M62 TLB for Maintaining Hilly Land ?

[JWR]

Unless you have a specific need for a compact machine you aren't doing yourself any favours getting an M62 over a full sized construction TLB.

You might recall that the OP said he was limited in ability transport the larger machines. He is trying to fit everything within his practical limitations.

 

[Jchonline]

The bottom line is you have too much to do for 1 machine really. If you have 10 good years left you may never finish with a M62 lol.

Developing land is for construction equipment. Skid Steers, bulldozers, excavators, full size TLBs. Maintain land is for tractors. The M62 does sit somewhere in the middle, but it is much less capable than real construction equipment. It is also less capable at field work than a geared utility tractor. Forget transporting, just leave it out there.

For hilly work (I live in mountains like RScotty) Im not fond of any tractor to be honest. Get in a tracked machine and you will never want to get on a tractor on a hill again. The M62 was not bad, but I would not rate it any better than my L6060. YOu can use the backhoe to offset some of that imbalance if you are careful...but keep in mind it also raises your center of gravity if the arm is retracted...and it adds more to the rear of the machine.

M62 also isnt going to do a great job mowing that much land. HST machines just arent designed for mowing 200 acres. They are designed for loader/dirt work...and it will get hot mowing that much. If it is dusty you are also going to need to take a dip in the lake after every time you mow, and wear a mask/goggles.

 

[mikester]

You might recall that the OP said he was limited in ability transport the larger machines. He is trying to fit everything within his practical limitations.

I stand by my statement. I don't see anything in the OP's original post saying he needs to be able to tow a machine around everyday for work maintaining gardens in town using a half ton pickup truck.

An M62 is still too little tractor and too little TLB, worst of all worlds for 215 acres. The OP already has a 4710 which isn't a whole lot smaller on the 3PH than the M62.

If you need to drive screws, buy a screw driver. One of these won't help you very much.

 

[JWR]

I stand by my statement. I don't see anything in the OP's original post saying he needs to be able to tow a machine around everyday for work maintaining gardens in town using a half ton pickup truck.

An M62 is still too little tractor and too little TLB, worst of all worlds for 215 acres. The OP already has a 4710 which isn't a whole lot smaller on the 3PH than the M62.

View attachment 853269
If you need to drive screws, buy a screw driver. One of these won't help you very much.

Yeah Mikester, after the continued discussion, I have to agree with you and Jchonline in post #22 -- forget the transporting, just leave it there. I'll repeat a little and say: I think the OP needs to think out his plans and decide how much of his activity will be using the backhoe and how much will be bushhogging and other things using a utility tractor. Then make his choices based on his best estimate plan.

 

[Smokeydog]

I’ve scaled back from bigger ag tractors, full size backhoe, skidsteer, dump trucks to just a B26 and M59. Both modified to meet our hillside farm, 140ac, meets our needs now. Don’t have big fields but many smaller pastures and meadow areas with lots of woods. Creeks and ponds just paradise! They work great for us. Clearing with the brown tree cutter the past several days. Appreciate what a powerful compact tractor can do. I have mess with a lot of trees. Types of woods and density vary in what part of the country your in.


80% in 3pt mode for each. Changing to backhoe 15minute if not in hurry, twice that if rushed.

Liked my other equipment, don’t miss the maintenance.

Do have tilt gauges in the ROPS.

Wife thinks the B26 is hers and does most the mowing for the hilly yards, berry patch and orchards. Can confidently operate the M59 when I’m in the FEL man basket. The B26 does have rear wheel extensions and ballast.

Our last tractors? Hopefully last 20 more years.

 

[Smokeydog]

Would caution anyone operating in the woods to have a 4 to 6 post ROPS with strong roof. Lacking in many open station agricultural tractors. Our driveway is like a green tunnel of mature trees. I’ve had limbs fall out of the blue while maintaining it or operating in the woods. No injuries but caused a few more gray hairs. Like me, some have built their own. Tractors need extra armor if messing in the woods.

