Which piece of machinery do we need?

[suprnova]

My dad and I are just finishing up a purchase of about 40 ac in NE Texas. Later in life we will be using it for our homes, as well as general recreation. Right now we're trying to decide on what would be best suited for maintaining the property. It is mostly flat, with a slight depression towards the W end of the property where the creek is. Enough that when it is wet in the area a 2wd pickup will get stuck (which is why dad had to trade in his gasser Chevy and go back to a 4wd Cummins :laughing Most of the area is covered in brush or small trees. There are some matures on the lot, we are looking at doing around 20+ ac of brush/small tree clearing though, along with getting rid of two small wood/brick structures the previous owners destroyed. We would also like to be able to keep the acreage groomed once we get there, and possibly run some hay since about 15 ac already has it growing (probably from a previous lease), as well as do some prep for building our homes, such as building driveways, leveling lots, etc. Eventually we would like to dig a 2-3 ac tank just to have some water on the property since the 10' deep creek is somehow dried up. I'm trying to be frugal, and not buy 8 different machines. Dad on the other hand wants this, and that, and that, and what that guy has too!:confused2:

What would y'all recommend? I am shying away from a dozer because of our limited use for them. I've thought about skid steers, but I don't know if the wet grass would warrant tracks. I've also read that some folks really prefer compact wheel loaders because they're much more versatile. Overall, I just want to be practical for 40ac and purchase equipment that's versatile and fits our needs, as well as something we can tow with my 3/4 ton SRW Cummins and a 14k gvw GN or dads 1 ton DRW Cummins. Neither of us have too much experience working land though (dad did 35 years ago as a kid), and definitely don't have the budget to buy the wrong piece of machinery two or three times before finding the right item(s).

I know this is long, wanted to give enough info though to get useful answers. Thanks a lot for y'alls help!

Randy

 

[David Devuono]

A 3 acre pond is something like 400ft by 300 ft. Haying requires a big rake and then a baler. Not sure its worthwhile collecting all that for 15 acres. So its hard to suggest a tractor size without knowing if you want to do all your jobs in one weekend, or several weeks or months? If you want to build your pond without renting an excavator or bulldozer then get as big as a 4x4 tractor loader as you can afford. 50+ HP 4x4, 72+ bucket (2,500 lb lift capacity) and maybe a backhoe attachment to dig your basement\storm cellar\nuclear Fallout bunker.

Lets say you have to make the pond 12 Ft deep and your tractor has a 1 yard bucket. It will take you 53,000 buckets full! Once you go to a 2 yard bucket your looking at a Commercial Loader\backhoe.

 

[Egon]

For clearing the brush consider renting a dozer with a heavy breaking disk. For other equipment a 40HP four wheel drive tractor with bucket and bush hog should get you started.:thumbsup:

 

[bigbull338]

ok the answer is easy,hire a dozer to clear the land you want cleared an build your 3ac pool.you need a 55hp 4x4 with a fel an 6 to 8ft shredder.if you go with 8ft shredder get the pull type.you might want a heavy boxblade to maintain your driveways an spread dirt or gravel.

 

[6011Artist]

I agree with hiring the dozer part. I started clearing a wooded lot by hand and had a tractor. After a year of 1/2 my weekends spent clearing I hired a dozer and 5 hrs later it was finished. His part was a lot cleaner than my part too. The cheapest way isn't always the cheapest way.

I knew a guy that priced out having a pond dug. They wanted 12,000 (years ago). He thought about it, bought a trackhoe, dug 3 ponds and then sold the trackhoe for what he paid for it. Had he kept it, he would have spent money. By selling it fast, he just lost some interest, putting it back in the bank a few months later. All it cost was the fuel and drainage pipes.

So weigh it out. If you see a piece of equipment you think you can use and sell it fast to get your money back, you get basically free usage.

I would think a 40-50 hp tractor would do most anything you needed as far as maintenance and upkeep and with 40 acres you'll always need that so buy it to keep. But having a smaller tractor with cat 1 implements gets a lot done and I like having more than 1 tractor.

 

[6011Artist]

For 15 acres of hay it's not really worth the cost of buying all the expensive equipment for that small amount. I have a buddy that farms and has cattle. He has several neighbors he cuts and bales their hay on halves. They are old, don't want the expense of the equipment, so he does it with the equipment he already has for his own farm. Might want to ask around to see if someone close would be interested in doing that with the existing hay field, especially since you aren't there yet. Or just rent it out to them for cutting rights only.