Buying Advice Narrowed it down to 2 tractors: Help me decide

[kenmac]

the weight will be around 2900 # then 500 #or so for the loader Those aren't rice tires on that 3110. they are AG tires.. I installed my ROPS.. Not a big deal.. Probably all of 2 HRS for the install.. This log is about all my yanmar wanted.. Loader was fine lifting the weight. Bucket ,and grapple were maxed out

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Some thoughts on the Branson which seems to be the better choice:

-Be sure to look closely at wear. It's fairly easy to disconnect a mech hour counter. From the pictures that Banson has been used. Just make sure it's not used-UP.
It doesn't sound like you've seen it in person. Things can be very different in person. Is there anyone knowledgeable about tractors you can take with you? Even pay a local mechanic to go look at it. Could save you lots of money in the end.

-With rocks I sure would think hard about the back hoe.

-I think the clamp-on forks may easily damage your bucket with the potential forces your loader can generate.
Others may disagree but they seem to make a lot a sense on a SCUT. Less so on a larger CUT. :confused3: A sturdy set of Forks can be very useful to pry out rocks (not something I'd do with clamp-ons). I really hope for your sake the loader has SSQA.

-I have a rear blade and a box blade. The box blade will do most of what the blade will do plus MUCH more. If I were pinching penny's I might consider skipping the rear blade.

-A ROPS and seat belt is priceless.

Just my thoughts. Good luck. Be safe. Keep the loader near the ground. :thumbsup:

 

[hammick]

the weight will be around 2900 # then 500 #or so for the loader Those aren't rice tires on that 3110. they are AG tires.. I installed my ROPS.. Not a big deal.. Probably all of 2 HRS for the install.. This log is about all my yanmar wanted.. Loader was fine lifting the weight. Bucket ,and grapple were maxed out

Kenmac that's a nice tractor. I don't have any trees so I'm not looking for a grapple. Good to know the ROPS is easy to install.

Did you 3110d come from Fredericks? I though they all said Yanmar and came with the ROPS if from Fredericks.

 

[hammick]

Luke the clamp on forks would be used for lifting stuff in the barn like generators and other heavy stuff. I never though of using forks for digging out rocks. I don't think the 2002 model has the skid steer quick connect but it can be adapted for one.

 

[hammick]

I'm almost wondering if attempting to remove big rocks with a tractor is worth the wear and tear. Why not just buy a cheap Harbor Freight jack hammer and break them up first? Some of the really big rocks are waist high.

 

[kenmac]

well, if the rocks are very large like this tree, the grapple would be handy. I was trying to give an example of the weight the loader can pick up. A grapple would be very handy for picking up rock. Have picked up several large rock with this grapple..

My tractor was 1 of the 1 st tractors. I bought it when he was just starting out. there were no ROPS for these tractors until he had them designed / engineered for them. I had to wait until they were ready.

 

[sikmusicfreak8]

That's a lot of acreage. The bigger the better. From what I've seen and read, Branson's have a pretty stout machine, and as mentioned, much heavier. My advice is to go as big as you can. I'm 47HP and feel with everything I'm doing on my 9 acres I am sized about right.

 

[crazyal]

Waist high rocks are not going to be easy to move with either of those two tractors. At best you might be able to push or roll them off to the side. If you have the time you can drill them and use something like Ecobust from Home Depot. The other option would be to rent something large enough to move them. Use which ever tractor you buy to get them ready and get some seat time and then spend a day getting the large stuff out of your way. Do you plan on keeping what ever you buy for a long time or is this just what you can afford to buy now and down the road you will upgrade? If I was planning on keeping it for some time I would lean towards the lower hour machine. But I would check things like bushing wear. There will be some but if it seams like the loaders have lots of wear then I would say a previous owner didn't do the maintenance they should have.

 

[kenmac]

the life of just about any machine is grease / grease, and more grease. I grease my loader, and all the joints on the tractor at every use. Sometimes more

 

[ch1ch2]

I go with the Branson. No one said anything about the BH. I think you should get it if you can afford it. You may not use it much but It will did up a rock a lot easier, also if you plan on running under ground, water, electric, sewer lines, foundation beams, holes to bury dead animals, lots of uses.