What would be the BEST rough terrain tractor?

tjkadar · Feb 19, 2006

I think I would use a dozer to do the initial work and then a tractor for upkeep. For land like that, I'm going with the Antonio Carraro. The motor is a Perkins diesel. No problem getting parts for it. Parts specific for the tractor are supposed to be available within 24 hours. There are a lot of FEL options, but those are in Europe. American options will be more limited.

BlackStock Vineyards, Inc. in Dahlonega, Georgia run a couple AC tractors and will be able to help you with real life experiences. I believe David Harris is the person to talk to over there.

If you want to work steeply sloping land with a tractor, an AC is, in my opinion, your best bet. They are specifically designed for that type of terrain.

IslandTractor · Feb 19, 2006

As an alternative to bulldozers and specialty tractors, how about a PowerTrac option. I can see two. The least expensive might be to get a PT425, reverse the wheels for extra stability and add a rough mower and grapple bucket. At only 25hp you're not going to be pushing trees over but with an added tree shear option you could certainly clear a lot of them and move the brush out pretty effectively. Total package could be had for less than 20K even with the tree shear, grapple, mower and transportation. Ask the guys on the PT forum for further advice.

The other high end PT option would be the 1865 with 65hp and a rough cut mower rated for 45% slopes. Grapple bucket also available for that beast. This would set you back >30Gs.

RAW · Feb 19, 2006

( Does no one make a small "crawler" any more that takes 3-PT attachments? My uncle used to own a little one that he used with a rotary cutter for hire, specializing in mowing pastures that traditional tractors couldn't go on... 
)

New Holland and Landini both make crawler type tractors. I haven't been able to find any online pricing for them though. And I wasn't sure if they'd be better at slopes or not. Clearly they have better traction, but . . . . I just haven't heard from anyone who has used them.

RAW · Feb 19, 2006

( ( What brand of motorcycle is in your picture ? )That motorcycle is a BMW. It's either a R1150GS or a R1200GS. They're pretty hardcore off road bikes with excellent street behavior. )

Yeah, I PMed the other guy who asked. It's a BMW 1150GS Adventure.

RAW · Feb 19, 2006

( As an alternative to bulldozers and specialty tractors, how about a PowerTrac option. . . . . . would be the 1865 with 65hp and a rough cut mower rated for 45% slopes. Grapple bucket also available for that beast. This would set you back >30Gs. )

Are you talking about the 1850? My concern there is the lack of ground clearance. They don't print any measurements for that model, but it looks much lower than the 1460, which has 12 inches of clearance. I'd think the 1850 would be great for the open field part, but not so good on the trails. Do you think that's accurate?

RAW · Feb 19, 2006

(
BlackStock Vineyards, Inc. in Dahlonega, Georgia run a couple AC tractors and will be able to help you with real life experiences. I believe David Harris is the person to talk to over there.
)

I'll have to look them up. That wouldn't be too far to drive to check them out either. Thanks for the info!
I sure wish I could see some FEL info for the AC tractors. That would make me feel a lot better.

IslandTractor · Feb 19, 2006

You're right, I was talking about the 1850. (Don't know why they are not consistent with their naming, as it has a 65hp engine...must be following the Kubota naming rules).

Ground clearance might be an issue but I would imagine that will be the case with most of the slope machines. It also seems a pretty expensive option. I was really thinking that a combination of hiring out some dozer work and following up with the widened PT425 plus attachments would be a nice and economical way of getting the initial work done and maintaining the property.

daTeacha · Feb 19, 2006

I don't know the name, but there was a tractor at the Ohio Power Show that was pretty much the ticket for steep slopes. It was set up so the wheels/axles would pivot with respect to the engine/tranny/seat etc. The wheels were on a steep slope but the central part of the tractor was vertical. Maybe it's one of the brands already mentioned, but if not, someone here probably knows what it is.

Highridge · Feb 19, 2006

Hello,
I believe the Power-Trac 1850 has 9" of clearance. I have a 1430 and it has the same size tires as the 1850. The 1850's dual wheels help give it it's stability but also make a kind of wide. You can take to outer wheels off and lose some stability but it will still have the low COG.