40 Acres, Steep!, 1 Mile Road; Need Advice

[Pugemasta]

I am in the process of purchasing 40 acres of mountainous terrain in NE Washington State. It has a roughly 1 mile access road I will be responsible for. It is steep and windy, over 25% grade in many areas. The road needs a bit of work, but appears well built, plenty of water bars, a culvert or two, nice stone, etc... The property is steep as well, about 10 acres are developable, but still sloped. The property has several leveled buildings sites and a cabin. Planning to use the cabin for a couple years then build a house.

Previous tractor experience is limited to a 25 hp Kubota, mainly clearing snow, but it's been a while.

Its primary task will be taking care of the road. I'd like to add some culverts, ditches, and wooden barriers (plenty of wood around!) on a few of the sharper turns. Ongoing maintenance will have to be addressed as well. I will have to clear it of snow and am pretty much set on a front mounted blower for safety. Planning to prepare some areas for planting once things are settled. Would like to fence a portion of the property as well. It will also pull some duty helping me thin out the trees.

What I'm curious about, and unsure if I should expect any tractor to accomplish this, is cutting trails on my property. I understand a tractor is not a dozer, but would like the ability to cut trails/narrow roads. The soil is soft, decomposed granite that should dig quite well, but occasionally basketball size rocks are present.

What I'm thinking:

Branson 5220h
Box blade
Front mounted snow blower (possible with this tractor?)
Backhoe
FEL

LS, MF, JD, Mahindra and Kubota dealers also nearby, but not seeing a HST option on the LS tractors, generally not considering Kubota or JD due to cost and lower weight. The only plus I see on a comparable MF is that the hydraulic pump has an additional 2 GPM or so. Unfamiliar with Mahindra. I like the added weight of the Branson given the slope of the property and I hear they may be easier to work on than others. Looking for bang for the buck while not sacrificing quality. The Branson dealer has been around a while and seems stable.

Any input is appreciated. Am I thinking too big? Certain options I should consider, such as weights given the slope? Think it could be used to cut trails with any efficiency? Additional attachments?

Thanks in advance!

 

[millsan1]

I live on a similar, but small property.

For what you described, I think a mini excavator, rather than a tractor is the right tool.

 

[Pugemasta]

Thanks, had that thought as well. You may be right and will look into it. Any other opinions?

 

[mddorange]

:welcome:
To the TBN forum. You came to the right place as we love to spend other people's money.

While the mini excavator is great for using the bucket, the tractor will give you much more versatility. Since I didn't get a backhoe for my tractor, I rented a mini excavator for a day when I needed to do a lot of bucket work. That way I get both machines designed for the tasks they are best used for.

I would never want to limit myself to just a mini excavator. Now if you cane afford both and will have enough bucket work to justify the extra cost, then get both.

 

[Pugemasta]

Thanks, that's what I need help with, glad I'm in the right place!

Agreed as the mini excavator could not clear the road of snow efficiently among other limitations, but would be great for developing the property. perhaps there is some combination of two pieces of equipment I haven't considered.

Aiming to keep costs around 30k, but could go to 40 if it's what I need and will make the work enjoyable.

 

[jeff9366]

Branson 5220H
2016 - 20 Series
Compact Utility tractor

Manufacturer: Kukje
Factory: South Korea

Branson 5220H Engine:
Kukje 2.3L 4-cyl diesel
Engine: 47 hp [35.0 kW]
PTO (claimed): 42 hp [31.3 kW]

Capacity:
Fuel: 9.3 gal [35.2 L]

3-Point Hitch:
Rear Type: I
Control: position control
Rear lift: 3306 lbs [1499 kg]
Rear Arms: telescopic lower links

Power Take-off (PTO):
Rear PTO: independent
Rear RPM: 540/540E

Dimensions & Tires:
Wheelbase: 70.9 inches [180 cm]
Weight: 4118 lbs [1867 kg]
Length: 130.6 inches [331 cm]
Height (ROPS): 99.6 inches [252 cm]
Ground clearance: 15 inches [38 cm]
Front tread: 50.5 inches [128 cm]
Rear tread: 43.6 to 60 inches
[110 to 152 cm]


Branson 5220H attachments:
front-end loader
backhoe

Mechanical:
Chassis: 4x4 MFWD 4WD
Steering: power
Brakes: wet disc
Op Protection: Two-post foldable ROPS.

Hydraulics:
Pump flow: 10.4 gpm [39.4 lpm]
Steering flow: 5 gpm [18.9 lpm]

Page information:
Last update: July 5, 2016
Copyright: Copyright 2016 TractorData LLC
Contact: Peter@TractorData.com

 

[jeff9366]

Branson 5220H seems entirely adequate. Enough weight and power for your road work. Narrow enough to get into the forest.

You need to check on how wide rear wheels/tires can be spread for stability on your hills, especially how wide R4/industrial tires can or cannot be spread.

Tire selection will be a conundrum. Standard R1/ag tires are four-ply. Have better traction both up/down and across slopes. Vibrate and wear rapidly traveling on hard surface roads.

Standard R4/industrial tires are six-ply. Support heavy Loader loads better as R4s are wider and squat less due to six ply structure. Equal to R1 tires in traction with chains attached. Some use chains year around. Good traveling on hard surface roads.

You will want rear tires "loaded" 50% to 75% with liquid, or iron wheel weights, for stability on hills and traction in snow.

You need a center PTO to operate a front snow blower. Branson's web site is down, so I could not check if center PTO is an option on 5220H.

From how you have described your road I expect you will require an 8' rear/angle blade and a 6' box blade for maintenance and improvements. Buy heavy implements.

What is your altitude? Naturally aspirated tractors lose 3% of engine horsepower for every 1,000' increment of altitude. Turbo-charged engines do not lose power with altitude.

Consider a PTO powered log skidding winch. Much safer to have tractor parked on level ground and winch logs to the tractor. Useful in construction.

VIDEO: TRACTOR LOG WINCH - YouTube



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

 

[dragoneggs]

Welcome, Pug! I think you are on the right track with your implement needs. Question is whether you do it all in one machine. While a mini excavator would be nice at times, I think a full TLB is in your cards. Much more versatile. With 40 acres, do not skimp on the Hp. Get the machine with the major implements you think you will need. Especially backhoe if you don't get a separate mini excavator.

 

[Pugemasta]

Thanks for all the advice so far.

Dragoneggs: Thought about a TLB early on, but decided it was more than I needed. Will take a second look.

Jeff: Will check on how wide tires can be set. Hadn't considered year round chains and should do some research into it. I'm at about 2,500', so not too bad. Definitely loading tires! I do not think that a center PTO is an option, would have to look into hydrauilic, found a video on YouTube of a 5220 w/ hydrauilic snowblower so should be doable. No cab for me, the weather here isn't too bad, would be nice but tough to justify the added cost.

Feeling good about the 5225 or something similar. TLB isn't a bad idea though...

 

[jeff9366]

Opt for SSQA FEL connection. (Skid Steer Quick Attach)

Living in Florida I am NOT a snow expert but I believe a skid steer snow blower will mount easily.

Hydraulicly powered equipment is quite a bit more expensive than PTO/mechanically powered equipment.

I speculate you would run the Branson at full throttle in order to generate enough pump flow to throw snow very far. You will use two gallons of diesel fuel per hour at full throttle. Hand fueling from five gallon cans is not my favorite activity.
I am not a fan of running equipment at full throttle for extended periods.


Have you considered a simple FEL snow push box??? I like simple.
Airports clear runways with snow push boxes. SSQA required.

VIDEO: tractor snow push box - YouTube

VENDERS: tractor snow push box | eBay