L4310GST too much for wooded 5 acres?

   / L4310GST too much for wooded 5 acres? #1  

DJB132

New member
Joined
Jun 13, 2005
Messages
13
Location
Fredericksburg, VA
Tractor
(Formerly) 2001 Kubota L3010 - none now :-(
Trying to decide what to buy for my 5 acre property that's about two thirds wooded with heavy underbrush in the woods.

I already have a riding mower so I won't be using the tractor for that job.

I've been considering the BX23 with FEL and backhoe but I'm concerned it won't have the umph for pulling stumps and grading. I'm also concerned with the ground clearence - I have areas with heavy rutting & I don't want to be scraping the ground with the tractor.

The dealer near me has a 2001 L4310GST with LA681 FEL for 15,900 - is this nuts for such a small lot? I'd also be giving up the backhoe I'd get with the BX23 - wife won't let me spend the money for a backhoe for the L4310.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
David
 
   / L4310GST too much for wooded 5 acres? #2  
Welcome to the forum /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif. I think the 4310 might be atad large, but u need to make that call. I would prefer over the Bx for just the ground clearence you mentioned. what are your needs for the BH?
 
   / L4310GST too much for wooded 5 acres? #3  
It all depends on what your doing. My L3830 has a turning radius well under an acre, in other words, its not the amount of land so much as how much dirt are you going to move, how big are the trees that need removing. If your moving hundreds of yards of material etc, its perfect, if your moving a few thousand, its to small, if your not moving any, it may be a bit big.
 
   / L4310GST too much for wooded 5 acres?
  • Thread Starter
#4  
Frank - thanks for the welcome.

I only have a couple of jobs currently in mind for the BH - I have to demolish an inground pool with disintegrating metal walls & need to dig very long trenches for gutter drainage by the house. The property is graded very flat by the house so I need to lay drainage pipe 100-200 feet long for each downspout.

I also think the BH will probably come in handy for many jobs I have yet to consider. Since I can only think of a couple of jobs currently I'm inclined to think I could just rent something for those jobs.
 
   / L4310GST too much for wooded 5 acres? #5  
I suspect that 75% of the backhoes owned by members of this forum were bought because they wanted them, not because they needed them and could justify the price give the amount of work they have to do.

I would "like" to have a backhoe (I can afford it and the wife would not care) but the truth is I could pay someone $1,000 for a backhoe and operator to do what I might do with it if I owned it. Makes a lot more sense than spending $4,000 for a backhoe.

Factor in that I am the world's slowest backhoe operator and I am much better off to pay someone else to do that work.

BTW, I started to buy a BX2230. They are fine machines but the ground clearance (6") is unacceptable for clearing woods. The rams for the power steering are also exposed in front of the axles. I suspect I would have bent the rams at least once or twice in the last 6 months and they would not be covered under warranty.

With 12" ground clearance the B7510 was the right choice for me. I am clearing about 3 acres of woods, if you have more acreage to clear a slightly larger machine might be a better choice. It really depends on how fast you want the work done. This is a "hobby" project so I am not in a hurry. If I finish then when would I get to play with my toy?

Bill Tolle
 
   / L4310GST too much for wooded 5 acres? #6  
I too have my backhoe work hired out. The industrial hoes power and reach just make it easier all the way around for me. If I needed one on a consistent basis around here, no question, I would get one. I do indeed see them sit in folks yard much of the time.
 
   / L4310GST too much for wooded 5 acres? #7  
BH, if you got one you'll use it. If you have to rent, the project never gets done.... Yes they sit a lot but they are worth every penny when they go to work. So many of the jobs they do only take a hour or two and most operators don't like those small jobs because they can't make any money, thus they never show up. I don't think the L4310 is too big but the other unit is too small....

Maybe in the middle with a BH
 
   / L4310GST too much for wooded 5 acres? #9  
I'd go with the bigger machine myself, better to have too much hp than not enough. I have a L3010 and its a great tractor, but wish I'd gotten just a little more hp. I bale about 5 acres of hay with an old worn out MF #3 baler and it pulls it pretty good on the hills. Thats only a couple times a year though, could get the neigbor to round bale it with his new JD baler, but I'd miss all the fun. Again I'd get as much hp as I could. I'm sure you'll enjoy using either machine. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Steve
 
   / L4310GST too much for wooded 5 acres? #10  
BH, if you got one you'll use it. If you have to rent, the project never gets done.... Yes they sit a lot but they are worth every penny when they go to work. So many of the jobs they do only take a hour or two and most operators don't like those small jobs because they can't make any money, thus they never show up. I don't think the L4310 is too big but the other unit is too small.

Maybe in the middle with a BH
*************


I have done a lot of 10 to 30 Minute little jobs with mine that you couldn't get someone in the business to do because they are to small.
If it wasn't for my BH the jobs wouldn't have gotten done or if they did it would been BB instead of BH.




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