Earth work

[K5lwq]

3015, 3515, 3520? Not sure 3520 is more than I want to spend honestly.

Branson website says the 15 series is only 2 speed HST? Is that correct? Seems pretty lame for that size tractor.

Somehow I missed you were wanting a HST. Now I am going to recommend you go for higher HP. A 3520 will do more pulling and lifting than the 3515. But if you are considering spending more to get the 20 series, I think it would be wise to stay in the 15 series and go up in HP. You probably can get the 4815 for a little less than a 3520.

You are at a point a dealer visit is in order. Test drive as many as you can.

 

[CobyRupert]

I was thinking just a chain and an old car rim, would pop most of the small trees out of the ground, use the draw bar or 3pt to pull with?

Yes.

You can't go wrong using the drawbar.
You can also use the 3 point hitch. Just make sure your 3pth is lowered below than the tractors axle so you don't pop wheelies & flip the tractor backwards; and that your cross-drawbar is pulling against its thick side and not rotated so that it can easily bend.

 

[desertdog71]

15 Series and up, all have 3 Range HST.

I Believe only the 00 Series comes with a 2 range.

Yeah, I have to be honest, their online presence is a joke. They have contradictory information in the same brochure. It's tough to overlook these things and not wonder if the tractors are slapped together as haphazard as the website.

 

[ptsg]

Yeah, I have to be honest, their online presence is a joke. They have contradictory information in the same brochure. It's tough to overlook these things and not wonder if the tractors are slapped together as haphazard as the website.

I agree. They should definitely improve their website. The Global one is not too bad, but there is still lots of room for improvements.

But in the end, the website doesn't reflect at all the quality of the tractors. They do a very good job on the tractors.

And K5lwq has the best advice here. Best thing to do, is to go to a dealer and check out some of the machines. Sit in the tractor, get a feel for the controls, and details like that.

 

[desertdog71]

I'm out of the country for work until Jan 22nd. I plan to visit a couple dealers when I get home. Branson has a pretty decent sized dealer down by Tulsa. There's a CAT dealer that sells LS tractors that I was going to check out too. There's a Workmaster 37 rental unit in the mix too with 120 hours on it for a pretty reasonable price. Then I still might not pull the trigger.

 

[Asteral]

for what your planning a slightly larger tractor may be better suited to your needs, the only other thing i could recommend for you would be a piranha tooth bar, they are by far better that just a tooth kit for your bucket, as its a tooth bar but also a bucket edge reinforcement, if your going to be moving lots of dirt i would say to check them out on youtube to get an idea if it is something you may want.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

A 1000 pound BB will go wasted behind a tractor of that class. Those belong behind much bigger tractors. I致e got a 5 or 6 blade of medium duty construction. It痴 better than the tractor supply junk but no Gannon either. It would easily take enough bite to spin out my 6,000 pound L3240. Pulling it behind the lighter L3800 with the rippers down is a lost cause. You can put 2 of them on the second notch and even then you have to be light on the controls.

Wasted on what tractor? The op was given the green light to go much bigger than the 2510 he was first considering as long as he could do some heavier work.

 

[4570Man]

Wasted on what tractor? The op was given the green light to go much bigger than the 2510 he was first considering as long as he could do some heavier work.

He said a 15 or 20 series Branson. You’d probably need a 10,000 pound or more machine to pull 1000 pounds box blade with the rippers down. I’m not saying that machine couldn’t use a Gannon box blade but there’s no use to spend more money vs the medium duty blade that he needs.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

He said a 15 or 20 series Branson. You壇 probably need a 10,000 pound or more machine to pull 1000 pounds box blade with the rippers down. I知 not saying that machine couldn稚 use a Gannon box blade but there痴 no use to spend more money vs the medium duty blade that he needs.

Maybe you should re-read my post. I was recommending a used box blade, hopefully a Gannon. If not used, I linked to ETA.

As I'm sure that you know, there are huge advantages to using a heavy box blade other than just using it with the rippers down. I have a 75hp 12,500 +lb machine and with the rippers all the way in the ground 10" it can and does stop the forward motion, if the ground is right.

I have a 65" 800lb Gannon ROBB for my 32 HP tractor, weighing in at 5000lbs. I have no problem pulling a full box load. This box is heavy enough that it does not just bounce over the typical hard stuff, or raise up and over an irregularity in the ground. It cuts it off.

You realize that there are commercial use Gannons that are only 5' wide, right?

I do agree that buying a new Gannon with hydraulic actuated rippers would be out of the question. :no: I would not do it today with what they cost new.

 

[desertdog71]

or I can rent a dozer for a grand and my buddy can do it all in a day. That doesn't give me the satisfaction of doing everything myself though. I'm going to turn this raw land into a home and do it all myself. That's my goal anyways. We all probably had grandparents that build their own homes and made their way. We don't do that these days, It's a challenge I want to take on while I still can. Father time is undefeated they say.