Kiohio
Platinum Member
Does VENTRAC make anything that big??
They have dual wheel kits and such too.
KO
They have dual wheel kits and such too.
KO
Best Tractor for wooded mountain land
- Thread starter Vas
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Bob_Skurka
Super Member
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- Jul 1, 2003
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Ventrac tops out in at just over 30hp but is a small frame size. Nothing big enough to suit his needs.
rockyridgefarm
Elite Member
I use my JD 4310 on all kinds of crazy grades. I have the R1s which give me great traction. But the big thing is that they can be set full wide for great stability. There has only been once or twice when it has felt unsafe.
Like several have said the turbo models would be the way to go....
Like several have said the turbo models would be the way to go....
Check this out, dual tires, powerfull engine.
http://www.aebi-ne.com/TT95.htm.
http://www.aebi-ne.com/TT95.htm.
RedRocker
Veteran Member
_RaT_
Super Member
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- Peoples Republic of Northern CA.
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- Kioti 3510-SE HST
Well isn't that something. IR's ToolCat is kinda like that, kinda not. ToolCat
AndyMA
Elite Member
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- Ford 2120 , Kubota MX5200 , Deere X748SE. 1956 Economy Tractor
Vas
Beautiful property. I've been working on a similar type of project (restoring an old New England village-that I now call my "farm). I've had several sizes of tractors over the years and am in the process of selling my TN75D with only 198 hours because it is too big for this type of work and makes too much of a mess. I also have a 2120 (equilavent to current New Holland TC 48/TC55 frame size that I have been using since 1987. 2 years ago I purchased a "old" 1986 Hitachi UH083LC 44,000 excavator. What a difference... on an excavator you can really get some serious work done in a short period of time. I am selling the TN to get a 8,000 class compact excavator (on rubber tracks with a 6 foot dozer blade)... Kubota 91 or Hew Holland 35B (made by Kobelco and Yanmar powered) I ran the New Holland the other night for a couple of hours on the dealer lot adn was I impressed. With the compact excavator, I think I will be able to get done what I can't with all my other machines combined. All for less than $40,000. Many smaller models available. NO problem at altitude or on slopes. BTW, diesels are routinely recalbrated to run at altitude. Turbo will help, but normally aspirated ones can be made to run. And do not be fooled by 3% power loss. You probably never notice it. Years ago when I was designing consumer electronic equipment, people were all hung up on power. Many people do not realize that a 3dB loss in sound pressure level ( a level change detectable by most peole as a loss in volume) is infact half power. If you look at a dyno while a diesel is working during a normal day, you would suprised to see how little power is being called for. Certain types of usage are not included (like brush hogging, and wood chipping -even those uses are not where near steady full power) Ground engaging equipment, especially draft equipment can require heavy power)
Good luck in you decision, mine would be 1) compact excavator, 2) tracked skidsteer, 3) nontracke skidsteer, 4) Power Track, 5) Compact Tractor 4WD- forget the power, the issues I see are stabuility and more important just the ability to get the machine to where you want to work. If I wasto choose a compact tractor, Iwould give serious consideration to a Kubota L39 or one of Kubotas smaller TLB's
Good luck with your decision.
Andy
Beautiful property. I've been working on a similar type of project (restoring an old New England village-that I now call my "farm). I've had several sizes of tractors over the years and am in the process of selling my TN75D with only 198 hours because it is too big for this type of work and makes too much of a mess. I also have a 2120 (equilavent to current New Holland TC 48/TC55 frame size that I have been using since 1987. 2 years ago I purchased a "old" 1986 Hitachi UH083LC 44,000 excavator. What a difference... on an excavator you can really get some serious work done in a short period of time. I am selling the TN to get a 8,000 class compact excavator (on rubber tracks with a 6 foot dozer blade)... Kubota 91 or Hew Holland 35B (made by Kobelco and Yanmar powered) I ran the New Holland the other night for a couple of hours on the dealer lot adn was I impressed. With the compact excavator, I think I will be able to get done what I can't with all my other machines combined. All for less than $40,000. Many smaller models available. NO problem at altitude or on slopes. BTW, diesels are routinely recalbrated to run at altitude. Turbo will help, but normally aspirated ones can be made to run. And do not be fooled by 3% power loss. You probably never notice it. Years ago when I was designing consumer electronic equipment, people were all hung up on power. Many people do not realize that a 3dB loss in sound pressure level ( a level change detectable by most peole as a loss in volume) is infact half power. If you look at a dyno while a diesel is working during a normal day, you would suprised to see how little power is being called for. Certain types of usage are not included (like brush hogging, and wood chipping -even those uses are not where near steady full power) Ground engaging equipment, especially draft equipment can require heavy power)
Good luck in you decision, mine would be 1) compact excavator, 2) tracked skidsteer, 3) nontracke skidsteer, 4) Power Track, 5) Compact Tractor 4WD- forget the power, the issues I see are stabuility and more important just the ability to get the machine to where you want to work. If I wasto choose a compact tractor, Iwould give serious consideration to a Kubota L39 or one of Kubotas smaller TLB's
Good luck with your decision.
