Tractor for land clearing and preparation

[Gord Baker]

Good day everybody,

I'm looking to buy a tractor which will be mainly used for land clearing and preparation in the beginning. Land is full of small 1-2 inch thick trees which need to be cleared.
Short story, I bought recently 300 acres of virgin land which needs to be cleared, leveled, prepared from scratch.
Initially I was thinking to start with an 80 hp tractor with a front and loader , grapple and leveler but afterwards I had second thoughts that it might be cheaper fuel wise to start with an 50-60 hp tractor which might reduce my costs for clearing the land but I will have to buy a bigger tractor afterwards for land preparation, tilling, planting.
Though these are just thoughts, I have no experience with tractors beside all the reading
I'm not living in USA , in case you are thinking of recommending some tractor models
To be honest, I'm stuck a bit and I would appreciate some advice

Thank you.

 

[Gord Baker]

300 acres is a lot of land to clear for farming. Hire it out and then with a 60-80 HP tractor begin to plow it. It will take considerable time to plow, disc and make it field ready for planting. Get a popular make of Tractor with nearby Service and all the implements you will really need.

 

[MD2595]

I'm with these guys. I've got a 100+ HP tractor and (if I recall) a 90 HP industrial backhoe/loader.

Wife has a CORNER of the woods that she wants cleaned up for a detached garage. Tractor is idle. I'm using the backhoe to get the trees down (saplings up to 30" diameter) Dragging the fallen trees to burn pile, good sections cutting into logs and stacking those.

MUCH slower than antiicpated and I'm doing something less than 100 feet x 100 feet!

The saplings are what are taking the longest. Easy to push a tree over. Those sapings....there are TONS of them and I'm trying to pluck each one out. I might just get the trees down, then take the rotary mower and mow the saplings down other than.... the tractor (ESPECIALLY with mower attached) is WAY too big for the area....no room to turn around.

Plan B might be to take a 4' box off the 444 International (which is dead needing engine rebuilt) and putting the tiny 4' box blade behind the 1066 International. it BARELY fits but can work in a pinch.

Meanwhile, since we're on a slope, probably use the backhoe & loader bucket to try to dig most of it down to grade, then maybe try to fine-tune with boxblade.

Either way, I'd say that both of these are not the ideal tools however, that said, I'm getting more done with the backhoe/loader than the tractor.

Get a tree/post puller. It works great for pines up to 8" diameter and oaks up to 6" diameter on my Kubota M7060HDC12 (71 hp). It's a quick attach to the loader and uses a third function hydraulic.

 

[kenhar]

If you have 100+ acres of 1 to 2 inch saplings, you need a 75 to 80hp tractor and 15' bush hog. Anything bigger, I would suggest a track loader with 4 in1 bucket. Preferably a dresser 175c. A track loader with a 4 in 1 bucket is much more versitle than a dozer. Dozers push and that's it. A loader will push, load, pile, and dig. You can get a root rake attachment for a loader bucket. I use the bucket teeth for big roots and a 3 point, spring loaded chisel plow for the brush. Move all the teeth to 1 row and you will clean the ground.

 

[crest25]

Good day everybody,

I'm looking to buy a tractor which will be mainly used for land clearing and preparation in the beginning. Land is full of small 1-2 inch thick trees which need to be cleared.
Short story, I bought recently 300 acres of virgin land which needs to be cleared, leveled, prepared from scratch.
Initially I was thinking to start with an 80 hp tractor with a front and loader , grapple and leveler but afterwards I had second thoughts that it might be cheaper fuel wise to start with an 50-60 hp tractor which might reduce my costs for clearing the land but I will have to buy a bigger tractor afterwards for land preparation, tilling, planting.
Though these are just thoughts, I have no experience with tractors beside all the reading
I'm not living in USA , in case you are thinking of recommending some tractor models
To be honest, I'm stuck a bit and I would appreciate some advice

Thank you.

I have one I just listed. It is a Massey-Ferguson 50E industrial tractor with a diesel engine. It has a 7 foot Gannon and a 7 foot bucket. If you are not in the USA how are you going to get it? I am in Southern California.

 

[mboncalo]

WHY would want to tear up 300 Ac of land??
I live where the land has been in Production since around 1820. Mother Nature has been trying to reclaim her domain around the edges over the past 70 years that it has not been tended to. I am giving giving it a bit of a trim with a de-foresting machine, but not bulldozing it.
I would suggest you live on it awhile before turning it into a parking lot.

