Tractor Versus Crawler

[Anonymous Poster]

I have been reading the posts on this forum for a couple of weeks and this is my first post.

I am planning to purchase either a Kubota compact tractor or a Magnetek crawler with a backhoe and FEL. I would be using this equipment in the mountains of NC.

I would appreciate receiving input regarding the pros and cons of both pieces of equipment.

[GreenRules]

Crawlers are great for hilly and rough terrain. They play heck on your lawn and driveway though.

[Will_C]

Tractor; Great versatility, larger market if you are interested in re-sale, probably much better service and parts availability.
Crawler; Gobs of traction, true front blade performance, and no flat tires. However, undercarriages, drive mechanisms, etc. are not cheap or easy to fix.

[gerard]

key thing to remember on crawlers are they are not designed to travel long distances. The undercarriage is the main wear item unlike wheels which basically will just travel until you wear the tread off. Crawlers are a lot more stable on slopes (usually have a lower center of gravity and wider "footprint") so a lot depends on what YOUR use is going to be.

[buppy69]

oldud,

What part of the mountains are you from. I'm in Etowah.

Eugene

[crb478]

What do you plan to use it for? I use a 4wd tractor in the NC mountains near Boone for general road maintaince,bushhogging and landscaping. If you will be mainly moving dirt and rough grading then the crawler will greatly out work the CUT, and be much more stable. The CUT is not as specialized as the crawler, but can probably do a larger variety of task.

[Anonymous Poster]

We have a place on the North Fork of the New River about eight miles north of Jefferson off Highway 16.

[Anonymous Poster]

I will probably use it most for digging and moving dirt, rocks, etc. Don't plan to use it for cutting grass. What does CUT stand for?

[dgood1]

Oldud,

CUT=Compact Utility Tractor