Hydrostatic Tractor, Loader, Backhoe Options

[Clipse3GT]

Renting a 30K excavator is on my list of options. Cost for that is about $2000 per week or a little more with delivery and rental protection.

I would think this is smartest option if you have a lot of stumps. Take a week of vacation and just clear all the stumps you have. Then get a smaller 30-40 hp CUT and do the grading / filling etc... and use it around the property.

 

[TractorGuy]

A JD 110 will do a better job than a rear mounted "add on" backhoe on a similarly sized tractor. It will have a stronger loader as well.

Down side is that you cannot remove the loader like you can on most modern CUT's.

Like already mentioned, it seems like you would be disappointed by a BH this size IF you already weren't happy with a dedicated mini excavator of 7000 lbs.

Question is, how many stumps do you actually have, and how patient can you be while removing them a few at a time?

Just had the 5 acres clear cut so I'm guestamating 900 to 1000 stumps. I have 3 years before having to have something planted to keep the ag rating.

Haven't done all my research yet. I see the specs on a Kubota L45TLB is 42 engine HP, 32 PTO HP, with a digging force at the bucket of 5825 lbs.

Bucket digging force on the Bobcat E32 I rented was supposed to be 6968 LBS. Not sure they had the relief adjust right cause it seemed to give up pretty easy.

 

[Clipse3GT]

Just had the 5 acres clear cut so I'm guestamating 900 to 1000 stumps.

Haven't done all my research yet. I see the specs on a Kubota L45TLB is 42 engine HP, 32 PTO HP, with a digging force at the bucket of 5825 lbs

So pretty much a lifetime of digging stumps with a SCUT or CUT... lol. That's a lot of work even for week. I think forgo the excavator and get a very large dozer if you can fit it on the property and just go to town.

 

[Clipse3GT]

 

[jenkinsph]

If you get a 110 or L45 either will remove most stumps. I would see how many I could get out first and leave the remaining stumps for a large backhoe such as a Deere 710 or Cat 426 size machine. My reasoning is there are a lot of these older backhoes around and you may find an owner operator that can remove these remaining stumps at a lower cost. For all but the largest stump removal the 110 can easily handle the rest of the clean up.

Used as a tractor with three point hitch and three rear hydraulic outlets it seems to work well in my use. Worked pretty well with my MX6 mower and 673 tiller as well. Using a 110 as a tractor does have one limitation, I found that for high draft loads not having extra rear wheel weights can be an issue. Deere does not recommend adding weight to the rear wheels using the backhoe. You will experience more wheel slip pulling a heavy box blade than my weighted 4520. While both machines will work the 4520 will do a better job.

That said above I would recommend the 110tlb and would also recommend the L45 and larger M59 tlb.


Edit, With 1000 stumps to remove or 200/acre the $2000 /acre for stump removal and clean up seems reasonable to me. Larger equipment would be a more cost effective way to go.

 

[TractorGuy]

If you get a 110 or L45 either will remove most stumps. I would see how many I could get out first and leave the remaining stumps for a large backhoe such as a Deere 710 or Cat 426 size machine. My reasoning is there are a lot of these older backhoes around and you may find an owner operator that can remove these remaining stumps at a lower cost. For all but the largest stump removal the 110 can easily handle the rest of the clean up.

Used as a tractor with three point hitch and three rear hydraulic outlets it seems to work well in my use. Worked pretty well with my MX6 mower and 673 tiller as well. Using a 110 as a tractor does have one limitation, I found that for high draft loads not having extra rear wheel weights can be an issue. Deere does not recommend adding weight to the rear wheels using the backhoe. You will experience more wheel slip pulling a heavy box blade than my weighted 4520. While both machines will work the 4520 will do a better job.

That said above I would recommend the 110tlb and would also recommend the L45 and larger M59 tlb.


Edit, With 1000 stumps to remove or 200/acre the $2000 /acre for stump removal and clean up seems reasonable to me. Larger equipment would be a more cost effective way to go.

How difficult is the backhoe to remove on your 110?

I didn't think the 10 grand to dig them all up and burn was a bad price. I tried calling the guy back and he didn't return my call so he may have had second thoughts.

Like I said above, I have 3 years to piddle along with it and I kind of enjoy the work. I've done a fair amount of cutting other trees with my chainsaw and dragging them out to the piles with my little 855. Can drag most of the stumps I dug out with the Bobcat too.

 

[Clipse3GT]

Get one of these...

 

[jenkinsph]

How difficult is the backhoe to remove on your 110?

I didn't think the 10 grand to dig them all up and burn was a bad price. I tried calling the guy back and he didn't return my call so he may have had second thoughts.

Like I said above, I have 3 years to piddle along with it and I kind of enjoy the work. I've done a fair amount of cutting other trees with my chainsaw and dragging them out to the piles with my little 855. Can drag most of the stumps I dug out with the Bobcat too.

I am getting old and slow but can still remove the hoe and switch to top n tilt hitch with another implement in 15 minutes. That is not a problem to worry about, I have seen people fight hooking up implements longer than that.

Pulling stumps with a backhoe or excavator and having a lot of them you need to be able to pull them up easily. With a thousand of them you don't need to have to dig around all of them to get them out. If you have a lot of small stumps the 110 can be effective an you should be able to get most of them out and carried to burn piles. That would leave the larger stumps for a larger machine to deal with. You would quickly be able to decide which stumps you could remove efficiently and which ones to pass up. I think you will find that you need to be able to get a high enough percentage of the stumps out to be able to smooth the holes out as you progress. Otherwise you will have a mess when it rains. To be clear I am saying you need to be able to make enough room to be able to drive around the larger stumps.

If you use the 110 to do most of the clean up work, building up the piles then the stumping cost for the larger machines can be reduced.

How big are the stumps? Is this fresh cut or has it been several years since cutting? What type of trees?

 

[TractorGuy]

I knew this query would go off track. While I appreciate the motives I don't want or need advice on my situation. I want to know if there are other options on a mid size TLB and any pros or cons on those brands/models.

 

[Grandad4]

You have a lot of stump grubbing, even for a compact TLB like the 110. Aside from hiring it done or renting some large equipment and doing it yourself, another option that hasn't been mentioned is buying a used full-sized TLB for the stump work, then selling it and getting a compact for ongoing maintenance chores. TLB's in working condition can be found and will probably also sell for about what you paid.