Buying Advice Buying advice for 8 acres

[joncham]

Hello All,

I've read through tons of informative posts but am still having trouble making up my mind. For property of this size a 30-40 hp compact tractor seems to be recommended, but given the jobs I have to do and the topography I am not sure that's my best option.

I just finished building a new house on 8 acres in Southwestern PA. Looking to buy one (or more) machines to clean up and manage the property. The previous owner was a hoarder and left property in fairly bad shape.

The 8 acres is quite varied with about half former pasture and half wooded. The wooded part is almost entirely a ravine, and includes a creek running through the bottom. The pasture varies from flat to 20 degree slope, and the ravine is steeper (nothing I would drive a tractor on).

One time jobs:
- remove and cleanup ~dozen medium (10'+ diameter) size trees; mostly dead ash
- 1 acres is dirt needing smoothed and seeded with grass; another 2 acres has grass but is rutted and rough
- all landscaping around new house (bushes, trees, mulch, etc)
- 100+ tires in ravine I'd like to remove; would need brought to road (500' away) for proper disposal
- build dam across ravine to create small bass pond (< 1 acre)
- demolition of old 2 car garage
- trenching for electric, water lines, and drainage

Recurring work:
- gravel driveway (500') needs maintained; potentially plowed in winter
- 5 acres of mowing; I have commercial zero turn currently

My view is that CTL and Mini-Ex would be ideal for the initial cleanup work, while a compact/utility tractor would suffice for maintaining. Additionally, I do have some reservations about usefulness/safety of compact tractor given the slopes.

I am currently considering one of the following options:
1. Buy new/used compact tractor (Kubota L or MX). Rent MiniEx as needed.
2. Buy used TLB (Kubota L47 or M59). Rent MiniEx as needed; hopefully renting less often than option 1.
3. Buy used CTL & MiniEX. Perhaps sell off after work is done and then buy tractor.

Any advice on those options or alternative suggestions?

Additional considerations:
- I am comfortable running all machinery I listed.
- Most work to be done in evenings or on weekends as I have day job.
- Weekend rentals for any machinery is ~$800 with delivery.
- No specific budget, but at some price point I might as well just sub work out.
- Multiple equipment dealers around me to buy/rent from.

 

[sea2summit]

I don't think you'd keep a mini ex busy enough to justify buying it but renting a good sized one for a few weekends will probably do a lot of the clean up you're talking about, especially the tires.

I have an MX and love it, I bought it when I had six acres and kept it busy for about a year getting the yard in shape. Now we're on 28 acres. If you're going to plow snow regularly I'm pretty sure I'd want a cab...but those don't play well with woods.

Good luck.

 

[Jchonline]

The tractor is of course the most versatile and ideal for longer term maintenance. You already have a mower, how is the ZT on those 5 acres? Do you plan on planting any row crops in the fields?

I would probably have a pro do the dam and remove the tires in 1 go. A 40 ton Excavator and a bull dozer can make really quick work of it. Tractors are not bull dozers. If you can rent A CTL + excavator and do the same all the better. For tire cleanup even a TLB will be annoying. Nothing replaces a 360 degree reach like an excavator for cleanup. I would always recommend starting with a tractor. If you want a 2nd machine sure look at something else if you have specific reoccurring tasks that require it. Without a doubt a mini ex will be better at digging than a tractor backhoe. However it is going to suck at everything else.

From the TLB perspective (as I have one) my reasons: 1. I have no mowing 2. I have no field work 3. I wanted open station with protection from trees (I get on/off very frequently and live in the Rocky Mountains). The backhoe has been super useful (I am building a house so quite a few trenches/holes to dig). I am also an hour from the nearest town, so rental is expensive.

Without more discussion I think a MX sized tractor is a great start. Good luck with your choice!

 

[rScotty]

Hello All,

I am currently considering one of the following options:
1. Buy new/used compact tractor (Kubota L or MX). Rent MiniEx as needed.
2. Buy used TLB (Kubota L47 or M59). Rent MiniEx as needed; hopefully renting less often than option 1.
3. Buy used CTL & MiniEX. Perhaps sell off after work is done and then buy tractor.

