My hunt for a SCUT

[seijirou]

Find somebody with all the gear and hire them to do what you need done, then buy the machine you need to maintain the property afterwards, you will come out ahead. Sometimes it is just not worth trying to do it all yourself when the right machine can make a joke of it in a couple days. One acre is not worth investing serious money in a machine capable of land clearing when you can hire a bulldozer to do it in a few hours.

That's a great point. That kind of sucks some of the fun out of it, but your logic is undeniable.

I wouldn't be surprised if the break even on even the maintenance vs buying a SCUT took as long as 10 years to be honest. There is an ingredient of "I want to do it" involved and you've definitely highlighted that I need to figure out how much value I give that.

 

[plowhog]

A lot of people buy more than the absolute minimum equipment. I could have hired out many tasks more cheaply than buying equipment. Probably much more cheaply.

Hiring out jobs changes the equation. First I need to find contractors. Who does bush hogging in my area? I don't know. I need to schedule meetings with contractors, get bids, check insurance, etc. Then if things don't go well, I need to deal with excuses when jobs are not done right, not on schedule, or not at all. And if a sudden storm downs a tree or ...... whatever ...... the contractor has the equipment you need for cleanup, not you.

To the contrary, many here value self-reliance. Only you can find the dividing line of what makes sense to buy or not. I don't mind hiring one-time work out. But I would be reluctant to own property dependent on the efforts and equipment of others.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

I too, checked the same tractors as you did. My summation of the individual tractors was almost exactly the same (I swear there are hidden cameras and microphones in my house capturing my discussions and research) LOL!. I ended up narrowing it down to the MF 1720(24 hp) and the LS mt125 (also 24 hp). The GC1710 is 22hp if I am correct. The same negatives you have about the MF were the same as mine. Yes there are easy mods to do, but I didn't want to have to change my brand new tractor. The price difference between the MF and the LS was $900.00 between the 2 dealers which were a couple miles apart. The LS, in my opinion, was just a better "fit" for me. So much of a "good deal", I drove 1100 miles round trip to pick it up.. (There are now dealers that would have delivered it for free) It was a great road trip though. .

I DO NOT regret getting the backhoe. I sub-divided my property into 2 lots of 2.5 acres each, with the plan to build a small cottage on the other property. When I had to pay $450 to rent a trencher just to do the trench for electric line, (saving almost $1000 off the price if the electric contractor did it), I started to think about the other tasks I needed to do. (Trenches for water line, secondary power lines from the meter, foundation/footers, grading, and a biggie... The septic system.) when I got prices for the septic, I almost gave up on my proposed budget... Almost $8000. In my area, homeowners can install their own septic, as long as the permits, plans, and inspections are done. The materials only cost me $1200 bucks! Yes it took me over a month to do it on my days off, but that was the fun of it!. I got a better system too. I looked at it from a different angle... The savings will go towards the price of the tractor (and I will still have the tractor afterwards for other tasks). I will ENJOY doing the work. I won't depend on someone else to do the work on THEIR time frame. (And I will still have the tractor). I have used the tractor for other tasks already that I didn't even think of. (and I still have the tractor..... Did I say that already?).

Do I regret getting a SCUT as the LS mt125 and not a larger CUT? ABSOLUTELY NOT! I have operated large equipment, small equipment, and everything in between. If I am pressed for time or if I am to make a profit on a job.. Yea, big is better. (Time is money). Do I love my small TLB... Sure do. With this being said.. In my situation I can take all the time I want to do a task, it won't be fast, but it will get done. When I looked at cost, the difference between a smaller unit vs. a larger would buy me a LOT of other materials that I'll need.

Anyway, my$.02. Take it slow, get what is comfortable for you. Think about your needs both now and also later. You seem to be on the right track.