 

[AuCivil]

Just as a clarification. My tractor will never see most of the 215 acres since it's mostly wooded. Probably have a couple of miles of dirt roads/trails that need cleaning, scraping, ditching and mowing. 8 acres of food plots to breath life into and reclaim less than a mile of old logging roads. Plan to control burn most of the thinned pines so no tractor needed. Letting the hardwoods do what hardwoods do.

Seems like a full size machine would be more difficult to maneuver in the woods and require larger access routes. Also couldn't haul it back to the house (20 miles) to work on my 17 acre homestead. Currently plan to leave the 4710 at the homestead for most of the maintenance needs.

 

[rScotty]

Just as a clarification. My tractor will never see most of the 215 acres since it's mostly wooded. Probably have a couple of miles of dirt roads/trails that need cleaning, scraping, ditching and mowing. 8 acres of food plots to breath life into and reclaim less than a mile of old logging roads. Plan to control burn most of the thinned pines so no tractor needed. Letting the hardwoods do what hardwoods do.

Seems like a full size machine would be more difficult to maneuver in the woods and require larger access routes. Also couldn't haul it back to the house (20 miles) to work on my 17 acre homestead. Currently plan to leave the 4710 at the homestead for most of the maintenance needs.

OK. Now we can reload. In your original post you did say, "I'll be putting in a septic system, waterline, building pad, maintaining/building access roads, food plots and some brush hogging."

And of course we all focused on the hardest parts - the building parts... particularly the building of roads and also a pad. That focus makes sense. We are all experienced machine guys and know you buy a tool for the hardest jobs so that the rest of the work is easy.
And naturally we all started hollering that if doing those jobs yourself you want construction equipment.

Now if we back off the work load and get to maintaining rather than lots of earth moving, then a lot more options open up. The M62 would be hard to beat for maintaining, trenching, landscaping, and all the everyday chores. And it can pick up and walk off with two tons... not exactly peanuts. Plus they are real handy....I've said they sure are easy to jump on and off of. Even handier than the 4710 because of the M59/62 four post canopy supports. BTW, that M59/62 canopy is double thick, insulated, and has some steel beneath it. Won't stop a tree, but it would stop a pretty good size branch.

And the Kubota TLBs will do much of what the larger ones will. They are big enough and strong enough to do big TLB work in a pinch. They just are not made to do it in big bites or nearly as fast.
I hope we are helping,
rScotty

 

[Smokeydog]

We are mostly wooded too. Have to manage tons of trees as well, hobby farm and landscaping. The M59 is a good multi purpose platform to multiply our older work force. Small enough to use in woods and around buildings.

Use to burn brush decades ago. Current best practices is to pile or push into gully. Supports wildlife and soil. Good resources and advice available from forestry and conservation agents. Deer and turkeys have replaced cattle, horses and goats. Deer watched me clear perimeter trees yesterday. Always surprised how close they get when on a tractor.

5’ Brown tree cutter is a good fit and finding far superior to Hd rotary cutter to keeping vegetation under control. Made tuff in Alabama. The weight, power, HST, FEL with grapple, and dexterity of M59 makes for a great combination.

 

[AuCivil]

OK. Now we can reload. In your original post you did say, "I'll be putting in a septic system, waterline, building pad, maintaining/building access roads, food plots and some brush hogging."

And of course we all focused on the hardest parts - the building parts... particularly the building of roads and also a pad. That focus makes sense. We are all experienced machine guys and know you buy a tool for the hardest jobs so that the rest of the work is easy.
And naturally we all started hollering that if doing those jobs yourself you want construction equipment.

Now if we back off the work load and get to maintaining rather than lots of earth moving, then a lot more options open up. The M62 would be hard to beat for maintaining, trenching, landscaping, and all the everyday chores. And it can pick up and walk off with two tons... not exactly peanuts. Plus they are real handy....I've said they sure are easy to jump on and off of. Even handier than the 4710 because of the M59/62 four post canopy supports. BTW, that M59/62 canopy is double thick, insulated, and has some steel beneath it. Won't stop a tree, but it would stop a pretty good size branch.