I know what you mean and I agree with you, actually I want to improve the area. Currently , those trees bring no benefits, small roots, they get dry in dry season, mostly like a bigger bush, not good to cool off the air or ground and trigger some rain perhaps. I thinking to grow bigger trees in a designated area and leave some of older vegetation on others

 

[mboncalo]

I have one I just listed. It is a Massey-Ferguson 50E industrial tractor with a diesel engine. It has a 7 foot Gannon and a 7 foot bucket. If you are not in the USA how are you going to get it? I am in Southern California.

We don't have those models around here so no parts

 

[shadowm77]

i would hirer a forestry mulcher they can grind your trees and mulch them into the soil and smooth your ground at the same time then buy your tractor it would give you a better idea of how much tractor you need

 

[mra400ex]

A dozer or a loader dozer would be best. I do a lot of clearing for deer plots and have a few repeat customers. I have a D4G which has 6 way blade and hydro on the stick. On 1 to 2 inch trees I would grub them out and as I go also be running over what ever the blade does nor get. I then approach at like 90 degrees and gather it all up. Another choice is a heavy bush hog to cut them down or a skid steer with a grinder. Either way there you will have the trees trying to sprout out again. Also after cutting a chisel plow could pull out the clumps. No matter how you look at it requires a lot of time on that type growth and 300 acres is a large area. From origional post I presume the property is not in the USA? I attached pictures of an area I recently did. Lots of stuff 1 to 2 inch with larger trees and remains from logging a few years back, but it really looked good and property owner loved it. With the hydro the d4 can maneuver like a skid steer. Of the clearing I have done for people this seems to work the best. One guy had me with the dozer and one guy also grinding. I loaded up after I did the bigger trees as he said he would have the grinder do the rest.. I had asked at the time, "If you are done with work for the D4 I'll load up while it is handy?" When you are all hooked to the trailer and ramps are down etc. it's easy to load back up. He said I'll have them grind the rest. Next day he texted me and said he wished I still had the dozer there. Either way 300 acres of that type of growth is a lot of work

 

[rhuffie]

Good day everybody,

I'm looking to buy a tractor which will be mainly used for land clearing and preparation in the beginning. Land is full of small 1-2 inch thick trees which need to be cleared.
Short story, I bought recently 300 acres of virgin land which needs to be cleared, leveled, prepared from scratch.
Initially I was thinking to start with an 80 hp tractor with a front and loader , grapple and leveler but afterwards I had second thoughts that it might be cheaper fuel wise to start with an 50-60 hp tractor which might reduce my costs for clearing the land but I will have to buy a bigger tractor afterwards for land preparation, tilling, planting.
Though these are just thoughts, I have no experience with tractors beside all the reading
I'm not living in USA , in case you are thinking of recommending some tractor models
To be honest, I'm stuck a bit and I would appreciate some advice

Thank you.

I'm with many of there other responses. Save yourself a lot of time and trouble by first hiring an experienced dozer operator to clear and level as needed. These large machines will by able to make short work of the first stage of opening up your land. Once that big job is complete, survey to see what operations you will need to complete both that job and the other ones you will be be doing moving into the future. Then figure out the tractor that will best fit your needs.

 

[olenjohn]

 

[just_Dave]

Can you share some photos? nice resolution would be cool.. I did see the one photo but not sure if that was it.
Honestly being in a different country changes most of our answers.
looking at the one photo I almost feel like fire would be the simplest if you can control it, also it looked like you had a lot of space between trees.
with your no till option in farming how big of a planter are you thinking of? Almost wonder if you could farm around trees and use a chain or cheap labor to clear out space.

 

[Bison]

1-2" diameter trees.
Mulcher hands down.

 

[Rob REECE]

Good day everybody,

I'm looking to buy a tractor which will be mainly used for land clearing and preparation in the beginning. Land is full of small 1-2 inch thick trees which need to be cleared.
Short story, I bought recently 300 acres of virgin land which needs to be cleared, leveled, prepared from scratch.
Initially I was thinking to start with an 80 hp tractor with a front and loader , grapple and leveler but afterwards I had second thoughts that it might be cheaper fuel wise to start with an 50-60 hp tractor which might reduce my costs for clearing the land but I will have to buy a bigger tractor afterwards for land preparation, tilling, planting.
Though these are just thoughts, I have no experience with tractors beside all the reading
I'm not living in USA , in case you are thinking of recommending some tractor models
To be honest, I'm stuck a bit and I would appreciate some advice

Thank you.

