I've dug out several up to about 10" diameter. Stumps that have been dead for a couple of years are much easier than freshly cut ones.
Yes. Tractor tires are heavy to begin with and loading them makes them much heavier. That's kind of the point. But you can use a hand truck or similar to move them around.
The time it takes depends on the tree type and how long it has been dead. Fresh Cedar? Have Fun! I cant imagine digging with something that weights 2000 lbs. I think it takes long enough with mine already! That said I really love the SCUT size, very easy to use and get into places. I will no doubt have one someday.
You gotta remove a piranha bar to install the ratchet rake, but the ratchet rake is mounted with straps, so comes on/off real easy. I wouldn't fill my tires yet if I was you, see how you do w/o it...but you also should know that rear ballast (like a backhoe) is not the same as filled tires. Rear ballast is what you want when you're doing heavy stuff with your loader, coz it takes stress off your front axle. Filled tires add weight, give you more traction, lower your center of gravity (well, some argue that).
Speaking from someone with less than 3 hours on his new GC1723, you definitely need to learn what it can and cannot while turning on hills. My lot sounds almost exactly like yours. I gave myself a massive scare in the first hour when I thought it was going to roll down the hill and into the pond. I even started to jump off to the uphill side, and I knew enough to turn into the roll and slight accelerate to bring the weight shift back but wow that got the heart rate up. I have now spent hours looking at how quickly I can get about 300-400 pounds on the tail--and not fast enough is the answer.
