75 acres of timber with house - trails, small garden, invasive control

[nmz787]

Thanks for all the great input. I visited three heavy equipment dealerships today, Case, John Deere, and CAT. No tractors at any of them, but I think I'm getting a rounded out idea of what might make sense monetarily and practically. Probably need to do another round like this except at tractor-centric. I'm definitely going to register for the local auction, and maybe try my hand there. I saw an ASV Rt30 track loader for $15k locally, it's "only" 30 HP with a bucket... But no title... So that seems a little sketchy. Also still unsure of the compatibility of attachments, and from what the one salesmen said today, you need high flow hydraulics to run a brush hog or other mowers.

The hunt continues!

 

[RalphVa]

We had lots of invasives and downed trees on about 4 or 5 acres of our 8.5. The wife took them on with her not going to the gym. With her trusty battery chain saw, she cut down the autumn olives and cut up the downed trees and loaded them into the bucket of the JD 2025R. I piled them from the FEL into gullies on the property. Some are piled quite high now. They'll slowly degrade and become kugllekultur (sp?).

 

[jeff9366]

1) I saw a track loader for $15k locally, it's "only" 30 HP with a bucket... But no title... So that seems a little sketchy.

2) Also still unsure of the compatibility of attachments, and from what the one salesmen said today, you need high flow hydraulics to run a brush hog or other mowers.

1) Neither tractors nor construction equipment have titles.

2) Construction equipment uses continuous hydraulic power for implements. Construction equipment often has high flow hydraulic pumps.

Tractors use mechanical power from the tractor Power Take Off (PTO)
to implements. Much more efficient power transfer relative to hydraulic power transfer. Mechanically powered tractor implements such as snow blowers and mowers are much cheaper to purchase than hydraulically powered construction equipment implements.

Hydraulic power on a tractor is used only intermittently so modest 10 - 12 gpm is the norm.

 

[jjp8182]

I saw an ASV Rt30 track loader for $15k locally, it's "only" 30 HP with a bucket..Also still unsure of the compatibility of attachments, and from what the one salesmen said today, you need high flow hydraulics to run a brush hog or other mowers.

Thing to look at on skid steers is the rated operating capacity (ROC) as that gives a better idea of useful lifting capacity than the tipping load - and the hydraulic flow.

For many hydraulic motor-driven implements (like mowers) high flow is usually required - there are some out there don't, but it can be very limiting depending on the application since the hydraulic flow is what is providing the HP to the mower/implement ....so assuming a constant max pressure: less flow = less HP

...and with the smaller skid steers (e.g. under 40-ish HP) the ROC and hydraulic flows start to become very comparable to larger frame compact tractors of the same HP ....so the only thing that's really gained with the skid steer is the potentially higher breakout force (mostly useful when digging), and the inherent design features of skid steers (method of turning/skidding, and lift arms being designed for digging/ground engagement).

So for example the ASV Rt30 has a tipping load of 862kg a ROC @ 50% tipping load at 431kg and a ROC @ 35% at 302kg and skid steer brush mowers tend to be heavy. For example this 60" one 60" Wide Brush Mower Attachment 11-20 gpm is marketed as weighing 860lbs which is close to the Rt30's 50% ROC of 950lbs (note this mower is also one where high flow isn't required, but it's still recommend that the flow be at least 11gpm ....and the Rt30 has a max flow of 37.9 lpm (~10gpm).

The other thing that needs to be considered with continuous flow implements is how well the machine can dissipate the heat generated in the hydraulic system by continuously running a hydraulic flow ... particularly if it's going to be for hours on end.

 

[jeff9366]

Thanks for all the great input. I visited three heavy equipment dealerships today, Case, John Deere, and CAT. No tractors at any of them, but I'm getting an idea of what might make sense monetarily and practically.

