otus_branch
Silver Member
Hi folks,
After lurking, hungrily reading, and occasionally others' questions, I've got a question for the TBN crowd. As is typical, it's a "what do I need?" question, but I've managed to narrow down my range of choices some ahead of time. So here goes...
-----Area-----
- Western North Carolina - Mountainous, but tractor will not be used on any ridiculously steep slopes.
-----Properties-----
- Two parcels, approximately 18 miles apart. Trailering between the two will be a necessity once or twice a month, but tractor will spend most of its time at the larger parcel. Tow vehicle will be a Chevy 2500 Duramax/Allison, and I would like to stay well within its rated limits (12,000 lbs. I believe, but I would prefer to tow 10,000 lbs. or less) One property is 5 acres and the other is 14 acres. Each is a mix of fields, woods, and scrub that will be reclaimed for either agriculture or forestry, though the 5-acre parcel is pretty much under control after 4 years of BCS tractor work. Some livestock (goats, pigs, pastured poultry) will figure into the equation later, so the big tractor will be used for hauling around portable electric fencing and hoophouse-type-shelters on skids.
-----Primary tasks-----
- Improving and maintaing approximately 7/10 of a mile of gravel roads, plus helping the neighbors maintain another half mile or so. Neighbors are fairly well-equipped themselves, with a Kobelco excavator, a couple of Ford 4000's, and an older 2wd John Deere ag tractor between them. Improvements needed on my own roads include widening a low, wet section of road and adding drainage ditches, plus installing several culverts. The neighbor with the Kobelco is unfortunately NOT near the parcel that needs the most improvements.
-Improving drainage around an old farmhouse. It's built right on damp ground, and the sills at the back of the house have rotted. I'm thinking that with the L-39 or similar TLB setup, I could cut a small backsloped terrace behind the house (maybe 15' wide x 50' long), and then dig a trench/french drain along the back edge of the terrace that would run approximately another 20 yards to a creek along the side of the house.
-Deepening and cleaning-out said creek to flow a little faster past the side of the house.
-Developing several springs, including dropping-in reservoir tanks, and removing some old concrete tanks that have decayed beyond repair.
-Trenching for water lines, plus misc. underground electric, etc.
-Skidding logs out as we do single-tree or small stand logging to improve the forested areas and make a little $$ from firewood.
-Excavating & moving many 3' - 5' boulders that are currently in the way of some of the market gardens.
-Moving Mulch & making Compost - Chicken litter and sawdust and bark mulch are all readily available around here, but I'm tired of the fork-and-wheelbarrow method. And it takes lots of mulch to be able to control weeds organically.
-Then (once all the above projects are finished - HA!), preparing and working more ground for market gardens on a scale larger than is practical with the BCS equipment.
-----Models considered for these jobs-----
Kubota L-39 - I've been drooling over L-35's and L-48's for years now, but wishing there was something in-between. Then voila! my wish comes true this year. In addition to the TLB package, I'm thinking that a TnT setup, along with a 6' heavy box blade and a 7' straight blade would at least get me started on the road and drainage work. Tiller, wood-splitter and other toys to be added later as money permits.
I've also looked at JD 110's, Power Tracs, smaller 4wd ag tractors plus renting an excavator, etc., but nothing seems to be able to touch the L-39's versatility. I really like the 1-seat setup, compared to the Kioti TLB's and other brands. There are a number of Kubota dealers within an hour's drive of me, so parts and service options look good, though I need to do more visiting sand test-driving.
We've had good luck with several heavy equipment operators in the area we hired to do larger terracing/excavating/dozer work, but the above-listed projects are really smaller than they are interested in. Plus, I want seat time, but i work full-time, and money is limited enough that I want to save funds for a tractor purchase rather than continue to rent/hire.
