Hello and another newbie tractor thread. 5 acres in NE Tennessee.

[ACfixer]

Well hello everyone, my name is Lance... moving from SoCal to my newly purchased 5 acres in Jonesborough TN. Was suggested by some great folks on another site to glean from your wisdom here at TBN so here I am! I just posted all this info and tried to link a picture of my property and my entire post was deleted due to not having enough posts, so I'll post the pic in the next entry. Look forward to getting to know you folks, and I am in the HVAC biz for the last 40 years so if there's anything I can do to help by answering any tech questions for you please feel free to ask. Happy to give back when I can. And if you want to talk about airplanes, Harleys, shooting, and guitars... well I am always game for that. :thumbsup:

Anyway, I am considering perhaps the Kubota L47 TLB to work my fairly heavily wooded 5 acre land, fairly sloped in most areas. Clearing trees, setting posts, terracing, you know.... tractor stuff.

Regards,
Lance

 

[ACfixer]

Okay, I think I have enough posts to add my pics now. Here is a good representation of my property. Kubota L47? Too big? What are the drawbacks of the TLB style?

 

[jeff9366]

I am considering the Kubota L47 TLB to work my fairly heavily wooded 5 acre land, fairly sloped in most areas. Clearing trees, setting posts, terracing, you know.... tractor stuff.

VIDEO: Comparing Kubota TLB series tractors(B26, L47, M62) - YouTube


Kubota L47 is an expensive proposition for five acres. Something like $55,000 pre-tax. L47 is a long, heavy platform (7,200 pounds) to maneuver between trees. If you get a long, heavy L47 bogged in the woods, a distinct possibility for a tractor newbie, it will be a major work to unbog it safely.

It takes a long time to become proficient and efficient with a tractor-loader. It takes much longer to become proficient and efficient with a construction grade loader-backhoe.




I suggest researching a Kubota $35,000 'Grand L' tractor-loader (no backhoe), on which the L47 is based, then spend $10,000 of the $20,000 difference having a construction firm perform your heavy work with a bulldozer and excavator. Grand L = 4,000 pounds bare tractor weight + 1,200 pounds for loader = 5,200 pounds field weight.

When considering a tractor purchase bare tractor weight first, tractor horsepower second, rear axle width third, rear wheel/tire ballast fourth.

RE TRACTORS ON SLOPES: Tractors are inherently unstable operating on sloped ground. Tractor rear wheel/tire spread, adjustable on Grand L models, is a critical factor increasing compact tractor stability working sloped or uneven ground. Rear axle is the tractor component on which rear wheels/tires mount. A wide rear axle substantially decreases tractor rollover potential. Tractor width is an approximation of rear axle width.

Ballasting the rear tires 50% to 75% with liquid on a tractor-loader, lowers the center-of-gravity of the entire machine, improving stability on slopes.

VIDEOS: kubota grand l series - YouTube

KUBOTA USA: Tractors - Compact - Grand L6 Series | Kubota

IMPLEMENTS: https://www.lsuagcenter.com/~/media...aa214276e14dacb/pub2917tractorimplements1.pdf

 

[dodge man]

The advantage of an L47 is it is a true construction grade machine. It has a much better backhoe and loader than a regular home owner type tractor. I’m not sure what your uses will be but I agree with Jeff, for 5 acres that seems like a lot of tractor. I also agree, hire out the big stuff and get something to maintain it. On the other hand, if you can afford it, they are a good machine.

 

[shovelmike]

Welcome to TBN, and congrats on the land purchase. I live on 5 acres in Missouri, used to think I wanted more land, but most days I'm doing well to keep up with things with this place.
And if you want to talk about airplanes, Harleys, shooting, and guitars... well I am always game for that.
That covers the important stuff , Harley rider here, son of a WWII bomber pilot- flight instructor, I was doing free gospel music gigs, me and my Strat, wife, and granddaughter for the past 3 years til the virus shut things down.
And shooting...not a gun fanatic, rarely get out to target practice, but I definitely defend our 2nd amendment rights.

 

[jeff9366]

I made the plunge and have an L-47 TLB on order. I have tons of questions I can't seem to find answers for... I've never owned a tractor and have only operated a few rentals (B-26) so I'm a newb.

One of my first projects will be to clear 6 acres of scrub and brush. I plan to use a bush hog. To operate the bush hog I will need to add the optional 3 point hitch hardware from Kubota at a cost of about $800. Everything I can find looks like it should be interchangeable, can I buy from another source (for half the money) or should I order from the dealer?

WORMWOOD 5/2017:

I've got the M62. M62 3-point hitch is a little funky monkey when compared to the Grand L series traditional 3 point hitch system. Kubota TLB series is a "backhoe" first & "compact utility tractor" second. So the 3 point hitch system played second on the list of importance. I believe we use the same hitch system between the L47 & M62. You might be able to get the Grand L series telescoping lower links to fit but it'll be expensive to buy those lower links by themselves. I'd would NOT consider a generic 3 point hitch, the geometry will not work, same with a quick hitch system.

I bought a generic top link a while back and had to grind on it to get it to fit & it doesn't give me the reach that my kubota top link does, it's in my metal building right now & I'll either sell it or it'll grow legs & run off one of these days.

All considered with an L47 on order, run back up to the dealership and add the factory 3 point hitch. Dealer shouldn't have a problem adding to the L47 order.

 

[ACfixer]

Wow, thank you everyone.

Jeff, you killed my buzz! Hahaha but I probably needed that. I have under-thought and overbought before, and that's why I am here. I think I'll well to do my best to keep my mouth shut and my ears and eyes open before I make a purchase eh?

