also have an old Dynahoe backhoe for digging, so I don't need a backhoe attachment.
I am not against other brands but do want a well established brand, I want to start with the big 3 first so I don't get overwhelmed by the amount of choices out there
I'm sure I forgot things and you guys will remind me when you need more info but I did my best.
Well recently we had to buy a new car due to a bambi strike totaling our other one, so that took a HUGE portion of the tractor fund away. I'm now down to spending maybe 15-20k or so, at this time less would be preferable.
I am also willing to trade my very mint Harley Davidson towards the purchase of a tractor if the seller is looking for trade.
My wife and I recently acquired (actually in the process of acquiring) 10-20 acres of (family) woodland in NH. The portion we are getting is part of a 50 acre parcel, which is all wooded. I will be maintaining the entire 50 acre parcel after we move up there.
Right now there is no driveway whatsoever. We are planning on a 600-800 foot gravel driveway. I will hire an excavator or bulldozer to do the major site work like the driveway and lot clearing for the house.
My main objectives are:
-Clearing 8"-20" DBH hardwoods for firewood (I currently have a PTO driven winch I will use with the new tractor)
-Skidding log length pines to my sawmill, anywhere from 12"-25" DBH (I also have a heavy duty log arch for logs that are too large to skid)
-Clearing a lot of brush/overgrown blueberry fields to reclaim some fields
-Box blading the driveway
-snow removal
-brush hogging, moving dirt, lifting logs onto the mill
-picking up and moving/clearing a LOT of rocks and rebuilding a LOT of stonewalls
I will also want a root grapple for the FEL for both picking up brush, and loading logs on the mill. I would like a FEL capacity of close to 2,000lbs.
The land is everywhere from level, to gently sloping, to steep. Most of where I will be working is not the steep area. The great majority of trees on the land are of small to medium size.
I have read so many "what to buy" threads that I'm actually getting more and more indecisive. I originally thought I would want the biggest tractor I can afford. I am now thinking the smallest I want to go is around 40pto hp.
After reading more and more, I am starting to think I don't actually NEED that much power, but THINK I want it.
I am hoping to someday have my original choice of a 55hp or so cab tractor with larger capabilities so I am trying to plan for the future by not buying all small implements that I can't use on a larger tractor.
I would like my next tractor to be hydrostatic transmission, definitely 4X4, has to have FEL, and able to do the work I am describing. I see myself wanting a root grapple, pallet forks for FEL (for moving lumber on pallets) possibly a pto log splitter, a heavy duty box blade, a 7' (roughly) brush hog, and maybe a pto snowblower. I don't have to have these all right away.
I would like to start with NH, Kubota, or JD to start my searching, but which models do I start looking at in this range. I don't want a B series kubota or any other that small, whether it will do the job or not. I will tow the tractor with a F-350 diesel. Obviously I am looking at used tractors in this price range, probably '02 to '05 I'm thinking.
It is very likely that the tractor I end up buying won't have forward hydraulics. Is it difficult or overly pricey to add forward hydraulics to run the grapple?
I also have an old Dynahoe backhoe for digging, so I don't need a backhoe attachment.
I am not against other brands but do want a well established brand, I want to start with the big 3 first so I don't get overwhelmed by the amount of choices out there
I'm sure I forgot things and you guys will remind me when you need more info but I did my best.