Looking for a small sized tractor to build pads with and for light site work

   / Looking for a small sized tractor to build pads with and for light site work #1  

joe t

Silver Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2012
Messages
183
Location
Houston Tx
Tractor
1900 Ford
Hi I am new here and joined to ask this question.

I hire someone to do foundation pads and light site work for me with a little larger tractor and the compaction tests come back ok just running this tractor on it (new case farmall utility tractor think around 75-80hp with a cab and front end loader). I think the tractor weighs around 7500 lbs.

Wondering if I could get rid of my 1900 Ford I use for light grade work and get something the same sized body but heavier and more power with 4x4. I could put water in the tires and some removable balast weight and run skinny tires if needed.

I need to be able to strip the surface which the Ford will have to work at doing, but even worse if I hit a chunk of concrete or stump it will stop it in its tracks. Maybe I could change the rear tires on it and put water in them and go slow.

I could always throw a sprinkler on the pad whichever way I do this to help compaction.

Anything heavier needed I rent. Maybe I should just invest in a gooseneck and rent a Construciton Tractor for every job, think they are $275 a day or $1000 for the week. That is a backhoe with a box blade on it.
 
   / Looking for a small sized tractor to build pads with and for light site work
  • Thread Starter
#2  
Also, I need the small frame for 2 reasons. One I work in downtown neighborhoods a lot or tight suburb neighborhoods at times, plus I maintain a wooded track of land that is 63 acres and the small one is easy to whip around.

I spend more time doing final grade and moving stuff with my own tractor that is getting worn out being 30 years old.

Plus I can write off the purchase and just sell the tractor I own personally the 1900.


Choices choices.
 
   / Looking for a small sized tractor to build pads with and for light site work #3  
What size of projects are you talking about? I use my B3200 in my construction business for small projects, but for large stuff I rent a dozer. Ideally for that type of work you want something heavy, 4wd and compact. I've often thought a Kubota L3240 with ag tires set narrow and a 5' tooth bucket would work well. With that said, maybe you could just add a skid steer to your operation and keep the tractor for other uses. They are really made for digging.
 
   / Looking for a small sized tractor to build pads with and for light site work
  • Thread Starter
#4  
Last week it was moving dirt off a property line we piled up and the neighbor was complaining. He luckily gave me access to his property so I could work down the back of the building we built about 100 ft long. Really tight.

Next week I need to get into a backyard to build a 1500 sq/ft garage/poolhouse. I'm going to rent a tractor for this but by the time we are done I'll have it for a week. Basically just need to scrape it out, move dirt in, and put down the pad. Then I'm going to use my small tractor in the end to do a final grade.

In December it will be final grading that commercial job I mentioned above, about 6000 ft I guess.

In January it will be 4 townhouses on an 8000 ft lot.

Then, no clue but will be similar work.

Then it May it will be brush hogging my road and firelanes which I do every 2 years.


From my research the 1900 is 118.8L x 61w. 30hp.

Kubota MX5100 is 127.8L x 69.7w. 50hp.

John Deere 4720 is 128.16 x 71.5 or 89.1 depending on where I look. Up to 60hp.
 
   / Looking for a small sized tractor to build pads with and for light site work #5  
Why not a skid steer with land leveler and bucket tilt mechanism? This would be stronger, smaller, and faster.
 
   / Looking for a small sized tractor to build pads with and for light site work #6  
Attached is a pic of an excavation I did with my B3200 Kubota for a 24x24 barn. (30hp, 4wd, about 3,000lbs with loader and box blade). This is about the limit of what a tractor this size can do and it took me a couple days.

The little B3200 excels in tight quarters and is very quick and capable. It's great for finish work, landscaping and other light grading. Where it is not good is on big jobs where a lot of cubic yards of dirt need to be moved. When you get to bigger jobs a compact of any size isn't my choice (which would include the MX5100 and 4720). You need a large utility tractor with the right attachment (big heavy commercial grade box blade or a pull-type scraper), or even better a dozer, track loader, excavator, whatever. For the time being I rent the big stuff, but would like to get a 1yd carry-all type scarper to pull with my JD 5203 for intermediate sized jobs. It's hard to have one size of equipment when your jobs vary so much (at least for me.)
 

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   / Looking for a small sized tractor to build pads with and for light site work #7  
I do alot of close quarters work in my business and use a 110tlb, 4520 without fel and the small x749. For compacting I use a Bomag plate compactor and a Case vibratory roller. I wouldn't think any of the tractors or dozers will provide enough compaction to build a slab on.

For initial grading I use the 4520 with boxblade and landplane where I have enough space and use the small x749 to help with the tight spots. This small unit really helps reduce labor costs imo. The 110tlb has a topntilt hitch too so I can use it for the boxblade and landplane too but prefer to keep the backhoe on it most of the time. I do landscape grading most of the time but here are pictures of the shop pad I built up last year and my set up for this type work. I should add that I built this pad up in four inch lifts compacting between layers.
 

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   / Looking for a small sized tractor to build pads with and for light site work #8  
Looks like your 4520 has way too much air in the rear tires. From the photos it looks like only about middle half of your tire tread is hitting the ground. Reduce the pressure till you have full tred contact and you can do lots more work especially with all that amount of wheel weight.
 
   / Looking for a small sized tractor to build pads with and for light site work #9  
I'd say look at Kioti and Mahindra, both are very heavy tractors. The DK40, DK45 and DK50 are identical tractors each with a little more power. They compare very favorably with the Grand L line from Kubota and for your uses, probably better. I think they may be a good fit for what you're looking to do.
 
   / Looking for a small sized tractor to build pads with and for light site work #10  
I also vote for a skid steer. I have a Deere 317 skid steer and it weighs over 6500 lbs. I have done a lot of both heavy dirt work, stump removal, moving logs, precision grading, and numerous other things with my skid steer. All of that weight on 10" wide tires really compact the ground when you want it too. Also, a tracked machine of the same size also will do an excellent job in precision grading and compacting, plus if you tread across a lawn it wont be as aggressive as a tire machine unless you make sharp turns. Skid steers are extremely versatile, they have excellent lift capacity for their size and the forward use of almost every attachment makes the experience that much more comfortable. Deere's 300 series machines have great visibility, the only time I have had troubles was when loading a pallet of materials into a pickup truck which is where you cannot see the bottom of your load without leaning forward a ways. Visibility all around is great, being able to see the edge of your bucket flat on the ground is very helpful when operating in tight quarters. Plus if you get in a bind you can always spin your machine around, try doing that on a compact tractor. On top of it, you get a commercial machine designed for use and abuse that can take many more rental implements than a compact tractor usually. Just a few things to think about, my 317 has 61 hp and was actually less expensive than buying a newer 20 hp compact tractor with a hydrostatic tranny here.
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