Big job, total newbies, least # of pieces of equipment to get the job done :)?

[s2dm]

Hey There,

First post. And I'm a retired Doc with zero Ag experience, so, take it easy on me

We just bought a small avocado orchard just south of Santa Barbara on the coast. Zero maintenance for the last ten years, and about half the land had been leased to a commercial nursery. Grade is slight, maybe 5%. Nursery just moved off and we are left with land with a serious hardpan thats been driven on for decades, and land that is bare. We are also right at the foot of canyon that collects water during the rains and shuttles it right onto us. With the predicted el nino, Heather and I are waking up at night imagining all of top soil in our neighbors yards or worse.

So, lots to do in the next couple months and trying to figure out how to do it. The big need is doing atleast a small rip and getting a cover crop in. The next need is cutting some berms and swails around the property to redirect water away from troublesome areas and to slow it and spread it. And then after that, we will have the normal small farm needs. We also have some big boy rocks in the soil, and some trenching to do at some point, so a backhoe or excavator could occasionally be a need.

We demoed a kubota L4701 and it seemed fine for the smaller jobs, but It had a hard time scratching through the hardpan and I felt like it would take forever to any appreciable dirt moving. Seemed like a great tool for day to day on the farm, but not for the first couple years of earthmoving, grading, ripping and planting we have coming.

So, we started to look at things like the Deere 210LE used. Found a 3000 hr unit pretty close to me for a reasonable price. Is that a good idea? Also looked at a 310SG, but doesnt seem like we can run a box with that when we didnt need the backhoe. The lack of the pto on the 210 was a bummer, apparently its a pretty rare option. So it left us wondering, getting some bigger stuff for a few seasons, then sell and get a utility tractor, or is there some better combo for what we need to do? Right now, I really need to be able to clear and grade some berms and swails, and I also need to occasionally dig out big rocks with a hoe. Is there a way to do this all with a single piece of equipment?

-Scott and Heather

 

[snowbelt geauga]

Look at a utility size tractor with a FEL and a backhoe.

 

[square1]

Buy the equipment that will do 80~90 percent of the work you will need it to do. Rent equipment to do, or hire out the remaining work.

If your intending to recover the orchard I think the 40 HP range recommendation is a good one, you're going to need that much to run any appreciably sized sprayer.

Best wishes!

 

[jeff9366]

We are left with land with a serious hardpan thats been driven on for decades, and land that is bare. We are also right at the foot of canyon that collects water during the rains and shuttles it right onto us. With the predicted el nino, we are waking up at night imagining all of top soil in our neighbors yards or worse.

The big need is doing at least a small rip and getting a cover crop in.

A Field Cultivator will give you a 10" rip, though not when soil is adobe brick, while preserving surface growth to prevent runoff.

A Chisel Plow will penetrate deeper but generally requires a 70-hp + tractor to pull.

Both are CONSERVATION PLOWS.

LINK: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/339095-dirt-dog-all-purpose-plow.html?highlight=


Another idea might be spreading straw, then crimping it in with a Three Point Hitch mounted Straw Crimper but I have no direct experience with same.

 

[brown40]

It sounds like your early project is more earthworks than farming--sort of stuff bulldozers, excavators and dedicated large TLB's would knock out quickly. A large Ag tractor has the oomph to move large quantities of soil, but would be no good for an established orchard's rows. It sounds like a fun endeavor--and a necessity in California, to have reliable water. You could get the biggest tractor that fits your rows and pick away at it, but it could take quite a while, and likely be very hard on the unit. I have seen TLB's with boxblades do a lot of earthwork in the caliche in AZ, but they were leveling more than sculpting berms and creating reservoirs. Case 570, JD 210, Kubota M59... there are some capable machines with pto options, but it depends on the volume you intend to move, the time you expect to get it done, and the machine thats ideal for avocado farming when the projects are finished. One experienced operator on a large bulldozer or excavator would likely do weeks worth of TLB scratching in a day--especially an inexperienced operator--depends on how much time and practice time you want to put in. May be to map out your envisioned contours, and storage, then hire that out would allow you to focus on the orchard reclamation and needs. You can always set up the orchard tractor with a backhoe and tinker with the earthworks later. If you're retired though, you may have the time and inclination to put in the hours on your machine and do the whole job.

