Tractor Sizing Looking to buy a tractor for 40 acres of woods

[joe t]

You will need a bulldozer to take out stumps probably. Also, an excavator works wonders on stumps as well.


I have kinda similar needs. I am buying another compact tractor because this will serve as a company tractor and we work in tight quarters. Also, on my wooded land it is so thick that a utility or medium sized tractor would be hard to swing around. We have Yupon around here and that stuff is like razors on springs, gotta be careful.



I'm looking at a 50hp tractor because I'm reading they can use a 10 ft brush hog. I'm not to familiar with skid steers but I've only seen them with like 5 or 6 ft mowers on them. Something to think about. It would be cool though with the skid steer to vertically hit tree branches with the mower since it is up front and you can lift it; if possible don't know. Also it is a little more shielded in the cab.

If the land isn't too thick I'd get a medium sized tractor with 50hp minimal. Little more umph.

Also a good basic compact in that hp to look is the Kubota MX line. Kubota seems to have a good dealer network.

 

[joe t]

Another thought is what process do you plan to use in clearing this?


See what your neighbors are doing. I've seen my neighbors do it different ways but generally if they want to keep it wooded they run a dozer through quickly and knock down the brush and trees they don't want then come back through with a brush hog. Seems like it is easier to get it all hogged down once it has been knocked down a little. I've done it similar and keep the brushhog up a little high on the first pass or so. I use the front end loader to push stuff I can't shred out of the way. Another bonus to the tractor. If you get good on it you can use the brakes to swing it left or right and push stuff out of the way with the FEL and never slow down much and continue on shredding.

So you might want to consider renting a dozer for a week to knock some stuff down, then using whatever tractor you buy to clean it up. If you have stumps in there then you can get the dozer again or excavator and go knock them out. Use your tractor to clean up and maintain afterwards.

 

[creekbend]

The other members have pretty well sum it up. I will only suggest you purchase a tractor with 4-WD and a FEL. The dealer you purchase from is just as important as the make and model. Please remember that a Tractor is not a piece of Heavy Equipment. BTW, you mentioned earlier that you found two dealers that offer free delivery. Most dealers offer this service unless you are located out of state or very far away. Best wishes. Reviewing the forums here on TBN, will definitely provide you with more insight regarding implements; etc. Best wishes.

 

[drnaum7]

I would suggest a 4WD diesel for that small acreage. I wish we lived closer and you could see the Field Pro 404 of mine that has less than 300 hours that has a from end loader. We used it with a brush hog and it works very well with that too. I am asking $9000, but I know that I am too far away for you to look at it. I understand that it is one of the best in that class made. It is Korean made. I would not get less than a 40 horsepower for what you need. 35 horsepower would be a strain on how much you have to take care of so I would think logically of what you say you would be using it for. This has a high and low gear to use and when doing heavy work the low gear is what I mainly used. High gear is moving quickly from job to job and I wouldn't use that for the real work. There is a backhoe attachment that can be purchased Just for this modle and if I keep this tractor I will most likely get it to dig me a root cellar and install some electric and water lines. Hope this is a help to you needs - Ron

 

[john_bud]

For 40 acres of heavy woods, a small machine is nice. I've been stuck with trees in front, trees on both sides
and a stump behind hanging the brush cutter and the only way out is with a chain saw and a lot of prayer that the trees fall in the desired direction! We have 280 acres of woods and a L3410. For some things, bigger would be better, but for most bigger would be worse.

I would also agree that to clear your orchard area, best bet is to have a dozer (D5 or D6 size) come in. For one-two thousand dollars you can get far more done than a small tractor can ever accomplish.

 

[crazyal]

If it was me I think I would go with a 40hp tractor. For a Kubota it would be an L size. I would get a logging winch for it and a couple of snatch blocks for pulling any trees you drop. With over 150' of cable it'll be able to get trees out of most of the steep parts and with the snatch blocks and some tree savers you can drag log around other trees even when you can't get your tractor in close. I would get a brush hog to take care of any blackberry patches. For the stumps I would rent a stump grinder to chip them up. Why would you want to dig them out and find a place on your land to put them when you can grind them up. I would also grind up any branches.

 

[flusher]

The property is in Dunsmuir so its usually about 10 degrees cooler than Redding. I have talked with a Kubota and Deer dealer who will deliver for free and they make service calls. Also, I have a buddy who is a mechanic and am not completely inept when it comes to mechanical work if I have a good manual.

There are a lot of areas where its so thick you have to walk with your hands in front of your face to shield it from tree branches so a cab is out of the question at this point. The appeal of a skid steer is the maneuverability (there are a lot of trees) and the fact that you can mow while looking forward. Dad will be using the equipment daily and he has a bad neck so looking backwards all the time would probably aggravate it. I only have saturdays to work up there.

Had been considering a B series tractor but it sounds like that would be a little small. What size stumps can a 35-40hp tractor handle? We will have about 15 20-30 inch stumps to remove from the future orchard. Probably wont be dealing with this size stumps regularly but 10-15 inch stumps will be fairly common.



Is all wheel dive the same as 4 wheel? Would probably go for industrial tires for increased puncture resistance and the added width.



Good point I stuck my differential on a stump (we hadn't cut it down flush) but it was the last load and the ground had compacted. Not exactly fun to cut out a stump when your truck is sitting on it!

So it sounds like the recommendation for a tractor is about 40 hp with FEL, grapple, and brush hog. With all the hydraulic extras and HST. With a tractor that size what implements are good for rock removal for a garden site. Thanks for all the responses very helpful!

Take a drive down to Red Bluff and see Dave Siemens at Dave's Tractors. He's a distributor for Mahindra tractors and will help you out. Dave posts a lot here on TBN.

My big tractor is a 2008 Mahindra 5525 (55 hp engine, 45 hp pto, 2WD, 8F/2R tranny (partially syncromeshed) power steering) that I bought new from Dave.

What you need is seat time on tractors in the 30-50 hp range in order to make an informed buying decision. Drive them and ask questions.

Good luck

 

[timbatrader]

I have three machines started with a skid steer Bobcat743 then bought a old 2wd tractor later. The skid steer is purpose built to move dirt much better at making and maintaining tracks than a tractor with front end loader the skid steer just is so much stronger with real breakout force and can turn in its own length handy on long narrow tracks. The tractor has a PTO needed for mowers chippers firewood saws etc. Recently bought a small dozer mainly for track development on hills the skid steer just won’t get up
By the way I had a lot of blackberry here mostly under control now I reckon you need to mow/mulch it then spray the regrowth for several years. Spray alone or mowing alone will not do it you need both