Grading - How important is weight of the tractor?

[n530]

Hi All,

I'm looking at buying a tractor for my 5 acres filled with live oaks soon. i plan to do quite a bit of grading, for a short period of time such as: 45x35 pad for steel building, grading out a gravel driveway too the building, and just general leveling of other areas around my property. I plan to get a box scraper with my purchase.

I am looking at a Kubota B2650, as that seems to be the best bang for my buck for my brush hogging, grapple for brush moving/log lifting, light backhoe jobs/stump removal. (27K+ by build price new)

However, id RATHER buy a one machine (making payments anyway) so i dont have to go rent bobcats/excavators/pay to have it done, ect. Is that B2650 going to have enough weight in the tractor for grading or am i going to be better served by going with a l3900 (2590 to 2778)/grand L 3650 (3483 to 3880). Of course the lift weight will be better with bigger machines, but i don't think that is something that I will really be limited by with the 2650 (1664 to 2238 lbs)

Thanks for any advice anyone might have.

 

[jeff9366]

Your dirt and moisture in your dirt when you want to grade will significantly affect how rapidly you can accomplish each grading task.

If soil is not dry and hard a B2650 will do fine.

You will probably want a 60" wide Box Blade as heavy per foot of width as the budget allows. Weight is key cutting and moving soil with a Box Blade. A heavy Box Blade makes excellent counterbalance to heavy FEL lifts.

When I grade with my L3560 I almost always have a Ratchet Rake bucket attachment strapped to the FEL bucket when my Rollover Box Blade is mounted on the Three Point Hitch.

Forget digging out Live Oak stumps with a B2650 Backhoe. Hire stump removal out to an excavator or bulldozer.


VENDER: Ratchet Rake, LLC - All Terrain Rake, Snow Edge, Tractor attachment, Bucket attachment, Loader, Skid loader, Kubota, Skid steer, Landscape rake, Brush remover, York Rake, Harley Rake, Rock Rake, Tractor rake attachment, Construction attachment, New Holland, Bobcat, Fire safety, Home fire safety, Fire prevention, John Deere, skid steer attachment, tractor implement

MORE: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/375397-ratchet-rake-today.html?highlight=

 

[n530]

Your dirt and moisture in your dirt when you want to grade will significantly affect how rapidly you can accomplish each grading task.

If soil is not dry and hard a B2650 will do fine.

You will probably want a 60" wide Box Blade as heavy per foot of width as the budget allows. Weight is key cutting and moving soil with a Box Blade. A heavy Box Blade makes excellent counterbalance to heavy FEL lifts.

When I grade with my L3560 I almost always have a Ratchet Rake bucket attachment strapped to the FEL bucket when my Rollover Box Blade is mounted on the Three Point Hitch.

Forget digging out Live Oak stumps with a B2650 Backhoe. Hire stump removal out to an excavator or bulldozer.

Thanks for the response. From a time perspective i can do it when its optimal, this isn't a pressing issue.

I have 40+ stumps (most are small) on my 5, and cut down 2/3 trees that fall so far each year I've been here (5 years). I really just want to dig them out as i tire of hitting them with the brush hog. I don't have the $$ to hire it out

Do you think the l3650 with the 9ft hoe would fare better.

 

[jeff9366]

Thanks for the response. From a time perspective i can do it when its optimal, this isn't a pressing issue.

I have 40+ stumps (most are small) on my 5, and cut down 2/3 trees that fall so far each year I've been here (5 years). I really just want to dig them out as i tire of hitting them with the brush hog. I don't have the $$ to hire it out

Do you think the l3650 with the 9ft hoe would fare better.

YES. But an L3560 is lot more money for five acres.

An L3560 will not fit in a garage with a standard 84" header, even with the ROPS folded.

Backhoe is a $8,000 option.

What use do you forecast for the Backhoe after your forty stumps are removed?

When I kill small Oak stumps with herbicide in warm, moist Florida stumps usually rot to grade in three years.