And the Kubota TLBs will do much of what the larger ones will. They are big enough and strong enough to do big TLB work in a pinch. They just are not made to do it in big bites or nearly as fast.
I hope we are helping,
rScotty

The building pad and septic system are just for this property and the work involved should be on the minor side. Also want to add some water holes, with liners, in the woods.

 

[AuCivil]

5’ Brown tree cutter is a good fit and finding far superior to Hd rotary cutter to keeping vegetation under control. Made tuff in Alabama. The weight, power, HST, FEL with grapple, and dexterity of M59 makes for a great combination.

No trouble handling the cutter? Looks like they recommend 60 to 100 hp. Assume that's PTO hp.

 

[Smokeydog]

Yes I’m at the low side. Older 5’ cutter spec was 50-80 pto hp in my manual. With cutter, grapple, ballast, modification near 11,000#. Would not want a lighter weight tractor. Like the 5’ in woods clearing underbrush and non native evasives. Considerable flywheel power reserve. HST plus transmission provides excellent slow control. Eats and chips up 2-4” stuff like candy. Rated 6”. I’ve pressed it to do twice that from multiple sides but don’t recommend that. Big stems I pile up. It’s like an angry beaver. Fall cut all my pastures last year with it with good results. Back in to cut encroachment. Can cut right up to big trees I want to keep. Trees grow like weeds here and will quickly reclaim any cleared land.

Do run a 75hp overrunning pto clutch, Pat’s cat2-1 quick hitch and sliding pin stabilizers. It has its own slip clutch. Takes over a minute to spin down.

The biggest detriment in changing from 3pt to backhoe and back is the weight of 3pt arms. Practice and technique has minimized the effort on my part. Try to group jobs together to minimize swapping. Having another TLB helps a lot.

Would recommend KX excavator quick attach option and thumb on the backhoe. Ripper is great for roots and stumps. Hillside and soft ground I made mega stabilizers pads. Extra height and bigger footprint helps plumb the hoe for hillside work.

Big TLB disadvantage now is cost. From 2017 my 2014 model has nearly doubled in value. Good from an investment standpoint. Bad if I needed to replace it. I’m not nearly the expert operator like many here but it does help me provide professional looking results.

Storing more complicated tools under cover from weather and sun important in the South. Saves money and time.

 

[JWR]

No trouble handling the cutter? Looks like they recommend 60 to 100 hp. Assume that's PTO hp.

Looking at current Brown Tree Cutters (and associated YouTube videos) they appear to be nothing but bushhogs configured with differing blade carriers and blades. Have to back up to use them mostly. So far we have not heard that you, the OP, intend to be clearing land or cutting trees of any significant thickness more than 2-3 inches. The Brown tree cutter that SmokeyDog shows looks like an older one that is less like a bush hog and more specialized for removing small trees. From what I've heard so far I see no reason you can't do what you want to do with a good "medium duty" bush hog. What Bush Hog brand calls medium duty is tough as hell and will satisfy most needs short of clearing land full time. Both the Brown and a std Hog require backing up to do the cutting unless it is small enough material you can run over it forwards. A 45 to 55 hp PTO utility tractor will run a solid 6 ft hog quite well. No need for high hp PTO.
Once you cut over the area you intend to bush hog regularly, every time you cut it is easier than the last. I know of no need for a 'tree cutter' that you have expressed so far.

 

[AuCivil]

Looking at current Brown Tree Cutters (and associated YouTube videos) they appear to be nothing but bushhogs configured with differing blade carriers and blades. Have to back up to use them mostly. So far we have not heard that you, the OP, intend to be clearing land or cutting trees of any significant thickness more than 2-3 inches. The Brown tree cutter that SmokeyDog shows looks like an older one that is less like a bush hog and more specialized for removing small trees. From what I've heard so far I see no reason you can't do what you want to do with a good "medium duty" bush hog. What Bush Hog brand calls medium duty is tough as hell and will satisfy most needs short of clearing land full time. Both the Brown and a std Hog require backing up to do the cutting unless it is small enough material you can run over it forwards. A 45 to 55 hp PTO utility tractor will run a solid 6 ft hog quite well. No need for high hp PTO.
Once you cut over the area you intend to bush hog regularly, every time you cut it is easier than the last. I know of no need for a 'tree cutter' that you have expressed so far.

