too old to do it by hand

[rox]

Please have a look at the ower Trac Forum

Low cost, implements are in front of you, many impements...

Just cruise that forum to get an idea.

 

[miles2go]

John, Jamie, Jim, and Rox,

Thanks for those replies.

With the correct device for grubbing and grabbing, I *do* think it will be easy and very much more productive to clear the manzanita with a tractor.

Regarding the appearance of manzanita, it is a miniature tree. The leaves are ever-green, though it is not a conifer type evergreen. It is related to the madrone tree, which also grows on my property. In some ways it is just a dwarf, bonzai madrone, if you will. The 20-30 year old ones I need to remove are 5-9 feet tall. The branches bearing the leaves are in the upper third of the tree. Generally their appearance is "leggy" rather than "bushy". Hope that helps.

 

[IslandTractor]

Miles2go,

Although your acreage is high, it sounds like the amount of land you need to regularly mow etc is small. As you suggested, a BX23/24 might well do the trick. Nice machines.

I have a Kioti CK20 which is set up similarly (FEL and BH) and you might consider it too. It is a bigger machine (size and weight and ground clearance) than the BX series but basically competes in price. The BXs are better at mowing lawns but I'd put the Kioti out front for rougher landscaping etc due to the ground clearance, weight and FEL capacity. The CK20 pulls a 48" brush mower and I recall the BXs are recommended for 42s though they'd probably do fine with a 48 too. I think the backhoes are pretty similar as I recall (maybe the new BX24 might even dig a few inches deeper). Photo attached in case you've never seen the CK20 TLB set up. (That is a 48" Bush Hog strapped in the FEL as I had no other way to transport if to the island)

Make sure you are happy with your dealer whichever brand you choose. These tractors are all pretty darn reliable but ya gotta trust someone when something does go wrong.

 

[miles2go]

Island,

I note that dealer access is difficult for you on your island. My nearest Kioti dealer is 90 minutes away -- so I would be in a similar, figurative "boat".

How does that work out for you?

Also, I'm concerned about both ground clearance *and* stability. How is wheel-width and center-of-gravity on your Kioti? Have you run into any tippy situations in the marsh?

 

[AutoUnionTypeC]

Miles2go,

I'm in perfect agreement with Island; for the type of work you are describing the CK20 beats the BX, and most of the B7 series tractors hands down. As island described it's loader pretty much sets the standard for it's size. It not only weighs nearly seven hounded pounds more and has a higher ground clearance but it also has one other often overlooked mechanical advantage, in tire size. Where you to describe a suburban setting with mowing as a major consideration the BX might then step to the fore.

As far as the distance from your dealer goes, that’s a lot harder to speak to. It’s really a matter of your own personal comfort level. My dealer is about two and a half hours away from me. I didn’t have any hesitation, but that’s me. What I can tell you though is that I have over 140 hours on my own CK20 in less then a year.

The only issue I’ve had with my own was a defective drive belt on the mower deck.

I live in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains, they’re not really mountains, but still I’m no flatlander. My property is tiered and people are always making fun of how little flat I own. To get anywhere on my property you have negotiate some sort of grade and I’ve never once felt uncomfortable on my machine. There’s always some risk of tipping a tractor but I wouldn’t say the CK20 is any more or less prone then any other model. You can widen the stance of most any tractor by flipping the wheels around; to run R4’s on a CK20 I believe you must have the wheels in this position. So the CK20 coupled with R4 tires is as stable as is it’s going to get with that machine.

If you do find yourself uncomfortable with your distance from your dealer you might look and see if you have a Mahindra dealer close. I think you'll find the fit and finish on the Kioti to be superior, but as far as build characteristics go, these two makes are more alike then not.

Regards. Jamie

 

[miles2go]

Jamie,

Thanks for the insight about the Kioti and Mahindra. My closest dealers are Deere, Mahindra, and Kubota.

