Newb looking for advice on manzanita removal

[northernsierras]

I have 15 acres that has a lot of thick manzanita. I rented a bobcat mini ex last summer and the front blade on that think would rip those things out like nothing. Im looking at buying a 25-30hp tractor with a front loader. Would a front loader be able to remove manzanita fairly easy? I've never used one so dont know what they are capable of. I figure if the blade on a mini ex could handle them easy a front loader would too? I also have a lot of logs to move around that will be turned into lumber, so i guess a fork attachment would work good for that? How hard is it to change the front loader to a fork?

I'm currently looking at buying the Kubota L3301HST or the Nortrac X35. The difference in price is about 9k for similar setups, nortrac being less expensive, although the Nortrac has more HP. I could put a backhoe on the Nortrac and i would still come out saving a couple thousand dollars versus the kubota. If i want to add various attachments later down the road, what options do you guys recommend? There are a lot of optional setups kubota has but i dont know the significance of them. For example, would i need rear remote hydraulic valves, SPRING CENTER VALVE SECTION PNF ,FLOAT DETENT VALVE, SELF CANCELLING DETENT VALVE SECTION PNF ...? Do i need weights?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[jeff9366]

If you are a tractor newbie you will inevitably bend, break and maladjust parts of your new tractor as part of the learning process. A helpful, nearby dealer adds value to any tractor. ( I have never read a paean of praise for Nortrac/Chinese tractors on this site.)

NORTRAC: Nortrac Tractors vs Kubota Quality -- Chinese Tractors -- NorTrac Tractors -- Page 1

T-B-N CHINESE TRACTORS FORUM: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/chinese-tractors/


FEL is engineered to LIFT. You cannot push with FEL or you will bend/break it. (See above.) Heavy work should be done from the Three Point Hitch. While I do not have personal experience with Manzanita I have cleared a lot of Florida jungle with below grade roots. Consider mowing the Manzanita with a Rotary Cutter/Bush Hog, or ripping out the above grade plant with a Ratchet Rake, then raking out the roots with a spring protected Field Cultivator.
VIDEO: How to Use a Ripper / Field Cultivator - Gardening Series - YouTube
VIDEO: ratchet rake brush clearing - YouTube

MORE: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/339095-dirt-dog-all-purpose-plow.html?highlight=

If you opt for an SSQA (Skid Steer Quick Attach) FEL implements, you can change from one to another by moving two locking levers. SSQA eliminates the bucket while other attachments are in use, increasing lift capacity by the deleted weight of the bucket.

WHAT IS YOUR INTENTION FOR THE FIFTEEN ACRES WHEN THE MANZANITA IS GONE??????

Cannot give a good quality tractor recommendation without knowing your long term goal.

Keep asking questions~~~~~~

 

[ericm979]

Check out Dave's Tractor in Red Bluff. They sell Branson and Mahindra. I had been shopping 3301s and ended up with a Branson 3725 from Dave even though i'm three+ hours away. They're good people and will give good advice.

You can push with a FEL, just not too much. There's posts here from people who have bent their loaders or loader cylinders by doing too much or the wrong things with the loader. Many tractor loaders are Skid Steer Quick Attach compatible (it's an option on the 3301). That lets you easily change front attachements, to replace the loader bucket with forks or a grapple. You might want a grapple to move logs and brush.

I put a piranha tooth bar on my bucket to rip up coyotebrush and poison oak. It works to a certain extent, about as well as you could expect with no ability to grab.
Nortracs dont have HST which I consider a requirement for working in steep terrain. I'm not sure how well they support the tractors.

 

[Tractorable]

Can't help you with your vegetation removal. However, if your considering the L3301 you might want to check out the new Yanmar's as well.

The YT235 just arrived in dealers and looks pretty slick. 35hp 3cyl diesel, 3 range HST, price low to mid $20's. I checked one out today. Here's a pic.

 

[northernsierras]

Thanks for the responses, i'll do some research on the yanmar, branson and mahindra tonight. Here's a couple pics of the kind of brush im trying to clear. Manzanita has shallow roots but thick wood stems so its hard to imagine a brush attachment would be able to cut them up. A grappler looks like it would do good.

Another main thing i need a tractor for is to dig a pond. I have a small water drainage that has a large flat area that i need to dig out and dam up to store water for crops, showering, etc. The dirt is soft so i think a loader would do pretty good. Also need to build more out buildings which require digging a foundation and pouring concrete, along with a septic, sewer lines and water lines. I dug my house foundation by hand last summer and dont want to have to dig another, which is why i want to buy the back hoe attachment once the manzanita is clear and the pond built. Have a ton of trees that need to get cut down and turned into lumber, but i think the fork attachment will work great for that.

I assume all these tractors come standard with the ability to hook up a backhoe?

 

[jeff9366]

If i want to add various attachments later down the road, what options do you guys recommend? There are a lot of optional setups kubota has but i dont know the significance of them. For example, would i need rear remote hydraulic valves? Do i need weights?

Heavy work is accomplished from the Three Point Hitch. Since mid-1950s, when Harry Ferguson's patents expired, Three Point Hitch dimensions have been standardized worldwide. Most tractors discussed here use a Category 1 Three Point Hitch. Less frequently a Category 2 Three Point Hitch on larger tractors. ~~~~~So any Category 1 implement, from anywhere in the world, should fit the Category 1 Three Point Hitch on an L3301.

Rear remote hydraulic valves are mostly used in conjunction with grading implements. Do you have a long driveway or farm road needing maintenance?

Most tractors used on sloped/hilly ground have the rear tires filled with liquid. This lower the center-of-gravity of the tractor, making the tractor more stable. I speculate half of new tractors leave the dealer with filled rear tires.

I have air in my rear tires in flat Florida.

 

[jeff9366]

A medium duty Rotary Cutter/Bush Hog will slash that Manzanita down to ground level. Generally speaking, a medium duty Rotary Cutter is supposed to cut saplings up to 2" in diameter. I do not cut saplings thicker than 1-1/2" with mine. A Ratchet Rake will tear that brush out too, though slower than mowing.

The weight loading on tractor tires is HIGH. If you fill the rear tires, the tire load increases. Add a Backhoe and the tire load increases by ~~500 pounds~~. Tractors are prone to bog in soft ground. So tractors with Backhoes are infrequently suitable for pond work.

Sometimes, in a period of very dry weather, a Box Blade can be used to excavate a pond. Rarely, though.
VIDEO: POND Box Blade - YouTube

Usually a mini-excavator is necessary, which has a long reach arm, relative to a tractor Backhoe, and operates on tracks, not tires, spreading the load.
VIDEO: POND EXCAVATOR - YouTube

 

[northernsierras]

Good info. That ratchet rake seems to be the way to go, i just cant imagine a bush hog chopping up thick manzanita. Here is a pic of the area where the pond will go. Its in the middle of a drainage with two hills on each side, so i'm planning on pushing the dirt from the intake and center of the pond down between a narrow area forming a dam, so it wont be a typical pond built on a flat area as i already have two hills to work between. The snow may make it a bit hard to get an idea

After the land is cleared and the pond built, the tractor will be used for logging/firewood. I'll need to haul hundreds of logs to a sawmill on the property and some will be turned into firewood as thats one of my sources of income. It would be nice to stack split firewood on a pallet and load the pallet onto the back of my truck. Secondary to those things i'll be using it to put in a couple roads, and a large garden. So i guess a pallet fork will work for the log moving and pallet loading, a ratchet rake will work for clearing the manzanita.

 

[jeff9366]

Ratchet Rake will remove sod as first step in creating a garden. It will also scratch up the top 2" of soil. Some hand spading needed to prepare garden bed deeper.

Even with SSQA pallet forks I am skeptical you will have enough FEL lift capacity to load pallets of firewood into a truck with an L3301. FEL lift capacity decreases rapidly with lift height. You need to research both potential weights of firewood pallets and L3301 FEL lift capacity 6" higher than the bed height of your truck. Lifting heavy loads high with an FEL is potentially hazardous with a light tractor.

MORE: firewood on pallets

 

[ericm979]

I'm familiar with manzanita. The stems can get to 2" or more on mature manzanita and it's a hard dry wood. I'd want to hear from people who have used a ratchet rake on it before I was convinced it'd be useful on older manzanita. I would not want to use a brush hog on thick manzanita but I cringe when I hear a lot of loud banging from mine. Maybe a extra heavy duty brush hog. My coyotebrush is too thick for a brush hog or anything short of a forestry mulcher so I'm clearing it with chain saw and chipper.

I think that for your use a 3301 will be too small and light. Low loader capacity as Jeff points out. You might want a Grand L size machine or 20 or 25 series Branson. For moving logs you can use a pallet fork or grapple on the front or something on the rear (forestry winch or log dolly) if you're ok with dragging it. With the pallet fork you'll have to balance the log on the forks and if the path is uneven you'll have to go slow. A grapple won't have that problem. With either you're limited by the loader capacity (minus fork or grapple weight) and the width between trees. Tractors do better pulling then carrying, you can pull heavier logs than you can carry. But that gets the logs dirty which may be hard on the mill and it may tear up the ground if it's soft.

My land is steep. I ordered my 3725 with the smaller set of wheels/tires for a lower center of gravity, industrial tires and rear wheel spacers for more width, and filled rear tires. It's very stable but I still don't work across slopes with it. The smaller tires means less ground clearance so I have to be careful when working in thick brush.