What should I consider in this situation???

[jcmseven]

Fellow Posters:

I have a question about what machine I should purchase, if any to fill the following situation: I just traded my beloved 3720 JD on a 4520 JD, which so far is great. I do box blading, front end loader work and will remove any snow we get with this machine, as well as mow with it. It is great and handles 90% of the needs I have. My problem is that about two-three acres of my property is inaccessable for such a large machine, and this winter when the brush is down, I am going to "clean out" some old trees and underbrush, maybe uproot some dead small trees and smooth out some of the areas in the back part of my property. This is a big project and will likely continue into the spring and beyond. I have also thought about doing some landscaping with shrubs, etc. back there and adding some small rock areas and mulching. I will need something that can navigate tight areas and some steep terrain. It will need to be able to haul mulch or small rock in either a bucket or cart. I would like something heavy enough to pull small logs or branches out of the area, but not something that will damage the ground excessively. I also will need something that will not puncture tires easily and I am willing to spend what I need to, but I do not want to spend a mint on this machine. I have thought about an ATV with a cart (my Dad has a Polaris 600 sportsman that would probably do what I need, but would be a handful in the really tight turns and would be hard to constantly move forward, backward as I need. I have thought garden tractor, but have serious doubts about a GT's ability to get into and out of some of the areas I must access. A Gator would be perfect, but they may be a bit wide in some spots, and I have even thought about another small tractor, perhaps a used 2210 JD or NH or Kubota, but they are rare and all may be too heavy to tread where I need to. Power Trac looks good, a little concerned about ground clearance, though. Any thoughts are appreciated, as I would like to plan for what I need before the winter, when most of this work would be done. Ideally, I would like to spend $8000 or less, but would go a bit higher if it took it to get the machine I need. I am a John Deere man, but in this case brand is secondary to fitting my unique need.

John M

 

[hwp]

I bought an ATV to do the kind of things you listed and am very happy with it. Since you Dad has an ATV, why not borrow it for a few days and try it to see how it works. I think you will find that you can get it to almost anywhere in the bush. I pull a small cart (3' x 6') that I load up with cut up logs, brush, etc. BTW, I have a winch on mine and it is invaluable, both for getting out of places that I shouldn't have got into, for skidding logs and for gettting my Kubota unstuck! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Take a look at Steiner. I think a used Steiner might fight the bill very nicely for you, a new one if the budget allows. If you are looking at new, then also consider the Ventracs (I like them a bit better). They have a more compact footprint than the PowerTrac equipment, and are better on the steep spots. The articulated and oscillating frames will crawl over things that your might not guess they could go over. The articulation makes them very turf friendly and you won't find more traction combined with a softer impact. You might want to look at the Steiner Utilimax, it is a single seat unit with a dump bed on the back, sort of a cross between an articulated tractor and an ATV.

 

[Code54]

I personally have a Yamaha Rhino and love it! here is a link.
Rhino

 

[DavesTractor]

Check this out. It is a one cylinder Yanmar diesel powered track vehicle. It does not dump, and it is good for about 600-700 lbs on the bed. It's about 3 feet wide. It might do some of what you need.

 

[bczoom]

John,

A couple questions/thoughts.

The first (and to me biggest) is what would you do with this vehicle once the project is completed? If you plan on keeping it, I would think hard about what kind of vehicle you could use long term. ATV for play, UTV for play/work...

How much, if any, snow do you get? That might slow some machines down.

For ground clearance and turning, are you planning on any walking trails or clear areas in general? I was thinking that if you have a 5-6' wide area that would be a future walking trail, whatever machine can pretty much stick to that and then use winch or whatever to pull stuff to the trail.

A 600cc ATV sounds like it's a bit big (frame, not cc's) for that area, especially if trying to navigate with a trailer in tow. A smaller unit (3-400cc range) might be able to navigate better.

A UTV might be OK since you don't have to tow but you'll need at least 5' wide to get around.

A Steiner/Ventrac type setup sounds like a good option and may be the best on steep grades.

How about a larger walk-behind tractor/tracked vehicle. I don't have any experience but if you could pick up something like a used Toro Dingo TX420 , it might meet your needs nicely.

Slime should take care of your tires.

Brian

 

[jcmseven]

Thanks for the thoughts so far. I suppose I should add that this vehicle would be used for both work and play when the main project here is done. With my current "day job", I suspect we are talking about one year of intermittent work to get all of it done. I would like to have most of the thicker brush out before spring, so I can continue working afterwards. Bob, our hospital has a Steiner machine, and I know you have a Ventrac, which you like. I am interested in the concept, but am unaware of any dealers locally. The Steiner our hospital has is quite old and was donated by one of our now deceased doctors to the hospital. They service it themselves and have no idea where it was originally bought. Brian, I actually tried a Dingo out, but it did not have the tracks, just the wheels. Due to its very short wheelbase, it was very tippy and its limited ground clearance and weight made it high center on a portion of my property several times. I had to pull it out with my 3720 at least four times and ended up taking it back to the rental shop, as it could not negotiate even the easiest portion of the terrain I need to visit. I suppose with tracks it would be better but it would then tear up the ground more. My father's 600 Polaris would probably do what I need, but it is a beast in tight places and the shifter for forward and reverse is clunky. It would work but would be pretty cumbersome. Also, my Dad would let me try it but I doubt would part with it for too long. The ATV concept is good, though, and I appreciate the ideas so far. Thanks all.

John M

 

[bczoom]

John,

Can you provide pics of the area you plan on clearing? If we could see the terrain, obstacles... it may help.

Brian

 

[jcmseven]

Well folks,

I wanted to thank all who helped me decide here. I have decided to get a gasoline Gator HPX. The final reasoning was that my dealer has been a good friend to me for many years, and gave me an excellent price, and I know he will do great after the sale. Also, I used my father's 600 Polaris last two days and though it fits, low speed manuverability is not real good, and I worked hard going back and forth so many times. Also, as an aside, my neighborhood, which is in the middle of nowhere, has a policy against ATV's on the neighborhood roads. Since I will be using the roads to transport landscaping rocks, etc. I wanted no trouble from our neighborhood correction service. A UV, such as a Gator, would be fine. I also looked at the Rhino, which was impressive, but the local dealer did not think it had a snow blade available, which was a major point with the machine I was looking at, so the Gator wins out. Thanks again to all who helped.

John M