Tractor Sizing Need advice on the size of tractor to look for

[IslandTractor]

I'm still sayin if you want to be out there working your patooty off for a few months, by all means, get a tractor and do countless dollars of wear and tear on it and your body. If you want to do it economically and get it done in a few days, rent an excavator with a thumb or hire it out. You'll be money and time ahead. Been there, done that, it was a waste of time and money, but I did have fun operating the tractor for hours upon hours consuming any free time that I had. :laughing: I bought the tractor for $5k, beat it senseless for 10 years, it needed $1500 in repairs over the 10 years, it needed $1500 in parts to get it running before I sold it for $3K. So, $8K in and $3k out. Net loss $5k over 10 years. Not too bad. But I could have rented a machine to do the same tasks for probably $2K and put the other $3K towards a permanent machine. The joys of hauling 5 gallons fuel cans. The fun of getting calls from the police because your tractor lights are on out in the field (the attempted tractor thieves left the lights on). Having to remove the battery from the tractor each night so it wouldn't get stolen....etc.. If you get a tractor big enough to handle that chore, where are you going to keep it? Just curious.

If he was trying to clear Sherwood Forest by next week, I'd agree with you. However, he's only clearing 1.5 acres, has more time than cash, and based on the photos, most of the work would not stress a CUT much at all. True, there are some big trees but most of the work is clearing saplings. A CUT with an FEL capable of lifting close to 1000lbs can make pretty quick work of saplings. Big trees can either be cut down or hired out. Stumps likewise can be hired out when budget allows or simply worked on over time with a CUT. For arguments sake, a CK20 can be trailered with almost any pickup truck if site security is a problem. If there is a friendly neighbor he could leave the equipment nearby. We don't have enough details to help make all these decisions but I don't see the value in scaring him off.

 

[MossRoad]

So now he has to buy a pickup truck and a trailer, too. :laughing: Look, I'm just kidding on that. But really, many guys get all caught up in thinking they have to have a tractor and that they have all the time in the world to do the work and money's not a problem, etc.... I'm not trying to scare him off. But I am relaying actual, real world experience of my own. Looking at the photo, you could clear 1.5 acres of that stuff in 3 days with a rented excavator for $1000 and have 2 days of rental left to do any other site work like put in a road, dig drainage swales, level a pad for a pole barn, etc... that a CUT simply cannot do in that amount of time. Not possible. He'll save time. He'll save a stupid amount of money. Yet, he'll still get the satisfaction of doing it himself. After all, that's what most of us enjoy. None of us enjoy finding out the reality of the costs of a project after the project is over. He'll take a gamble purchasing used equipment and he'll take a gamble selling used equipment, because it may not sell.

An excavator with a thumb will pluck those things out and you can immediately fill the hole back in. You can stack them in piles. Without moving the excavator, you can clear a 20-30 foot circle. You'd be driving back and forth and around and around positioning a CUT many times for each tree and subsequent hole. And then you can't stack them with the cut, unless you get a grapple, too. And even with the grapple, the excavator can stack faster and higher.

Rent the excavator to do the hard tough job in a reasonable amount of time for a small dollar amount in the big picture. Then get a good CUT of proper size for maintaining the property.

The funny thing about our own time is its free only if we don't put a value on it.

Those are just my suggestions. I won't begrudge the OP for doing what he feels is right for him. Its not my place to do so. But I think its bad advice telling the OP to do it with a CUT when that will cost him more time and money than doing it with a rental machine.

 

[Degolyerent]

Someone has already said it but DEAD TREES will kill you when the top comes over on you. Be careful with them, other than that have fun.
John

 

[hcforde]

I agree with you on everything but have one comment:

It depends a ton on soil type. I have a grapple on my 55HP case which weighs in at just shy of 9K Lbs and there is no way I can push out a 3" oak tree from what they call dirt in my area even right after a good rain. at 3" I have to get my dozer out, and actually the larger trees are much easier to take out since they are stiff enough to push over and roll the roots out when they fall. The small ones just want to lay over, and there is way too much rock in the soil to dig the grapple teeth into the soil and dig out the roots.

hcforde what type of soil do you have?

Basic rich moist black soil is what the property is made of. I would guess that the roots also go deeper than just remain on the surface like they do when they are starving for water.

