What Attachments Do I Need?

[BoneheadNW]

O.K., I'm going to bare my ignorance here so if some of you want to rip me on this, I am ready. I am trying to determine what attachments I will need for a Kubota 7610 (or comparable size tractor) with the following tasks in mind. I had assumed that a FEL and backhoe were necessary but I noticed that many of you do not list a backhoe in your member profiles and a BH is costly (around $6k I believe). So what attachments would you use for the following tasks?
1. Removal/distribution of large (5' tall, by 8' by 3'), packed mounds of heavy, clay soil- Can the FEL on this tractor do the job? I was assuming that a BH was needed to break up the mound first before the FEL could scoop the soil up.
2. Digging holes to plant trees. I thought that this was a no brainer for the BH, but is an auger a better attachment (these would be larger trees).
3. Maintenance of gravel driveway. 48" box scraper?
4. Removal of berry bushes. I have a separate post going on this topic.

I'm sure I can go on, but you get the picture. If a BH is not necessary at this time, I would like to avoid spending the extra cash.
Thanks in advance, Bonehead

 

[Hypernix]

Bonehead,

Are you planing to remove stumps? I'm buying a BackHoe this year primarily for this. I will also use it to dig holes, but removing stumps will be most of the work I will use the back hoe for.
I imagine that a bucket equiped with a good tooth bar will be perfect to go thru you clay piles.

Hypernix

 

[BoneheadNW]

As a matter of fact I do have several stumps that need to be removed, although I am not sure if the Kubota B4672 BH will be able to take out the larger, non-rotton ones.
Bonehead

 

[LarryD]

The property I bought was logged back in '95 and never touched after that. Most of the alders are now in the 6"-8" range and I can easily pull out the stumps with my TC33, the wet ground from the last few days has really helped. The firs are much smaller so my selective thinning is no problem there either.

We initially cleared 2 acres and hired a friend (layed-off pit operator) to come clear and flatten. He started with an EX200 and found some of the larger stumps (30"+) difficult to pull. The EX300 had no problems and we only needed it for 1 day, the 200 moved them to the burn pile easily. You could spend a lot of time digging out larger stumps...$500 will get it done quickly and you can finish up with the tractor.

Which island west of Seattle are you on?

 

[KiotiJohn]

A backhoe is not a necessity, but I'm sure glad I bought mine with my tractor ($4300) and FEL.
When you buy a tractor, get a toothbar for the loader to break up those piles, and to help you dig and load debris into the loader better. A toothbar is indispensible in my estimate, and will help you remove the berries and small saplings etc. Also, a boxblade will help you drag the soil around and level it. Make sure you get one with rippers so that after you get the pile down some, you can use the boxblade to move the rest.
My CK20HST is about equal to the Kubota B7510, only a lot heavier and I like that for extra traction. The whole package, including 54" FEL, 6.5' BH, 48" boxblade and tractor was $16,681 + FL tax in Jan 2004.
There are a host of other implements you may want/need, like a brush mower, finish mower, landscape rake, boom pole and on and on, but that's for another post I guess. Welcome to TBN. John
The attachment is a stump I dug out with the BH. Above ground was about 3' diameter. Just below the surface, was > 5'. Took many hours, but I got the sucker. John

 

[BoneheadNW]

LarryD- We are on Bainbridge Island. I have been advised by 3 different parties (including one post here on TBN) that Issaquah Honda/Kubota is the dealer to use in this area. I have contacted Joel there and, while I am still shopping, he is perhaps the nicest dealer I have ever spoken to. Where did you shop?

KiotiJohn- Thanks for the pointers. I will definitely Not need a mower as I have a JD LT160 for that purpose. I will check out the toothbar and boxblade though.

Bonehead

 

[LarryD]

I don't feel comfortable talking (down grading) about my local salesman (dealer), he may or may not still be working there and you probably won't talk to him unless you drive to Mt. Vernon. But I got their price and beat it by several $K including shipping.

There are many discussions here about dealer service vs. price so I'm not going to regurgitate that issue. I can say that the only issue I had with an east coast purchase was a 4" scratch on the loader arm...now which scratch was theirs? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I have over 70hrs on the tractor and it's never given me any problems. I did want to establish a local connection but in the end, price won out.

You'll do a lot of soul searching and number crunching but in the end, you're the one who has to make the purchase. If you're like most on this board, you'll do well and be satisfied with your efforts.

I only recently heard about the Everett NH dealer so you might give them test drive.

 

[Holzster]

Bone

What size trees are you planting - I used a 12" auger on my tractor for some 5 Gal. tree contanors - was quick work The Wife & I planted over a hundered in a day.
I also used my tractoe (L4330) to remove a hard clay mound I had not quit as high as yours but id did the job. I picked a good day to do it so it was not dry or to wet (the day after a good rain)