What do y'all think? Can the L-39 really tackle these types of earth-moving and road tasks, plus work as an ag tractor? Should I look at any other alternatives more closely?
thanks,
-otus
After lurking, hungrily reading, and occasionally others' questions, I've got a question for the TBN crowd. As is typical, it's a "what do I need?" question, but I've managed to narrow down my range of choices some ahead of time. So here goes...
-----Area-----
- Western North Carolina - Mountainous, but tractor will not be used on any ridiculously steep slopes.
-----Properties-----
- Two parcels, approximately 18 miles apart. Trailering between the two will be a necessity once or twice a month, but tractor will spend most of its time at the larger parcel. Tow vehicle will be a Chevy 2500 Duramax/Allison, and I would like to stay well within its rated limits (12,000 lbs. I believe, but I would prefer to tow 10,000 lbs. or less) One property is 5 acres and the other is 14 acres. Each is a mix of fields, woods, and scrub that will be reclaimed for either agriculture or forestry, though the 5-acre parcel is pretty much under control after 4 years of BCS tractor work. Some livestock (goats, pigs, pastured poultry) will figure into the equation later, so the big tractor will be used for hauling around portable electric fencing and hoophouse-type-shelters on skids.
-----Primary tasks-----
- Improving and maintaing approximately 7/10 of a mile of gravel roads, plus helping the neighbors maintain another half mile or so. Neighbors are fairly well-equipped themselves, with a Kobelco excavator, a couple of Ford 4000's, and an older 2wd John Deere ag tractor between them. Improvements needed on my own roads include widening a low, wet section of road and adding drainage ditches, plus installing several culverts. The neighbor with the Kobelco is unfortunately NOT near the parcel that needs the most improvements.
-Improving drainage around an old farmhouse. It's built right on damp ground, and the sills at the back of the house have rotted. I'm thinking that with the L-39 or similar TLB setup, I could cut a small backsloped terrace behind the house (maybe 15' wide x 50' long), and then dig a trench/french drain along the back edge of the terrace that would run approximately another 20 yards to a creek along the side of the house.
-Deepening and cleaning-out said creek to flow a little faster past the side of the house.
-Developing several springs, including dropping-in reservoir tanks, and removing some old concrete tanks that have decayed beyond repair.
-Trenching for water lines, plus misc. underground electric, etc.
-Skidding logs out as we do single-tree or small stand logging to improve the forested areas and make a little $$ from firewood.
-Excavating & moving many 3' - 5' boulders that are currently in the way of some of the market gardens.
-Moving Mulch & making Compost - Chicken litter and sawdust and bark mulch are all readily available around here, but I'm tired of the fork-and-wheelbarrow method. And it takes lots of mulch to be able to control weeds organically.
-Then (once all the above projects are finished - HA!), preparing and working more ground for market gardens on a scale larger than is practical with the BCS equipment.
-----Models considered for these jobs-----
Kubota L-39 - I've been drooling over L-35's and L-48's for years now, but wishing there was something in-between. Then voila! my wish comes true this year. In addition to the TLB package, I'm thinking that a TnT setup, along with a 6' heavy box blade and a 7' straight blade would at least get me started on the road and drainage work. Tiller, wood-splitter and other toys to be added later as money permits.
I've also looked at JD 110's, Power Tracs, smaller 4wd ag tractors plus renting an excavator, etc., but nothing seems to be able to touch the L-39's versatility. I really like the 1-seat setup, compared to the Kioti TLB's and other brands. There are a number of Kubota dealers within an hour's drive of me, so parts and service options look good, though I need to do more visiting sand test-driving.
We've had good luck with several heavy equipment operators in the area we hired to do larger terracing/excavating/dozer work, but the above-listed projects are really smaller than they are interested in. Plus, I want seat time, but i work full-time, and money is limited enough that I want to save funds for a tractor purchase rather than continue to rent/hire.
What do y'all think? Can the L-39 really tackle these types of earth-moving and road tasks, plus work as an ag tractor? Should I look at any other alternatives more closely?
thanks,
-otus
