Can you buy too big a tractor ?

[arrow]

I used to have a bit over a hundred acres and logged my own firewood for the last 35 years. I am speaking strictly from logging terms but a smaller tractor would take forever to make a quarter mile turn with only a less than half cord in tow if you'r e lucky. Stability was never an issue in these tight, ground obstructed woods here in N.England with either a smaller or larger tractor.

If time and production when logging is of value for you, then get the larger tractor. If you do not mind skidding logs closer to home (or landing in your case) and you do not see yourself doing wood in 35 years, get the smaller. Working on a small scale when you have to move wood 3 miles back to your house might get frustrating and is why Sawyer Rob makes his points about a larger machine. Ypu'll be able to load faster and larger stems with the bigger tractor and take more wood home in one shot. Of course you're gonna want a heavy duty trailer to bring the wood home. If you are planning to burn 5 cords or more being that far from home, I'd go larger so you can do some serious work and not take forever doing it.

Doxford Jim makes a good point about road travel for the larger tractor also.

 

[Horridfiber]

All the work will be done over at the 100 acres.
A trailer is on order to help move the 3-4 bush cords we need to burn for Maple syrup.

Its basically just a bush lot that we plan to improve for deer hunting and atv riding.
The bulldozer I have hired will clear a wide ring road around the perimeter of the property.

I am afraid of buying too small a tractor if a bigger, heavier, wider one is more stable and safer in rugged terrain.
More afraid of buying something that requires flagman all around me so I can maneuver and park the **** thing.

 

[DT86]

In real life and in the five years I've been on TBN I've never known anyone to trade in a tractor because it was too big. I personally know of several and there have been many more on TBN they were traded in because they bought too small to begin with.

 

[gladehound]

Define for yourself what is too big. For example, maybe 9 ft high is the max because your barn door is 9 ft high. Maybe 80 inches wide is the max because of the width of a path you will be on. Maybe you can't go over a certain weight for transport reasons. once you define all your parameters that are too big, get a tractor that is as big as possible without exceeding any of those parameters.

Agree with previous posts about getting respect on the road. Bigger is better. I used to drive a 19 hp CUT on the road frequently and cars would just fly by without a second thought. Now just going to a 45HP CUT, they follow from a distance and wait for me to wave them by on the small roads. On the big roads with big shoulders they still just fly by. But nobody flies by the farmer down the road with his 12 foot wide row crop tractor with dual rears.

 

[TripleR]

Yes, a person can go too big, but the OP mentioned the two which he is considering, so within those parameters, many of us are saying, no the bigger of the two won't be too big.

Either will of course work.