I'm guessing that the Mahindras that are similar to Kioti are the Korean-made models. The 15-series are made by Mitsubishi in Japan, or so I am told. I'll check out the Kioti, but which model Mahindra did you have in mind as a substitute?

 

[jim_wilson]

The CK20 is a good option - for the price it is more tractor than the BX23/24. I looked real hard at buying one when I got my BX23 but decided against it because I could not seem to find a dealer that had one with a backhoe in stock at the time I was looking to buy. If you are thinking of a tractor with a backhoe you should look very carefully at how the backhoe unit is mounted to the tractor - in some tractors - the CK20 is one - the backhoe mounts to a subframe which decreases the ground clearance of the tractor sustantially and also hangs the hoe quite a ways off the back of the tractor. This can cause problems going over uneven ground because the hoe hangs so far off the back that you can get hung up on it. It can prevent you from doing things like going up a steep slope because the hoe will dig into the ground as the tractor angles to go up the slope. Compare the specs and pictures on the Kubota site for the B3030 with hoe and the CK20 with hoe - the Kioti hoe appears to sit lower and has a longer overhang than the Kubota. The Kubota hoe sits in much tighter to the tractor. The Kubota hoe also has a 4 point mounting system that is the same as what is on the BX23/24 and is very easy to use to mount and dismount the hoe.

http://www.kiotitractor.com/product/more_ck20_007.html

http://www.kubota.com/f/products/B2630_Implements_backhoe.cfm

 

[Ryno1]

I'm wondering if a FEL and toothbar would get the trees out? If so I would think 25-35 HP tractor like those mentioned or a TC30 would do the job. Any of the brands will accept a bh if it's needed in the future. I don't know a lot about the other brands but a TC30 with loader, backhoe, brushcutter, and trailer should be under 25K. Without the backhoe it has fairly high stance and wide enough to be stable. A little big for lawnmowing but thats not one of your major concerns.

Another thought would be to go with an older tractor with FEL and toothbar to do the original clearing work. Could pobably get a setup for 5K

 

[kossetx]

M2G, I feel that if you get a 20-25 hp tractor you will be doing yourself a terrible injustice. If your wanting to grub up these trees, a FEL is not the right tool. Dozers have a front blade, but when they grub trees, they use a rear mounted grubber. A front blade will tear up a lot of land.

I built a grubbing tool for my 25 hp tractor 3pt hitch to remove some stumps that I had poisened. Like you, I have 1000's to remove. The mesquite tree in TX will quickly overtake a pasture and is VERY tough and tough to kill. The only whay I was able to get the roots out grubing with my tractor was if I got going fast enough that when I hit the stump I would tear it out. I also got slammed into my steering wheel quite hard when a stump stopped me cold. It was a 3" mesquite tree stump that did this. Thats not very big. A 20-25 hp tractor does not have enough weight or power to grub out trees. A 50 4wd is marginal for this job. I also don't believe the linkage on these tractors is strong enough to handle the tremendous amount torque that is applied by grubing. Check out the heavier Mahindra's. They have 35-75 hp tractors that are not compact tractors and they weigh 5000+ lbs. That is what is going to be my next tractor.

50 acres is a lot for a 20-25 hp tractor. I know, I've been trying to do that for 15 years.

My .02, MP

 

[AutoUnionTypeC]

Miles2go,

I had the 2015 in mind as a sub for the CK20. Mitsubishi may well make it, I don't know. Some Mahindra models feature Daedong/Kioti engines but I'm not sure which ones.

Jim makes some good points about the backhoe and sub frame. I don't have one on mine so I never really considered that. Maybe Island/Ed can speak to that. Woods I believe makes a four point that fits the CK20. Here is a link that shows a CK30 with a similar hoe on it. As much as I love my little CK20, where I you and could afford it, it would be the CK30 I owned. Those Manzanita trees look a bit more substantial then Multiflora Rose. I’m sure the CK20 would get the job done but no doubt the CK30 would get it done quicker yet.

CK30 with Woods Backhoe

Regards, Jamie