Paul McGoldrick
New member
- Joined
- May 18, 2021
- Messages
- 1
- Tractor
- In Process
Morning All,
My wife and I have just closed on 135 acres in Nelson County, Virginia. Land is about 60% wooded land at a healthy slope that'll never be much more than select cut timber land with some ATV tracks running through. The remaining 40% is split between existing pretty well maintained bottomland pasture and a good chunk that has been abandoned for about 7 / 10 years. Much of this is at a gradual slope great for grazing and was covered in apple orchards 40 years back.
I clearly need a tractor for tasks like:
- Bushhogging and deadfall clearing on the overgrown pastures
- Post hole digging for restoring fences
- Restoring old timber roads
- Select cutting timber and then moving around the debris to proper disposal / burn sites
- Returning the bottom land to crop cultivation is a future goal bit I'd expect thats 4/6 years out at this
I think I need a tractor between 50 & 75 HP with an upgraded brush cutter, a bucket with toothbar and a rear blade. A lot of my work will be along and in the treelines so I don't want a cab. My ability to go beyond basic preventative maintenance is limited at best. This will be my first tractor so there's a real fear of buying something that's too much machine for me to handle but I've got some great neighbors that have agreed to provide some mentoring.
At this point I think I've pretty much talked myself into a JD 5075e but I'd love feedback from the community regarding size, brand, config, attachments... This is the biggest non- real estate purchase I've ever made and I just feel a little overwhelmed so all thoughts are welcome.
My wife and I have just closed on 135 acres in Nelson County, Virginia. Land is about 60% wooded land at a healthy slope that'll never be much more than select cut timber land with some ATV tracks running through. The remaining 40% is split between existing pretty well maintained bottomland pasture and a good chunk that has been abandoned for about 7 / 10 years. Much of this is at a gradual slope great for grazing and was covered in apple orchards 40 years back.
I clearly need a tractor for tasks like:
- Bushhogging and deadfall clearing on the overgrown pastures
- Post hole digging for restoring fences
- Restoring old timber roads
- Select cutting timber and then moving around the debris to proper disposal / burn sites
- Returning the bottom land to crop cultivation is a future goal bit I'd expect thats 4/6 years out at this
I think I need a tractor between 50 & 75 HP with an upgraded brush cutter, a bucket with toothbar and a rear blade. A lot of my work will be along and in the treelines so I don't want a cab. My ability to go beyond basic preventative maintenance is limited at best. This will be my first tractor so there's a real fear of buying something that's too much machine for me to handle but I've got some great neighbors that have agreed to provide some mentoring.
At this point I think I've pretty much talked myself into a JD 5075e but I'd love feedback from the community regarding size, brand, config, attachments... This is the biggest non- real estate purchase I've ever made and I just feel a little overwhelmed so all thoughts are welcome.