 

[LD1]

Box blade with rippers to scratch up the hardpan and seed. Run a cultipacker over it.

Rear blade and bos blade for sales. Get a heavy one with hydraulic angle and a top n tilt kit.

Rent backhoe or excavator as needed

 

[hunt4570]

I'm thinking hire out the big hard stuff in the beginning, right equipment and an experienced operator could save you years of trouble. Have them put in a retention pond while they are at it.. keep some of that water for irrigation!

Good luck.. pics would be nice, and you didn't state the size of your new place... 10 acre orchard, or 1000.. makes a difference.

 

[Baby Grand]

Welcome to TBN, Scott and Heather!

Great first post and I wish you both the best of luck with your little piece of the promised land.

Definitely consider the idea of water retention that hunt4570 mentioned. Get it while you can and use it when you need it. What is your soil like? If you have clay, on site, line your catchment with it; otherwise, consider putting down some sort of membrane to limit seepage loss.

Big boy rocks = shopping carts, VWs, or city busses?

As you refine your criteria, the advice will start getting much more finely tuned to your specific needs.

-Jim

 

[Grandad4]

Welcome Scott and Heather. What an interesting first post and even more interesting endeavor you've got ahead of you. Back in the 1970's, when our kids were little, we lived in Ventura and passed through Carpinteria many times, so I've got some recollections of your general location and the type of soil, terrain and climate conditions you're dealing with. I'd segment your tasks along the lines you've described.

Your drainage issue may need an intervention by heavier equipment. It's surprising how much material must be moved to cut or fill even modest areas. That can be done with properly equipped compact and utility sized tractors, but it takes time since they dig/move smaller amounts. As an aside, have you determined if the re-grading work you're planning would involve any regulatory or permitting complications in California (being its own unique place in so many ways)?

Your ongoing tillage needs suggest you'd benefit from something a bit larger than the L4701, although I didn't see just how much acreage you've taken under your wing. I seem to remember that some of the "avocado orchards" out there were impressively large. A 50-75 hp utility type tractor is probably the typical starting point in size for regular ground engaging work in farming these days, and the size of equipment or the number of units increases from there according to the acreage and terrain.

The Deere units you mentioned are industial loader-backhoes, of course, and may be great for your grading and recovery work but not the best choice for your "farming" work later. Brown40 mentions some combination machines (Kubota M59 is one dual-purpose machine that several folks here on TBN use successfully), if you must find one unit for all your work.

Lot's of good advice to be found here. Feel free to ask more questions. Best of luck with your project!

 

[flusher]

Welcome to TBN. Join the fun.
Carpinteria--nice location.

Get yourself a 30-40 hp (engine) tractor that will fit between the orchard rows. Specs: 4WD, hydraulic transmission, power steering, dual hydraulic remotes on the rear, single hydraulic remote on the front, front end loader (FEL) with 6-ft wide bucket, chain hooks welded to the top edge of the bucket, skid steer quick attach (SSQA) option on the FEL so you can detach the bucket easily and reattach other FEL implements that you might need in your business. The rear tires should be 3/4 filled with water (8 lb/cu ft) or Rimguard (beet juice, 11 lb/cu ft). You don't have to worry about the liquid ballast freezing where you're located.

To handle the hard pan, get a parabolic subsoiler (aka ripper)

SUBSOILER HEAVY DUTY (1 SHANK) | Rhino

This will cut through the hardpan and you should make several passes at different angles so you criss-cross the field with slits in the hardpan.

Then you can use a heavy duty middle buster plow (aka potato plow) to plow the soil.

Potato Plow | Middle Buster by Everything Attachments

Once the plowing is done, you can smooth out the clods with a tandem disc or a cultipacker.

Good luck.