• Would like to pull logs to a mini sawmill (don't have yet), or onto a trailer for pulling to a neighbors for them to mill.
• Would like to make some new hiking/ATV/dirtbike trails, and keep existing trails clean
• Control invasive himalayan blackberry... some in unplanted areas, some amongst seedling trees (might need a handheld brush cutter, like a weedwacker with saw, for this)
• till small garden
• grade/flatten the gravel roads
• maybe plow some snow

Above are applications readily accomplished with a tractor and very common tractor Three Point Hitch implements.

You can certainly do these with construction equipment but accomplishment will take longer and equipment required will be much more expensive.

Industry surveys report that compact tractors average 60 engine hours per year. You may well average 150 engine hours per year. I average 250 engine hours per year. All of these example hours are reasonable for a owner operated tractor.

 

[kenmbz]

I was out with my Stihl FS110 yesterday and the scratch saw blade. I still wish it were bigger but got through a few hundred feet of tough brambles, vines and 2-3" thick bushes.
So it is possible to do with just that device and use a weed wacker to keep it down.
Using the tractor and toothbar through the thick stuff and to knock down/rip up some of the brush is faster, but messier and need to leave an exit.
Would be nice to have something heavier to push through, but trying to keep the trees and some buffer between neighbors.

Good luck with your search.

 

[nmz787]

So something I've been reading the last day or so is that the CTLs don't have very good clearance... I guess that should have been an obvious reason for their stability (getting the center of gravity low).

I am just starting to look at the Bobcat Toolcats... they are pretty interesting to start. I haven't got past an initial craigslist search for now.

 

[nmz787]

I was out with my Stihl FS110 yesterday and the scratch saw blade. I still wish it were bigger but got through a few hundred feet of tough brambles, vines and 2-3" thick bushes.
So it is possible to do with just that device and use a weed wacker to keep it down.
Using the tractor and toothbar through the thick stuff and to knock down/rip up some of the brush is faster, but messier and need to leave an exit.
Would be nice to have something heavier to push through, but trying to keep the trees and some buffer between neighbors.

Good luck with your search.

This is the cutter I ordered... Fedex is telling me that it might be here in 3 days (for a total of 11 days from the time I ordered, shipping from China):

Amazon.com : 10 in1 Backpack Brush Cutter with Gx35 4 Stroke Engine Weed Wacker Weed Eater Edger Lawn strimmer Mini Tiller : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Amazon.com : 10 in1 Backpack Brush Cutter with Gx35 4 Stroke Engine Weed Wacker Weed Eater Edger Lawn strimmer Mini Tiller : Patio, Lawn & Garden

www.amazon.com

Hopefully it's a decent machine!

I have been whacking at things with my Pulaski every few days, and I'm not disgusted with my progress... it's good exercise, which is part of what I was wanting in buying a big place. The thickets of blackberry are definitely something I'll need at least the backpack cutter for... but it still begs the question of:
A) how to rake all the cut thorny vines into a big pile
B) what to do with the pile after it's collected in one (or many) spots. Would this be burning with one of those half-million BTU torches I saw at the farm store (I guess it must connect to a grill-sized propane tank?)? Or some sort of mulcher (and which one, I'd guess not a normal "up to 4" branches" type)?

 

[jeff9366]

A) how to rake all the cut thorny vines into a big pile

Ratchet Rake bucket attachment.

Front-End Loader - Ratchet Rake // Today

I had a snarled mass of wild grape vines and brush near a gate. Decided I should clear it today, before everything emerged from dormancy. Photo #1 Ratchet Rake on bucket. Downward oriented teeth make this attachment excellent for pulling brush and light grading, but you cannot dig a hole...

www.tractorbynet.com

B) what to do with the pile after it's collected in one (or many) spots. Would this be burning with one of those half-million BTU torches I saw at the farm store (I guess it must connect to a grill-sized propane tank?)?

Yes & Yes

 

[ericm979]

I pile himalaya berry vines and canes on a pile of stuff that I don't chip, along with old wood and poison oak I pull out.

Vines don't chip well. The woody canes might but with the thorns it's too much of a hassle.