!6 Acres of Scrub (what si

[Tryno]

You have several options that have been mentioned and all will work. Going with an older tractor like a D17/D19 with fel and brushhog will probably get you started for under $5000. A new 30hp range would work, I have some of the same type of land and work it with a TC30, fel and brushhog (and of course the chainsaw) does fine for me. Cost around here for TC30, fel, brushhog and trailer is around $15-$16000. The companies all make good tractors in the 30hp range, price will vary with the options. The TC30 works fine for me. One way to get started is turn those goats out and let them do some of the work

 

[coondog]

Thanks to all the input I've pretty much made up my mind on a 40 - 50 hp @ the drawbar tractor w/fel. Now all I've got to do is find one I can afford, used or new.

 

[IslandTractor]

Good luck with your search. I would not hesitate to get something smaller if it fits your budget better and if you don't need to clear it all at once. You'd make faster progress with a smaller tractor plus a backhoe and grapple for the money than you would with a bigger machine and just the FEL. I'm clearing an area about 5 acres with a 21 hp TLB. It would certainly go faster with a bigger heavier tractor but I've made plenty of progress with a set up that cost only $15K.

I also like the idea of renting or contracting out some bulldozer work to knock down most of the trees you want to cull. If you do that then there is really very little advantage of the much bigger tractor during the clearing operaton.

 

[_RaT_]

Good luck with your search. I would not hesitate to get something smaller if it fits your budget better and if you don't need to clear it all at once. You'd make faster progress with a smaller tractor plus a backhoe and grapple for the money than you would with a bigger machine and just the FEL. I'm clearing an area about 5 acres with a 21 hp TLB. It would certainly go faster with a bigger heavier tractor but I've made plenty of progress with a set up that cost only $15K.

I also like the idea of renting or contracting out some bulldozer work to knock down most of the trees you want to cull. If you do that then there is really very little advantage of the much bigger tractor during the clearing operaton.

Thow me in that mix to especially if you want it done quickly with minimal damage to your equipment. Clearing land always opens the possibilities of sticks going places you do not want them to and removing stumps can be rough on compacts.

 

[coondog]

I've been kinda torn about what to get.
A smaller tractor would be more maneuverable and probably more useful overall but is it going to get the initial job done clearing brush. I'm not expecting this thing to perform like a dozer and I probably will rent one later on in the project but I expect to bush hog everything smaller than a half dollar and try to push up stuff thats around the size of a coffe cup on down. That's about the size of 80% of everything on the property. I take care of my equipment, don't get me wrong, but alot of times I ask it to do things that it wasn't necessarily designed to do.
Like the time I forded a rain swollen creek with a 1997 Camaro (I got a running start) or the time I used an old wore out Chevy 4x4 with a home made front bumper (r/r track section) to push down a whole grove of dead pine trees.....and then there was the time I partially deflated the tires on my buddy's Volkswagen Beetle (home made Baja conversion) so we could run the railroad tracks to the next town and save gas (alcohol involved, dumb once and young).
Seriously though, I don't intend on doing stupid things with it but I'm afraid if I buy a small tractor I'll end up wishing that I'd bought bigger.
Around here the compacts are very pricey. You can buy bigger for sometimes significantly less if you buy new. For the most part used compacts are priced too high when compared to a new one and larger tractors aren't bringing much so the owners refuse to sell them.
My logic may be skewed but I'm thinking if I'm going to have to buy "new" buy the biggest for the leastest and just deal with the maneuverability issues and improvise.

Riddle me this:
Am I grossly under estimating the capabilities of what a compact tractor can do?
How much of a work force multiplier is the 4x4 option, is it worth the extra cost?

 

[HighLoader]

Nice property you have there! I had a New Holland TC24DA and moved to a 5 acre property that needed clearing. The trees were about 3-6 inches round and the 24 had a hard time pushing them over and getting the roots out. I decided to get a bigger TC24DA and am extreemly happy with the choice. I cleared an area, about 3/4 of an acre, in 8 hours that would have taken me a week with the other tractor. The extra weight makes a big differance, propably about twice of what the TC24 was. So my Vote on how to spend your money would be a 40hp. I can't imagine life with out 4wd and the hydrostatic trans! I am always getting into situations where I would be stuck and in trouble with out it.

On how to clear the trees and brush I have been developing my own system that works best for me.....I know there is more than one way to skin a cat. I have had to clear areas to make room fast for the horses and parking and then deal with the piles of brush and trees later. I am finding, if I have time, the better way is to chain saw everything as small as I can and then tractor the area. The piles of trees and brush are harder to deal with than if I just take care of it as I go. I am trying to have to buy a grapple bucket and a "real" chipper. I bought a small chipper and it is worthless. I bought two expesive echo chainsaws and they are worthless. I have two poullan cheap chainsaws and they are great! The contractor who we bought the place from used a buldozer to clear and I am always having to deal with all the stuff he buried.

Make life easy on yourself and have more fun with a 40hp with 4wd and HST!

 

[IslandTractor]

The advantage of a bigger tractor is mostly speed. I can knock down a coffee can size tree but I need to work at the roots a bit or give it several shoves while a bigger tractor could just knock it down directly. That said, I can still clear a lot of trees in a day with my 21 hp CUT. You have 16 acres which may be on the big side for 20hp range CUTs but is certainly doable especially if most of the land just needs an occasional bush hogging. I'm working to clear 5 acres and I'd buy my CK20 again for that task but I'd probably look at 30hp if I had a much bigger property and was intending to clear it all with the tractor rather than getting a bulldozer in (bulldozer still seems the best option to me as even bigger CUTs are going to be nowhere near as efficient as the dozer).

As many know, I am a grapple fanatic but it is mostly from having spent a year trying to clear land without a grapple. Consider that in your budget too. The combo of a grapple and bush hog on a 20-30hp machine would be more useful for the clearing you are anticipating than a 40-50hp tractor with just an FEL. For $20,000 you could get a slightly used 20-30 hp CUT, add a grapple, bush hog and BH and have a very efficient and flexible land clearing tool.

 

[D7E]

Not just rough on tractors , My CAT D7 just got a new Radiator and fan from a well placed tree ,$6000 parts ,labour and trucking .
At present clearing 50 acres of trees up to 2 feet in size for firewood .

 

[_RaT_]

Not just rough on tractors , My CAT D7 just got a new Radiator and fan from a well placed tree ,$6000 parts ,labour and trucking .
At present clearing 50 acres of trees up to 2 feet in size for firewood .

I swear if there was .09% chance of a stick getting through a hole it will do it. Sticks do not care about odds. They have brains and know where to go to damage the easy stuff.

 

[bigtwinhog]

I have recently acquired a similar property where I am cutting lots of fire wood and clearing brush until I can get my tractor and FEL.

Question about stumps, how best to leave these so I can dig up later? I am talking about max diameter of 4-5 inches, not 12inch giant stumps. If I am leaving 8-12 inches of stump on these 4-5inch trees sticking up, will I be able to push/dig them up later?

Any advice is welcome.

bigtwinhog