Needing advice on tractor size

[Texasmark]

Skid steer isnt what i would recommend for installing food plots.

I honestly think the MF 2850M/2M50, or 2860M, will do 90% of what you want, without being unwieldy. If there is 10% that its just not enough machine for (im assuming that means clean up), hire or rent. Dont know what you are saying on your mill, but 2570# at pins/1880 at bucket edge; probably about 2250 with forks, is a good sized log. You probably arent saying 30 ft whole logs, im assuming you saw 12/16 ft logs.

Its not that the 4707 won't do the job, but it sounds like its size might be a disadvantage in the future

I didn't see the origin of this thread said anything about food plots........so why did you bring up the subject?

 

[paulsharvey]

I didn't see the origin of this thread said anything about food plots........so why did you bring up the subject?

". I am about to buy my first tractor. I have a 90 acre tract that was just logged and I plan to manage it for hunting (food plots), timber, and Christmas trees. I have a lot of slash to clean up and stumps to grind as the initial surge of work. Longer term, I will be maintaining roads and moving logs to a portable sawmill."

From post#1

 

[paulsharvey]

I am not saying skid steers dont have a place, but the bullet points for our OP, IMO, really seem to point to a 2860M class machine. Enough power to run a good sized bushhog, disc, strong enough to move logs to the sawmill, and grind stumps.

My Only hold back on that, the slash clean up, if thats tree tops, fine. If thats root raking, thats a JD 544 wheel loader job

 

[paulsharvey]

I see; food plots, stump grinding, Christmas tree farm, and sawmill as the bullet points.

Food plots; IMO; 4,000# and 40 hp, is fine. Smaller works, bigger works, but thats kinda what im using as a guideline

Stump grinding, HST or Power shuttle are is not a requirement, dang near one, but HP, not that picky; stability, and rear remotes for side shift are wanted/needed

Christmas trees; 90% I assume that is mowing, but maybe a front auger would be nice? Mowing, HP is directly tied to size, which is dictated by spacing. Not knowing much, 10 ft rows between trees and 6 ft inline is what I saw. That says 7 or so ft bush hog to me; or about 45 hp

Sawmill; I see that as a max of 16 ft rounds; cleaned in the woods, and not transporting whole trees. Even still, these are often going to be 8 or 12 footers. So, honestly, 2000# max, but again, maneuverability is a big plus, on both ends; at the tree cut and at the mill, and then again stacking the cut lumber

 

[Yander]

I've owned two Massey's, a small one and a larger 50hp, and liked them both. But if you have a Yanmar dealer nearby, go check out the YT359. We have the YT347, and it punches well above its weight. It bushhogs better than our former Massey 1750M.

The iHMT transmission on the YT Yanmar is an engineering genius. If you will be bushhogging large areas, you will want to put a large bushhog on so you are not out all day. That is where the Yanmar excels.

I have more Yanmar dealers within 45 minutes of me than I do Massey, which is one of the reasons we switched.

But, if you end up with either of the Masseys you are looking at, you will have a very nice tractor. Where are the Massey's being made nowadays anyway?

 

[WVH1977]

How big are the food plots you want to make? If you are just doing a couple of acres or less of food plots, rent a big mini-ex for a couple weeks (3 to 4K) and dig the stumps out. Then you dont have to worry about anything in the ground. Also, you could buy a 12K track loader and get yoru heavy work done and sell it or keep it and buy the tractor to go along with it.

Use the 2m.50 or 60 cab for road maintenance, bush hogging and moving around brush. I really like my 2860m. For a compact tractor, it is strong. I live in a smaller cut-over in VA and cleared with the excavator and did the clean-up with this tractor and an older 40hp tractor. Excavator was old and free. Put 7K in it while I had it and then sold it once I was done. It did a LOT of work for me, just expensive to work on.

 

[LNSTrees]

I am not saying skid steers dont have a place, but the bullet points for our OP, IMO, really seem to point to a 2860M class machine. Enough power to run a good sized bushhog, disc, strong enough to move logs to the sawmill, and grind stumps.

My Only hold back on that, the slash clean up, if thats tree tops, fine. If thats root raking, thats a JD 544 wheel loader job

Slash cleanup is tops. I plan to use a grapple to pick up loose stuff and move it to burn piles. Any serious roots or stumps I need gone will see the stump grinder.

 

[Texasmark]

". I am about to buy my first tractor. I have a 90 acre tract that was just logged and I plan to manage it for hunting (food plots), timber, and Christmas trees. I have a lot of slash to clean up and stumps to grind as the initial surge of work. Longer term, I will be maintaining roads and moving logs to a portable sawmill."

From post#1

Ok. Thanks!