 

[n530]

YES. But an L3560 is lot more money for five acres.

An L3560 will not fit in a garage with a standard 84" header, even with the ROPS folded.

Backhoe is a $8,000 option.

What use do you forecast for the Backhoe after your forty stumps are removed?

When I kill small Oak stumps with herbicide in warm, moist Florida stumps usually rot to grade in three years.

I'm in Northern Cal. No moist here, certainly hot though. There are some stumps that have been there a while, hard as rocks.

I was planning on getting a thumb too. I have loads of rocks to move around. i have a french drain irrigation trenches to dig. A trencher would of course be faster, but id have to rent it ect (hope its there ect)

And to be clear, I'm cash poor (hence my statement of lack of money), but earn a decent income and have great credit. I'm planning on a tractor regardless for the brush hogging and woodland clean up (not getting any younger). I'm financing anyway, and the difference between 2560 and g-L3650 both loader/hoe equipped (~13k) is doable (soon).

I know i wont regret the additional heft of the larger machine. I'll certainly regret getting less than i need though.

 

[kthompson]

I am not a fan of a backhoe on rear of tractor. Never used one but it will not be a simple on and off attachment. However a lot of people have them. Depending on the type of tree the stumps are from you have different options. If a wood that will rot in say four years rotting with some aid can be good option. If a wood that is know for being slow to root then removal is best option. Of course there are options on how.

General options: if the stumps are shallow rooted you might can use a "subsoiler" to plow along the sides of the stump breaking it's roots making it much easier to pull. If you can not pull the stumps the first thing to be is be sure they are not still alive. Roundup painted on the top of the stump can help with that. You can use a long wood bit with drill and drill holes into the stump and apply chemicals to help it root, oil will slow down rot but oil (even used motor oil or hyd oil) poured into the drill holes will burn helping to burn out the stump. DO NOT DRILL HOLES THROUGH THE Stump OR THE OIL WILL JUST DRAIN THROUGH. Some have drilled the holes and applied fertilizer to speed up the process but you can not rot out stumps still alive. If you can dig even with a shovel a few inches down around the stumps building a regular camp fire on the stumps can work very well. Look on youtube at ways people have done this. If your stumps are not just few inches in diameter with cutting the roots with subsoiler and just keep bumping with box blade that often will loosen and be easier to pull. Best way to pull stumps is still attached to the tree. Again look at youtube on digging trees popping the stump out of the ground. Sounds neater than it is, but requires some solid planning and thinking. A stump cut off to the ground is hard to pull without stronger machine as you have lost leverage.

 

[jeff9366]

Please add No. California location to your T-B-N PROFILE, so it appears with every post you make.

Observe your respondents.

 

[jeff9366]

I know i wont regret the additional heft of the larger machine. I'll certainly regret getting less than i need though.

YES.

Selling a used tractor is easy. Selling multiple light implements in order to buy heavier, wider implements for a new, heavier tractor requires a lot of time. Depreciation on implements is generally greater than depreciation on a tractor.

 

[Egon]

The B 2650 seems to be very similar to the JD 4200 I have. For the tasks the OP has listed all have been done by the similar JD I own.

So—- the choice of Kubota model will be??

 

[oosik]

The importance of tractor weight - in my case MAJOR. I have a mile long driveway. It's a combination of gravel, sand, silt & volcanic ash. It "sets up" in the summer - just like concrete. For 27 years I tried to grade my driveway in the summer. I had a Ford 1700 4WD. It just would not do the job and the very short time when the driveway moisture level was correct - just too short.

I finally gave up. Bought a brand new 2009 Kubota M6040. I've "bulked it up" - with attachments it now weighs - 10,100 pounds. Land Pride grapple @ 820# - 1500# of RimGuard in the rear tires - Rhino 950 rear blade @ 1050#.

With the FitRite hydraulic top link - blading the driveway any time in the summer is now easily accomplished.

Plus now I can easily tackle the larger projects on the property.