Tractor Sizing SO many factors to consider... but ground clearance and +/- backhoe may be the top

[jeff9366]

The swampy areas, maybe another 3 acres, are a cypress swamp with lots of knees and tons of plant and tree trash. This area is occasionally just muddy, but when the river is high, it fills up to various heights, and then there is a stream going through most of the time. I was thinking of cleaning up some of these areas. Not wanting to drive a tractor down in there, stuck for sure, but to possibly use a backhoe to clean it up. I get that the reach of these machines is limited, and they are expensive to boot. I could just borrow-barter my friend's, but for the inconvenience of transport.

A Backhoe adds 400 pounds to the tractor, making it more bog prone. You cannot reach into a three acre swamp and accomplish anything with a tractor backhoe. Forget it. Ixnay. Verboten. Nyet.

There are lots of good reasons to order a Backhoe, but working over soft ground is OUT.

 

[nybirdman]

Take a look at the L2501 Kubota+a dedicated lawn mower.No DEF,lots of power and ground clearance.

 

[DVMSteve]

A Backhoe adds 400 pounds to the tractor, making it more bog prone. You cannot reach into a three acre swamp and accomplish anything with a tractor backhoe. Forget it. Ixnay. Verboten. Nyet.

There are lots of good reasons to order a Backhoe, but working over soft ground is OUT.

Message received, loud and clear! :laughing:

When I said 'three acres of swamp', I didn't stop and think what pictures that must have conjured in your head! It's not one huge bog. It is where the aptly named "Dog Breath Creek" meanders around a long narrow low spot about 100 yards behind my house, down the hill. It eventually 'empties' into the river. Surrounded by trees and scrub and brambles, etc. When the river is up, its a nice little creek, if I could only see it. When the river is down, it's a muddy stinkin' mess. Before I put up 2000' of fence, surrounding my house and about 6 acres, my dogs just LOVED to go tromping through there, and they'd end up in my bed of course.

My ultimate goal is to clear the mess around it, clean it up, and maybe dig a deeper channel. I could borrow my friend's mini excavator on tracks.... like a hundred times. Doesn't sound like any tractor mounted backhoe will be the tool for that job. ****, I haven't priced those guys yet! Better not head down that road...

 

[DVMSteve]

Color me lazy tonight... I get the ideas (and appreciate your thoughts), but haven't heard the terms "robotic mower" and "DEF" before. I'll look those up later...

 

[MossRoad]

Since you mentioned Swiss Army Knife... here goes.

Personally, my goal was to eliminate as many machines to maintain as possible. So I got one that did every task I need to do, and it does them all very well. Not perfect, but very well. I finish mow my lawn, rough cut my trails, clear brush, plow snow, move material, excavate holes, clear downed/felled trees, gather firewood, etc.... all with one machine. We maintain our one acre home site and about 20 acres of remote property with about 3 acres of fields, 400' of road and 2+ miles of trails. I also used it to maintain our Little League park with mowing and diamond rehab/maintenance, as well as the diamond at my wife's church, and various church ground cleanup/maintenance, etc...

It's articulated, has what most would consider low ground clearance, but never gets stuck due to the articulation and oscillation. It's not a pulling machine, so ground plowing and stump pulling isn't its thing. But it will run circles around conventional tractors of the same size in the tasks I've mentioned.

Since budget isn't your concern, several machines might be OK for you. ZTRs are hard to beat for mowing, but for about 1/3 of the cost of a ZTR I can get a towable self-powered wing mower to tow offset behind my machine and have a 108" cut.

Anyhow, good luck with your search... there's so much out there.

 

[DVMSteve]

Neat little unit, there! I would like to maintain only one more engine myself, alas. By the way, I see that there is one fast moderator out there, or maybe my mild four letter expletive above was auto-edited... It started with a "D", not an "F"...

 

[MossRoad]

That was automated. Cuss filter, I suspect.

 

[MossRoad]

Mine is in the 400 series. They make several sizes and have some slope mowers as well.

Here's a link to their website. They are factory direct only, with NO dealers anywhere.

Versatile Tractors,Compact Tractors,Trailer Packages,Landscaping,Utility Vehicle Rentals,Mowers-Power Trac

Not the machine for everyone, but it works for us.
There's a very active forum on TBN for them...
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/power-trac/

 

[jeff9366]

My ultimate goal is to clear the mess around it, clean it up, and maybe dig a deeper channel. I could borrow my friend's mini excavator on tracks.... like a hundred times. Doesn't sound like any tractor mounted backhoe will be the tool for that job.

Tracks on an excavator float the machine's weight over a big area relative to tires, so tracked equipment can access and work in areas where wheeled equipment cannot. Verdure around the swamp transpires a lot of ground moisture into the air. If you remove it, your swamp may expand. Consider before you begin.

Creating a channel will probably require a North Carolina EPA wetlands permit and there will be issues about spoil disposal. Often Ma Nature triumphs over man's effort to change her ways.

 

[sikmusicfreak8]

Ill*weigh in on the backhoe... My situation is 9 acres of land that hasn't been used for 20+ years. Ive been cleaning it up, grading, plowing, etc. I knew going in that backhoe was an absolute must for me because I refuse to hire out work. So all my plumbing, electrical, etc was*going to be done by myself. I'm building a 3000 sq ft shop, a home, fencing, everything. What I ended up with was a 47hp tractor, with a backhoe,*box blade, post hole digger, forks, discs,*landscape rake, etc. They all get a lot of use, but the forks and the backhoe have proven to be invaluable.

So,*my advice to you, is if you are having trouble seeing a need for a backhoe, you probably wont need one. But*if you are like me, and see all the work that needs to be done, and that work involves a backhoe, then I would suggest you go for it. They are*extremely useful, but if you already know that you have projects lined up, then its a no-brainer.