Hill type 40 acres tractor and backhoe?

[chas0218]

Just so I have the right idea of what I want to accomplish and if a tractor and backhoe would do the job specifically the XG3025/MT225 (25hp tractor on a 35hp frame). This tractor is similar to the Kuboat L2501 and John Deere 3025e actually a little higher on the capacity side of things. The next step in HP in the LS lineup isn't

Some back story, my property is diamond as pictured on the top and is a total of 40 acres. This is in NY on the southern tier towards the middle of the state near Watkins Glen N.Y. We get a good amount of snow have wet springs and somewhat dry summers. I plan to use the tractor for a number of things but need something to maintain our property but be nimble around our house. All while having enough Oomph to pull logs out of the woods for firewood and milling. I also plan to do some road building around our property and add some food plots for hunting. Our property has been growing wild since the late 1800s (according to town documents) and hasn't been logged in over 50 years, so I need to do some clearing and cleaning up. I plan to add a deep 2 acre pond from the springs on the property.

The red line with the X indicates the steeper portion of my property. I currently have an ATV path that outlines the top edge of the diamond to the top (north) corner but stops there and from the house to the East (right corner). I need to clear some trees and plan to add a path using the tractor around the top edge to the east and then to the south corner and connect the rest of the way around. So in essence I will outline the property with a 4wd path all the way around it. I am hoping at some point if the neighbors sell I would buy their additional 60 acres (bottom picture) to my south and continue the road around that section of property.

Anyway would I be wiser spending my money elsewhere than a tractor and backhoe? I realize this is going to be a good amount of work but I'm not afraid of the work and have time to do it. I would have other uses for the backhoe but for the property and current trails I feel the MT225 is a good compromise on size and versatility. Either way I need the tractor for clean up around the house, large driveway for clearing snow, and other tasks listed above. I'm not new to tractors or heavy equipment but some of the task I will be doing for the 1st time in my life as my parents farm already had a lot of it done before I came around.

 

[jeff9366]

LS XG3025 Compact Tractor Price
$22,455 USD

LS XG3025 Compact Tractor Key Facts
Engine Type: 3-cylinder, indirect-injection, Water-cooled
Engine HP – 24.4
PTO HP – 17.1
Transmission – 3 range Hydrostatic Drive (HST)
3-Point Lift Capacity – 1,808 lbs.
Loader Lift Capacity – 1,600 lbs.

LS XG3025 Compact Tractor Specifications
ENGINE
Type 3-cylinder, indirect-injection, Water-cooled
Model(Tier4) MHI S3L2
Engine HP(Gross) 24.4
PTO HP 17.1
Rated speed, RPM 2,500
Displacement-cu, in3 80.4
Fuel tank capacity(gal) 7.4
Alternator 12V – 50 Amps
DRIVE TRAIN
Transmission Hydrostatic Drive
No. of speed 3 Ranges
Brakes Wet, Multi-Disc
Steering Hydrostatic Power Steering
PTO
Type Independent
Rear PTO(rpm) Standard (540 rpm)
HYDRAULIC SYSTEM
Implement pump (gpm) 7.9
Steering pump (gpm) 4.6
Total flow (gpm) 12.5
Category, 3 pt hitch CAT 1
Hitch Lift capacity (lb) 1,808
Lift control type Manual
DIMENSION
Overall length with 3pt (in.) 118
Wheelbase (in.) 66
Min. overall width with AG tires (in.) 54
Height to top of ROPS with Ag tires (in.) 88
TIRE SIZE
Ag Front/Rear 7 – 14 / 11.2 – 24
IND Front / Rear 25 x 8.5 – 14 / 43 x 16 – 20
Turf Front / Rear 25 x 8.5 – 14 / 41 x 14 – 20
WEIGHT
Total weight without ballast (lbs.) 2,434

 

[jeff9366]

LS XG3025 is too light for the tasks you have specified on your current property.

Tractors around 2,700 pounds are pretty fair on max ten (10) flat acres but you have 40 acres with hills now and the aspiration for 60 additional acres, for 100 acres total.

With a Loader and Backhoe mounted and a scant 24.4 horsepower you will crawl up slopes in HST/LOW.

Note that engine on this model displaces only 80 cubic inches and driveline seems to be marginally efficient with a drop of seven horsepower, 30%, from engine gross to PTO horsepower; drawbar (pulling) horsepower is always less than PTO horsepower.

I suggest a tractor with a bare tractor weight of 3,600 to 4,000 pounds and thirty-six to fifty horsepower.

If you consider a 3,700 pound bare weight tractor while maintaining a small tractor footprint research Kubota L3560.
I am not familiar enough with LS to recommend a similar machine in their line. Doubtless LS has competing models.

=== BUY ENOUGH TRACTOR ===​

 

[chas0218]

LS XG3025 is too light for the tasks you have specified on your current property.

Tractors around 2,700 pounds are pretty fair on max ten (10) flat acres but you have 40 acres now and the aspiration for more.

With a Loader and Backhoe mounted and a scant 24.4 horsepower you will crawl up slopes in HST/LOW. This would not be acceptable to me.

Note that engine on this model displaces only 80 cubic inches and driveline seems to be marginally efficient with a drop of seven horsepower from engine gross to PTO horsepower.

I suggest a tractor with a bare tractor weight of 3,600 to 4,000 pounds and thirty-six to fifty horsepower.

