'Bout to get a new 'Bota

[smfcpacfp]

The county decided to block off a two track on the edge of my property and decided to place 4 foot boulders there as a blockade. They carried two boulder per big dump truck and had a giant front end loader to drop them in place.

I found out this was happening when I was trying to take a nap and I would feel the ground shudder. I thought what the heck is going on and went out and checked it out.

The funniest part of the whole story was when I learned that some of the people who liked this short cut to the main road thought I bought in the boulders with a pick up and put them there. If you saw what they used to bring the boulders you would know that a pickup wouldn't quite get it. If the boulders are big. it might really screw up your tractor.

 

[easygo]

See if the dealer sells logging winches and finance it with the tractor. Around here people hang onto them for a very long time and even well used ones are expensive. You might be better off.

A good piece of equipment for road building is a mini-excavator with a dozer-blade. It will cut the hillside and then you can make it relatively smooth with the blade. Rent one with enough power to dig stumps out. My neighbor has a 65hp tractor and he just improved and built some woods roads on his 200 acres with a small rented excavator.

It looks like you bought yourself a thin slice of heaven there. Enjoy the tractor and the work.
Have fun

 

[TUG HILL ADDICT]

I'm a newbie to the forums and need advice from all you "old timers". Just bought a piece of dirt in SW VA covered in trees and rocks. BIG trees and even bigger rocks. Some of the terrain is STEEEEP. Some of that rock is covered by anywhere from 6 inches to 20 feet of dirt mixed with gravel to boulders and all of it covered with slick moss and leaves. I'll need to cut some small roads through the property [read hanging from cliffs in some parts] just to move around, much less take any timber out of it. My plan is to remove anything gnarly-looking that's 18" to 24" dia. or less to let the truly big stuff take off. I hope. There's some 36" Maples and Black Walnut that have earned their right to stay. For now.

So, I've been looking at an `08 L4400 HST with FEL, Grapple, Gill boxblade and a 3PH backhoe.

My question to you folks is this: would this little machine -slowly but surely- do what I need to do yet keep my inexperienced butt in a single piece provided I do plenty of practice in the meadows first? (first time tractor owner, in case I failed to mention that) Or am I gonna end up wearing this beast as a butt plug? A good friend and fellow HOG rider reminded me of a simple rule: "you got the horses, you're gonna use 'em." Thus my enjoyment of a GeezerGlide in my old age and a feeling that a 60HP or better machine will just get me dead.

Thanks in advance for the advice, folks.
Much respect,
Cpt Trog

Wow...when I do that kinda work I take a week of vacation and rent a dozer...You are going to kill a tractor doing that and it'll take you FOREVER!!!

 

[TUG HILL ADDICT]

Well I just read the whole thread....great pics nice piece of property....yup...rent a dozer you'll be amazed what you can accomplish in a week...then use the new Kubota to clean everything up

 

[6string]

Show some more of that log cabin, what's the history on it?

 

[CptTrog]

I'll try to get some more pics on the cabin asap. Up to my eyeballs with 'work' at work. (they pretend to pay me...I pretend to work!)
It was built around 1850 in Hilton, VA then disassembled around the 1880's and moved via horse and wagon to it's current location in a 'holler' south of Hilton.
That was no small feat as some of the cabin's logs (all chestnut) are 14" to 16" diameter and 20' long!!
We've replaced some of the old oak floor boards, put double layers of tar paper down and put 3/4 plywood deck in prep. for a floor on both upper and lower floors. About 600' of living space which is indeed livable! The kitchen room off the back which burned many decades ago will be rebuilt with some of the smaller low-grade white oak or poplar on the land. Have to cut it this winter and let it dry out in a pole barn for a year or so.

So that's it for the cabin's history as I know it. Oh, yeah. The holler was the moonshine capital of the area for MANY years due to its 3 springs which run about 45 degrees and have yet to EVER dry up, even in the recent draught! (And I understand, it is legal to produce enough for your own private consumption up there!

About the dozer versus the tractor? Renting a dozer and hiring someone who knows how to use it on terrain that has a grade of about...oh... / <-that steep... will definitely be a must. It's either that or use what little money I have to build them to bury my dumb *** when I try to do it myself!!!

BTW, a happy belated Veteran's day to all of you vets and I thank you all for your service! Hooahh!

 

[art]

The 4400 could handle a lot of the work that you need to do as long as you realize that Rome wasn't built in a day too! The Kubota BH full frame hoe's have not had any problems with breaking a tractor when using to it's fullest. You are looking at the right tools and as one suggested to gett the skidding winch with purchase might take some of the pucker factor out of dealing with them.

In our area we have ground contours a lot like what you have shown so I'd buy it, do what you can and then open it up for some quick equipment rental for what you might not be able to do with it. The snowmobile club in our area does a lot of initial work with compacts and when they won't do it they bring in a bigger piece for a short time to deal with the obstcale and then finish up with the compact. I won't tell you it will keep up with a D-9 but seat time is part of the tractor ownership that is the main reason many people own them! I think you will be quite suprised!

 

[CptTrog]

Renting/hiring a small dozer to do the initial groundbreaking and using the L4400 to "dress" and maintain seems the logical if not sane way to do this.

I am seriously considering calling the dealer (haven't taken delivery yet) and working in at least the subframe BH. It's clear the 3PT BH is out! As for the timber winch, I'm hoping I can find a used one at a reasonable price or perhaps even rent it. I can use a BH far more frequently.

Thanks, Art.