What would be the BEST rough terrain tractor?

[LRH]

What we used is nothing like the WoodsBoss setup, it is just a Very heavy duty 1960 brush hog type cutter that My friends bought at a GA DOT auction in the mid late 60's. It is an IH brand and was painted yellow from factory, not red and has a shadow of some DOT #'s and the IH trademark still visible. Data plate is long gone. I am not even sure of the cut but I think it is 7'. I didn't know IH built this type of cutter, have never seen another. Could have built or supplied it per State of GA bid spec or something. It is very heavy, even behind an old 3000 Ford diesel. Along with that I have a 4' LD Bush Hog cutter for zig-zaging through my woods and a Bush Hog RDTH-60 grooming mower. Friend has an older 6' MD Bush Hog cutter along with the old DOT monster above. We now have lots of trails for ATV's, dirt bikes. Have a nice fire-pit area and a nice large area set up as a shooting range set up with targets ranging from small paper bullseyes up to 55 gal drums and one 1969 Toyota coupe; now a convertable....

 

[RAW]

So, I'd love to pick your brain about some things.

When you were creating the ATV trails and such, what was your method for clearing? I mean, did you just drive over the saplings and briars and what not and then let the bushhog chop it all up? Or did you push that stuff over with a FEL and then drive over? Or did you first back the bushhog over the saplings and stuff? Did you have issues with either method just leaving sharpened stakes/stumps behind?

Also, you got any before/after pics?

 

[LRH]

Did a lot of backing into some areas due to stumps from firewood cutting. Also occasional junk/projects brought home by family members over the years that got thrown on the back property lines along with tresspasser dumping, un-confirmed native American burial sites, a few rock outcroppings, a few rockpiles from the farming days, old long gone barns/sheds, barbed wire, 1939? Dodge engine/trans/partial frame, 2 known wells, sawmill parts, ect......The hardest parts to clean up are some of the areas that were puplwooded due to the fact that they used loaders to push debris in piles that were about 6' tall and 12'-15' and contain rocks and stumps mixed with clay. A few of these piles still exist after 14 years. So most areas were pre-walked, then backed into with the cutter raised high and then cut at lower levels later. Since most these particular areas were farming fields that when left unused years ago; turned to pines, and then pulpwooded, most of what has to be cut is small pines and all the junk vines and briars. The remaining stumps can in areas where you want to drive can be cut lower with saw or in the case of small siameter softwoods just cut off at ground level with loping (sp?) shears so as not to damage sidewalls. Most of what we have to rough cut now is stuff that was done 20-25 years ago but has been neglected for 1-3 years at a time. The rest is just field grass that gets cut about 4 times a year. Not as much gets done as in years past as all the nieces and nephews that we taught to ride motorcycles, horses, and shoot guns have all grown up.

 

[JerryG]

<font color="blue"> Did you have issues with either method just leaving sharpened stakes/stumps behind? </font>
A lot of the small stumps that are left will not be cut off clean like a lawn mower does. A brush mower as some have put it more like beats the brush off instead of cutting it. That leaves a stump that is really beat up. Of course there are a lot of different factors that will determine the extent of this. Moisture in the plant, type of plant, previous growing conditions etc all play a part.

 

[RAW]

So, on the topic of rough terrain tractors:

1. Antonio Carraro
2. Massey-Ferguson 400 series
3. New Holland ??

I haven't heard anyone from the Kubota, Deere, etc. crowd.
Anything in those lineups that would be good for steep terrain??

 

[IH3444]

There is a big bad A$$ Mahindra 6500 on ebay right now for an excellent reserve price. That with loaded ag tires, and a hefty rear Woods ballast blade would get you pretty far with the work you are wanting to do. The Mahindra in my opinion aren't as refined as the NHs, Deeres, but for a mighty brute tractor with deep growl, which is what you need. You would be hard pressed at that reserve price to match it. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif My 1971 IH3444 is a Mahindra built, Perkins direct injection diesel, with an IH 3141 hoe, and a South Korean FEL. It is a beast, and **** near unhurtable.

 

[KentT]

Well, not necessarily "rough" terrain, but certainly steep terrain -- designed and built in Switzerland:

Their whole product line:

http://www.aebi.com/

 

[aesanders]

Raw,

Someone posted this in the NH forum. Looks right up your alley (or slope that is)

web page

 

[tjkadar]

I wouldn't consider the Mahindra 6500 a competent tractor for slopes. I don't know that Kubota builds anything for that type of terrain either. They do build narrow tractors, but that isn't the same thing.

I really like the NH TK-A. Can you put a FEL on that beast? If so, it might be the perfect fit. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[LRH]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I don't know that Kubota builds anything for that type of terrain either. They do build narrow tractors, but that isn't the same thing.
)</font>
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Kubota M9000 Low Profile, if it has sufficient ground clearance.