TC29D Finally Arrived

Bird · May 10, 2003

( I made an impulse buy of a 48" Bush Hog Squealer )

In my opinion, that's the one error you made; should have gotten the 60" instead of the 48" model. Of course, you and others may disagree and you may be happier with the 48" one. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif I happened to be present when the dealer delivered my cousin's TC29D and 60" Squealer, and the dealer immediately set out to "demonstrate" by charging right into a thicket of 2" to 3" saplings. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif Even I thought he was overdoing it more than a little bit and it sure was noisy, but after he left, I inspected the bottom of the brush hog and didn't find a nick or dent anywhere.

bmac · May 10, 2003

Bird,
Other than the width, is the 48" Squealer any less well-built than the 60"? My dealer thought that the 48" would be better suited for the wooded property we are going to get (more manueverable).

Thanks for the feedback.

Bird · May 10, 2003

( is the 48" Squealer any less well-built than the 60"? )

No, it's just that I'd want a brush hog that's a little wider than the outside width of my rear tires. That lets you get closer to fences, buildings, etc., when mowing light stuff you are mowing a wider swath and get the job done quicker, and the TC29D has plenty of power for a 5' Squealer. Of course that's just my opinion for the kind of work I did; you may be happier with the smaller model, depending on where you use and for what.

davesisk · May 10, 2003

( I'm going to have to learn to say "no" at first in order to get my projects done. )

Tell them "yes", then they'll probably volunteer to help you with your projects (and some of that is bound to work that requires human hands!) I STILL owe some of my neighbors some payback work from all the help they've given me, yet I'm the one with the tractor...go figure....

Enjoy your new toy...er...uh....tool! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Dave

Anonymous Poster · May 11, 2003

Your land size looks about like 1 acre.. was a tractor that big really necessary?

bmac · May 11, 2003

Jai,
You are very observant about the lot size. And the answer to your question is "absolutely not". In fact, I initially thought a BX22 might be more than I really needed for this lot. However, we have plans to build a house on a 12 acre wooded parcel in a couple of years. So, with this purchase, I was really considering the development and maintenance of that property more than my current lot. Started looking at the BX22, migrated to the B7800, to the NH TC24D when I finally decided on the 29D, which is definately overkill for this place. Actually, for size and versatility, a PT425 would have been perfect for here.

JohnMiller3 · May 11, 2003

...is the 48" Squealer any less well-built than the 60"? ...

Yes... in many cases... the deck is thinner gauge steel, gearbox is downsized, side skirts/runners smaller, thinner/smaller cutting blades, all-in-all built for a "smaller" PTO hp tractor/ lower capacity 3-pt hitches (less steel=less weight)

Most mfrs will build/design the implement for the targeted market... smaller=less, larger=more... /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Bird · May 11, 2003

I didn't get into as much detail as you did, John. However, the Bush Hog web site has a pretty good comparison chart on the Squealer series; same deck and side bands, but yes, the smaller one does have a lighter duty gear box, weighs less, thinner blades, and slower blade tip speed.

So I erred a bit when I just said the 48" was not any less well built than the 60". My cousin has the current style 60" Squealer and I used to have a 48" one when I had the B7100, but the Squealers have been completely redesigned since 1995 when I bought that 48" one.

davesisk · May 11, 2003

BMAC,

Thanks for posting the pics. That's a really nice looking mo-chine! You make me want to go buy a traditional CUT just so I have one of each... /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Questions: What kind of tranny does it have? Hydrostatic, manual, or one of the fancier shuttle-shift synchronized mechanical trannys? How many speeds? Is the PTO run by mechanicals or hydraulics? How does the PTO clutch work? How much pressure and GPM out of the hydraulic system can you get?

Also, what type of work has to be done on your large property to prepare it for a homesite? Excavating? Grading and leveling? Removing trees? Clearing brush? How level or unlevel is the future property? (I'm assuming you already have it the property, of course.) How did you decide that you needed a 29 hp model to do what you intend to do?

I'm asking this because sooner or later, my lovely wife and I will (I hope sometime in the next 5 years, at least in the next 10 years, land gets consumed quickly in Wake County, NC!) be buying a large piece of land and building our "dream house". I can certainly see justified spending in taking the money that would be paid to a crew to break ground and spending that on machinery to let us break ground ourselves. (I know my current 18hp PT simply isn't large enough to handle anything like that.) I'm thinking that would probably pan out to something like $15-20K on a mid-size CUT (which would likely be kept) and $15-20K on something like a mid-size dozer (which would likely be sold as soon as it's not needed anymore), depending on the land and what the ground breaking involved.

Dave

bmac · May 11, 2003

Dave,
Whew! Lots of questions! I'll take them one at a time and answer all that I can.

 What kind of tranny does it have? Hydrostatic

 How many speeds? 3

 Is the PTO run by mechanicals or hydraulics? I think hydraulics

 How does the PTO clutch work? Don't know if I understand exactly what you are asking. You depress the clutch pedal, engage the PTO, then release the clutch. I haven't hooked up a PTO-driven attachment yet so I don't know if I can answer more than that.

 How much pressure and GPM out of the hydraulic system can you get? The System Relief Valve Setting is 2133 PSI, the Pump Capacity is 7.6 GPM

 Also, what type of work has to be done on your large property to prepare it for a homesite? The 12 acre parcel is heavily wooded with gentle-to-moderate slope downward from the front to the rear of the property. There is a creek runing along the rear of the property. The home site will be positioned more toward the rear boundary than the front to take advantage of flatter terrain and increased privacy.

We will hire out the major excavation for the home site and driveway preparation. Although we have not finalized our plans, I'm thinking that I will clear about 1 acre (maybe more) around the home to provide a sizable lawn for the kids. Tractor will be used for landscaping the yard area, clearing undergrowth from the wooded areas, maintaining the gravel driveway, fence installation, etc.

 (I'm assuming you already have it the property, of course.) I am buying the property from a relative who (for tax purposes) did not want to close on it until next year. As we are about 2 years away from being ready to build, that was not a big deal for us. However, now I am anxious to go over and start making some improvements. Oh, well, I have enough to do here to keep me busy for awhile.

 How did you decide that you needed a 29 hp model to do what you intend to do? Based upon the numerous threads I read on TBN concerning tractor size combined with the advice I received from my dealer, I felt that this tractor would allow me to do the things I wanted to do. As this is my first tractor, it ended up being a guesstimate.

Obviously, I am in no position to make a tractor recommendation to anyone at this point. Because my insurance agent was out of town Friday (when the tractor was delivered) I didn't want to take any chances with it this weekend. So, my total experience is driving it a little, sitting on it in the garage, taking pictures and reading the manuals. Would have done a little digging today but rain has kept me from doing that.

I hope what little information I have provied has been helpful. Please feel free to ask if other questions arise.

Bruce