Help! Equipment Recommendations

[Makato]

Let the discussions begin. Here's my story, I'm originaly from Ohio, living in Texas and moving to New Hampshire this year.
I have a house I bought 4 years ago in Twin Mtn. NH. My property is 85 acres of solid woods surounded by National Forest (big hunter), pine in the lower section and hardwood up the mountain. My drive is aprox. 1500' of crush pack and is a continuous incline to the house with a few twists. The drive cost the original owner 30k to build so its important to maintain. An arial photo looks like a bomb was dropped in the woods to build the house. Hopefully this creates a visual, I'll try to scan a picture next go around.
I've had someone plow in the winter and I go back and forth as much as possible to keep it in order but I always rent some kind of cutter which sucks and takes days.
Now to the questions. I have searched so much till I'm brain dead for the right equipment to maintain long term. I need to be able to keep the sides of the drive cut down, the edge of the run-off ditches cleared, the side hills around the house cut down and I want to be able to begin clearing the undergrowth around the house in the woods to open it up.
Lastly, I want to be able to throw snow to keep the stacking back on the edges. Not much stacking room on the sides of the drive or edges because of the woods. Incline of the drive is my biggest concern.
At first I contemplated an SCUT or a CUT but since I don't have allot of open land, I'm not sure if its a good investment.
Then I though about plowing with my truck and going the 2 wheel tractor route like (BCS) because it has so many attachments. 2 wheel may have traction problems going up in winter. I also thought about an ATV or RTV with a front mower and thrower. The ATV or RTV would be super with all the work up and down the drive and I want to cut some trail for hunting.
One thing to note, lots of rock hidden in the woods under the growth and leaves. The thought is the best equipment right for the job without buying individual bush cutter, blower etc. which is where the BCS came in with all the different attachments.
If you guys can help me get to the right equipment, we can then get to the individual products.
Long post but I thought the detail was important.
Thanks......Makato

 

[Soundguy]

I'm thinking scut to cut. Perhaps in the 25-30hp range.. 30hp being on the upper limit / large side, as you want this thing to get around int he woods. perhaps 4wd, hydro, and a front end loader. ( optional )

A 4' brush hog.... the 30hp would run a 5'... but keeping with maneuverability, the 4' may be better. Quick connect on the loader a must... if you even get a loader at all.

If you had more open property to maintain, I'd suggest a larger tractor.. but sure sounds like you need something int he 25 hp range to pull a box or scrape blade and a 4' mower, and snow blower.

If you were a NH person.. something like the tc24da would have ben a possible idea if you wanted to look inthat size range.

Just my .02$

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Have you ever considered something totally unconventional?

What about the Steiner Utilimax 428. 1/2 tractor and 1/2 ATV. Dozens of front mounted implments available, able to climb the slope like a goat, small enough to get in the woods, and then it has its own box to carry some of the woods back to build a nice fire. Rough cutters and finish mowers, snow, garden and all sorts of other implements are all front mounted. It is an amazing piece of equipment. Available with either a 31 or a 34 hp engine. I wish I had one!!!

 

[Makato]

2 replies, 2 sets of good thoughts and that's why I asked. Now that Steiner looks like an awesome piece of equipment. I'm going to check it out and I'll get back to you. One of the big issues is of course quality and reliability. Not much around in the White Mountain area.
Can you give me a link. I couldn't find a manuf. link and only a dealer in BC. You must have something with those pictures you provided.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Sorry, here you go with the link:

Steiner Turf Equipment

My experience when I was shopping was that dealers are spread FAR apart, but they will deliver long distances.

I don't often recommend that particular machine, but your situation seems to scream for it. The Steiner brothers sold their company and it is now owned by Textron (or at least it was) and their eqiuipment is very often used in commercial applications to it is top quality (and unfortunately priced high) equipment, but it is worth every penny of it. I have a Ventrac, which is the company the Steiner brothers opened up a few years after selling Steiner. Ventrac does NOT make a model similar to the machine I recommended. I looked at both Steiner and Ventrac when I was shopping and they are both built like tanks.

The only other semi-similar machine with a front mount implement deck that also has a carry box on the rear end is the Bobcat Toolcat, and those run well into the $30,000 range.

 

[Spiffy]

Don't know anything about them myself, but your interest in the Steiner [which looks pretty cool to me too] and the elusion to maintanence brings the Power-Trac to mind.

Again, both are out of my realm of experience, but I think PT will train you to do your own maintenance; mabye good maybe bad, but might add another factor to the equation.

Just buy both and give me the one you don't like! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Spiffy]

Thanks for the link Bob!

The Texron thing didn't trigger it in my mind, but the web page got some gears turning. If they're built anything like the Jacobsen mowers were [still are?], I don't doubt it's "bullet-proof". /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[dknarnd]

My guess is you will want an ATV just for getting around the property on and pulling a small ATV specific trailer for hauling things around. They do make snow blowers to mount on the front of ATV's but with all the snow up there and the amount of drive a 36" or 48" blower will make snow removal a chore quickly. Besides the unit is heavy and the front suspensions of ATV's are not made to handle equipment like that so the springs will wear out quickly. They are great for hauling a chain saw around and clearing out trails, hauling feed back into a feeder, hauling material to build a stand, and just to have fun on.

I assume the clearing of ditches and side hills you are speaking of is just weeds and maybe some small saplings coming up. For this I would buy a large professional model Sthil weed wacker and you can put a saw blade on it that will cut saplings down up to 1 1/2" diameter. I use one of these on my property in PA and it is the best money I have spent. During the summer I use the string trimmer along the rocky steam bank buildings and house. In the spring when things are starting to get green I use the blade and take it to the thorn bushes and clear the stone rows of saplings and such, even able to reach up and get low hanging limbs. (this is probably a big no no) Another thing I use to clear out brushy areas and stone rows is spray on Brush-B-Gone in the spring.

Then you are going to want a tractor for blowing snow and general heavy duty work of moving stumps, logs, stones and things. But I don't have the experience on any of the new tractors for doing this stuff so I will let others that may be better qualified answer that for you.

I will say that the short time I have been on here the general consences is to buy new compact tractors. This is great but IMO there are lots of used older tractors out there that will perform very good for most projects allot of us do. Don't discount a 2wd tractor either, with weight and a set of chains they can be very good at moving snow and pulling.

Now with all of that said a nice new 4wd tractor is pretty slick and we all want to have one someday! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif If it is in the budget go for it, if you aren't sure buy used and in a couple of years if you decide new is better your loss will be very little or none at all because the old tractors hold value well if you buy smart.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Spiffy, about a year ago I had two threads running on TBN that both went over 12 pages of posts. I was searching for the BEST garden tractor to mow with. At that time I was mildly familar with Power Trac and knew nothing of Steiner or Ventrac.

To make a long story short I played with everything and I did it on my property. Ventrac won, but only because I was looking for the best MOWING machine for slopes and already had access to 2 compact tractors and lots of implements. Had my criteria been different, I could very easily have been talked into a Steiner 428 or one of the diesel Power Tracs. But I honestly could not have fit a 428 into the garage at the time I was shopping.

As I now have a bit more property to mow and as I am now building another garage I might have to trade up the Ventrac??? The lovely Mrs_Bob is constantly complaining about needing to tote stuff around and the 428 would solve that . . . but still might get me a frying pan smacked upside my head if one showed up in the driveway next time she goes out of town to visit her mom /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

As for Jacobson, yes they are still around. I think they are mostly now professional grade and sold to golf courses. There is a Jacobson version of the 428 but from what I could tell when I looked at all this stuff, the only difference was the paint.

 

[Makato]

Thanks Bob, I kept searching and it looks like Jacobson bought out Steiner and Textron owns it all. That probably makes things a little easier since Jacobson dealers probably have good access. I'm looking at the web site with great interest.
They're definitely proud given the price of the unit and attachments. I need to find more detail as the info is limited (weight, clearance etc.).
The snowthrower doesn't really state if it is a single or 2 stage and one thing is I'm somewhat concerned about (belt) driven. I need to give them a call and see if there is more detail available.
I'm looking at some Power Trac equipment also. Although its not part ATV, the attachment availability and pricing is interesting.
Thanks....

 

[Bob_Skurka]

The Steiner/Ventrac implements are truely first quality implements (many are interchangable). In fact I've not seen implements designed and built as well. I've used several brands of mowers on my bumpy valley area and ONLY one brand does not scalp the grass on the bumps! Yup the stuff is pretty pricy, but it really is different and it works as described. A Steiner or Ventrac can go places that no conventional tractor would dare to tread, and not only will it go there, it will come back too! They climb and decend slopes in total control and even cross the slopes in total control. A traditional tractor has far more limits to what type of terrain it can work on due to the articulating and oscillating frames of the Steiner/Ventracs. There are trade offs, you can't get a loader on the 428 that will lift dirt into a pick up truck bed, but that didn't seem like it was necessary. As far as the belt drive implements, from my expereince, and I grant it is limited, it has not been a problem. Again, these are designed for commercial applications.

It may not be the brand you end up with, but given what you wrote in your initial post, it is worthy of consideration.

 

[skivt]

Welcome to New Hampshire,

If you go the tractor route, definitely get 4 wheel drive. It will help with your steep, bomb zone terrain and the white mountain snow.

If you want to test drive all the different colors of tractor, come to the seacoast area. Within 20 miles of Portsmouth you can drive Kubota, NH, Massey Ferguson, Agco, Cub Cadet and John Deere. We are less than 2 hours from the white mountains.

Good luck,

skivt

 

[Makato]

I think you hit the nail on the head. The Steiner has allot of applications. I can see myself now driving up and across the mountain benches, down the old logging trails that were cut and now overgrown with saplings. Love to clear all this out so the deer and moose choose an easier path. The dilemma comes down to a new truck and blade for the 5 good months of snow for the same price as a Steiner or a beater with a blade and a Steiner/Attachments for everything else. I think I'll check in with the Power Trec crew and see what they have to say.

 

[burnetma]

Just a word of caution. My boss had a Steiner for his 60+ acre Adirondack Mountain home and he outgrew the machine very quickly. He thought it was the perfect tool until he got into heavy snow and serious land clearing and road maintenance work. It just wasn't enough machine. As he said; "I am too darn old to spend hours outside trying to clear my driveway while darn near freezing to death."

He now has a Kubota L series Cab tractor (40+ engine HP) with a front mount hydraulic snow blower to clear his 1/2+ mile driveway. This machine will suit him fine for many years.

I personally fought the snow wars on my VT property for 5 years with a 1957 IH 350 Utility tractor with a FEL. Back to back to back 20+ inch snow falls really made me happy I had the FEL to stack the snow, but even with tire chains, I always had some concern on the steep grades of the driveway. The front tires did little steering or road holding on the sideways slopes.

If it were me, I would consider Bobcat Toolcat or a large 4wd CUT. The Bobcat gives you the options of more attachments than you can dream of and the option of a hydraulic snow blower (kicks butt in the deep stuff). Ask your nearest Bobcat dealer about attachment rentals as they can save you a ton of money and you will still get all of the fun.

The 4wd CUT will save you significant money over the Bobcat, may give you better traction and will have cheaper attachments for purchase.

Just my $0.02.

 

[RedRocker]

Here's something I was looking at. Polaris also has one made by ASV that's quite a bit less expensive, same machine.

 

[LarryRB]

The family use to have a get away farm in Gilsum NH.. Because of the nature of the hills and rocks,, there is no way I would even attempt to have one of those small articulated machines... I cannot visualize an articulated Steiner or other brands lasting more than a year or four seasons. Particularly after one winter... Those machines are just too small for that environment to hold up more than one season. More level ground or even open ground probably would be different.. If it was me. a large compact with cab (ie) Kubota 5030 or JD, NH, Kioti or other brand equivalent would be the way to go.. On my machine, I have a power angle snow plow using a quick attach system. Best option ever to invest in....

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Power Tracs are great machines in the 30hp size range, don't even consider the 425 or similar units. The articulated machines are easy to knock but until you've been on one it really is hard to make a comparison to a conventional tractor. I could easily see one Power Trac replacing both my New Holland and my Kubota and I'd have no hesitation taking it into the woods, up the slopes, etc.

 

[Makato]

I took a look at the ASV 300 today. Amazing only 2.5psi of ground pressure with the tracks. No idea what something like that would do in an icy incline. One would think it could pretty much go anywhere. Hard to find any pricing on the units or the attachments on the web. Looks the base is around 16k. Love to have one of those Steiners but without the ability to use a FEL and load my truck, it probably isn't flexible enough....especially for the cost. I'm looking hard at the Power Trac T12 class. So many attachments it appears this machine can do it all accept make my lunch. One thing I noted is they don't have any type of enclosure for the real bad weather.
This site is a godsend, but it also drives you crazy. So many options but its great to see all the thought processes.

 

[milkman]

Checked out the Steiner and that is an awesome looking machine, and seems that they are PROUD of it. Looking at the snowblower, it lists the auger speed and the blower speed so it is 2 stage.Would sure like to run one of those.
/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Auger speed 175 rpm
Blower speed 800 rpm