skid steer, bobcat, four wheel drive tractor

[mechanic]

Cleaning a creek out with what kind of equipment is best when gravel gets to be heavy and plenty of it. I have heard different views on types of tractors .Some say a bobcat is better, others say a 4wd tractor, and others say a backhoe. The gravel is about 12 inches thick and plenty of it. There is a couple of inches of water in it all the time,except where the gravel is real thick. I was told a four wheel drive tractor will spin alot, I also heard a bobcat will do the same thing. So how does a person know what will work best. I don't really have the budget for a tractor right now but if I do buy I don't want to make a huge mistake on a purchase. What is the best and what make? Mahindra, kabota, koiti, or what else ?

[Matt_Jr]

They are all good brands. Kubota is the best.... I mean.... what I meant to say was..... any one who tells you one is better than the other is probably biased to the kind they own. I would use a back hoe to dig around where I wanted to clean up to divert the water and build a dam with the dirt I just dug up. Clean out the stream and dig out the dam and refill the area where the water was once diverted. Using a track loader/hoe would probably be fastest but four wheel drive would work if it wasn't too soupy in that area. I think I could do it with my BX24.

[ChuckinNH]

Any way you can post a picture of the creek, and where you have to work? That sure would help.

[mechanic]

I'll try to get some pictures later when I can get my wife to take them.

[john_bud]

Sounds like a job for a track loader.
30-35000 will get you a decent 20-25 year old one. Have a service pro evaluate the undercarrige and drives.

jb

[gerard]

My vote is trackloader would be the best since traction/water depth isn't an issue (since only the bucket goes in the water). Second choice would be a skidsteer with metal tracks over the tires. Will get excellent traction and digging force, toothed bucket better yet. If this is a one time project you may want to rent an excavator for a week, they aren't that hard to learn how to use and you can move one heck of a lot of material with them.

[jimainiac]

Don't know what it's like in your area, but around here you have to be careful messing around in a water course. DEP and the like...

[rutwad]

Sounds like work for an excavator. If it's not too much, a backhoe would be great for digging then using the loader to move it.

[AlanB]

I don't know if it is helpful or not, but I do own a bobcat (743) a 33 hp 4wd Tractor (NH1925) and a backhoe Ford 555C (and have had them all stuck at one point or another

Small creek, deep gravel, less then 6" of water, would probably grab the tractor every time.

Wheeled skid steers are fairly easy to get stuck, and while you can usually bucket yourself out, you are not moving gravel at that rate. My backhoe is bigger then I want to work in most creeks I deal with.

So, couple inches of water, tight area, afraid of getting stuck, and for me, afraid of rolling the bobcat on a transition into a creek, I would go with my tractor.

Oh, and meant to add, all those pieces of equipment are expensive enough to warrant in my opinon renting for a day or two prior to purchase. Or getting really good demo's, but I doubt many folks will want you demoing down in a creek. Tremendous potential for things to go wrong.