Need advice on the best equipment for my job.

[Boatskipper]

Need advice on the best equipment for my job.
Not sure if I posted this in the correct forum, but here goes...

I bought 25 acres and built a house, 20 acres is very heavily wooded and we want it selectively cleared so we can eventually run a few head of cattle. The trees are medium to large. Most will be about 12" in diameter, but some of the bigger ones are closer to 24". All hardwoods and a few cedar.

I've ran a tractor before (grew up on a family owned 30,000 acre ranch). But I've never run any heavy equipment. I want to do this job myself I don't want to pay to get it done. I'm in no hurry and have all the time in the world to get the job complete.

First off, I plan on buying a 35HP tractor with a loader and brush hog because I need the hog for mowing, the brush is so thick a regular mower won't get it done. I'm wondering if I can use the backhoe attachment (think of a Kubota compact tractor) to remove stumps after the trees are down with my chainsaw. I know this will be slow going. But I'm not sure how effective the small backhoe attachment would do on the larger stumps.

Is this possible to do with the tractor? If not what is the best all round equipment to use? I'm trying to stay under $20K for the other piece of equipment. I've read on the forum about a crawler loader and excavator. But the excavators in my price range are the compact track loader types with a bucket. They really aren't going to be any more use than digging around the stumps, because they just have the backhoe. Not sure if they'll be any better than the backhoe on the tractor.

Dozers are an option too, but I'd be looking at really old ones and I'm not real handy when it comes to repairing things, so I'm concerned about that.

So what would you suggest? I'm open to all options other than hiring it done. I'm a do it yourselfer type guy and don't like to hire people to do things for me.

I'd appreciate all suggestions and comments. Please feel free to suggest equipment I haven't mentioned here. My ideal situation is to find something that can do everything I need and not buy a separate tractor, but I don't know of anything that can do the tree removal and also pull a brush hog.

I'd really appreciate your thoughts.

 

[Sysop]

You will not find a 35 horsepower Kubota with a brush hog and backhoe for $20k unless it is used, and that will put you into the potential for "repairing things". A tiny excavator can do much more work than the backhoe attachment on nearly all tractors for many reasons.

A good "rule of thumb" for any sort of digging is that a heavier machine will move more earth with less effort. Digging stumps is hard digging, so buy the most weight you can afford on whatever machine you're looking at.

If you get one of the larger/heavier 35 horse tractors that has a top notch backhoe on it, you can do what you want very easily and efficiently. I just think you're going to either miss your budget goal or age goal. It will not go as quick and easy as a mini-ex, but you'll own a tool that can do more than dig.

 

[jeff9366]

I second SYSOP in Post #2.

Dedicated excavators are much more powerful and MUCH more stable than tractor Back Hoes.

Cut down the trees a few at a time, then rent an excavator for a weekend to remove the stumps.

A Bulldozer will handle stumps too, but it messes up the ground considerably, which a competently operated excavator will not.


VIDEO: excavator removing stumps - YouTube

 

[Egon]

Forget the old dozer unless you are very very familiar with them.

A heavier type + - forty HP tractor/backhoe would do you just fine. ( a unit that comes with a dedicated removable backhoe that is frame mounted and has a dipper of about six feet ). It will be slow going but will do the job.

 

[newbury]

Need advice on the best equipment for my job.
Not sure if I posted this in the correct forum, but here goes...

I bought 25 acres and built a house, 20 acres is very heavily wooded and we want it selectively cleared so we can eventually run a few head of cattle. The trees are medium to large. Most will be about 12" in diameter, but some of the bigger ones are closer to 24". All hardwoods and a few cedar.

What are you going to do with the trees? How much is "selectively cleared"?

I've ran a tractor before (grew up on a family owned 30,000 acre ranch). But I've never run any heavy equipment. I want to do this job myself I don't want to pay to get it done. I'm in no hurry and have all the time in the world to get the job complete.

