I have just retired this past fall. I purchased 65 acres of mostly woods a few years ago to keep me busy during my retirement. I need to smooth out the trails I have cut already, move some dirt around, drag out dead fall, worry out and move some rocks, and plant and maintain a few small food plots for deer hunting. My mowing needs are covered for now, not great, but I can get by. Since money is a factor (I'm not poor or rich) I'd rather not spend money on a deck right now. I think I need a loader and a backhoe but not sure what else. I don't need to get the job done in record time. I just need to have enough hp that it can be done. The biggest food plot would not be much bigger than an acre. I do not plan on planting any row crops. I am leaning toward new or almost new. I have looked at some compact and sub-compact tractors so far. The price points have run the full gambit, from, "not bad" to, "how much" !!!!
This is essentially play time with a purpose for me. Nothing I do or can't do will make or break me out there. I do have ideas and plans and want to accomplish them and do a good job. Thanks in advance for any advice on sizing, implements, how to find a good dealer and anything else that you think I need to know.
Merry Christmas and God bless our troops!
Welcome aboard and merry Christmas!! It's now 11:58 EST.
I bolded your pertinent points.
You really need to give us a few more factors for accurate advice.
Pics would help.
How big are your deadfalls? Do you want to drag or carry a 100' oak or will it be a 20' pine?
What size rock are we talking about? Baseball or Buick?
What do you have for local dealers? Brand and distance?
What are your wrenching capabilities? Can you field strip a tank or is changing a tire the most you can do?
What's the size of your trails and the density of your woods? Do you have 20' wide paths or narrow trails? Can you ride a bike through the woods or is so dense only a rabbit can get through?
What's your topography? Kansas Flat or Afghanistan mountainous?
And what do you plan to do with the backhoe?
Do you have a trailer and truck?
Do you have a barn/shed/shop to work on it in?
And maybe most of all give us a budget range of how much money we can tell you to spend
I'm in a similar situation in NE Mississippi, 70+ acres around the house, moderate hilly, trail maintenance and moving trees primarily.
Off the cuff I'd recommend a 40 to 50 engine HP tractor w/ a FEL, 4WD, probably HST. You don't want to go to big if you have to maneuver through the trees. You don't want to be to small if you are dragging trees.
I got this:
1995 Kubota
M4700, ~1400 hrs, 4WD, FEL 50HP, 2 remotes in the rear $11.5K and change in 2013. It will lift 1K kg on the FEL and 2K kg on the 3pt.
So far I've had to put about $1K into it for front tires, a new battery, hose, a FEL cylinder rebuild, etc. I've also put about $5K into attachments in my sig. A comparable new geared MX4800 would cost list about $35K WITHOUT ANY ATTACHMENTS. In 2 years I've put on about 200 hours. I couldn't justify spending an extra $20K on something that's basically a big toy.
I would look used.
You can get a whole lot more tractor for less $$$. If I was buying another tractor I would look hard at the TLBs like a
L45 or JD110. The TLBs are considerably tougher than a regular tractor. <snip>
TLB's of the size he needs are rare on the used market. I looked long and hard and could not find anything in decent condition.
First off, welcome to TBN!
Second, do you have any prior experience with tractors or similar equipment?
A backhoe is a handy, but they're quite expensive, and many people find they don't use them very often...as in so few times they could rent a real backhoe once or twice a year for years and be money ahead. How many trenches or footings do you really need to dig, or are you planning to use it to dig out stumps?
As far as used versus new, I'm going to somewhat disagree with 4570Man. Right now, anything that's reasonably new goes for close to new prices. In late 2012 I bought a new LS R4047H, put 215 hours on it in 15 months, and sold it for $2K less than I paid for it. I don't see $2K getting you "a whole lot more tractor" for less, and there have been many similar stories related here recently.
I bought a backhoe w/ my first tractor and I rarely use it so far. But i do have plans for it. To me the prime advantage of a backhoe on a tractor versus a mini-ex is if you have to travel any distance.
Figure out the biggest heaviest thing you will need to move and add 10%, then get a tractor that will move it. Going to small can be a deal breaker. If you have to move a rock that's 2'x2'x2' and weighs 1500 lbs you can always break it down smaller, but that's a big pain. In my case I needed to move 10' logs that weigh about a ton to my sawmill. Cutting them in half length wise would be a big pain.
Well now it is Christmas, 01:10EST.
Good luck, give more info.
