Talk me out of an excavator!

[mike69440]

Here is the Power Trac Forum

Power Trac

Discuss Power Trac equipment!

www.tractorbynet.com

Actually if not clearing forrests, a Power-trac would be handy for heavy duty cleanup.
Basically you purchased land, now you are doomed to be buying equipment if you want to manage it.

 

[JLinOK]

We just purchased a new property thats 48 acres, approximately 25 acres in hardwoods, 20 in pasture, and half of a 5-6 acre pond. I've got the pasture maintenance covered, and have a grapple to clean up downed trees, etc. I've gotten really interested in a 3-5 ton mini excavator with a flail or mulcher head to clean up the woods and pond bank. I've been watching videos lately and they just seem so useful for keeping the underbrush in the woods cleaned out, which makes for a much nicer property. On the flip side, I don't NEED to clean out the underbrush or most of the pond bank, and their very expensive.

Am I better off just leaving the woods natural? Hiring someone with an excavator to come clean up a little? maybe just the pond bank? Or are these things really as useful as they look and a great investment for a landowner?

I am fixing to have to rebuild all the hydraulic tubes on my John Deere 540 FEL. That is because I use my tractor like an excavator. If you can afford it with or w/o the divorce, go for it. Go the next size up to be sure, and maybe get an old used bulldozer to go with it. And a skid steer, and a ....

 

[Drstrangeglove]

Why a big swiss army knife and an even bigger multi tool? I can see the either the 420 or M62 but would not a CTL, or excavator with blade and thumb be more productive as the second machine?

Different jobs and people. The m62 can be pulled by a f250 and no CDL. It can do small jobs. The 420 will go out with a vermeer plow pulled by a class 8 truck. The kx080 is my personal toy. I use it on the farm.

 

[Ken45101]

I have 30 acres of pasture and almost 90 acres of steep wooded hillside, too steep for pasture since I don't have mountain goats. I use the mini ex for cutting trails on the hillsides, it is so much safer and easier than a skid steer, tractor, or backhoe. It is also good for trail maintenance and clearing downed trees. One nice thing, it is the easiest equipment to reverse and get out if a trail is blocked as it is the only equipment that can turn around without actually turning the vehicle.

 

[mike69440]

Different jobs and people. The m62 can be pulled by a f250 and no CDL. It can do small jobs. The 420 will go out with a vermeer plow pulled by a class 8 truck. The kx080 is my personal toy. I use it on the farm.

You have some good equipment used to make income. My L39 is weighted to over 8,000 lbs and is carried on a 3,000 lb flatbed. Being a combined 11,000 lbs., if I was doing commercial jobs, from what I understand, it would require a CDL. A M62 is 8,300 lbs. bare weight. With some add ons and loaded tires it is 10k lbs. Add the trailer, how do you move this legally without a CDL? Still, as you can pull it with F250, most cops won't even notice.

 

[4570Man]

Different jobs and people. The m62 can be pulled by a f250 and no CDL. It can do small jobs. The 420 will go out with a vermeer plow pulled by a class 8 truck. The kx080 is my personal toy. I use it on the farm.

A KX-040 will out dig a M62 and you can trailer it with the same hauling requirements as the M62.

 

[4570Man]

You have some good equipment used to make income. My L39 is weighted to over 8,000 lbs and is carried on a 3,000 lb flatbed. Being a combined 11,000 lbs., if I was doing commercial jobs, from what I understand, it would require a CDL. A M62 is 8,300 lbs. bare weight. With some add ons and loaded tires it is 10k lbs. Add the trailer, how do you move this legally without a CDL? Still, as you can pull it with F250, most cops won't even notice.

Only a few states go by the 10k trailer deal. In most states you can pull a 14k trailer with the F-250 GVW at 10,000 pounds which makes a 24k combo which is legal.

 

[Normand50]

After getting on for 45 years on off of smallholding, I say buy an excavator. I have had my 1.5 ton Pelljob for nigh on 20 years now and would not be without it even though I only have 2 acres. It is my go to machine. It may be small by the standards of most of you here but I have done so much work with it. Not just digging holes, foundations and preparing for concrete floors and slabs, but pulling down trees, moving logs from trees I have cut to where I can get the tractor in. I move the hay and straw round bails for the animals with it. It is my crane for moving my machine tools. The trailer gets unloaded with it when stuff is to heavy. As getting older I don't have the strength I used to have, I dig the veg plot with it before incorporating manure and rotavating with the my Kubota micro tractor. The uses are endless, so go for it!!!

 

[Drstrangeglove]

A KX-040 will out dig a M62 and you can trailer it with the same hauling requirements as the M62.

But you can't drive it down the highway. That is why I bought it. I will have 5 jobs done and your still moving to the second one. Also you can jack the back tire up to a cable spool and wind up the cable.

 

[Drstrangeglove]

Only a few states go by the 10k trailer deal. In most states you can pull a 14k trailer with the F-250 GVW at 10,000 pounds which makes a 24k combo which is legal.

In Alabama, the magic number is 26000 lbs. An f250 is 10k gross, and the trailer is 16k. My setup is 12500 lbs empty.