Any advice on those options or alternative suggestions?

- Multiple equipment dealers around me to buy/rent from.

Since you don't know what you want, it makes sense to get something ... try it and see how it works. I'd consider renting everything on the list if it weren't for the price.

A lot of us here on TBN use the Kubota TLBs and rent excavators when necessary. It's a compromise that works.

On your number 2 about the used TLBs, I think you mean L45 - which also has the preferred hydrostat plus tranny. The L47 is the current model. Nice but more expensive.
A used L39 is also capable of real work, and very handy. If you find a nice one, just get it and go from there.

On TLBs vs miniex, the M59 will handle more than the smaller mini excavators. So if going with an excavator I'd move to small med. size. over mini.
TLBs are more stable than a compact tractor but less than a miniex. Adding wheels spacers of about two inches per side is said to help stability.

Expect that TLBs and miniex both hold their value well. If you get the TLB, try to get one with a thumb, front remote, and the 3pt kit.
rScotty

 

[joncham]

The tractor is of course the most versatile and ideal for longer term maintenance. You already have a mower, how is the ZT on those 5 acres? Do you plan on planting any row crops in the fields?

ZT works well with low center of gravity on the hills. Ride is rough across the former pasture fields.

I don't plan on any row crops. Much more likely would be small orchard and berry bushes.

From the TLB perspective (as I have one) my reasons: 1. I have no mowing 2. I have no field work 3. I wanted open station with protection from trees (I get on/off very frequently and live in the Rocky Mountains). The backhoe has been super useful (I am building a house so quite a few trenches/holes to dig). I am also an hour from the nearest town, so rental is expensive.

The TLB seems like best bang for buck. My main worry about the TLB is whether it would be useful at all in the ravine between the steep slopes and wet bottom.

 

[joncham]

Since you don't know what you want, it makes sense to get something ... try it and see how it works. I'd consider renting everything on the list if it weren't for the price.

A lot of us here on TBN use the Kubota TLBs and rent excavators when necessary. It's a compromise that works.

On your number 2 about the used TLBs, I think you mean L45 - which also has the preferred hydrostat plus tranny. The L47 is the current model. Nice but more expensive.
A used L39 is also capable of real work, and very handy. If you find a nice one, just get it and go from there.

On TLBs vs miniex, the M59 will handle more than the smaller mini excavators. So if going with an excavator I'd move to small med. size. over mini.
TLBs are more stable than a compact tractor but less than a miniex. Adding wheels spacers of about two inches per side is said to help stability.

Expect that TLBs and miniex both hold their value well. If you get the TLB, try to get one with a thumb, front remote, and the 3pt kit.
rScotty

I've rented an L47 which had the thumb. It's hard to find thumbs and auxiliary front hydraulics on L45 or L48. The L39 has a GST rather than HST I believe, so I was avoiding that model.

If an M59 comes along with right price and front/rear auxiliary hydraulics I will likely buy it.

I rented a 12k and 18k excavator which were right size for the jobs at the time. I think I would rent large mini-ex again for big jobs, and then long term its decision between TLB vs tractor & ~7k mini-ex.

 

[newbury]

Hello All,

I've read through tons of informative posts but am still having trouble making up my mind. For property of this size a 30-40 hp compact tractor seems to be recommended, but given the jobs I have to do and the topography I am not sure that's my best option.

I just finished building a new house on 8 acres in Southwestern PA. Looking to buy one (or more) machines to clean up and manage the property. The previous owner was a hoarder and left property in fairly bad shape.

The 8 acres is quite varied with about half former pasture and

half wooded. The wooded part is almost entirely a ravine,

and includes a creek running through the bottom. The pasture varies from flat to 20 degree slope, and the ravine is steeper (nothing I would drive a tractor on).

