Buying my first tractor

[51allis]

Hmmmm, well I can tell you my experience with building a "slab" house on grade with a tractor. I own a LS XR4046 with loader and my tractor did all the excavation work for our retirement home we are currently building. When I say excavation work, I mean basically all loader work done to remove top soil (we had 12" topsoil until it hit gravel), after top soil was removed used tractor again to fill up for what is known as a "frost protected shallow foundation" or better known as an insulated floating slab home, a 1208 sq ft home. My tractor is rated for 46 hp plus the loader isnt too shabby with capacity, HOWEVER....when you are doing extensive loader work and you are in a hurry or have time constraints, my suggestion is a skidsteer of sorts for faster work and with a skidsteer you could always mount a backhoe on front for smaller projects. Yes my tractor did the job and saved me a ton of money but time wise it takes longer than using a skidsteer. Now if my tractor had a backhoe, it could have dug the trenches for the electric, well water line, and septic system, albeit slowly, after all my time is my money and I decided to save on the money part and use the time to work in a pace that matched the tractor. I had to borrow a backhoe for the electric line, and just went out and bought a used TLB because to put a backhoe on my tractor would have been 7k give or take so I just added a little more and got a good used TLB for dedicated construction work and plan to use it for water line, septic system, and future construction projects on our 20A farm land. Most CUT's are capable of doing what you need BUT they will wear faster and the dedicated construction machines will have a better resale value should you decide to stop doing the construction etc. Just my thoughts on it.

 

[Woodbutcher56]

ereicmb. I've been around construction all my life and if you want an all purpose tractor you should look at a yanmar, jd or kubota construction backhoe. As some have mentioned the JD110, Kubota L35,39,48, M59 TLB series and Yanmar cdl40 were all designed with heavier frames and loader arms, larger hydraulic pumps and etc. They won't replace a larger skid steer or excavator but are a good all purpose machine. I have run a Kubota B26 quite a bit and although a very good machine for its size, will be underpowered for the tasks described.
I have a L35 that has dug several foundations. It was slower than a skid steer or dedicated excavator but did the job and gives me the flexibility to throw a bush hog or box blade on the 3 point when needed.

 

[Larry D Johnson]

I’m thinking about buying a tractor to build homes with. The homes will primarily be slab homes with a possibility of a walkout basement.

In the past I’ve rented or borrowed skid steers for the work and I’m thinking of buying my own equipment. My wife and I live in a small city on a lot and we’re looking at buying 5 acres or more in a few years. That’s where the tractor comes in.

I was thinking a tractor with a loader and backhoe would meet the requirements of home building and we would add a mower deck in the future.

What advice would you have on the type of tractor to purchase? I was thinking between 35-40hp but I’m not sure if 25hp would work as well. If I can use the tractor for all but digging out a basement it’s not the end of the world. Most slabs around here require a 12” bucket and 30” deep or so. I would be building homes on lots, not acreage if that matters.

I was an equipment dealer for years and I have o say that you have to get clear on what you mean by tractor. If you are planing on excavating actually digging with the tractor then you will need an industrial tractor. Ag tractor loaders are designed to scoop and move material. You will destroy it trying to dig with it. If you plan on doing a lot of digging an excavator is a far better way to go then a backhoe on a tractor. They are faster and far more maneuverable.

 

[51allis]

I was an equipment dealer for years and I have o say that you have to get clear on what you mean by tractor. If you are planing on excavating actually digging with the tractor then you will need an industrial tractor. Ag tractor loaders are designed to scoop and move material. You will destroy it trying to dig with it. If you plan on doing a lot of digging an excavator is a far better way to go then a backhoe on a tractor. They are faster and far more maneuverable.

I think you are right, even with my tractor (LS XR4046) and teeth on the bucket...it was hard to break up the top of the topsoil layer, so what I had to do first was use a 3pt tiller over the whole area to break up the hard packed top soil and then it was scoopable with my tractor. It is doable with a CUT but again a dedicated construction machine is much better if a person plans to do this type of building for a living etc. I bought a good used (even tho' its older) JD 410 TLB and this thing can dig and move dirt like crazy and its built to take the abuse.

 

[51allis]

One other thing to consider, if you bought a dedicated construction machine, they are heavier and have great ballast....my tractor did lift my pre built wall sections in place without sheathing on them, had to put a 2x6 perpendicular screwed into studs so that my forks could lift the 8' sections in place. Worked, but if I would have had my own skidsteer or the TLB I could have done that job just as easily PLUS could have bought a "truss pole" to help with lifting and placing trusses. I wouldn't have tried a truss pole with my CUT, they were 30ft wide trusses so rented a manlift and put swivel chain on it to lift the trusses up in place. this is where dedicated construction equipment will come in handy...a skidsteer with a truss pole can do a lot of truss install, plus lift sheathing up to be installed. With higher flowing hydraulics there are many attachments that can benefit construction site.

