Kubota L4802 vs MX5400

[tradosaurus]

Still considering whether to make the jump or not.

Wife is nixing another building to store it in. We already have the house, 3 bay garage w/guest room upstairs, workshop, and storage shed - oh, and a treehouse. Plus we are finding a semi-permanent place to store the Tiny House on wheels our son is building. Between that, the dump trailer, forwarding trailer, and "landscape" trailer (the only street legal trailer I own), the homestead area is looking rather cluttered.

Happily, she has no objection to a larger tractor, as long as it's not constantly parked out in the "yard" where she has to look at it all the time. So if I do decide to make the leap, finding one short enough to fit in our garage, or removing the upper folding part of the ROPS and building up from there for my FOPS/limb risers to a height that fits is where I'd have to go. (Interestingly, the cab models of many of these tractors are shorter, and would fit with just a minor modification to the garage door. I don't want a cab for working in the woods, but at least that's an indication that shorter does not necessarily cause a problem with head height or rollover protection.)

Sounds like your choices just became more simple.

I didn't read if you stated how much land you have but could you put a tall metal carport in area that won't be seen from the house? Hate that your restriction on tractor size is limited because of that. And I don't think you want to have wrestle with putting the ROPS up and down each time you use it.

Now you understand the saying "death by a thousand concessions".

 

[scootr]

Clearly you need a bigger tractor and you need a building to store it in.
Tell the wife who doesn't want to look at it that alternatively you can move back to the city

 

[ericm979]

If a bigger tractor can't fit as many places can you get a winch with a longer lead to make up for it? Or just winch more?

My big logs may be larger than yours but I have maxed out my Branson's 2200lb loader capacity a number of times. That's 2200 at full lift, I forget the breakout but it's more than that of course. I would find 1100 limiting.

 

[drumminj]

Can you expand any of the existing buildings/garages to have a lean-to/side shed that can cover the tractor? Could be a way to avoid a new building but get some higher clearance than a garage door offers?

 

[big bubba]

i'd say take your time for now & let the decision rest for awhile. & consider the uncertain economic times, life at home, & really how soon you want to make the change.
by that time you'll know that going to a more robust tractor will solve your needs & that the storage concerns in good time will take care of itself.

 

[John_Mc]

If a bigger tractor can't fit as many places can you get a winch with a longer lead to make up for it? Or just winch more?

My big logs may be larger than yours but I have maxed out my Branson's 2200lb loader capacity a number of times. That's 2200 at full lift, I forget the breakout but it's more than that of course. I would find 1100 limiting.

My logging winch has 230 feet of cable. I don't often use the full length, but when I need it, I'm glad it's there. (Mt record for logging is the full 230 feet out: just a few wraps left on the drum, two 20' chains on the end, and then drop the tree toward the last chain so I can connect to the top and pull it out. In most of the woods around here, if you get much beyond 100 or 150 feet, you probably want to be working with a helper, since you often can't clearly see the log.

1100 is limiting, which is why I'm even considering a larger tractor. On the other hand, when doing crop tree release, I'm taking out junk. If it's a large diameter log, I just cut it shorter. It's eventually going to firewood anyway. Most of the logs I deal with are 20" diameter or less. I can pick up a green Red Oak log 8' long by 20" diameter to full height. Since I really have no interest in pickup logs to full height, I can handle a bit more down low

If it's something going to a higher use than firewood, I find another way to deal with it: skid it out behind the logging winch or put it on the forwarding trailer. (I've loaded a 24" x 12' Oak log on the trailer. I calculated the weighed at 2400 lbs. It was a pain in the butt, but I managed. I won't do it again - at least not with this tractor and trailer, unless I have need of something for a special project.

For me, this is a hobby, or helping out friends, or bartering with another friend for his sawmill services. It's a serious hobby, or I wouldn't have sunk all that money into a forwarding trailer a few years ago.

 

[John_Mc]

I didn't read if you stated how much land you have but could you put a tall metal carport in area that won't be seen from the house? Hate that your restriction on tractor size is limited because of that. And I don't think you want to have wrestle with putting the ROPS up and down each time you use it.

144 acres. It's the space near the house and garage that is getting full: what isn't part of the views we enjoy is hemmed in by the pond and some wetlands. Finding a spot that is convenient and easy to get power to without really messing up the look of the place is tough.

The ROPS will never be going up and down. Once I add the limb risers and Falling Object Protection, the ROPS is up for good. One possibility is removing the folding portion of the ROPS altogether and building up the FOP and Limb Risers from there. If I make it no taller than the cabbed version of many of these tractors, I might be able to get it into the existing garage with just some minor modifications to the door

Can you expand any of the existing buildings/garages to have a lean-to/side shed that can cover the tractor? Could be a way to avoid a new building but get some higher clearance than a garage door offers?

Looking at that now. I have a lean-to off the back of the garage, currently used for firewood and lawnmower storage, but it's shorter than the garage doors. Because of some of the structure on the second floor above it, raising that roof is not possible. I have a builder friend looking at the possibility of adding one off the side. I'd have to tie in fairly high up on the side of the existing Gambrel roof in order to get enough roof slope over the lean-to so as not to have shovel the snow off constantly. This is on the side opposite the house, so no adverse effect on the view.

 

[2manyrocks]

There are at least a couple of robust looking four post limb riser conversions by TBN members that give the appearance of being stouter than the factory 2 ROPS and providing much, much better protection from falling objects to the operator than the OEM...but you have to decide if your design and fab skills (or those you can hire) can keep you safe or not.

The other issue is whether the hoped for increase in loader capacity is worth the additional investment over what you've already invested in your TC33D.

 

[tradosaurus]

144 acres. It's the space near the house and garage that is getting full: what isn't part of the views we enjoy is hemmed in by the pond and some wetlands. Finding a spot that is convenient and easy to get power to without really messing up the look of the place is tough.

The ROPS will never be going up and down. Once I add the limb risers and Falling Object Protection, the ROPS is up for good. One possibility is removing the folding portion of the ROPS altogether and building up the FOP and Limb Risers from there. If I make it no taller than the cabbed version of many of these tractors, I might be able to get it into the existing garage with just some minor modifications to the door


Looking at that now. I have a lean-to off the back of the garage, currently used for firewood and lawnmower storage, but it's shorter than the garage doors. Because of some of the structure on the second floor above it, raising that roof is not possible. I have a builder friend looking at the possibility of adding one off the side. I'd have to tie in fairly high up on the side of the existing Gambrel roof in order to get enough roof slope over the lean-to so as not to have shovel the snow off constantly. This is on the side opposite the house, so no adverse effect on the view.

I don't think you will need power to a carport that will shelter your tractor from the weather. For under $4k you should be able to have on constructed.
With 144 acres you should have plenty of room for the carport.

 

[2manyrocks]

I think John is facing both a ROPS conversion and adding belly pan protection for any new tractor because hardly any new tractors come with anything except a 2 post which is inadequate for the amount of forestry work he is doing, IMPO.

I spent a month adding belly pan protection to my L2501 just to protect the hydraulic lines and filters, and I am no where remotely close to doing as much forestry work.