Andy
colestin
Bronze Member
Wow, Vas, that is incredible land! Raised my estimate of New Mexico, for sure. I can't add to the excellent information you've gotten here, just felt compelled to thank you for posting the pics.
Bob_Skurka
Super Member
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- Jul 1, 2003
- Messages
- 7,615
Andy, excellent answer, and while I don't have the conditions or the heavy work on my property I will second your opinion on the usefulness of compact excavators. I've used them before and last year rented a Thomas 35 for some work on my property. Work that was estimated to have taken me 2 full weekends and a few nights after work was done in a matter of hours with the excavator. I was stunned with how fast it did the job I required and easy it was to get around. The Thomas is a rubber tracked unit with a dozer blade of about 5' it easily climbed a slope that I got a couple truck stuck on (although it was a scary ride from the drivers seat the machine never seemed to slip, I think the fear came from me not knowing what it was capable of).
John_Mc
Elite Member
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- Aug 11, 2001
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- 4,684
- Location
- Monkton, Vermont
- Tractor
- NH TC33D Modified with belly pan, limb risers & FOPS. Honda Pioneer 520 & antique Coot UTV
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( One thought that you should aslo consider is the ground clearance of the tractor. If you plan to add a backhoe then you need to see how much clearance you will lose with the sub frame.
)</font>
There are some new subframe designs out that can really help with that. For example, Woods has one out that they call their 4 pt hitch. The subframe stays on the tractor full time, but the design is such that you lose little or no ground clearance. I just had one installed on my NH TC33D and love it.
John Mc
)</font>
There are some new subframe designs out that can really help with that. For example, Woods has one out that they call their 4 pt hitch. The subframe stays on the tractor full time, but the design is such that you lose little or no ground clearance. I just had one installed on my NH TC33D and love it.
John Mc
rockyridgefarm
Elite Member
Deere hoes don't affect ground clearance at all. The RSA system locks them tight without the need for affitional framework. The tractor and hoe were designed as a system.
The Woods 4 point sounds like a good setup.
The Woods 4 point sounds like a good setup.
I wanted to thank everyone for the information and the inputs. I've narrowed things down to 40-50 hp range and I'm trying to get turbo for the altitude.
I've visited 4 dealers so far: Kioti (DK50), JD (4120), Kubota (4400 no-turbo), and NH dealer (TC45A, TC55DA).
Next I'm hitting Massey, CAT, and potentially Agco (If I understand things they all sell version of the same tractor made by Agco) they are the 1440/1540, 275B, and ST40 respectively. There are some differences but I haven't gotten it straight in my head yet.
I'm putting a comparison spreadsheet with tractor and FEL specs and price quotes. I'll post it when I have it filled in. Once I understnd the differences a little more I plan to narrow down to 2 or 3 and go from there.
What should I be looking for on the FEL specs besides lift capacity and bucket size?
I've visited 4 dealers so far: Kioti (DK50), JD (4120), Kubota (4400 no-turbo), and NH dealer (TC45A, TC55DA).
Next I'm hitting Massey, CAT, and potentially Agco (If I understand things they all sell version of the same tractor made by Agco) they are the 1440/1540, 275B, and ST40 respectively. There are some differences but I haven't gotten it straight in my head yet.
I'm putting a comparison spreadsheet with tractor and FEL specs and price quotes. I'll post it when I have it filled in. Once I understnd the differences a little more I plan to narrow down to 2 or 3 and go from there.
What should I be looking for on the FEL specs besides lift capacity and bucket size?
Slamfire
Veteran Member
Looks and sounds like the country around Chama. I hunted elk up there maybe 40 years ago. Saw the railroad plowin' the passes on TV the other day. Great place!
Kyle_in_Tex
Super Star Member
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( and I'm trying to get turbo for the altitude. )</font>
You will regret purchasing a non-turbo tractor for use at 9000 ft. I wouldn't even consider it. I've taken my 600cc 4-stroke dirt bike up in the mountains and it feels like a 125cc at altitude. A diesel is worse, a diesel depends on compression to ignite the fuel. They usually have 22:1 compression compared to gas which is around 9:1 . If you've ever driven a non turbo diesel up to sierra blanca, you'd know what I mean. I have and it struggled to make it. With the turbo, you'll have pretty much full power.
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( What should I be looking for on the FEL specs besides lift capacity and bucket size?)</font>
Too big a bucket is bad unless your only hauling light stuff like compost. Too small a bucket is bad also. Get one that covers the width of your tractor and if you want you can upgrade to heavy duty. Remember, lifting heavy loads on a slope is dangerous.
You will regret purchasing a non-turbo tractor for use at 9000 ft. I wouldn't even consider it. I've taken my 600cc 4-stroke dirt bike up in the mountains and it feels like a 125cc at altitude. A diesel is worse, a diesel depends on compression to ignite the fuel. They usually have 22:1 compression compared to gas which is around 9:1 . If you've ever driven a non turbo diesel up to sierra blanca, you'd know what I mean. I have and it struggled to make it. With the turbo, you'll have pretty much full power.
