Tractor Sizing Advice on tractor selection?

[rustythread]

Just found nearby Kubota dealer with a Kubota L3500 TLB listed at $20K. Maybe a bit small at 37 HP, but sounds like it would be workable if I contract out the clearing or am willin to take longer at it. Will try to get up there to look at it Monday or Tuesday. Woould greatly appreciate any suggestions on how to look and what specific items to look for/ ask about regarding condition, maintenance records, clues to defects or pending problems, etc.

Piston: mill is an LT28 with deck package, and about 60 hours on it.

TIA

 

[joshuabardwell]

Joshua,
Excellent writeup! I would add though that you can still adjust the width of the R4 tires to get a wider/narrower stance.

You mean with spacers? I was referring to the ability to flip the rims inside out to set the stance. Or is there something else about R4's that I'm missing?

Another thing I forgot was that some backhoes are PTO driven, with their own hydraulic reservoir and motor. As a result, they can be used on any tractor with a 3ph, no rear remotes or power beyond port required. This may be a big deal to the OP. I have no information about comparing these to ones that run off the tractor's hydraulics.

 

[ascurtis]

The only addition I'd make to everything here is to make sure that the tractor will fit undercover. My JD 4320 goes beautifully in my 2-car garage if I drop the ROP. This gives me good flexibility for servicing the machine at home in a heated space and clearing snow in the winter. Maybe I missed this also, but buy Hydro and 4-wheel drive.
Adrian

 

[rustythread]

With the backhoe on, and with-or-without a 4-post canopied ROP, I/m gonna have to figure ona bout a 12' high door to the machine shed when it's built. I'll figure on making the door about 10-12 feet wide as well, to make room for backing things in, etc.

Went and looked at the used L35, and thought about the marginal HP in relation to what I'm likely to have to pull and lift over the coming years harvesting treees and clearing blow-downs (hope there's a good overlap there!). The salesman is putting together a proposal on a new M59, altho I warned him I may be out of budget before he's out of options, and that I'm still looking around.
I had originally thought about just going with a tractor with a folding ROP, but thinking about dead limbs dropping makes me think seriously about at least slowing them down with a canopy

Re HP and weight--I noticed in the brochures and in lookoing at the "build-your-kubota" site that the MX5100 4WD with 8F/8R geared trans has HP of 52/50 gross / net, is bout $12K less that the M59 is likely to price out with what I want. The M59 is HST-only, which the salesman says will give anactual drop in HP of closer to 12-13 HP. HST does not particularly thrill me, and the wasted HP is a consideration.
I'm having trouble finding comparable weights. The M59 brochure says it weighs 8,344 with BH and FEL; the MX5100 brochure gives only the tractor weight of 3,620 but does not list the weights of either the BH92 or the LA844 loader. If the MX5100 comes out significantly lighter than the M59, what kind of a difference does it really make in performance, given the availability of filled tires or ballast of various types?
What are the odds that the salesman is trying to steer me to the M59 purely because of additional profits / commissions over the MX5100?
Anybody know of any advantages / disadvantages to the MX5100 vs the M59?
TIA

 

[leonz]

Good mornin'!
Relative newbie here, with a lot of ignorance. Could use some advise re selection of a mid-sized TLB; here's the situation:

I'm about to retire from my day (office) job and start preparing to build house and barn, etc, out in the woods. I have 120 acres of hills and trees, and will have to start clearing building site as soon as I get equipment. Trees are mostly hardwood, predominantly white oaks, and up to 60+ feet tall; it's been 20 years since the last harvest. Once the construction clearing is done, I'll have as much work as I can handle clearing up blow-downs, doing TSI, and occasionally harvesting. I'm contemplating pushing over the trees in the potential building area, since the stumps will have to come out anyway. Logs will be either worked up on site for lumber or sold at roadside, depending on market and current needs

Last tractor I had a close relationship with about 20 years ago was a 1940s widefront Super M with a front loader, so my practical experience is out of date.

I'll be wanting 4WD w/ QD front loader, QD backhoe, and a good QD timber winch to swap places with the backhoe.
I'm thinking around 40-50 HP. Dealers within 50 miles include Kubota, Deere, and MF.