First off, I plan on buying a 35HP tractor with a loader and brush hog because I need the hog for mowing, the brush is so thick a regular mower won't get it done. I'm wondering if I can use the backhoe attachment (think of a Kubota compact tractor) to remove stumps after the trees are down with my chainsaw. I know this will be slow going. But I'm not sure how effective the small backhoe attachment would do on the larger stumps.

Is this possible to do with the tractor? If not what is the best all round equipment to use? I'm trying to stay under $20K for the other piece of equipment.

"other piece of equipment"? Is this in ADDITION to the 35HP tractor?

I've read on the forum about a crawler loader and excavator. But the excavators in my price range are the compact track loader types with a bucket. They really aren't going to be any more use than digging around the stumps, because they just have the backhoe. Not sure if they'll be any better than the backhoe on the tractor.

Dozers are an option too, but I'd be looking at really old ones and I'm not real handy when it comes to repairing things, so I'm concerned about that.

So what would you suggest? I'm open to all options other than hiring it done. I'm a do it yourselfer type guy and don't like to hire people to do things for me.

I'd appreciate all suggestions and comments. Please feel free to suggest equipment I haven't mentioned here. My ideal situation is to find something that can do everything I need and not buy a separate tractor, but I don't know of anything that can do the tree removal and also pull a brush hog.

I'd really appreciate your thoughts.

To "selectively clear" 20 acres of thick forest with 24" DBH trees would be better done with more HP.

And what are you going to do with the trees? Pile and rot? Pile and burn? Firewood? Lumber? Sell to lumbermill?

I've got eastern red cedar and a small sawmill. A 10 foot log averaging 24" would weigh about 1,500 lbs. To process that using the FEL I'd like a ton of lift capacity, which I have

How much does a "cattle" weigh?

You may need more lift capacity than a 35HP tractor.

IF the

$20K for the other piece of equipment.

is in addition to the tractor it might be better put into getting a larger tractor.

And seriously look at hiring/renting a dozer to push some roads through the dense woods. Dozers are probably the best for land clearing. Sunbelt rents them for about $4K/month for a 70+ HP.

 

[oosik]

I have 80 acres and considered what equipment was necessary to remove the pine stumps when I had it logged off about twelve years ago. The longer I considered this situation the more obvious it became that just letting the stumps rot naturally was the best answer.

A frame mount backhoe for my current tractor is now in the $10K to $12K range and just a lot more than I want to spend. Besides, about 85% of all the stumps from that logging operation have now rotted down to "dust".

You may want to find out how long it will take for stumps to rot down and consider just leaving them. This could be a long term approach that would save a lot of $$$ and your time/effort.

 

[pmsmechanic]

I have 80 acres and considered what equipment was necessary to remove the pine stumps when I had it logged off about twelve years ago. The longer I considered this situation the more obvious it became that just letting the stumps rot naturally was the best answer.

A frame mount backhoe for my current tractor is now in the $10K to $12K range and just a lot more than I want to spend. Besides, about 85% of all the stumps from that logging operation have now rotted down to "dust".

You may want to find out how long it will take for stumps to rot down and consider just leaving them. This could be a long term approach that would save a lot of $$$ and your time/effort.

I like this idea the best too. My only addition to what you have said is that I would buy a heavy duty stump grinder and grand all the stumps to ground level and then let them rot. If you dig them out then you need to level the ground and clean up the stumps.

I rototill gardens for people and every once on a while I come across a rotten stump. They are fun to grind to pieces with my rototiller.

 

[4570Man]

A tractor backhoe will do ok digging up 4-6 inch stumps, but it would be hopeless trying to dig a 24' stump.

 

[Egon]

A twenty four ft. Stump may be a tad to large! A twenty four inch stump can be dug out without too many problems.

 

[bdog]

How did you grow up on a 30k acre ranch and not get any heavy equipment experience?

I guess maybe a place that big might contract out that sort of thing but most people I know who grew up on decent sized ranches have experience running all types of equipment.