Buying Advice Track Loader or 4wd Tractor For Hills

[samryoung]

Thanks for all the input. Here are some views of the property. I'm from the ridge top down to the lowest point. 1600 feet at the top, 500 feet at the bottom.

I become more scared of tractors from the stories of roll overs. I would go for the track loader but the initial cost and upkeep cost is too much.

Can a 4wd tractor go where a 4wd Toyota truck can go? Do I need to worry about the tractor flipping backwards when going up hills?

Thanks again for your input. Hopefully these pictures will help.

 

[KYDan]

I live in the knobs of central Kentucky and it is very similar terrain. Actually, I bought this land in 1978 for a training ground for motocrossing. Due to myriad circumstances I made this my home a little later. I have had Ford 2000, 4000, 4600, 2WD tractors that I used on it very carefully. In the mid 1990's I bought my first 4WD tractor, a Kubota L2900, 4WD, with a loader and backhoe attachment. I set the rear wheels to the maximum extension and I was able to use it on all of the hills on the property. On some of the steeper ones I only travelled and mowed, up and down the slopes as they were too steep to traverse across the face of the slopes. I quite biking some years ago due to knee issues staying on the pegs. Since then I have built a runway and fly a light STOL aircraft from the property. I also now have a Kubota MX5100, HST, 4WD, tractor and loader. I sold the L2900 and backhoe as I found the backhoe reach for what I do was not adequate. I have contracted most of the hoe work out to a contractor with a JD trackhoe, dozer, and tracked loader. I found it was less costly, more effective, much quicker and safer. I tend to agree with the earlier posts about a good 4WD tractor in the 50-80 HP range and either rent the necessary machinery or contract the heavy lifting.

 

[TripleR]

"Can a 4wd tractor go where a 4wd Toyota truck can go? Do I need to worry about the tractor flipping backwards when going up hills?"


Really hard to tell and is going to depend on the tractor. Our MF375 would go up stuff a truck couldn't touch, but it was pretty low profile. We go up some steep slopes with our 5030 and 8540, but I don't have an inclinometer.

Do some searches on "operating on slopes" and you will find LOTS of information, here is just one. And yes, you should be worried about back flips and operate/ballast appropriately to mitigate the risks. I am always cautious no matter how many times I go on some of our hills.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/199464-slopes-tractor-tilt.html

 

[powerpace]

My property is hilly to the point of only backing up and down the slopes when bushhogging. I can move at an angle till the pucker factor kicks in. I have a Kubota b3200hst with R4s. It will go where no 4 whd pickup will go.
With the Backhoe attached, backing up hills is the only way to go. I have dug stumps with the stabilizers all the way down on one side and only the wheel touching on the other and still not level.

You can probably do 95% of the work with a good wide footprint tractor. Rent what you need for everything else. In my opinion.

 

[Hollow]

You'll want to buy a tractor with the two piece wheels that has the concavity turned to the inside like...

And reverse it to where the concavity is to the outside like this...

Make sure it's a tractor that doesn't have the concavity to the outside when the wheels are tracking "normal". New Holland markets many of their tractors to do steep highway and right-of-way mowing so they build many of them to tackle your problem. I'm not advocating exclusively for Ford/NH. There are other companies that do this but Ford/NH has targeted DOT's and ROW contractors for years. I would feel safer in the proper tractor on a steep hill side than I would in a narrow Bobcat even if it does have tracks.

 

[Hollow]

Is it any steeper than this? I don't know who the guy is talking in this video. He did however use some relaxing background music though... lol

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeAwzmv7-ug]BUSH-HOGGING--TEST OF THE WILL TO LIVE---06-06-2010--.wmv - YouTube[/ame]

You could buy one of these. They are pretty cheap if you can find one at a government auction. Your not going to be able to buy parts for them at your local parts store though. Order and wait for the UPS man to come driving up your driveway would probably be more like it...

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-r-OduMGwg[/ame]

 

[deezler]

Whoa. Serious side-slope capability there.

 

[flusher]

Thanks for all the input. Here are some views of the property. I'm from the ridge top down to the lowest point. 1600 feet at the top, 500 feet at the bottom.

I become more scared of tractors from the stories of roll overs. I would go for the track loader but the initial cost and upkeep cost is too much.

Can a 4wd tractor go where a 4wd Toyota truck can go? Do I need to worry about the tractor flipping backwards when going up hills?

Thanks again for your input. Hopefully these pictures will help.

Backflips--guys (and gals) who are into tractor pulling install wheelie bars on the rear of their tractors to prevent backflips.

Tractor Pulling: Tractor Wheelie Bars

You've got some beautiful scenery around your place in Healdsburg. But those hills are really scary.

Really be careful out there:thumbsup:

 

[Huckleberry Ranch]

I have used both a tractor and a Bobcat T200 on my rocky, hilly 80 acres. The T200 was much more stable working on hillsides. If you do go with a tractor make certain you get one with a wide wheel base. Trying to use a 2 wheel drive 48" wheelbase tractor was a harrowing experience. However, Bobcats and their attachements seem much more costly, so I am now looking for a tractor keeping our terrain issues at the forefront of our decision.

 

[tmc_31]

Just looking at those pictures, I would definitely go for the CTL. I have a small ag tractor that I mow with (among other things) but it is very narrow tracked. Most of the ground that I mow is pretty flat. Just a small slope puckers me up. I also have a rubber tired SS that is right at home on the slopes. Besides, if you did have a rollover on a CTL, you have got a nice solid cage around you to keep your head out of the dirt.

Tim