Subcompact for hilly 3-acre

[MoMower]

I am curious if anyone knows, the tires on the GC1723 aren't that big, they are only 26x12-12. How much weight could that add?

It’s around 90lbs per side with rim Gaurd

 

[Jchonline]

Is there a clever way to tow a log splitter with a 2" ball about with the BH still attached?

Not sure how easy it is to change your buckets, but I have a quick attach coupler on my BH. they make a ball hitch adapter you can buy so I can just attach it to the BH and use anytime. Example here.

Trailer Hitches

Not saying these will work for your machine but you get the jist.

 

[hube2]

I am curious if anyone knows, the tires on the GC1723 aren't that big, they are only 26x12-12. How much weight could that add?

Rim Guard weighs about 11#/gallon and according to this chart the tires will hold about 11 gallons so that is and about 120# on each wheel.

The chart I linked is for a different type of fill. The first link has weights of various types of fill.

I was looking into this when I was going to take my wheels off to see if I thought I could lift them if they fell over. I figured that each wheel was a total of about 200# and that me and my helper should be able to stand it up if it fell over. But they didn't, the wheels pretty much stand up on their own on a flat surface.

 

[GeneV]

Is there a clever way to tow a log splitter with a 2" ball about with the BH still attached?

Sorry, what is MMM?

I've seen a receiver hitch welded to the side of the boom. I wouldn't tow with ball attached to the bucket.

 

[Diggin It]

I have multiple 24" stumps so hope I can remove them without renting equipment that would be nice.

I have no implements planned to use the 3PH so Ill evaluate whether the BH becomes an asset or a liability with experience I guess.

Guess I need to sleep on the filled tires thing.

Sorry to say, but don't expect to be able to dig out 24" stumps. About 12" has been my largest and it took a while. And it was years dead.

 

[Diggin It]

Any reason not go with widest spacers (3")? Not worried about fitting between trees with 6" extra width.

Check with your dealer regarding any potential warranty issues and get their reply in writing. You could be adding stress to the axle or transmission.

 

[hube2]

Check with your dealer regarding any potential warranty issues and get their reply in writing. You could be adding stress to the axle or transmission.

I contacted my dealer about adding spacers, their response was that MF didn't have them for my tractor. I assumed by the reply and the tone that they would not put them on and more than likely it would give me warranty issues if something happens. But:

• I must have chains in the winter and I can't have the chains I want without the spacers or I risk damage if they happen to get a little loose and caught on something.
• I live on the side of a hill with some steep grades.
• There are many people that have put spacers on GCs and if you read topics on this forum about it, going back many, many years. I've not read a single thread about spacers causing issues. Chances are that even if they do cause more stress and something does not last as long as it normally would that my tractor will be out of warranty by then anyway. If it's going to go bad before the warranty is out then there was likely a defect in it to begin with.

If I do have an issue, of course I will take the spacers off before I call the dealer, if I am able to.

On the other hand, if for some reason I cannot get them off before calling the dealer, for me the increased safety is well worth the risk of out of pocket expense.

 

[WVH1977]

Nothing wrong with getting a sub-compact for your property with back-hoe. It will come in very handy. You will love having a piece of equipment to assist you. I would like to have one as well

However, when you say 24inch stumps, a sub-compact is not the choice I would want. I rented the biggest takeuchi mini-ex I could get (Think it was 16,000 lbs machine)when digging stumps on three acres of my property. It took 45 minutes to an hour to get those big stumps out of the ground with that mini-ex. Some of those stumps where deep as well, not to mention the hard pan dirt stuck to them. I spent two weeks digging stumps to clear that land. I could not imagine digging a 24 inch stump with a sub-compact tractor. It can be done but you can dig one by hand too, just a LOT of work. When you say a few 24 inch stumps, are you talking 3? If so, just hire someone to dig them up. Maybe get them ground up? A sub-compact BH is not designed to dig 24 inch stumps. I attached some pics of that job to give you an idea of 24 inch and bigger stumps. The bucket on the mini-ex is 24 inches.

 

[not2old]

Thought about filled tires but concerned about their weight if I need to take them off for whatever reason. Is this a valid concern?

I have looked at the ratchet rake and love the idea that is all I need! Do you know if it can be attached with a piranha bar or similar installed or does that have to be removed to use the rake?

Def getting the BH. Its only 4k extra on the GCs. No brainer. Plus itll be extra ballast.

Not only is it ballast, but when you get stuck in the snow, you can lift the rear wheels in order to push more snow under them and eliminate the need to tow it out.

 

[bbh03]

Not buying for the purpose of stumps at all, but someone mentioned stumps and thought it would be gravy if it could also do that. Might give it a try and if its terrible, bail and get the right machine in. Tee good news is most of the large ones are are tulip poplar which have notoriously shallow roots around here.

Have almost no lawn so never anticipate a MMM. Might as well go for 3" and maximize stability.

IDK if I want to invest in a QA system for the BH or not yet. I dont anticipate changing much. I might be able to move the splitter about with a chain off the bucket. It s a very short distance.