Don't expect to be clearing a lot of land but occasional small trees are possible or while reclaiming the old logging roads. My comment was based on @Smokeydog saying that the Brown cutter was better than a rotary cutter.

 

[AuCivil]

Yes I’m at the low side. Older 5’ cutter spec was 50-80 pto hp in my manual. With cutter, grapple, ballast, modification near 11,000#. Would not want a lighter weight tractor. Like the 5’ in woods clearing underbrush and non native evasives. Considerable flywheel power reserve. HST plus transmission provides excellent slow control. Eats and chips up 2-4” stuff like candy. Rated 6”. I’ve pressed it to do twice that from multiple sides but don’t recommend that. Big stems I pile up. It’s like an angry beaver. Fall cut all my pastures last year with it with good results. Back in to cut encroachment. Can cut right up to big trees I want to keep. Trees grow like weeds here and will quickly reclaim any cleared land.
View attachment 853404View attachment 853405

Do run a 75hp overrunning pto clutch, Pat’s cat2-1 quick hitch and sliding pin stabilizers. It has its own slip clutch. Takes over a minute to spin down.

The biggest detriment in changing from 3pt to backhoe and back is the weight of 3pt arms. Practice and technique has minimized the effort on my part. Try to group jobs together to minimize swapping. Having another TLB helps a lot.

Would recommend KX excavator quick attach option and thumb on the backhoe. Ripper is great for roots and stumps. Hillside and soft ground I made mega stabilizers pads. Extra height and bigger footprint helps plumb the hoe for hillside work.

Big TLB disadvantage now is cost. From 2017 my 2014 model has nearly doubled in value. Good from an investment standpoint. Bad if I needed to replace it. I’m not nearly the expert operator like many here but it does help me provide professional looking results.

Storing more complicated tools under cover from weather and sun important in the South. Saves money and time.

They are proud of the new cutters.

 

[AuCivil]

Is it possible to use the creep function while using the 3-point hitch. Would be handy with a stump grinder.

 

[Jchonline]

Is it possible to use the creep function while using the 3-point hitch. Would be handy with a stump grinder.

The question is can you use creep while the PTO is engaged. That I never tried. YOu can of course use it with no back hoe attached and a 3 PT implement attached...just not sure about the PTO engagement.

 

[JWR]

Is it possible to use the creep function while using the 3-point hitch. Would be handy with a stump grinder.

I would think so. No reason why not. My older Kubotas have a very low gear range (low medium and high, with 3 speed stick fed by that) and the PTO and 3pt do not know and do not care which range you are in. I use the creeper range mostly for snow blowing but it is sometimes very handy for other things.

 

[Jchonline]

I would think so. No reason why not. My older Kubotas have a very low gear range (low medium and high, with 3 speed stick fed by that) and the PTO and 3pt do not know and do not care which range you are in. I use the creeper range mostly for snow blowing but it is sometimes very handy for other things.

No the creeper on the M62 is different. It is a little forward/back toggle switch that actually moves the machine...its not a gear. Meant specifically for backhoes to slightly reposition the machine when you have the seat facing backwards towards the boom.

 

[Smokeydog]

My farm is a hobby and way of life so I buy used. There are bargains for TLB and cutters. Buying and fixing stuff a hobby too. 5’ cutter was $1,200 and needed some love to become a happy cutter. Apple and oranges difference between a tree cutter and a rotary cutter. Still like my 286 Bushhog but the Brown really shines with stuff 1” or bigger. Brown manufacturing makes HD rotary cutters too.

Bought used M59 landscape model(no backhoe) cheap, Canada for BT-1200 backhoe years later. Risk, reward.

The auxiliary hand creep control for backhoe repositioning could use I guess for stump grinding. Different kinds of stump grinders. M62 HST is nice.