Tractor Sizing Tractor buying advice for 47 acres at 8600 ft

[deserteagle71]

The biggest difference is the transmissions offered;do you want to give up HST for a shuttle?If you go with the M7060;get the 12 speed not the 8.With-out going to the Kubota site ,I would guess the "M"comes with bigger tires.
If I ever give up mine;it will be for a M7060.Problably won't happen,my current only has 1200 hours and no DEF.

The M7060HDC12 I just bought came with 9.5 x 24 tires on the front and 16.9 x 30 on the rear. No DEF on the M7060 - but it does have a diesel particulate filter so regenerations will happen occasionally.
I can attest to what a turbo does for an engine at altitude. A few months ago I had occasion to go over Monarch Pass (11,312 feet) in Colorado with my 2016 F150 with the twin-turbo Ecoboost engine and I was floored at how easily it went up that grade, never shifting out of 6th (high) and with the tach never topping 2000 rpm. I'd been over that pass before with normally aspirated vehicles and even on a BMW motorcycle and they all struggled.

 

[donaldj]

I have much smaller needs and my LS XR3135H is meeting them. Looking at your requirements, have you considered the LS XU6158?

Altitude: Turbo Diesel

Short term (1-5 years)
1. Clear felled timber and maintain forest: FEL rated to 2900#, CAT2 3pt hitch rated to 4000# with 51.2HP PTO.
2. Stump removal: attachment dependent
3. Snow removal: attachment dependent
4. Road maintenance/improvements: attachment dependent
5. Open area maintenance (had 30+ acres masticated 2 years ago, want to rake/clean up larger chunks of wood): rakes, box scrapers, and brush hogs... to 50 PTO HP gets you access to professional-grade attachments.


1. Must have a cab with Heat/AC: Yes
2. 4WD: Yes
3. Perform well in dynamic terrain (some minor slopes. etc): 70" width.
4. Total height should be less than 8ft 8 inches (as it has to fit in my garage when I am not out there): 8.38' Yes

i have NOT used this tractor, but my smaller LS is a great value and has done all I've asked. My suggestion is that you add it to the list you're considering.

 

[Jchonline]

I have much smaller needs and my LS XR3135H is meeting them. Looking at your requirements, have you considered the LS XU6158?

Altitude: Turbo Diesel

Short term (1-5 years)
1. Clear felled timber and maintain forest: FEL rated to 2900#, CAT2 3pt hitch rated to 4000# with 51.2HP PTO.
2. Stump removal: attachment dependent
3. Snow removal: attachment dependent
4. Road maintenance/improvements: attachment dependent
5. Open area maintenance (had 30+ acres masticated 2 years ago, want to rake/clean up larger chunks of wood): rakes, box scrapers, and brush hogs... to 50 PTO HP gets you access to professional-grade attachments.


1. Must have a cab with Heat/AC: Yes
2. 4WD: Yes
3. Perform well in dynamic terrain (some minor slopes. etc): 70" width.
4. Total height should be less than 8ft 8 inches (as it has to fit in my garage when I am not out there): 8.38' Yes

i have NOT used this tractor, but my smaller LS is a great value and has done all I've asked. My suggestion is that you add it to the list you're considering.

I will take a look thanks. There is a dealer close to me. My main concern would be longevity of the brand. Lots of tractor manufacturers have gone out of business, and nationally LS doesn't seem to have much of a presence. I could be wrong so feel free to comment.

 

[jeff9366]

Kioti and LS are solid in the USA. My preference is for LS.

 

[Snobdds]

I'm not too far from you and have been to red feather lakes before, nice area. I have a cabin due north of you in the Snowy Range Mountains, so I know your altitude delima, as I am at 9,500ft. However, I think the fear of not having a turbo is overrated. Up here in the thin air, a turbo in theory does put more air into the motor, however because of the mass air flow sensor, you will never be able to cram enough air into the motor to utilize all the fueling capacity of the motor. The mass air flow sensor measures the density of air, not the amount going into the motor. So, because of the thin air, it will never regain full efficiency. Remember a diesel runs on 3 things; air, fuel and compression. The work around for air and fuel is to take out the mass air flow sensor and put in a simple air flow meter. Well, it's simple in theory, but the computer thing is the problem.

