Slope and Tractor Suggestions - Starting over thread

[woodlandfarms]

Thanks to everyone on the Duallies. I figure and it has been suggested that a picture is worth a thousand words.

My quest is to find a tractor that will help me manage my slopes... From Brushogging, to pulling stumps, to box blading trails. 30 to 40 HP for a CUT. I am torn between a CUT with Dualies (Does it exist in the big 3?) or the Power Trac line.

I have enclosed some pictures and a topo for people opinions on what will and will not work.

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o245/cb1701/4.jpg

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o245/cb1701/3.jpg

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o245/cb1701/2.jpg

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o245/cb1701/1.jpg

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o245/cb1701/0.jpg

 

[davemhughes]

Not sure duals are needed. A good solid wide wheel base and some wheel weight, 4x4 of course might be needed. Me personally I would opt for a 12x12 trans and solid engine that has a deep torque curve. Slopes look fairly easy to handle using good common sense and never shift gears going up or down hills with a steeper grade. Just my 2cents but something more in the 40+ hp range might serve you better though. It actually looks like a fun piece of property to work with.

 

[BTDT]

I agree, that doesn't look too bad. If it appears that mowing along the slope you start feeling uncomfortable, I would start mowing up and down. I don't know if at the top of some of these slopes it flattens out, where you could turn around to mow back down, or if it just crests, where you could just mow up one side and over the top and down the other side. I have mowed like that on a tricycle front end H Farmall. Looks like a lot of quality seat time to me.

 

[3RRL]

woodlandfarms,
I sorry, I take back my opinion on your last thread ... I think you should go for triples instead. Really though, I'm sure you could manage that property on singles if you're very careful and never get sideways on those slopes. but I still think the dual rears with loaded inners would be a benefit in stability and traction hands down. In other words, IMO better than singles. 4wd is a given for sure.

 

[Thomas]

I agree w/the other gentlmen about having dualies,but if you feel saftey comfortable w/that setup than go for it.

Going up the hill mowing or pulling logs etc.. you might consider extra weights on the front also good diging tires,plus if you feel the banks are to steep back up the hill and mowe or pull down items in low gear.

 

[gamble77]

I would look at something like a utility 4wd with industrial tires. For instance a John Deere 5105 with industrials. That tractor sits nice and low with a very wide footprint with the industrial tires. It might be a little larger then what you were originally planning for but it might work. Also look at the 500 series Massey's and Kubota's new utility line, good luck.

 

[john_bud]

Thanks to everyone on the Duallies. I figure and it has been suggested that a picture is worth a thousand words.

My quest is to find a tractor that will help me manage my slopes... From Brushogging, to pulling stumps, to box blading trails. 30 to 40 HP for a CUT. I am torn between a CUT with Dualies (Does it exist in the big 3?) or the Power Trac line.

I have enclosed some pictures and a topo for people opinions on what will and will not work.

Interesting thing about pictures, they tend to flatten out the thing you are looking at. That is a steep hillside. I for one would not want to cut that hill going sideways with a single tire tractor. Up and down, ok. But that may lead to rutting.

Now, nice thing about duals is that you can take them off and put them on at any time. Find the tractor you want (40+hp), fill the tires, put on rear wheel weights, have the FEL bucket low (maybe with some dirt in it?), run a 7' or 8' cutter and see how badly you pucker up the upholstery. If there is still a noticable pucker mark in the seat after a day, get the duals.


On the Powertrac - I just don't like them. Can't say as there is anything behind it. Never used one. Owners seem to like them. Probably nice machines. From their web page, the "tractors" max out at 59" wide. That's not that wide. They also all are articulated. Articuated vehicles on slopes -- nope. The "Mowers" the TSM 1850 can do your slope, but $28,000 for a mower?? And it can only lift 1200# and has a "rough cut" 96" deck. My MEDIUM duty 60" mower with chains is more than that. You do the math on how sturdy that "rought cut" unit is. Like I said - they may be nice machines, but for some reason they don't resonate with me.


jb

 

[LoneCowboy]

That's pretty fricking steep
Even with the pictures.
Even with duallies I dont' think you are ever going side to side comfortably.
That's always going to be an up and down type of thing.
Get a bigger tractor with a bigger bushhog (8', 10') and then you can pick where you mow and not rut it so bad.

Also, most people really have no idea when things are about to tip. They can go way way further than you think (of course, when they go, they go fast!!! ). I always find new (older) tractor owners have no idea how far over in any direction their tractor can tip. It just feels bad, it really isn't. (and I think the only way to do this is lots of experience, and there are bold tractor guys and old tractor guys, but no old, bold tractor guys. )

 

[coasterez]

I'm neither for nor against power trac. Interesting little boogers, they are. But, a little research on what is used on steep slopes turns up many articulated solutions with independent suspensions. I suggest to the original poster to look at Antonio Carraro machines. They are articulated and made for steep slopes, and are often chosen by California grape growers that require traversing across slopes for cultivation, mowing, and spraying. Growers rave at how safe and efficient these machines are. They also allow you to face the working end of the tractor, with a rotating drivers platform.

 

[daTeacha]

The pics look about like my place, but the map looks like you are way steeper. I have about 75 feet of rise over about 400 or 500 feet of distance, depending on where you go on my place. I run around on my DX29 over most of it pretty comfortably, but I'm sure there are places where it could tip, and I tread very carefully and selectively in those areas. Yeah, maybe I'm overly cautious, but I like to keep the dirty side down.

I have found that getting the underbrush under control makes things look a lot less intimidating. One place I was very hesitant to even drive into when it was brushy is now just a place where I need to be careful about the bucket gouging the ground when I drive through it. I haven't changed the contour, just the visibility.