Looking for first tractor

[jenkinsph]

I don't see much difference in operating cost long term between brands. I suspect if you find a good dealer you can work with and find a tractor that matches your needs then they are all good. Do a lot of research before you buy, make sure your specific needs are well covered.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

My first hello.
I am closing on 55 acres of land in at the base of the blue ridge mountains in Albemarle County, VA in one month. Currently it is wooded. The plan is to clear about 30 acres total and plant an apple orchard on about 15-20 acres, and 5+ acres of hops. We will also be building our home there. I've had the timber evaluated by both a professional forester who I hired and a rep from a lumber company. I won't get rich from the timber sale but it should be enough to fund the purchase of a decent tractor. Something along the lines of a Kubota L3901.
I have read hundreds of pages on this site about comparisons, and recommendations.... I still haven't even started a tractor up yet so I don't know what I will like and what I won't.

Hello,

If you're going to be removing a bunch of stumps, purchase a used excavator with a thumb and after the stumps are all out, sell the used excavator for what you paid for it.

Then purchase a tractor.

 

[k0ua]

Remotes are pairs of Hydraulic Ports usually on the back of the tractor. They terminate in QD or Quick Disconnect fittings so that you may plug in mating QD connectors to deliver hydraulic fluid to other devices you may wish to operate using the hydraulic system of the tractor.

These remotes are controlled by control valves onboard the tractor. Tractors can be set up with 0, 1,2 3 or more of these "remotes" Some are standard original equipment, sometimes they are added by dealers or users. I only have one set of remotes at the present time on my tractor. I have "plumbed" them to go to the front of my Front End Loader to operate my grapple.

Of course in a few seconds, i can disconnect the hoses leading up front, and use it to power something at the rear of the tractor like a hydraulic cylinder for a log splitter or what ever I can build or buy that needs fluid power.

Hydraulics are a wonderful thing. They are only limited by your imagination. In the photo's you can see the Selective Control Valve that controls the remote, just in front of the joystick. Also you can see the remote pair of QD's on the back and the hoses I ran to the front to terminat in more QD's where the grapple hoses plug in. There you go, a little tractor 101

 

[WoodChuckDad]

K0ua, thanks for the quick lesson. Jeff you are correct on the searching, the problem is that I get so much good info I can't take it all in fast enough. Trying to strike a balance between jumping in too quick and waiting so long that opportunities fade away.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

Hello,

If you're going to be removing a bunch of stumps, purchase a used excavator with a thumb and after the stumps are all out, sell the used excavator for what you paid for it.

Then purchase a tractor.

Ok I have been looking at used excavators...First question....how big would I need? They are crazy expensive.
second question....how do you get them to a remote location?
third question.......how do I know I'm not buying something that is going to break down after a few hours of use? Buying a used tractor is intimidating enough......

 

[Dewbie]

Ok I have been looking at used excavators...First question....how big would I need? They are crazy expensive.
second question....how do you get them to a remote location?
third question.......how do I know I'm not buying something that is going to break down after a few hours of use? Buying a used tractor is intimidating enough......

If your going to have timber cut talk with timber company about popping up the stumps for you. They have the big machines that can pop em up without any trouble. I'd much rather do that if the price is right, unless you just got the money to spend and the knowledge to work on track equipment. I too have thought about an ex or dozer but ones in my price range have thousands of hours on them and it's just not worth the added stress to me.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

If your going to have timber cut talk with timber company about popping up the stumps for you. They have the big machines that can pop em up without any trouble. I'd much rather do that if the price is right, unless you just got the money to spend and the knowledge to work on track equipment. I too have thought about an ex or dozer but ones in my price range have thousands of hours on them and it's just not worth the added stress to me.

I have talked to the forester I hired and he tells me that the logging companies won't do it. Says he only knows of one logging operation that has a trackhoe or excavator. That doesn't make sense to me. I think I need to contact some more of the timber companies directly.

 

[Dewbie]

I have talked to the forester I hired and he tells me that the logging companies won't do it. Says he only knows of one logging operation that has a trackhoe or excavator. That doesn't make sense to me. I think I need to contact some more of the timber companies directly.

I would. My uncle owns a logging company so I know several loggers and all the big guys have excavators and dozens able to pop stumps up with ease. The small outfits might not.

 

[boggen]

Tractor Attachments And Skid Steer Attachments For Any Tractor Or Skid Steer = they have lots of text / videos of various implements most of it is based around "general home owner" and not directly geared to nitch markets. but there is enough there vs any place else, to help familiarize yourself with various things.
www.tractorhouse.com = new and used stuff. (geared directly more towards agriculture)
www.machinerytrader.com = sister site of tractorhouse and goes for (industrial machines)

spend some time going through all 3 sites and looking at machines. and types of implements / attachments they have for them. ya it will get confusing, but this is more "homework" and trying to get you up to par of what is available out there and learning of what it does.

go to various manufacture websites and go through there "tractor builder / configuration" what ever they call it. and get into the "additional options" for the tractors. and read up and watch videos, of what they do.

youtube.com (log into the site) = a nice place to search for stuff, lots of videos, i normally filter stuff out by (view count / relevance) and then after a few videos, youtube will start recommending other videos about various attachments you been watching.

 

[boggen]

1 getting the trees out and getting cash
2 stump removal
3 little surface roots (just under the surface)
4 leveling things out (clean up of all of above)
5 planting / dealing with orchard and general maintenance

1and 2 are bigger jobs, 3 and 4 can be big jobs as well. 5 is were your tractor is going to come in at.

2 through 5 you might get away with a small amount of acreage. but you are talking a lot of acres. and you would be wasting more time / money on a small tractor vs bigger machinery. since you won't need the bigger machinery afterwards. you are stuck at...

A. paying someone else to do it
B. renting and doing it yourself
C. buying a used machine/s and doing it yourself. then selling after you get done.

a Professional operator can do a lot quicker and faster. while driving machinery around, and operating the hydraulics are easy enough on most machines and a few hours in the seat i would imagine most folks get hang of it, it is the extra experience, of moving stuff around, and working around the rain. working the dirt, etc... and more so an operator that knows the machine (used it multi times) and knows the power of the machine / traction of the machine, how much they can bite into stuff without getting stuck.

(B) option aka renting and do it yourself. there is still some maintenance involved. greasing, checking fluids, checking tracks if machine has tracks. making sure you have enough fuel on hand to keep the machinery going.

i have went route of (C) i am no professional by no means. and have made some pretty big messes. but have learned, and has allowed me to drag stuff out longer. but you need to have some "mechanical skills" repairing stuff. shop/service manual for the machinery, and some searching on youtube / google brings back enough so far, for me to fix general things that have went wrong. but it takes time. and the correct tools.

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goal of above more along the lines, of trying to give ya basic options folks end up looking through...

regardless of what you do above. i tend to goto google type in my address, click on "maps" (76 or something acres here), and then click on "earth" one of the icons along the bottom of the map. zoom in all the way. and print a few maps out.

there are a couple other sites such as "terraserver.com" that give "elevation" maps as well.

with above i'am able to use markers and like and figure out locations for a road way, lake, garden etc... fairly easily. and when i show them to someone else. they get idea quickly. without much effort.

below images.. i did....
print screen key (PRTSCN) top right hand corner of your keyboard.
opened up (paint) comes with all versions of microsoft windows computers
pressed (CTRL + V) keys for paste. used the rectangular selection tool and pressed crop. used the line tool to put in fence line / boarder lines.


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above is more an attempt to get a "plan" and get it down on paper. so when working with 3rd party companies / folks coming in. you have an easy way of saying hey this here, that there. driveway there, road/gravel roadway there, fence line there, a row of trees here. tree root balls here, get dirt from over here, etc...