Advice Needed

[retrieverman]

I have a little over 400 acres, and I'm trying to decide what would be the best investment for a piece of equipment to do aggressive clearing and then maintenance. I already have a 4x4 60 hp tractor with a loader and bush hog, and that will do much of the work. There is just some things that it won't do that I wish it would. I'm more of a do it yourselfer that a hire it done kind of guy.

I've been thinking about a skid steer with a Eco brush head, but that's a lot of money for mainly personal use. I guess I could hire it out after I get my work done, but that opens another can of worms?

 

[tman1020]

A decent size excavator is hard to beat. Especially if you All ready have the tractor for the finish work.

 

[mddorange]

:welcome:
To TBN from Alabama. If you do hire it out, be sure to get first hand recommendations first. Don't be afraid to talk with people whom he has done work for in the past.

 

[retrieverman]

:welcome:
To TBN from Alabama. If you do hire it out, be sure to get first hand recommendations first. Don't be afraid to talk with people whom he has done work for in the past.

My "hire it out" was referring to hiring me and the machine I may buy out to do work for other people, but yes, I won't hire anyone without references.

 

[davesl708]

Hi and welcome.

My rule of thumb is to rent equipment I don't think I will need very often and if I rent it three times in three years I buy one.

 

[yellowdogsvc]

400 acres is a lot of land to work on. I envy you. Keep the tractor, buy attachments.

I'm in TX as well with just over 100 acres. I started with a jd 450 crawler loader and a 4x4 35 hp jd tractor with a loader I have a Bobcat, Toolcat and mini excavator. I miss my tractor and crawler for many tasks but I have done so much with the Bobcats that I amaze other people. My place is steep, rocky, and was a virtual forest of mature junipers on over 3/4 of the property. A large excavator with a thumb could do so much more but I don't like uprooting brush because of rocks and oak wilt. You don't have to worry about that as much.. I don't think.
I also find need for a dozer for building tanks and pushing large piles but a crawler loader with a 4n1 can do all of that and I think do it better in many ways.

Maybe a mid sized excavator in the 8-9 ton class with a dozer blade would be ideal.. Going even bigger, have you ever seen bladerunner. I think Kobelco makes it. Concept is cool. With a thumb I could do a heck of a lot IF I wanted to uproot trees, stack rocks, or dig ponds.

If you want to go with compact, versatile equipment, a CTL that you can buy and rent attachments for would help a lot unless you are trying to cut down big pine trees. I'd use a saw for that or hire it out.

What's your terrain like? I imagine it's gently rolling with big trees and deep soil? What are your goals..?

 

[retrieverman]

What's your terrain like? I imagine it's gently rolling with big trees and deep soil? What are your goals..?

I have a 360 acre place in Alfalfa county Oklahoma (mainly for hunting but am considering running a few cows to generate a some revenue), and I bought 50 acres here in east Texas in January. The Oklahoma land is on the Salt Fork of the Arkansas river and is about 50% open with scattered cottonwoods, tamaracks, cedars, and plum thickets. My new place here is part of an old dairy, and it is about 60% open pasture with the remainder being bottom land. The place has been let go for many years and just needs some TLC.

 

[yellowdogsvc]

I would get that tamarix out of there and it will help the riparian features. The cedars can be thinned out via a tree shear. Cottonwoods, though messy, are just a part of riparian areas but can be cleaned up or thinned out (if they are small) with smaller, agile equipment like a shear on a skid or ctl. I'd mow or mulch the plum thickets and just thin the property. If you can run animals, they should help eat recurring vegetation here and there.

If you don't mind burning, the excavator would do almost all of what you need. If you only could pick one machine, I'd go with a bigger CTL that can run attachments. It's worth it as a landowner to have a swiss-army style machine and just rent bigger when you need it (what I do) especially if you need to move the machines. Better to rent big and have it delivered than try and move stuff all the time between your properties.

That's my .02. Good luck!

 

[retrieverman]

Yellow dog

Thank you for the advice!!! You affirmed what I've already been thinking about a CTL being the way to go.

Next question, what brand CTL and do I buy new or used? I've owned 7 tractors over the years (currently have 4) and have bought all but one used. I've had good luck finding clean low hour tractors at a good price, but with a "work machine" like a CTL, I'm concerned about buying someone else's headache or one that has been abused.

For reference, there is a John Deere dealer in Nac, a Kubota dealer in Lufkin (25 miles) and Henderson (40 miles), and a Bobcat dealer in Longview (75 miles).

Any help you can offer will be appreciated.

 

[yellowdogsvc]

Too bad Bobcat is so far unless it's all highway.

I'm not sold on the Kubota. JD looks good up close but I don't get much feed back from the ones mowing or mulching.
I'm not a CTL owner but I'm pretty partial to Bobcat because they are pretty well armored up in the woods and I've been happy with the 12 or 13 kubotas I've had in my various Bobcats. In all these years, I've really on had a few problems on machines up to 2k hours. I generally trade after 2k but by then, it's mostly because something with more features came out.
If you buy used you can get the Kubota motor in a Bobcat. I think the large frame machines are getting the new Doosan right now or very soon so they will all be Doosan (tier 4) across the larger machines eventually. Smaller displacement making the same hp. I'm curious to see how that works out. Cat had that in the bigger machines for C series but for D, they went up a size.

another option if your ground isn't too soupy is to have OTT tracks on a skid. You can take them off for the long trips across the property or for larger mowing jobs. I would get the biggest that you can afford. I'm happy in the 700 size Bobcat M series and don't see the need for the 800 size with the same hp as the 700.

If you want a really smooth ride, get a skid with air filled tires and throw some slime in there and you are good to go. Get 2 speed and ride control and it's a pleasure to operate grappling over long distances.

I'm going to sell my 750 soon to get a 770. It's not really the performance issue but I like to upgrade every once in a while since I mulch but if I can't find one with the kubota, I may wait. If I thought there was something better that can do what I can do and run my attachments, I'd get it.

If you don't plan on mulching, you can't beat a 630 or 650 from what my salesman says. I owned the 220 and 250 and 3 s300's which were in the same class. I did so much with them and miss those machines. I sold two s300 high flow machines to get one CAT c series and that didn't work out. If you don't mind a few less gadgets in the cab, the G series and K series 220-330 had good high flow, good pressure, minimal problems, and a good A/C. With a little time, you can seal it up good for a sealed cab and clean engine compartments if you mow grass or shear cedars.