One time jobs:
- remove and cleanup ~dozen medium (10'+ diameter) size trees; mostly dead ash

In my neck of the woods a 10' diameter tree is huge. Did you mean 10"DBH?
[/quote]
- 1 acres is dirt needing smoothed and seeded with grass; another 2 acres has grass but is rutted and rough
- all landscaping around new house (bushes, trees, mulch, etc)
- 100+ tires in ravine I'd like to remove; would need brought to road (500' away) for proper disposal
- build dam across ravine to create small bass pond (< 1 acre)
- demolition of old 2 car garage
- trenching for electric, water lines, and drainage

Recurring work:
- gravel driveway (500') needs maintained; potentially plowed in winter
- 5 acres of mowing; I have commercial zero turn currently

My view is that CTL and Mini-Ex would be ideal for the initial cleanup work, while a compact/utility tractor would suffice for maintaining. Additionally, I do have some reservations about usefulness/safety of compact tractor given the slopes.

I am currently considering one of the following options:
1. Buy new/used compact tractor (Kubota L or MX). Rent MiniEx as needed.
2. Buy used TLB (Kubota L47 or M59). Rent MiniEx as needed; hopefully renting less often than option 1.
3. Buy used CTL & MiniEX. Perhaps sell off after work is done and then buy tractor.

Any advice on those options or alternative suggestions?

Additional considerations:
- I am comfortable running all machinery I listed.
- Most work to be done in evenings or on weekends as I have day job.
- Weekend rentals for any machinery is ~$800 with delivery.
- No specific budget, but at some price point I might as well just sub work out.
- Multiple equipment dealers around me to buy/rent from.[/QUOTE]
For 8 acres

half wooded. The wooded part is almost entirely a ravine,

I think you need to focus on long term usage on the 4 acres.

If you've got a dozen trees 10' in diameter get a logging company, a dozen trees 10" in diameter just needs a chainsaw and a small tractor.
For the dam contact your state Pond Agencies and Permits in Pennsylvania, it would be a shame to build it and then have to tear it down. And you might want to think of hiring a dozer and operator for 10 hours of dirt moving versus wrecking a tractor.

If you are going to be mowing 5 acres (out of the 4) keep the commercial zero turn you have currently.

Remember every dollar spent on a bigger tractor is one less dollar for an attachment.

 

[joncham]

In my neck of the woods a 10' diameter tree is huge. Did you mean 10"DBH?

Yes 10" sorry. A variety from 10" up to maybe 30". I used an excavator previously to push some over, and it was nice dealing with stump out of the ground. Previously property owner left some stumps that have been harder to deal with in comparison.

For the dam contact your state Pond Agencies and Permits in Pennsylvania, it would be a shame to build it and then have to tear it down. And you might want to think of hiring a dozer and operator for 10 hours of dirt moving versus wrecking a tractor.

I talked to my local NRCS officer. Given scenario (size of pond, height of dam, no development downstream, etc) he had no concerns.

I have reliable sub who did all excavation for the house. He charges $110/machine hour, so another option is just take the $ I would put into excavator/CTL/TLB and have him do the work. The negative is once that process is done, I don't have a machine on hand for continued work.

 

[RSR]

If you are worried about stability, consider spacers for the rear wheels (Bro-Tek). I have very hilly woods with lots of of varied, unven terrain. I put 2 inch spacers on each rear wheel and they have been great. I wish I could have gone with 3 inch, but that would have put my wheels wider than the standard width offering of box blades, snow blowers, etc. This would have forced me me to go a foot wider in implements, which I didn't want to do.

Width of the rear tires was a primary consideration for me when tractor shopping. I was surprised that it varies as much as it did when I was looking at different brands.

It should go without saying to fill your tires as well.

 

[newbury]

<snip>
I have reliable sub who did all excavation for the house. He charges $110/machine hour, so another option is just take the $ I would put into excavator/CTL/TLB and have him do the work. The negative is once that process is done, I don't have a machine on hand for continued work.

Based on reading this board for 10 years that seems to be a very viable option.
Buy equipment to keep for jobs that keep coming up. Rent or hire for the occasional job.