Hello & looking for a tractor on the MS Gulf Coast

[Lineman North Florida]

Are you set on a Kubota or have you looked at some of the other brands such as the LS? Not sure about now but you could at one time get more hp and what is considered extra features were standard on the LS machines.

 

[Rick in MS]

Are you set on a Kubota or have you looked at some of the other brands such as the LS? Not sure about now but you could at one time get more hp and what is considered extra features were standard on the LS machines.

Not set on Kubota but I have three Kubota dealers within a 45 minute drive.

I have two John Deere dealers within 45 minutes and one Mahindra dealer about an hour away.

Have been told about an LS dealer in town but they don't appear to have a web site.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Not set on Kubota but I have three Kubota dealers within a 45 minute drive.

I have two John Deere dealers within 45 minutes and one Mahindra dealer about an hour away.

Have been told about an LS dealer in town but they don't appear to have a web site.

Might at least be worth going in and having a look and seeing what they have to offer. Good luck with your search.

 

[Rick in MS]

The neighbor stopped by today to load some hay while we were working on the house.

He owns and hays the 10 acres beside ours.

He believes I need a 60 HP tractor to clear out and maintain the 6 acres of undergrowth in the pines. He says I'll end up tearing up a 35-40 HP tractor working that stuff out. The 60's - by Kubota & JD - have MSRPs well above what I would like to pay.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

I started with a 39hp 4x4 with FEL and did massive amounts of work with it, my dad laughed when he saw it and said what do you plan on doing with that? He found out you could fit that little tractor in the woods where a large tractor couldn't go without damaging it , he got to where he wanted to borrow it all the time.

 

[jeff9366]

The neighbor stopped by today to load some hay while we were working on the house.

He believes I need a 60 HP tractor to clear out and maintain the 6 acres of undergrowth in the pines. He says I'll end up tearing up a 35-40 HP tractor working that stuff out. The 60's - by Kubota & JD - have MSRPs well above what I would like to pay.

The Kubota M60 series, 50 to 64-horsepower, have overall widths of about seven feet.

Can you fit a seven foot wide tractor between your trees? I doubt it.

Tractor weight, not horsepower, is the key metric.

 

[Rick in MS]

Spent a couple of hours last week at both the John Deere and Kubota dealers.

Took pictures of the land and told them what I needed to do and what my future goals were.

John Deere wanted to put me in their 3032E and Kubota wanted to put me in their L3301.

Why do I not feel confident in those sizes? I have no reasoning or justification as to why, but I like the frame size of the MX4800 as well as the L4701.

I need to Google some videos of the L3301/3901 and JD 3032E/3038E doing bucket work and skidding logs.

Jeff - I could fit a seven foot tractor between the trees. About 10 years ago the owner had the trees select cut - took out every other row/every third row or something like that.

 

[Grandad4]

Can't add a whole lot to the good comments already made, except regarding your concerns re. tractor sizing. If you expect to be jockeying logs around you'll benefit from using a tractor in the 40 hp and up range, not so much because of horsepower but because that size tractor, when it's all dressed up in its "working clothes" (i.e. with FEL, ballasted tires, and something heavy on the 3pt.), will hit the trail at 6 to 8 thousand pounds. That's enough size that you can pick up a 1500+ lb log with your FEL and take it someplace if needed, and you won't feel like your tractor is on the ragged edge of tipping with every little rut you encounter. Pushing brush and logs, same story. Pulling logs, likewise.

So your instinct is right about this, in my opinion. Sure you "can" do such work with a lighter machine, but I've found that clearing and removing trees is inherently hard, dangerous and tiring, even for guys much younger than me. Last thing you need is to also be worrying about your equipment being overmatched too. You've got a serious project in mind so go with some serious equipment. Just one guy's opinion.

Also just my opinion, but the MX class of Kubotas is a good value for such equipment and the GL models are even nicer, high-end choices. The L4701 would also do the job. Same concepts would apply with other makes also.

 

[Rick in MS]

Still researching...

Using the log weight calculator at WOODWEB:

Most of the trees I'll be cutting up and moving are pine and are under 18 inches in diameter. Based on the calculator, I can cut these into 12 foot lengths and stay under 1,000 lbs. The few that are 24" or greater will have to be cut into 7-8 ft lengths to stay under 1,000 lbs

I would have a difficult time moving a 12 ft log in those woods so 8-10 ft seems more likely, even initially dragging to get them into open land.

This means I won't require the 2,000+/- FEL lift capacity that I was searching for - 1,100-1,200 lbs will be sufficient with a fair amount of capacity remaining for a safety buffer.

Doesn't mean that I don't still want a 5,000 lb, 50 HP tractor - but realizing I don't necessarily need one with the additional associated cost.

 

[jeff9366]

You are doing a good job of considering advice here and applying it to your tractor selection.

Consider that moving heavy loads on the FEL is one of the most hazardous routine tractor operations, which we all do regularly.

Get enough tractor weight so you are SAFE, particularly as a new operator. Fill the rear tires. Buy 4-WD.

Heavier tractors have more inertia. Heavier tractors have larger tires, less prone to being swallowed in ruts, holes and burrows. Keep adequate FEL counterbalance mounted on the Three Point Hitch.

Do your calculations. Buy one or two increments heavier than you think you need. You will get most of the incremental increase in money returned at resale.