You guys are right, a few grand thrown at a competent bulldozer and excavator operator would go a long ways and make short work of the heavier stuff that needs to be done on my property. Sometime we get in that train of thought "well for what they'll charge I can put a nice down payment on my own machine" stuff, while I forget a man that's good at his job is worth his money. You can give me the nicest machine in the world for free but if I can't operate it it's kind of like owning a formula 1 race car. Nice to look at, and handy to kill yourself with.

My next door neighbor had a Bobcat excavator, he's offered to help. But I guess like everyone else I want my own rig...

I'm going to need a mower as well, probably only 2/3 acre of grass though... so kind of borderline as to what level machine I'll need for that. With the layout it will need to be a stand alone mower of some sort.

 

[kenmbz]

I have a subcompact to go into the woods on my 6 acres. Fits between the trees nice . I don;t do food plots or mow with it, only general utility.
When I needed to convert an area with some larger trees I just hired it out. Had about 20 trees 30-40" circumference to take out, big excavator did the job with the team using 36 inch chain saws (about $2500 each) to drop trees. They also brought in a chipper and ground some of the stumps I didn;t need removed. The stump grinder is a $30,000 machine, who knows what the excavator cost. Even these companies rent some of the bigger machines.

I love having my backhoe but each stump does take a few hours.

So don;t think of getting a tractor so big it can't do the small stuff.

Think down the road and certainly get one big enough to cover your future needs. Plenty of people here with Compact and larger that can help you on this.

 

[jjp8182]

I'm guessing that picture is a down slope view? While a cross slope view would be helpful to get a better idea of the slope you'll have to deal with at first glance it might be easier/wiser to use an excavator/bulldozer to cut the initial roadways/paths & terraces in just because they are very likely better suited to keeping the body of the machine closer to level while cutting into a slope.

So considering that, it's probably worth identifying what other sorts of tasks you'll be doing and the implements you expect to be needing. I would expect leveling/maintaining the paths and brush/wood handling would be among the list. So grapples, some form of rear blade (box, landplane, or rear-scape blade), and (likely) a rotary cutter (or other type of mower) would be in the mix. While a backhoe can be handy, it's not cheap so it's worth considering how much it will really be used/needed on a larger tractor (personally I think backhoes on tractors make more sense on the subcompact sizes than they do on large compact, or utility tractors - but that's just me).

Odds once you go through the tasks you want to do, and the implements you'll want/need you'll find that you'll be needing/using the 3pt for various implements far more than a backhoe.

Now on the other end of a tractor; the front a loader on a traditional tractor is designed more for scoping, lifting than it is for serious digging just due to the geometry of how it's attached to the tractor ....where as TLB with the lift arm geometry they have is a bit more suited to digging, but there can be other trade offs. So combine that with Jeff's comments on post #6 and it probably address the major differences between a TLB and a compact utility tractor.

For the mowing, depending on how much landscaping or turning is required even a medium-to-large compact tractor can still work for a lot of mowing. For example: I use my L3560 with a 3pt 72inch finish mower to mow my 3 acres (of which about a third is a lawn with about a dozen large trees in it). Sometimes it's very handy to have the 3pt mower since it can be swung over or into places I'd rather not drive the entire tractor into. I can also say that the L3560 ROPS with the wheels set wide, and wheel weights (or liquid ballast) installed seems more likely to start sliding down a slope when driving across it than roll (assuming you keep the loader low) ..... I've had the rear wheels start sliding downhill a few times while mowing ditches on my property. Not something I'd recommend on relying upon, but just intended to illustrate that a tractor that's been set up to be wide and have a low CG can (when operated in a safe/cognizant manner) handle driving across inclines when conditions allow.

 

[ACfixer]

Hey everyone, thank you so much for the time given in helping me figure this out... great bunch of folks here just as my friends from the other forum said you were.

jjp8182, that particular picture is a great representation of the foliage, but not so much the grade on much of the property. I'll look for some better pics, but rest assured slope is significant enough to mention over probably 60% of my property. I can't take any more pics at the moment as I am still in SoCal preparing my move. I get out to Tennessee about one week a month so I should be out in another week or two.

I'll be perfectly honest, the tractor will be as much of a toy as it is a tool if you know what I mean. Well, I can tell by some of your gear lists you definitely know what I mean. We're guys (and some gals I assume), we like stuff that does stuff. So yes I will want to do the typical property maintenance kind of stuff, but the idea of using the tractor to carry a crescent wrench a hundred yards isn't out of the question. :laughing:

I'm getting the picture with the L47 kind of thing, I am not a heavy equipment operator and the learning curve would probably cause me some grief... But I think I'm getting the picture here, find a powerplant that will be nimble enough to traverse my terrain, but powerful enough to run the attachments. You guys throw a few numbers at me and really I am constantly looking stuff up and my brain is about to pop! What I am in essence purchasing is the wheeled diesel powered version of a Shopsmith woodworking setup.

My neighbor does have a tracked Bobcat excavator, and he's a whiz with it so I can probably drop the desire to have a machine build around the backhoe as someone mentioned.

So one quicky question concerning brand. EVERYONE mentions Kubota to me, so much so that it's like Fender of the guitar world I suppose, almost ubiquitous. Japanese company but by and large built here correct? Well I am fiercely loyal to my fellow Americans and I try to buy everything USA made and sometimes I pay through the nose for it, but I just feel the job I save may one day be my own. Is John Deere going to let me down if I go that route? Is my loyalty to USA made good misplaced in this endeavor, like JD is no more USA made than Kubota?

Anyway, thank you so much everyone... I'll figure this out and we'll try to get it right the first time. :thumbsup: