Buying Advice Help me find the right tool for my property (tractor, backhoe, mini ex, skid)??

[JohnFourteenSix]

Nah, this is all "improved" pastureland. There's no native wetlands here, just poor planning. On the contrary, I'm actually trying to plant trees here, but ones that like it dryer

 

[JohnFourteenSix]

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This will take time, depending on the acreage - how many acres are you dealing with? If 6-8 acres then a 370BH on your machine would work over time (a year or so), along with some fill materials to create your "land areas" with swales for the "drainage areas".
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I'm actually dealing with 5; so not a lot. Yeah, I would need fill as well. I spoke to a Woods dealer today asking about their backhoe offerings (my JD dealer was closed), he did say the pressure and flow on my 3032e isn't a whole lot. He said he'd make some calls and get back to me though.

I wish I could see a video of the 370B in action, actually digging up substantial chunks. All I've seen are videos of people digging pretty shallow trenches with soft soil, and pretty slowly at that. The soil where I do want to dig is pretty waterlogged. It makes me feel that the 370B is intended more for things like french drains than deep (even if wide) ditches.

I tried doing a swale with the BB, but it just got gummed up and/or stuck; and not at all sufficiently angled either. I'd need to wait for it to dry a bit, which would be in later winter or spring; at which point I wouldn't know how effective it'd be until summer.. when it'll be too wet to move any dirt. Basically, I need to be able to do all of this while the ground is wet - which means that the dirt-moving tool needs to not depend on the traction of the vehicle