With all that land clearing you might want to consider a bulldozer. Tractors just aren’t really meant for that kind of work.

 

[SpiritFilled]

Good day everybody,

I'm looking to buy a tractor which will be mainly used for land clearing and preparation in the beginning. Land is full of small 1-2 inch thick trees which need to be cleared.
Short story, I bought recently 300 acres of virgin land which needs to be cleared, leveled, prepared from scratch.
Initially I was thinking to start with an 80 hp tractor with a front and loader , grapple and leveler but afterwards I had second thoughts that it might be cheaper fuel wise to start with an 50-60 hp tractor which might reduce my costs for clearing the land but I will have to buy a bigger tractor afterwards for land preparation, tilling, planting.
Though these are just thoughts, I have no experience with tractors beside all the reading
I'm not living in USA , in case you are thinking of recommending some tractor models
To be honest, I'm stuck a bit and I would appreciate some advice

Thank you.

I did the job manually on about 4 acres but was trying to be selective about which trees to get rid of. I bought a backhoe to remove larger stumps. That was effective but very slow. I had a friend bring a bush hog over and he made good time until he bent his blades by being too aggressive on a stump that was too big. I bought a tree puller (manual) suitable for up to 3" trees. I obviously am not suggesting this, but what I learned was: soil type, time of year (spring rains or bone dry) made a huge difference for me, as well as how some trees came out easily compared to others. So depending on how deep the roots go, a box blade with rippers would cover more ground pulling out roots after you cut the stems above ground. How much horsepower is required to do that, or if it would work, I don't know. Maybe someone else here has some experience doing that. If you put all the cut tops to burn in a pile and then all the roots on top of them it should burn quite well and fast. Good luck with your project.

 

[Mark_G]

Since you want to raise pigs, and your brush is only 1 to 2 inches, I would certainly try brush hogging an area to put up portable electric fence and turn some pigs into it. They do a heck of a job killing small stuff, fertilizing soil etc. You will want to still clear other areas, but the pigs themselves may do a bit of work for you! Put some goats in and they will eat and even debark a bit of the larger brush and kill it as well. Will then have some fed livestock right out the gate possibly doing a bit of the work for you. We only had a few of each for 4-H projects, but the areas we put in pigs and/or goats for a couple of years are nice fertile green open areas now several years later (kids grew up and out and we don't have livestock anymore).

 

[Papa T]

Good day everybody,

I'm looking to buy a tractor which will be mainly used for land clearing and preparation in the beginning. Land is full of small 1-2 inch thick trees which need to be cleared.
Short story, I bought recently 300 acres of virgin land which needs to be cleared, leveled, prepared from scratch.
Initially I was thinking to start with an 80 hp tractor with a front and loader , grapple and leveler but afterwards I had second thoughts that it might be cheaper fuel wise to start with an 50-60 hp tractor which might reduce my costs for clearing the land but I will have to buy a bigger tractor afterwards for land preparation, tilling, planting.
Though these are just thoughts, I have no experience with tractors beside all the reading
I'm not living in USA , in case you are thinking of recommending some tractor models
To be honest, I'm stuck a bit and I would appreciate some advice

Thank you.

Hire someone with a skid steer mulcher. They will have then entire area done in two weeks or ao and it will be very good.

 

[Omega Woods]

I didn't read the whole thread but 300 acres of land is an enormous amount of land to clear and maintain. I live on 17 acres and grew up on a hundred and can't imagine clearing 300 acres of land with any size tractor.

I wonder if you might consider selling off 50 acres to raise enough capital to buy the right equipment to clear and maintain the other 250? I'd rather have 250 in production with the right tools available that 300 with no good way to manage it.

 

[vicsrc]

I had !0 acres of land to clear and I rented a tractor to do it with then hired a man to clear and level it

 

[dgriff23@cox.net]

I don't totally agree with the quest for bigger. I had a skid steer, 80 hp backhoe, and 40 hp grading tractor with a Gannon box blade with no front loader. My weapon of choice would be the box blade, Not the junky little boxes - a box designed for industrial dirt work with ripper teeth. My box blade weighed over 1200 pounds with both push and pull blades. You can move tremendous volumes of dirt with a high back box. Really needs hydraulic top and tilt. I would think the rippers could bring up the saplings.
My 2 cents.