Here's where ignorance and checkbook collide. By the time I price new, I seem to be over budget, with just the things I think I "know" I want.
Lots of questions about other stuff that adds up, tho.

I keep seeing references to optional additional hydraulics at mid and rear--how many hydraulic circuits do my proposed uses seem to call for, either as a new purchase or as a minimum in looking at used units?

Do I appear to be in the ballpark re necessary HP, or should I look at 30-40 HP range equipment as well?

If I'm looking at used equipment, say a tractor with loader but no backhoe, what do I need to either look for or plan to have added re rear hydraulics to operate backhoe?

For this type of work am I better off with R-4 tires or regular ag tires?

I will be lifting and stacking / moving logs frequently--should I look for a bucket to which prongs can be bolted, or look for a log loading replacement for the bucket?

What am I still to ignorant about to even know to ask?

Thanks, all.

As we have mentioned previously,

YOU DO NOT KNOCK TREES OVER WITH A ROW CROP TRACTOR OR RUBBER TIRED BACKHOE NO MATTER THE SIZE!!!
(SImply because you have no way of controlling the direction of fall with out felling cuts or back cuts in the tree to be dropped AND you do not have thr tractive effort and weight to accomplish the job and the machines are not ment for this work!!!!!!!!!!!

Clearing building sites require shovel logging.

My brother wanted to do his job his way without paying attention to details,
simple physics, safe logging practices and he only made his job that much harder by not listening!!!
which is why I refused to work on this wood lot that he insisted be done HIS WAY.

Hire a dozer large enough to do all the clearing and ripping out of
the stumps and save yourself a lot of work and upset as you will
have lot of trees that will fall over once the dozer starts working.

With second growth timber it is more important to clear the lot to the point where the nearest trees left
will not fall within the closest edge of the proposed residence- Meaning estimating the thirty to fifty year post
growth height of the trees after clearing (the trees remaining will become more able to grow with the
increased sunlight and water) the lot will not fall and cause famage to the home.


Its better to have 100-150 feet of clearance around homes and buildings to reduce any possibility of tree damage from blow downs as the clearing will weaken the trees left on the perimiter.

Hardwoods are notorious for breaking even when cut properly to compensate for a leaner.


You can free up one tree and cause a huge chain raction when it becomes a leaner and they
do kill without hesitation from limbs slamming back and breaking.

Building in a wooded area is a double problem with windload and snow fall AND the ability or lack
there of to clear heavy snow falls around said building because they will block the wind and in the
process the snow fall will accumulate even more around said buildings.

I want you to succeed not fail.

 

[Carl_NH]

For the Kubota TLB series they really cant be compared to the L or Grand L as they are integrated / dedicated TLB units that are heavier and have higher hyd GPM flow, and options that make them more $$.

The L35 is Glide Shift not hydro and they work well, but most using the TLB like the hydro. For your uses and acreage I think the L35 might be a bit small. The TLB's also have a full undercarriage, and a higher ground clearance with the integrated frame and when you are working in the woods this is invaluable.

I think the M59 series is a better choice and here is a very nice unit in Ohio at a decent price point $38K with 151 hrs probably about 450 miles from you. http://www.machinerytrader.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=8556243&

The new Kubota pricing I have heard is really high. This unit also has the front hydraulics (for a grapple) or other devices.

I think you will find a TLB with Hyd Thumb and a front grapple and forks will be a great tool for woods work and what you plan to do.

 

[leonz]

A small tractors standard canopy is not a FOPS rated canopy(falling object protection system)
unless it is completely made of steel in the roof, has four support posts and rated for a falling object to impact it.

 

[rustythread]

Appreciate the info. I just figured any canopy was better than none, and might provide a base for reinforcement.

 

[ddobson]

For land clearing definitely hire or rent a bulldozer. I rented one for a week and cleared and leveled everything in no time. The newer joystick models are not difficult to operate...

 

[rustythread]

Leon: I appreciate the insight, especially with my limited experience. I've seen it done with cutting roots on one or three sides, but not yet done it myself.
Understood re clearing radii and difference in growth / strength of trees around the perimeter; stumps here will be part of clearing out only where they are, or are likely to be, under building slabs or vehicle parking / operating areas.
"shovel logging"?