If you consider a 3,700 pound bare weight tractor while maintaining a small tractor footprint research Kubota L3560. I am not familiar enough with LS to recommend a similar machine in their line.

=== BUY ENOUGH TRACTOR ===​

The gear is 19.2hp @ the PTO the HST is 17hp. I would be buying gear, the PTO HP isn't really something that would hinder me that much.

When comparing the LS to the other brands the hydraulic capacity of LS is minimum 2gpm more than others at higher HP. So in this case the 3025 pushes as much gpm as the L4701, the lifting capacity of the 3025 is to that of the L3901. I have looked at all other brands and for the money

All in all I have been than the I do plan on running a 5' bush hog, and 5' rotovator/roto-tiller. The 3025 is the same as the 3035 other than engine size and about 400lbs. The L3560 you mentioned is 3483lbs. bare weight. The new kubotas are all lighter in the 30-50hp range than the LS. That isn't the only brand JD and Kioti are also lighter.

I'm not against buying a bigger tractor but price is the deciding factor and getting the most tractor for the money is what I need. Also for the size of the larger framed tractors won't allow me to get done and into areas that I require that slightly smaller size.

I'm not stuck on LS but other brands don't seem to weigh as much or are of lesser capacity than LS of same size.

 

[jeff9366]

I'm not against buying a bigger tractor but price is the deciding factor and getting the most tractor for the money is what I need. Also for the size of the larger framed tractors won't allow me to get done and into areas that I require that slightly smaller size.

You should spend your hard earned money on the machine you wish.

However, I think you are considering too light and too little power for your applications.

With a Loader and Backhoe mounted and a scant 24.4 horsepower you will crawl up slopes.

When you reach 1,000 engine hours power will be down ~5%, at 2,000 engine hours power will be down ~7%.

It will be interesting to read what others recommend.

My property is a total of 40 acres. I am hoping if the neighbors sell I would buy their additional 60 acres.

 

[ericm979]

It will take a long time to dig a deep 2 acre pond with a tractor that small. CUTS are not that good at digging with the loader bucket.

How large are the logs you will be pulling out of the woods? Will you pull them all the way to their final destination or will you want to carry log sections or lift them to the mill? You'll want significant loader capacity and a larger machine for that unless you only have small diameter logs.

If you will want to run a PTO chipper in the future you'll probably want more PTO power unless you're only chipping small stuff. At 32 PTO HP I wish I had more for the chipper at times.

 

[jeff9366]

The gear is 19.2hp @ the PTO the HST is 17hp.
I would be buying gear.
The PTO HP isn't really something that would hinder me that much.

I do plan on running a 5' bush hog.

You can cut dry grass to about 30" full swathe width with 19 PTO HP powering a light duty R/C weighing 400 to 450 pounds.

For the trail maintenance over forty acres I recommend a heavy duty R/C weighing 1,000 pounds, which an XG3025 could not power.

I do a lot of trail maintenance and woodland work.

I started with a medium duty, 600 pound R/C behind my L3560. Every year either the deck was distorted or the blades were out of balance. Too expensive to maintain.
The 1,000 pound heavy duty R/C chops everything without strain to the tractor nor mower.

 

[Richard]

Perhaps a bad question.....but could you get two machines?

I bought an industrial loader/backhoe AND an International 1066 for probably less than half of what my neighbor bought a JD (4044 if I recall the number).

He got a loader/backhoe on his machine but it won't do as much as an industrial. Then again, he can perhaps get closer to his house than I can or he can transport it much easier than mine.

I have carried 18/24 inch diameter pine trees with mine (pinched & moved with hoe). I don't know if he could have done same with same size. Actually, I DO pretend to know.... I doubt he could. So I'm moving a tree that he'd have to cut into two or three sections to move.

 

[MossRoad]

Are you digging a pond, or are you damming off a valley to make a pond? In all seriousness, I'd get prices from an excavator to do any pond/dam work. One thing you'll find mentioned here in many pond building threads, is yes, you can dig a bunch of dirt with a backhoe or excavator, but how are you going to move it from point A to point B in any reasonable/efficient manner without a dump truck, or, perhaps, a dozer? Contact some excavating companies and get prices before making purchase decisions.

As for what size tractor for X acres, that's a completely variable question based on tasks. For example, we have 20 acres of land. Our itty bitty 1500# machine is perfect for our needs, which are keeping several miles of trails mowed and maintained, hauling out firewood, and brush cutting a few acres of fields a few times a year.

You're looking at some big tasks at first, then maintenance, which, as others have suggested, sounds like a couple different machines. What's your budget?

 

[MossRoad]

Perhaps a bad question.....but could you get two machines?

I bought an industrial loader/backhoe AND an International 1066 for probably less than half of what my neighbor bought a JD (4044 if I recall the number).

He got a loader/backhoe on his machine but it won't do as much as an industrial. Then again, he can perhaps get closer to his house than I can or he can transport it much easier than mine.

I have carried 18/24 inch diameter pine trees with mine (pinched & moved with hoe). I don't know if he could have done same with same size. Actually, I DO pretend to know.... I doubt he could. So I'm moving a tree that he'd have to cut into two or three sections to move.

We bought an 8000# tractor loader used when we bought our property. Used it to knock out the large tasks, then downsized to a maintenance sized machine that we have now. Sold the larger 'tank' after it sat for 8-10 years unused because the smaller machine worked so much better for the general upkeep of the place.