Considering a smaller tractor to avoid Tier 4 emissions difficulties

[jyoutz]

Thanks again for all the input!

Really manhandling the trees I have some trees in the 30+" area that I would like to drag in fairly lengthy pieces. I'll also want to lift the near end as Jeff suggests (never seen that drawbar - will check it out; was considering a heavy duty boom). How long of a 30" bigleaf maple log do those of you with tree-dragging experience reckon I can pull? I'd like to cut some beams to use in timber framing or post and beam construction. I can quarter them as they get longer if I cannot pull them whole. This use (and pushing logs around with the loader or grapple) are one of the primary reasons I am looking beyond the SCUTs into the CUTs.

You should be looking at 45-50+ hp and more importantly a tractor with a bare weight exceeding 3500 pounds for those uses.

 

[jyoutz]

that's why I bought a low hr (300) used large tractor to avoid the government mandated crap !

I enjoy not sucking smoke and fumes and not getting a sinus headache with my tier 4 tractor.

 

[jyoutz]

Splitters are hydraulically operated on tractors. Tractor hydruallic flows are low. Better a 110 volt or faster 220 volt electric/hydraullic splitter; simpler, cheaper.
VIDEO: electric log splitters - YouTube
VENDERS: electric log splitters for sale - Google Search

PTO Chippers are fine year one. Year two and later too much maintenance. Always hazardous. Most "chippers" convert to "burners". My history. I had a high end Wallenstein.

Chippers work a little better with a single type of wood, for which the blade(s) can be optimally adjusted. Christmas tree farmers like them better than residential users.

My L3560 has 28 PTO horsepower. Not enough PTO power to make chipping attractive relative to burning.

I’m a forester and see woods operations on a daily basis. On every forestry project that involves chipping, I invariably see the chipper broken down in the woods, no matter how new the equipment. I’m talking about units costing $100-200k plus. We always joke about guessing how many days or acres between breakdowns. Chippers are inherently problematic. I would never buy one, just rent it.

 

[Tomtint]

I was at my local Bota dealer the other day picking up the RTV after it was serviced. Started talking with the salesmen about the lack of new tractors on the lot, He asked about my L3700SU and said the pre emissions tractors are still preferred by farmers around here and that I could probably get 25-26k for my TLB set up... I think that's all the money.. but supply and demand rules I guess.

 

[MHarryE]

People said this about cars and trucks 30 years ago, yet modern vehicles are more reliable than those 1970s vehicles that I learned to drive and repair.

I began doing maintenance on our cars and trucks in the 50s. Always changing plugs points, removing lead and carbon deposits. Carbs - dad had them sitting in shelves to clean, rebuild, swap to get farm trucks, tractors going. On my own in the 70s, less than 10pm got, changing fuel pumps worn out camshafts from pumping, points and plugs at 8,000 miles. Spend a day prepping car for a 500 mile round trip to the big city. Yah, the good old emissions free days. By 1990 I had a 750 mile weekly commute but carbs were gone, plugs at 100,00. Now 40 mpg on my BMW SUV vs 10 mpg on my carbureted ‘70 Nova, service once a year covered by BMW vs at least one weekend monthly spent on the Nova and pickup. Yah, I remember the good old emissions free days. Now back to my farming roots in my retirement. My tractors are all T4 and I can keep up in my old age but my nephew, dairy farmer, keeps one guy full time just taking care of day to day, and a mechanic who specializes on keeping old tractors going doing the major repairs. And at least 2 tractors for every chore except his main feeding tractor. It’s Tier 4 with all the related emissions stuff and is the one used every day whether it’s 35 below or 90. Plug he block heater in when he begins milking so it will start when feeding time comes. My end of the story.

 

[Hay Dude]

I have been prepping to sell one of my pre emissions tractors and already the word is on the street. Ive had 3 calls so far and one of the first questions asked “is it emissions?” And when I say ”no” they have all been happy to hear it. Now this is a cab tractor, so maybe its a selling point on open station?

 

[hornett22]

I bought to avoid emissions and don't regret it one bit. I've had zero issues in over 700 hours.

I'm often on mine all day and don't get headaches or even smell the exhaust and I move a lot of trees.

 

[rScotty]

People said this about cars and trucks 30 years ago, yet modern vehicles are more reliable than those 1970s vehicles that I learned to drive and repair.

I think you are right about that. But "more reliable" is still a long ways fro being "completely reliable".

Both the modern and the those 30 year old and older vehicles will need repair.
The differnce is that the older ones were built to be owner-repaired while the modern ones are not.

Designing modern vehicles to be unrepairable by owners is a deliberate policy of modern self-centered manufacturing. It increases profit to the manufacturer and his dealers with absolutely no advantage to the owner.

It could have been done differently. I'm surprised that no one has.
rScotty

 

[IndyJay]

People said this about cars and trucks 30 years ago, yet modern vehicles are more reliable than those 1970s vehicles that I learned to drive and repair.

My 73 Nova was easy to work on... points and plugs, replacing water pumps, alternators, distributors was easy and seemed to be done fairly regularly. I remember in the mid-80's when my wife and I moved to "the country" and we bought a Toyota for better mileage (we had a 100+ mile round trip to work in "the city" everyday). My Dad popped the hood on the Toyota and said, "Oh my God, you'll never be able to work on this thing. You can't even get to anything with all these hoses and everything. And that poor little engine will not last a year with the miles you guys are putting on it.

We drove that little car with little more than routine maintenance of fluids and wear items. We sold it with over 300k miles on it and the person who bought it drove it from Ohio to Florida and back twice with no problems. We have had similar experience with all of our cars since.

Yes, those old GM's sure were easy to work on.

 

[Hay Dude]

I think you are right about that. But "more reliable" is still a long ways fro being "completely reliable".

Both the modern and the those 30 year old and older vehicles will need repair.
The differnce is that the older ones were built to be owner-repaired while the modern ones are not.

Designing modern vehicles to be unrepairable by owners is a deliberate policy of modern self-centered manufacturing. It increases profit to the manufacturer and his dealers with absolutely no advantage to the owner.

It could have been done differently. I'm surprised that no one has.
rScotty

Yep, and furthermore, since you are less likely to fix yourself, you spend a lot more $ at the dealer AND the “extended warranty“ business has become a very lucrative source of income to the manufacturers.

These people have this all figured out. Dont beat yourself up about it, you have kids to raise, sports to coach, job to perform. They have analysts and actuaries to crunch numbers and design paths to higher and higher profitability.