 

[Tony H]

I'm thinking small excavator. If you are thinking an Agricultural tractor with FEL and Backhoe attachments. I think you will be disappointed. They don't have the lift. You'd be better off with something like the JD 110 or JCB MIDICX. They have a real construction toughness and lift capacities. still the excavator with its 180degree rotation really helps when find room for sort you are digging.

 

[BenjiMac]

I’m thinking about buying a tractor to build homes with. The homes will primarily be slab homes with a possibility of a walkout basement.

In the past I’ve rented or borrowed skid steers for the work and I’m thinking of buying my own equipment. My wife and I live in a small city on a lot and we’re looking at buying 5 acres or more in a few years. That’s where the tractor comes in.

I was thinking a tractor with a loader and backhoe would meet the requirements of home building and we would add a mower deck in the future.

What advice would you have on the type of tractor to purchase? I was thinking between 35-40hp but I’m not sure if 25hp would work as well. If I can use the tractor for all but digging out a basement it’s not the end of the world. Most slabs around here require a 12” bucket and 30” deep or so. I would be building homes on lots, not acreage if that matters.

I have an old 50hp (PTO) Massey-Ferguson tractor with front end loader. I think it is too big for what you want, mostly too big for easy transportation on a trailer even without the backhoe. 35-40 hp (engine) would probably be good, make sure you have a way to get it to your construction sites. A mini tractor is easy to transport but probably too small for construction work. Yes the tractor front end loader is not intended for use as a bulldozer, but it can move or arrange dirt and other objects. The backhoe that you want will work for most digging, especially trenches if you have the right bucket. Depending on how much dirt you are digging out from under a house, you may need to rent something better, but the tractor will still be useful for everything else.

You will want a utility tractor, not a farm tractor. The difference is in the transmission, where the utility tractor needs a synchro-shuttle that moves instantly between forward and reverse and all speeds are available in both directions. Mine is a farm tractor with 4 forward and only 1 reverse in each high/low range, not as good for repeat motions moving scoops of dirt. Mine also has farm "AG" tires, better traction when pulling but will tear up the ground perhaps more than you want, less aggressive tires may be better.

 

[ericmb]

I do think I’m going to look for a loader as that’s been the consensus so far and as someone else said I can likely sell it and get my money back out of it. I don’t have a way to haul the loader, but where I’m building the houses is less than 2 miles from my house, so a loader with tires instead of tracks will do.

It’s funny, I read somewhere else that a Case 1845c runs great and the 5 year old message board I found said paying $10,000 for one should be easy to find (again this is five years ago). There’s not many for sale around me today and they’re all $15,000 or more.

 

[ericmb]

Hmmmm, well I can tell you my experience with building a "slab" house on grade with a tractor. I own a LS XR4046 with loader and my tractor did all the excavation work for our retirement home we are currently building. When I say excavation work, I mean basically all loader work done to remove top soil (we had 12" topsoil until it hit gravel), after top soil was removed used tractor again to fill up for what is known as a "frost protected shallow foundation" or better known as an insulated floating slab home, a 1208 sq ft home. My tractor is rated for 46 hp plus the loader isnt too shabby with capacity, HOWEVER....when you are doing extensive loader work and you are in a hurry or have time constraints, my suggestion is a skidsteer of sorts for faster work and with a skidsteer you could always mount a backhoe on front for smaller projects. Yes my tractor did the job and saved me a ton of money but time wise it takes longer than using a skidsteer. Now if my tractor had a backhoe, it could have dug the trenches for the electric, well water line, and septic system, albeit slowly, after all my time is my money and I decided to save on the money part and use the time to work in a pace that matched the tractor. I had to borrow a backhoe for the electric line, and just went out and bought a used TLB because to put a backhoe on my tractor would have been 7k give or take so I just added a little more and got a good used TLB for dedicated construction work and plan to use it for water line, septic system, and future construction projects on our 20A farm land. Most CUT's are capable of doing what you need BUT they will wear faster and the dedicated construction machines will have a better resale value should you decide to stop doing the construction etc. Just my thoughts on it.

I’m quite confident a tractor would work for my needs, it would just be a bit clunky. I’m not a rush rush rush kind of guy, but I am about efficiency. Other than scraping the vegetation off the surface I’m not looking at digging with the loader, just picking up loose dirt and spreading it around.

 

[ericmb]

I’m quite confident a tractor would work for my needs, it would just be a bit clunky. I’m not a rush rush rush kind of guy, but I am about efficiency. Other than scraping the vegetation off the surface I’m not looking at digging with the loader, just picking up loose dirt and spreading it around.

Having the tool on site would make it easy to use, therefore more efficient than renting or waiting on someone to do it for me.