Excavator size for farm work

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

Most of the work I'd be doing would be tree removal. I have another tract of land about 1/2 a mile away I have to go by road to get to but I had thought about driving it on the road. Over there I own part of another pond. I had thought I might dig that out and make it a little bigger make it available for putting in irrigation for the apple farm there.

Trailer and truck are not in my future for this equipment/budget.

Yeah about the $20-$25k range is what I was thinking. I can justify the cost and when done if I want I can sell it.

Not in a hurry and with the scam world the way it is I am going to be extra cautious about handing anyone over my money. I have a nephew who works for a company repairing heavy equipment like excavators/rock drillers etc. I planned to get him to go look at one I think is what I want/can afford give me an idea of what shape its in.

 

[4570Man]

Get something like a CAT420IT with front remotes so you can run a grapple.

Get a hydraulic thumb on any machine and it will make your life much easier.

When you start looking at a backhoe with those features you’ve lost the cost advantage and definitely exceeded the op’s budget. You could have a nice excavator with a hydraulic thumb for the same money.

 

[Sportsman762]

Most trees in it are under say 20 inches wide, mostly pine. A few are well over 30 inches but I could leave them there as they are right on the property line anyway.

As with every task its the question of how quick you want to get it done.

Retirement is scheduled for 2025

I am more interested in what size machine would work. With more time on my hands I can devote more time to digging a tree out by the roots and dropping it.

Judging from this comment speed is not the highest priority. I was helping a friend clear 60 acres of pine stumps and it takes forever even with two 25 ton excavators.
You should be able to dig and remove most of the rootballs with a 3.5-5 ton machine. Another advantage of this size is that you can move them on a 14k equipment trailer. Also if you get stuck they are possible to get unstuck without having to call in help. I think most manufactures offer a 3.5 ton with 25hp engines to avoid the epa junk. A 3.5 ton machine might struggle with the rootball on the bigger stumps, but if you can roll it out of the hole then scratch the dirt off you should not have a problem. If your soil is sand you might not have any issues, whereas heavy clay requires lots of scratching to get the dirt off.

One method I like for making it easier to remove the stumps is to dig around the tree then knock it over. I dig first in the direction I want it to fall just enough to remove half the roots or so in that direction. Then I dig the remaining three sides nice and deep to cut all the roots. Reach up high as you can on the tree and push. Don't rock the tree, just let the weight of the machine sit on it if it does not go over immediately. Once its down, I scratch the stump clean. I just knocked over a few maples <20" with my backhoe attachment that is about equivalent to a 2.5 ton mini ex. Each tree took about an hour and the soil was dry and sandy. I then drug the tree to a central location to delimb them, then to another area to cut them into firewood. Takes a lot longer digging than if I had been running a larger machine but I try to make do with what I have. If I had had a 5 ton mini ex or a construction hoe those trees would have been down in 15-20 minutes.

I find thumbs on mini ex's extremely useful and would definitely consider getting one.

I can't help but think that an older construction backhoe may be a better bet than some small excavators, dollar for dollar.

This is what I would do, but op asked about a mini ex. The construction backhoes are so useful and more powerful. When knocking trees over the front bucket gives you way more power than a mini ex will. A construction hoe will also handle the 32" stumps no problem.

Most of the work I'd be doing would be tree removal. I have another tract of land about 1/2 a mile away I have to go by road to get to but I had thought about driving it on the road.

Mini Excavators suck to track. They slow down something terrible in hills. Had to go retrieve a fuel tank for an irrigation pump once, had to track a mile into the woods with the Komatsu PC50, drain the water out of it, then track back a half mile, set it, then track back to the shop. Took almost 3 hours (2.5 of it tracking) as high range is only 2.5 mph, and ever turn or adjustment takes you down to a snails pace.

 

[ning]

I've found that pine stumps, cut low, rot out in a few years.
If I had 60 acres of pine to clear, I'd probably concentrate on cutting and clearing, and then dig out only those stumps that are immediately in the way - the rest will disintegrate soon enough.

Oak on the other hand doesn't like to die.

 

[Carl_NH]

Yes - the OP indicated an area roughly 40x200 or 8000 SF of stumps to clear so 50 or 60 stumps/trees to remove and didn't need to do it in a day or two, but as he got around to it.

In these instances, a 10 or 12K machine can get it done, over a few weeks, vs a 20K machine can knock it out in a day or so. But the cost $35-50K for a decent 12K machine vs renting a 20K machine for a week at $2-3K is their decision.

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

Local news agency did a story on a guy who lost too much money being too trusting of the seller... Hope he can recover at least some of it back.

Good Samaritan loses $80,000 trying to help western NC neighbors rebuild from Helene :: WRAL.com

 

[hayden]

I think a 4-5 ton machine is the perfect size for a farm excavator. It's big enough that you can do most anything, though it might take longer than with a larger machine. And it's small enough to maneuver around, and can be trailered behind a properly set up 3/4 ton truck. And the cost is low enough that you won't mind having it sitting around when not in use. I have a Kubota KX-121-3 and love it. If you can find one in good shape, that would be my first choice. No emissions, but check it out carefully. Some of these machines get worked pretty hard by operators who don't care about the machine.

 

[arrow]

Retirement is scheduled for 2025. soooo I have had the bug to get an excavator for some time. Rented one to do some work around my 2 acre pond years ago. I have a specific project to start with it. Its a wooded strip about 170 ft long and about 40 ft wide. Most trees in it are under say 20 inches wide, mostly pine. A few are well over 30 inches but I could leave them there as they are right on the property line anyway. My goal is to turn that wooded strip into a parking area for our U-pick customers.

Second project would be to remove some smaller pines/hardwoods that have started growing beside the ponds edge.

I found one (see pic below) and it looks like it might do most of what I needed to do. If I had to cut some trees down, saw them in half and then take an EX to move them to the disposal area I would.

Price is in the ballpark of what I could afford. Especially if I decided to sell it when I have run out of ideas what to do with it.

According to the specs (see richiecpes below), it says it has a lifting capability of a little over 5K#.

It looks like from what I can understand about green timber/trees a 20" pine would weigh about 3k# . Well under the capabilities of the one below. The particular one listed shows as having a 6 month warranty. Asking price just under $22k + delivery.

https://www.ritchiespecs.com/model/caterpillar-305e2-cr-mini-excavator

Timber and Lumber Calculators at WOODWEB

Timber and Lumber Calculators at WOODWEB

www.woodweb.com

i had checked into renting a bigger EZ at about $6k a week +$700 delivery.

What'cha think underpowered? I'm not too concerned about it taking longer with a smaller piece of equipment.

Don’t know if these would be applicable to you

Perfect Condition New Quality Used Kobelco Sk60 Excavator From Japan Used Kobelco Sk60 - Buy Perfect Condition New Quality Used Kobelco Sk60 Excavator From Japan Used Kobelco Sk60 Product on Alibaba.com

Perfect Condition New Quality Used Kobelco Sk60 Excavator From Japan Used Kobelco Sk60 - Buy Perfect Condition New Quality Used Kobelco Sk60 Excavator From Japan Used Kobelco Sk60 Product on Alibaba.com

www.alibaba.com

 

[olenjohn]

Machine is underpriced. I smell a rat scammer here. DO NOT send money until you personally meet the seller and see the CAT.

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

Thanks ya'll, I can't shake the ole ways, have to see it upfront before giving a dollar a way.

While I do buy via Amazon and feel mostly comfortable buying stuff on there. Don't know anything about Alibaba or Temu. Didn't know anything about vevor until last spring. Bought two chicken runs from them. Did "ok". Quality was sub par but useable after adding thicker wire.

I bought my flail mower via amazon from Titan tools. I have been pleased with it.

Just can't imagine buying something like a tractor, excavator etc from them.