 

[hcforde]

So now he has to buy a pickup truck and a trailer, too. :laughing: Look, I'm just kidding on that. But really, many guys get all caught up in thinking they have to have a tractor and that they have all the time in the world to do the work and money's not a problem, etc.... I'm not trying to scare him off. But I am relaying actual, real world experience of my own. Looking at the photo, you could clear 1.5 acres of that stuff in 3 days with a rented excavator for $1000 and have 2 days of rental left to do any other site work like put in a road, dig drainage swales, level a pad for a pole barn, etc... that a CUT simply cannot do in that amount of time. Not possible. He'll save time. He'll save a stupid amount of money. Yet, he'll still get the satisfaction of doing it himself. After all, that's what most of us enjoy. None of us enjoy finding out the reality of the costs of a project after the project is over. He'll take a gamble purchasing used equipment and he'll take a gamble selling used equipment, because it may not sell.

An excavator with a thumb will pluck those things out and you can immediately fill the hole back in. You can stack them in piles. Without moving the excavator, you can clear a 20-30 foot circle. You'd be driving back and forth and around and around positioning a CUT many times for each tree and subsequent hole. And then you can't stack them with the cut, unless you get a grapple, too. And even with the grapple, the excavator can stack faster and higher.

Rent the excavator to do the hard tough job in a reasonable amount of time for a small dollar amount in the big picture. Then get a good CUT of proper size for maintaining the property.

The funny thing about our own time is its free only if we don't put a value on it.

Those are just my suggestions. I won't begrudge the OP for doing what he feels is right for him. Its not my place to do so. But I think its bad advice telling the OP to do it with a CUT when that will cost him more time and money than doing it with a rental machine.

There is a cost to everything we do time cost, money cost, and the opportunity cost of if we do X then we can not do Y. All of your ideas are valid and have given me something to think about and consider. Basically I want to be as efficient with my time and money as possible. There is an old saying that just came to mind. "Work expands to fit the time allowed for it." If I have someone come in and do the "heavy lifting", I can get to what I want to do quicker. If I plant quicker (we have 3 growing seasons here in central Texas) I can probably make my investment back in the first season. (With less risk to my own life from dead tree limbs.)

I remember once I wanted to strip off the old coats of paint from my windows. I could have had it commercially done but I decided to do it myself. In the end, my time was worth about $.25/hour-highly inefficient use of my time. So paying to have someone come in OR renting the proper equipment and will be an investment rather than an expense.

I already have 2 trailers and a Toyota Sequoia SUV. (my other passion is restoring Pontiac Fiero's)

Someone also wanted to know where I would be storing my equipment. I will be building a 20*40ft building to store and work on my stuff

 

[TSO]

For 3" and under tress, I like to do this... Which removes the tree & roots: http://youtu.be/BWq-2D1xQ6I


(I was being extra careful on this and the other two I pulled because I was transplanting them) This just uses a ratchet strap or chain, wrapped a few times around the trunk. You can either do this with your loader (I like using my forks) or 3pt. Most tractors 40HP & up should have enough loader strength to handle it, otherwise, the 3pt will be a better option.

For trees bigger than that, like mentioned, you can push them over to expose the roots. But, much bigger than 5-6" then you'll need a much larger tractor to have the weight and power to push them over.

Now, I have cleared many lots, trees, brush, etc... with my 48HP Massey and my long-tooth bucket, which I use to pop roots and push trees. That said, a CUT is not an ideal machine for land clearing. A tracked skid steer around 70HP would be the tool to use, or a legit dozer. Obviously, that's a more expensive route. You can get by with a decent CUT if you have the time.

 

[MossRoad]

There is a cost to everything we do time cost, money cost, and the opportunity cost of if we do X then we can not do Y. All of your ideas are valid and have given me something to think about and consider. Basically I want to be as efficient with my time and money as possible. There is an old saying that just came to mind. "Work expands to fit the time allowed for it." If I have someone come in and do the "heavy lifting", I can get to what I want to do quicker. If I plant quicker (we have 3 growing seasons here in central Texas) I can probably make my investment back in the first season. (With less risk to my own life from dead tree limbs.)

