Forestry use of a tractor:
- Thread starter FRIZ
- Start date
- Views: 7833
Northland
Platinum Member
I had considered a used CAT or ASV track loader but went with the tractor as they were cheaper, had less exspensive implements and were much less expensive to operate.
The tracks on the CAT cost $15/HR or so to operate and cost $5K to replace. In another post a TBN'r suggested Deere track loaders had a better and less expensive-to-operate design.
N80
Super Member
I have 250 acres. Mostly wooded. Hilly. I'm guessing I have about 5 miles of roads, maybe less. Most of the roads are what we call 'jeep trails'. You can drive a truck on them, but just barely. No gravel or grading.
I have been able to maintain existing roads and cut some new ones, as well as clear 2-3 acres of planted pines with my Kubota L4400 (45 hp, 4wd, R1s). I have a light duty 6' John Deere rotary cutter, a 6' Bushhog standard duty BB, 7 foot disk and FEL and have been able to do all this just with those things with the FEL, cutter and BB doing most of the work. For clearing, the FEL does most of the work. I cleared 2 acres of young pines, most of which where 4-6" in diameter but plenty at 8" and rarely some at 10". This was impossible in dry conditions, but when the ground is wet, I'd push the tree over flat and the roots would pop up. Then, hook the bucket lip under the roots and pop the tree out of the ground by curling, lifting and driving forward at the same time. Very effective. Same way on new roads/trails.
Having said all that, things that would have made the job much easier would be teeth on the bucket and most of all a grapple. Teeth are cheap....but I still don't have them yet. I think teeth are a great long term investment, a no brainer really....
The grapple is a different story. They are expensive, they require additional hydraulic plumbing and unless you need one continuously, you might find that after initial use it doesn't get used much. That would be my case anyway. But, when clearing and moving brush it would be absolutely indespinsible. And moving large amounts of brush and trees without one can even be dangerous. You would have much more control of trunks and branches under tension with a grapple than a bucket. I made do with the bucket, but if I had it all to do again, I think I'd have tried to raise funds for the grapple. It would have made that big job easier, quicker and safer.
I was glad I had R1s for all of this. They held up fine in terms of puncture resistance and they provided the traction I needed to knock over trees which had to be done in wet muddy conditions and usually on a slope. They also provided good traction while shoving large piles (head high) of trunks and branches. R4s would provide stiffer sidewalls and better punture resistance, possibly at the expense of some traction depending on your specific conditions.
A medium duty rotary cutter would also be a plus. My light duty JD is built heavier than the KK and Howese type stuff but not as robust as a brand name medium duty. If you have the funds, get a medium duty, if not, you can get by with a basic cutter.
For heavy brush and woods work, prepare to bang up your tractor. I've got numerous scratches, a dent or two and had a stick punture my radiator (from down low on the side so no help from a grill guard) and in a similar case a branch came through and knocked off the fan belt; easy field fix there.
I have been able to maintain existing roads and cut some new ones, as well as clear 2-3 acres of planted pines with my Kubota L4400 (45 hp, 4wd, R1s). I have a light duty 6' John Deere rotary cutter, a 6' Bushhog standard duty BB, 7 foot disk and FEL and have been able to do all this just with those things with the FEL, cutter and BB doing most of the work. For clearing, the FEL does most of the work. I cleared 2 acres of young pines, most of which where 4-6" in diameter but plenty at 8" and rarely some at 10". This was impossible in dry conditions, but when the ground is wet, I'd push the tree over flat and the roots would pop up. Then, hook the bucket lip under the roots and pop the tree out of the ground by curling, lifting and driving forward at the same time. Very effective. Same way on new roads/trails.
Having said all that, things that would have made the job much easier would be teeth on the bucket and most of all a grapple. Teeth are cheap....but I still don't have them yet. I think teeth are a great long term investment, a no brainer really....
The grapple is a different story. They are expensive, they require additional hydraulic plumbing and unless you need one continuously, you might find that after initial use it doesn't get used much. That would be my case anyway. But, when clearing and moving brush it would be absolutely indespinsible. And moving large amounts of brush and trees without one can even be dangerous. You would have much more control of trunks and branches under tension with a grapple than a bucket. I made do with the bucket, but if I had it all to do again, I think I'd have tried to raise funds for the grapple. It would have made that big job easier, quicker and safer.
I was glad I had R1s for all of this. They held up fine in terms of puncture resistance and they provided the traction I needed to knock over trees which had to be done in wet muddy conditions and usually on a slope. They also provided good traction while shoving large piles (head high) of trunks and branches. R4s would provide stiffer sidewalls and better punture resistance, possibly at the expense of some traction depending on your specific conditions.
A medium duty rotary cutter would also be a plus. My light duty JD is built heavier than the KK and Howese type stuff but not as robust as a brand name medium duty. If you have the funds, get a medium duty, if not, you can get by with a basic cutter.
For heavy brush and woods work, prepare to bang up your tractor. I've got numerous scratches, a dent or two and had a stick punture my radiator (from down low on the side so no help from a grill guard) and in a similar case a branch came through and knocked off the fan belt; easy field fix there.
Gittyup
Elite Member
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2007
- Messages
- 3,145
- Location
- Mid Atlantic
- Tractor
- Kioti CK25 Shuttle Shift, loaded tires, JD X739
Friz,
I think before you decide on implements you need to develop a plan for how you plan to manage the forestry tasks. What are you doing with the logs and brush? How much of each?
For the to brush, If you plan to burn, just pile up and let rot, or haul away, then a grapple is the answer. The grapple also makes for a good sawbuck if you are planning on harvesting a lot of firewood. If you want to mulch in place, then perhaps a good chipper/shredder will work after you push into localized piles, or simply run over it with a good bush hog. Another option is a mulching head, like a gyrotrac. It will make short work of all your debris, including big stumps. But, you'll need good hydraulics to use even the smallest one. Probably would require a big skid steer or tract loader to get the hydraulics needed. Worth looking into, though.
Dragging out one or two logs at a time on chains or by winch will get old fast if there are a lot of them. Have you thought about selling the timber? A lot of times lumber companies will cut the roads for you, stack the firewood pieces, and pile the brush as part of the timber deal. This way you get paid for the brunt of the work. Then you can clean up and maintain with less work and smaller equipment.
A friend of mine did it this way. Made about $30K on the timber that was selectively cut (Actually got paid for the timber simultaneous with buying the land and used it as his down payment). Got his trails where he wanted them. Got his existing roads graded out flat and wider too. They left him the smaller fire wood sized stuff piled up neatly in one spot. And piled all the brush up in a couple places too. Now he's selling the firewood, you cut and load for $100 a cord. Looks to be a few thousand dollars he'll make just in that (he doesn't use it for heat).
I even did this on my small lot. I had several (~20) huge tulip poplars that, to me, were just dangerous. I thought about paying someone to take them down. Then I found a company that paid me $200 each for them, and $300 each for the few walnut that were just barely big enough to harvest. All totaled, I got rid of my trouble trees and made about $5000 to boot. You don't need a lot of trees to get their interest, as long as it's at least a truck load or two and access is pretty easy.
I think before you decide on implements you need to develop a plan for how you plan to manage the forestry tasks. What are you doing with the logs and brush? How much of each?
For the to brush, If you plan to burn, just pile up and let rot, or haul away, then a grapple is the answer. The grapple also makes for a good sawbuck if you are planning on harvesting a lot of firewood. If you want to mulch in place, then perhaps a good chipper/shredder will work after you push into localized piles, or simply run over it with a good bush hog. Another option is a mulching head, like a gyrotrac. It will make short work of all your debris, including big stumps. But, you'll need good hydraulics to use even the smallest one. Probably would require a big skid steer or tract loader to get the hydraulics needed. Worth looking into, though.
Dragging out one or two logs at a time on chains or by winch will get old fast if there are a lot of them. Have you thought about selling the timber? A lot of times lumber companies will cut the roads for you, stack the firewood pieces, and pile the brush as part of the timber deal. This way you get paid for the brunt of the work. Then you can clean up and maintain with less work and smaller equipment.
A friend of mine did it this way. Made about $30K on the timber that was selectively cut (Actually got paid for the timber simultaneous with buying the land and used it as his down payment). Got his trails where he wanted them. Got his existing roads graded out flat and wider too. They left him the smaller fire wood sized stuff piled up neatly in one spot. And piled all the brush up in a couple places too. Now he's selling the firewood, you cut and load for $100 a cord. Looks to be a few thousand dollars he'll make just in that (he doesn't use it for heat).
I even did this on my small lot. I had several (~20) huge tulip poplars that, to me, were just dangerous. I thought about paying someone to take them down. Then I found a company that paid me $200 each for them, and $300 each for the few walnut that were just barely big enough to harvest. All totaled, I got rid of my trouble trees and made about $5000 to boot. You don't need a lot of trees to get their interest, as long as it's at least a truck load or two and access is pretty easy.
debushau
Bronze Member
Going back to the very original question of a 3000 or a Grand L - I actually had a JD 3520 that I mostly used in the forest and just traded it for a Kubota L5740 for similar use. Since I wont be picking up the Kubota for another two weeks the jury is out on which is better but the main problem that caused me to trade the JD 3520 was that it was too narrow and it did not have much ground clearance. The narrowness was good for darting between trees but the center of gravity was too high. The bottom side badly really needed protection also - there is probably only 8 inches of clearance under the drawbar. I believe you can get more width and height with R1's but I needed the HP upgrade to run a different implement.
daveinnh
Gold Member
Fritz:
We have a Kubota L4310 w/ curtis cab and 58 acres of property & about 8 acres of that is pasture. 800' drive at 7% grade in central NH. Since you asked:
- get a factory cab w/ nice heat and extra rear hyd. circuits.
- order rear tires small enuff clearance to fit chains (verrry nice on icy drives).
- we have a 7' rear blade that works well. A local has a Kubota w/ a front snowblower to service neighbors - impressive.
-landscape rake is handy, but I bent our 7' (generic) rake on a woods road while backing w/o even feeling. Maybe get a study 6' instead?
- we have a 5' (generic) rotary mower - get a flail mower instead; they don't throw rocks or create grass windrows like rotarys do.
- a 5' grapple is real handy for moving logs and rooting (we have a W.R. Long) - I read that Kubota can supply a third function loader circuit to operate. You could operate by hyd. circuit though;
- get a carry-all to load 30 gal. ballast. onto 3pth. It helps quite a bit when bucket loading.
- we had the loader fitted w/ an ATI "Quick-Tach" to ease conversions. Puliing the pins on the loader requires 3 hands. The ATI is "skid-steer" compatible unit. Makes ordering attachment easier; I don't believe Kubota's is compatible.
We have a Kubota L4310 w/ curtis cab and 58 acres of property & about 8 acres of that is pasture. 800' drive at 7% grade in central NH. Since you asked:
- get a factory cab w/ nice heat and extra rear hyd. circuits.
- order rear tires small enuff clearance to fit chains (verrry nice on icy drives).
- we have a 7' rear blade that works well. A local has a Kubota w/ a front snowblower to service neighbors - impressive.
-landscape rake is handy, but I bent our 7' (generic) rake on a woods road while backing w/o even feeling. Maybe get a study 6' instead?
- we have a 5' (generic) rotary mower - get a flail mower instead; they don't throw rocks or create grass windrows like rotarys do.
- a 5' grapple is real handy for moving logs and rooting (we have a W.R. Long) - I read that Kubota can supply a third function loader circuit to operate. You could operate by hyd. circuit though;
- get a carry-all to load 30 gal. ballast. onto 3pth. It helps quite a bit when bucket loading.
- we had the loader fitted w/ an ATI "Quick-Tach" to ease conversions. Puliing the pins on the loader requires 3 hands. The ATI is "skid-steer" compatible unit. Makes ordering attachment easier; I don't believe Kubota's is compatible.