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( What should I be looking for on the FEL specs besides lift capacity and bucket size?)</font>
Too big a bucket is bad unless your only hauling light stuff like compost. Too small a bucket is bad also. Get one that covers the width of your tractor and if you want you can upgrade to heavy duty. Remember, lifting heavy loads on a slope is dangerous.
John_Mc
Elite Member
- Joined
- Aug 11, 2001
- Messages
- 4,684
- Location
- Monkton, Vermont
- Tractor
- NH TC33D Modified with belly pan, limb risers & FOPS. Honda Pioneer 520 & antique Coot UTV
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I'm trying to get turbo for the altitude. )</font>
Probably a good idea, though it may be worth checking into what adjustments can be made to a non-turbo'd tractor... I could swear I remember some of the farmers where I grew up in NW Ohio fiddling with something (injector pressure??) to get more power out of their tractors. I don't know if this would work at altitude, but it's worth checking into.
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( What should I be looking for on the FEL specs besides lift capacity and bucket size?)</font>
Dump and Rollback angles can be important. Some of the less expensive FELs don't have as great a range here. It can really be a factor if you have clay soils... hard to get that stuff to come out of the bucket some times. Do you need to dump into a truck? Make sure you have the lift height to clear the sides of whatever you need to dump into.
John Mc
Probably a good idea, though it may be worth checking into what adjustments can be made to a non-turbo'd tractor... I could swear I remember some of the farmers where I grew up in NW Ohio fiddling with something (injector pressure??) to get more power out of their tractors. I don't know if this would work at altitude, but it's worth checking into.
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( What should I be looking for on the FEL specs besides lift capacity and bucket size?)</font>
Dump and Rollback angles can be important. Some of the less expensive FELs don't have as great a range here. It can really be a factor if you have clay soils... hard to get that stuff to come out of the bucket some times. Do you need to dump into a truck? Make sure you have the lift height to clear the sides of whatever you need to dump into.
John Mc
rivulet
Member
You say you want to do road making and grading at altitude, but no mowing.
Consider a compact tracked loader (CTL). They have superior pushing and digging power. They can also extend the work season.
Expensive, yes. But they can do a bunch of work on the weekends. Good resale too.
You might be able to rent a CAT 247B or 257B and see how much work it can do.
Case has announced theirs. The 445CT and 450CT.
I am looking forward to seeing the Case version.
The 450CT has a 3800# load rating, weighs 11K, and uses a Cummins Turbo.
NH has two models LT185.B and LT190.B
JD has theirs. CT322 and CT332
In addition to the MFG attachments, there are many more available. For example, see the ABC Groff attachment list
Consider a compact tracked loader (CTL). They have superior pushing and digging power. They can also extend the work season.
Expensive, yes. But they can do a bunch of work on the weekends. Good resale too.
You might be able to rent a CAT 247B or 257B and see how much work it can do.
Case has announced theirs. The 445CT and 450CT.
I am looking forward to seeing the Case version.
The 450CT has a 3800# load rating, weighs 11K, and uses a Cummins Turbo.
NH has two models LT185.B and LT190.B
JD has theirs. CT322 and CT332
In addition to the MFG attachments, there are many more available. For example, see the ABC Groff attachment list
psuedofarmer
Gold Member
<font color="blue">I've visited 4 dealers so far: Kioti (DK50), JD (4120), Kubota (4400 no-turbo), and NH dealer (TC45A, TC55DA). </font>
i own a large farm in s/w NH and use a Kioti DK55 cab. it's a turbo model you should consider. i'm using it for some of the same things you require: logging in some VERY inhospitable areas (places where i can't get my 4x4 into); very rocky, very hilly area.
after 300 hrs i'm very pleased with this tractor. in the last few weeks i've used the tractor to skid 10+ cords out of the woods. very sure-footed tractor with excellent ground clearance. in addition, i've used it to widen/smooth ~3+ miles of old logging trails w/o any problem.
good luck.
pf
i own a large farm in s/w NH and use a Kioti DK55 cab. it's a turbo model you should consider. i'm using it for some of the same things you require: logging in some VERY inhospitable areas (places where i can't get my 4x4 into); very rocky, very hilly area.
after 300 hrs i'm very pleased with this tractor. in the last few weeks i've used the tractor to skid 10+ cords out of the woods. very sure-footed tractor with excellent ground clearance. in addition, i've used it to widen/smooth ~3+ miles of old logging trails w/o any problem.
good luck.
pf
pseudofarmer - Great information to know. If you don't mind me asking what attachments did you get? What skidding technique are you using? how much did your set-up run you?
rivulet - I looked through the links you provided. My mouth is watering, but I would not be able to swing the prices. Additionally my remoteness makes transport of a rental into and out of the site a large hassle.
Thank you,
rivulet - I looked through the links you provided. My mouth is watering, but I would not be able to swing the prices. Additionally my remoteness makes transport of a rental into and out of the site a large hassle.
Thank you,
Here are some similar links:
