River boat transport and choice of model

[kensfarm]

Ever thought of building a barg to haul the big stuff.. then you wouldn't have to worry about the 2000 lb limit.. of course it'll be slow going.. more fuel.. but you wouldn't have to strip the tractor down.. and you could bring the implements you needed too.

 

[rockinmywaypa]

The barge is an excellent idea. I was on a bus tour once to an island farmer. The island was less than 500 acres total. He had a barge maybe 20 x 40ft that he towed with his regular boat. He drove right on with a tractor and haywagon and also hauled sheep back and forth spring and fall. I wonder how many people jump in a boat to go do chores?

 

[AkTractor]

With an inboard jet if you aren't on step (>22 mph in my boat) you are plowing water at high RPM, and pulling a barge unfortunately with a jet isn't practical, especially with the river running about 6mph and a heavy tow, etc. But it is an idea, and I certainly appreciate all the input provided to me as a total newbie in tractors.

There is a freighter on the river that runs three 250HP outboard props and he can take 20,000 lbs up the river, but he charges 24 cents a pound to go as far as my place and he hasn't been that far in 6 years he told me. If I end up getting a bigger tractor I'll have him freight it up and leave it there.

I can go about 30 mph up river (speed over ground) in my boat which can haul 1500# with a few people and gas. My friends boat can haul about 2000 - 2500#, so the TC30 is not out of the question.

I'm half way through my rental day on the B21, and it is really fun to use the loader and backhoe. It didn't damage my lawn at all with the R4s. I have a "wild" 1.25 acre lot also in town that is very much like my cabin property, so I built a rough road in about two hours that is about 1000 ft long, removing two dead stumps, filling in low spots, moving about 6 fallen logs half buried in the vegetation (with no chainsaw required). I discovered that indeed the backhoe is great for getting unstuck. I moved some other cut wood, moved about 25 loads of stuff from my middle lot, etc, etc. This is fun! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

The 21HP was fine, but the hydraulic pump on the B21 has alot more output than a TC18, close to the TC30 or 35 I think. I'm wondering how much difference I would see between the B21's 8 gpm (?) versus the TC18 4gpm pump when using the loader or backhoe.

 

[stvman]

Hey AK, I spent 1981-1985 at Elmendorf , passed your property quite a few times on my way to Eilson. (that is one lonely dark drive in January) As far as the B21 I would guess the TC18 would do 2/3 of what a B21 is capable of being that the B21 is oriented for construction.

I would think a winch on the TC18 out in the middle of the bush would be a must. I also would not load the tires if you get a flat that far out its a long way back to the dealer. I dont know what you have for supplies at your camp but if you are bringing in diesel hyd fluid other necessities a TC30 would get old fast. Im also kind of partial to the 12la loader.

 

[AkTractor]

Thanks, a couple of questions.
Do you mean that I should fill the tires with something other than air, or that I shouldn't? I don't understand the point (newbie). I would think that a loaded tire (filled with something other than air) would not get a flat.....

Why would a TC30 need more fluids than a TC18? Does it leak more, or do you mean the initial filling and the maintanence fluid changes?

I got a quote for $1600 to take up to 7000 pounds up to the cabin on the river, so was thinking of a larger tractor and giving up the plan to use it at home.

 

[stvman]

AK, For loader work most people fill the tires with calcium chloride (wont freeze) which is referred to as loading the tires(extra weight lower center of gravity =better traction&stability).The calcium is very corrosive so a tube is placed inside the tire and filled. The problem comes when you puncture a tire, way out at your cabin would not be fun.

 

[Alaska]

AKTractor, I've noticed your posts and intend to get a tractor before the serious snow hits. Considering a TC24D or possibly a TC33D with a few accessories (or whatever the right term is for attached impliments ...I'm a complete tractor noob).

I haven't tt a dealer in the last couple years. Assume you're considering buying from the guy in Palmer or is there a dealer in Fbx too?

Have you looked into price yet? If so I'd be interested in knowing whether you got a fair shake on the cost quote. After living here for a few decades I've noticed that there can be a huge disparity in costs quoted here as opposed to stateside. The difference is getting skinnier but it's still fatter than freight alone.

 

[Alaska]

Well Ak, I checked w/ the Palmer dealer this afternoon and he has the TC18 and TC30. As I understood it he'd sold all he rec'd of the boomer series and his follow up comment was something about "if we write an order at retail our order gets put to the front of the line at the factory, but they have a big backlog already".

That sounded an awful lot like I could either get a tractor or not ...but if I were to get it it'd be at full retail price (whatever that is). For some reason that doesn't sound too attractive to me.

Is it normal for a NH customer to have to wait a significant period for his tractor order to be filled? Somehow that doesn't seem like what I would expect given the season and today's economic climate.

There's an old saying up here that nobody gouges Alaskans like Alaskan's gouge Alaskans. Maybe I'm too quick to flinch and am hearing an honest assesment of the tractor market too. Comments from the group would be appreciated.

I'd also like to know how much trouble I should expect to have to work through after receiving the tractor. May not be worth having to deal w/ the local guy for maintenance or warrantee work if he'd be chapped about my ordering a machine from stateside. Maybe Green and Orange s/b looked at closer. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[AkTractor]

I think the best deal is through the guy in NOrth Carolina, sponsors of this site. 17k with bush loader/hoe for a 18d. SHipping to ANC is 2300 with no deal, still $700 cheaper then the best Palm quote before he sold his last one. I don't really know if the warranty service is an issue if you don't buy from the dealer, but I would think service income from NH is income that most local dealers want, although they may not prioritize a non local purchaser in the service cue.

I'm going to get one in the spring to take up to the cabin, and probably something fairly heavy compared with the 18D. If I'm going to pay 18+ cents per pound just to get it up the river to the cabin, I may as well get what I need for the terrain and get one that won't break down because I work it too hard. Even putting a 1300 pound tractor without attachments in a river boat is a major undertaking, and if you have any problems at all going up the river (sticks in the jet unit, junk in the heat exchanger, overheating, etc) you are in trouble. I'll use a freighter and take in what I need. I still don't know what I need, but when I tried the Kubota B21 rental unit out on my property in town, I thought it was a bit weak.

 

[spencer200]

Warranty work is a looser for the dealer. New Holland pays a flat rate. Which is almost always less than the time actually needed to fix the problem. They also usually pay much less than the dealers going shop rate. So most dealer do not look forward to warranty work. They do it because there contract with New Holland tells them they have to do it and they want to take care of the customer and keep them happy.