I have a mini ex and a small TLB, both non turbo. I use them at my cabin and back at my home, both high in altitude. I never notice a lack of working power due to the altitude. So don't limit your choices just because one does not have a turbo.

I bought my tractor at Ron's Equipment in Ft Collins. They are a fantastic dealer and just down the road from you...

 

[Jchonline]

Kioti and LS are solid in the USA. My preference is for LS.

Great thanks, I will add them to my list then!

 

[Jchonline]

I'm not too far from you and have been to red feather lakes before, nice area. I have a cabin due north of you in the Snowy Range Mountains, so I know your altitude delima, as I am at 9,500ft. However, I think the fear of not having a turbo is overrated. Up here in the thin air, a turbo in theory does put more air into the motor, however because of the mass air flow sensor, you will never be able to cram enough air into the motor to utilize all the fueling capacity of the motor. The mass air flow sensor measures the density of air, not the amount going into the motor. So, because of the thin air, it will never regain full efficiency. Remember a diesel runs on 3 things; air, fuel and compression. The work around for air and fuel is to take out the mass air flow sensor and put in a simple air flow meter. Well, it's simple in theory, but the computer thing is the problem.

I have a mini ex and a small TLB, both non turbo. I use them at my cabin and back at my home, both high in altitude. I never notice a lack of working power due to the altitude. So don't limit your choices just because one does not have a turbo.

I bought my tractor at Ron's Equipment in Ft Collins. They are a fantastic dealer and just down the road from you...

Hi Snobdds, nice to have a neighbor on TBN!

I did have Rons on my list. Looks like they mainly carry MFs, which is fine.

 

[Jchonline]

Buy a 10' stick of 1-1/4" PVC pipe.

Cut pipe to same length as potential width of M7060.

Mark pipe at potential width of L6060.

Gauge around your property. Check your gate widths and garage door width.

Pipe walk is what I did before ordering my tractor and I AM SO GLAD I DID.



Three photos from today. Removing dirt and ashes from our community yard debris burn pit.

HST/PLUS, MED//LOW, 2/3 throttle, 4-WD engaged. Easy-peasy

Headed up to Red Feather property on Saturday. I will do just this.

Starting to put together a spreadsheet of tractor models as well, so I can see everything together. I will share once it is 1/2 way decent.

 

[Jchonline]

Here is what I have on my list currently.


Kubota L6060 HSTC
Kubota M7060HDC12
LS XU6168CPS
Kioti NX6010CH
Kioti RX7320PC
Kioti RX6620PC
MF 1758
MF 1759

What really stands out is the Kubotas are about 4-6k more (tractor house). I hope they are worth it! I have dealers for all of these in Ft. Collins (all about 30mi from our place). So distance is the same. Any other tractors in the 60-ish HP range I should add to this list?
I am also thinking mid-PTO for a front snow blower might be good to have, can this be installed later or do I need to get that from the mfg. Also if anyone wants to discourage a front snow blower let me know. I am obviously new at this. All of my roads are dirt and crushed granite type. Expect some uneven terrain here and there.

Reminder here is what I need a tractor for:
Short term (1-5 years)
1. Clear felled timber and maintain forest
2. Stump removal
3. Snow removal
4. Road maintenance/improvements
5. Open area maintenance (had 30+ acres masticated 2 years ago, want to rake/clean up larger chunks of wood)


Here are my initial requirements:
1. Must have a cab with Heat/AC
2. 4WD
3. Perform well in dynamic terrain (some minor slopes. etc)
4. Total height should be less than 8ft 8 inches (as it has to fit in my garage when I am not out there).

 

[Jchonline]

Thought I might add a few aerials I took today at the property. These are of our access road, and as you can see it is under about 2 ft of snow, even though much around it has already melted. So not only do we have snow, but we have a North facing drift spot to dig out with each storm. The pictures are from either side of the road/drift. The latter shot is an uphill grade, about 4-6%.