I remember once I wanted to strip off the old coats of paint from my windows. I could have had it commercially done but I decided to do it myself. In the end, my time was worth about $.25/hour-highly inefficient use of my time. So paying to have someone come in OR renting the proper equipment and will be an investment rather than an expense.

I already have 2 trailers and a Toyota Sequoia SUV. (my other passion is restoring Pontiac Fiero's)

Someone also wanted to know where I would be storing my equipment. I will be building a 20*40ft building to store and work on my stuff

Yeah, we had our house resided. They cased the old wood windows in aluminum. They left a little indent into the casings. I asked what that was for. They guy said for the storm windows you're going to buy. I told him I had the original wooden storm windows and was planning on refinishing them. He just smiled and laughed and said something about thanking him later. We had 17 windows. After I spent a considerable amount of time stripping just one, I realized what he was talking about.... :laughing: I ordered custom triple tracks and they fit nicely into the indents left by the siding guys. :thumbsup:

As I said before, good luck on your project no matter how you choose to do it.

 

[hcforde]

As I said before, good luck on your project no matter how you choose to do it.

You were smarter on the uptake than I was, LOL. Thanks to you and everybody the the input and encouragement. Not exactly sure of how I will accomplish what I need to have done, but I am a lot wiser as to what my options are.

 

[TJP89]

If he was trying to clear Sherwood Forest by next week, I'd agree with you. However, he's only clearing 1.5 acres, has more time than cash, and based on the photos, most of the work would not stress a CUT much at all. True, there are some big trees but most of the work is clearing saplings. A CUT with an FEL capable of lifting close to 1000lbs can make pretty quick work of saplings. Big trees can either be cut down or hired out. Stumps likewise can be hired out when budget allows or simply worked on over time with a CUT. For arguments sake, a CK20 can be trailered with almost any pickup truck if site security is a problem. If there is a friendly neighbor he could leave the equipment nearby. We don't have enough details to help make all these decisions but I don't see the value in scaring him off.

This here pretty much sums it up. There is not a whole lot I can't do with my 35HP tractor w/ loader and chainsaw, and time. A lot of what I can't do would become doable with a backhoe on the tractor (maybe eventually). If the OP is willing to spend the time and sweat with a CUT and chainsaw, no problem. Of course if he hired it out to someone with a bulldozer, excavator, grapple truck etc, it would go quicker. But then he has to pay them, and for a tractor. If he pays for a new hefty CUT (or even a UT) and a good chainsaw, those will always be useful and they will get used again and again. If the OP goes that way, My advice is pay for a new CUT with decent HP, a loader, backhoe and grapple. You will be glad you paid for quality equipment later.

 

[jrclark]

My experience varies slightly, but should be relevant. We bought property and had plenty of time to clear the driveway, which totals 2000' and is over 60% wooded. The first 600' consisted almost entirely of ash 50-70', with a few cedars mingled in there. I did all of the cutting and stacking by hand with little issues. The moment I started clearing the 80'+ hardwoods heading towards our lot, the real nightmare began.

I was originally quoted around $12-15k to clear the lot and driveway to my specification. This included cutting trees, stacking the logs, and chipping the tops, roughly 3 acres worth of work. Instead of paying someone to do it, I decided to take on the task with my brother-in-law, who graciously gave many days of his time. For costs, my saws cost roughly $1100 combined. Halfway through, the project I decided to sell my new Powerstroke to buy the Kioti for log skidding ($14,600) and bank the remaining cash for our house project. I found a lightly used Weinstein chipper for the tops that cost an additional $1900. All things considered, I'd say the total investment is in the $18k range. Yes, it's definite more money upfront, but at least now I have a tool to remove snow from a 2000' driveway, a tool to grade said driveway, a pro Husky to cut firewood for warmth....you get the point. The future benefits far outweigh the initial cost impact. For reference, stump removal was always part of the driveway and lot excavation project, which is a completely different and costly animal. The 150 or so stumps of varying sizes were excavated in just a couple days using a combo of a small dozer and a 310 Deere backhoe. In retrospect, I could have saved some cash by renting a backhoe and calling my brother or at least three other friends who run equipment on a regular basis to do the work. That's the only thing I would have done differently.

Good luck figuring out which scenario works best for you! Either way you go, hope you have fun with the process!