DieselBound
Elite Member
Each individual person has her/his own rating system (as well as pocketbook).
Also shopping for a first tractor
- Thread starter allenron
- Start date
Each individual person has her/his own rating system (as well as pocketbook).
terryknight
Veteran Member
?? which is why i asked him....
DieselBound
Elite Member
Hi terryknight: Sorry, but I'm not sure what question you're asking there. We don't have a Kioti dealer that's real close; that's a concern for us. We could expand our search to include the New Holland, but we looked at one at the county fair and did not like the arrangement of the hydraulic lines. I think you got a good deal on that Vermeer chipper. We have looked for used tractors in our price and performance range, and there just aren't many of them available here. So, we've been pricing new rigs. But, it's a good idea to look for a used chipper. There are a lot more of those to be had used in our area. That would cut the cost for us significantly, and if we had one, it would save us a lot of time taking off/putting on the backhoe. Thanks for the heads-up about shopping for used chippers! --Ron
Hi Grandad4: I'm convinced: The PTO winch is the right way to pull a log out of the woods. Since you explained it and showed the picture, I can absolutely see the advantage. I like the screens and the legs that dig into the ground. Perfect. I think that we can maybe do an occasional log where there's easy, clear access with the backhoe & chain, but the forestry winch is the right tool for that job. It's on our list. Might not get one right off, but it's a must have with our brush, ravines, and sloping ground. We are pretty much locked in to getting a machine with a hydrostatic trans. The low-end utility tractors do have the HST option, but we haven't been able to drive one yet...something of a nagging concern for us. It's probably the case, as you note, that UTs are for farm use, row crops, etc., and in the region where our dealers do business, the customers are farmers, not forest owners like us. Thank you for the careful, detailed explanation and the informative photos. Outstanding! --Ron
Hello jenkinsph: The Kubota L47 looks like a great rig, and a couple of our friends have a Kubota and recommend it highly, but it's at the far end of our price range right now. We've looked carefully at the hydraulics on all the tractors we're considering. One problem for us with the L47, however, is that it has a relatively low PTO horsepower (33 vs. 40 for the Deere 4052). Our tree service guys advised us to try for at least 40 HP on PTO and preferably 45 HP. We thought the towable chippers were too expensive, almost half of a tractor. But another TBN member explained that he got a really good price on a used Vermeer, and that's something we have to bear in mind. We don't see used compact utility tractors for sale around here, but we do see used standalone chippers.
A skid plate! Yes, I like that idea. We did look underneath all of the tractors we've shopped. We noticed that the smaller Massey Fergusons, like the 1734, have front steering cylinders in front of the front axle. It looks like they are waiting to hit a tree stump! But, we think that the larger 1749 that we have been looking at has the cylinders behind the axle. The 2706E, which is a low-end UT officially, has the cylinders behind the front axle. So that's good. I take it that skid plates are a standard accessory that can be mounted on any of the usual utility tractors?
The 4-post ROPS is a good idea, too. We haven't seen one of those. The enclosed cab is not a good idea, we think, because it might get smashed up in the woods. (With an open operator station, we just have to remember where the bee hives are on our property!)
Currently, we have just one hydraulic for the rear priced into the quotes. That would be for tilting the scraper box on uneven trails. That's what we were thinking. We'd like a complete complement, but cost is a consideration. Thanks for your suggestions. Much appreciated. --Ron & Bev
terryknight
Veteran Member
Hey Ron - I was asking or maybe suggesting you broaden you search you are looking at large compacts (the massey is call a utility, but I feel it is the same size as some large compacts), what if you looked at the value utility tractors you get a lot more capacity and they can normally be had for the same or less money than the feature laden CUTs.
if you get a stand alone chipper, do you need 40 PTO HP or can you look at tractors with less say the Kubota L47
Hi terryknight: I submitted a rather long post a bit ago, but it seems to have been lost in the bit bucket. Maybe I wasn't properly logged in to TBN or something. Anyway, yes, we have been slowly creeping up to larger and larger units, since beginning this tractor search. Our tree service guys recommended 40HP on PTO or, even better, 45HP. So, that was one criterion for us. We are tilting to the MF 2706E, because of the extra HP on engine and HP, and because it is simple and cheap (compared to the other slick CUTs on the market). If we got a stand-alone chipper, we could definitely use the Kubota L47TLB, but the TLB with the chipper (even used) is on the very high side of our budget. Also, the L47TLB has a pretty low PTO HP (33HP), which worried us. We would not want to get a tractor and then have problems with chipping larger timber round splits. Hope this makes some sense. Thanks! --Ron
terryknight
Veteran Member
do you have any other use for the PTO HP other than the chipper? if not, and you go with a stand alone chipper, there is no reason for the higher PTO HP. and the kubota has a lot of capability. or look at a larger tractor such as a UT you have a bigger heavier tractor, with more capacity, possibly more HP, that is simpler, for the same or less money than a high end CUT. you may need larger more expensive implement to fully utilize the size and power, you may need a larger trailer (and truck) to move it. only you know what you need.