What would be the best use of my money?

[gersus]

? Why did you post the specs?

 

[CincyFlyer]

It cost me about 25 cents a mile in fuel at current diesel prices. Maybe less just cruising the interstate. Oil change cost is about a cent a mile. Tire cost is about 3 cents a mile on my truck. ( I've not had the truck long enough to wear out a set. That's just assuming a $900 set last 30,000 miles ) Those cost are for my 90s model dually. Is the depreciation on your truck that bad?

Brakes, maybe DEF if equipped, insurance, all need to be added. Plus minimum wage for the driver! For someone like me, who doesn't drive much, it can make the cost per mile quite high! (Same as one year when I didn't fly my airplane much, and figured it cost me about $400 per hour in the air.)

 

[jeff9366]

gersus

I bought a LS XG3025 a couple months ago. It is time to purchase some attachments and I need some guidance. Our property is 17 acres, almost completely wooded.

Our needs are mostly clearing small (up to 4'') trees right now.

I would cut small trees down to grade with a chainsaw then spray immediately with an herbicide. Crossbow would be my first choice in herbicide, Gordon's Brush Killer second choice.

Also smoothing out the ground after pulling the trees, leveling out a spot for a tractor shed, maintaining the road, and clearing brush with a rotary cutter.

Your LS XG3025 is a nice, heavy tractor @ 2,400 pounds which will make it quite capable for ground contact work.

However, at 80.4 cubic inches engine displacement it will only "fair" at PTO powered implement work. I would search for a heavy duty 48" Rotary Cutter rather than a light duty 60" cutter. For clearing brush, a heavy duty 48" Rotary Cutter, if there is such an implement, may last. A 60" Rotary Cutter behind a 25-horsepower tractor is for grass only.

I pulled a King Kutter (brand) 48" Rotary Cutter behind my 25-horsepower Kubota B3300SU and it was completely reliable shredding brush lying on the ground.

If you knock down the brush first, before shredding, it is much easier on your Rotary Cutter. Consider a Ratchet Rake bucket attachment.

VIDEO: ratchet rake brush clearing - YouTube

Ratchet Rake is good for minor grading, leveling and light road maintenance. Ratchet Rake is more effective at piling debris than a Landscape Rake. It is much easier to maneuver a Ratchet Rake on your bucket, than a Landcape Rake on the Three Point Hitch. A Ratchet Rake does not need gauge wheels to level but it does require a few hours of operator experience with the FEL control to level quickly.

Eventually I'll be using the tractor to clean up the acre or so of bottom land by the river. Basically sandy,rocky,some dirt area.
What does "clean up" mean to you?


If money were no object I'd get a whole truck load of stuff lol! But, I have to prioritize. I have $1700 to spend.

Piranha toothbar is excellent for digging. But most of your tasks involve woods and grading. Ratchet Rake is a more versatile attachment.

OTHERS OPINIONS: Ratchet Rake versus Piranha - Google Search

 

[gersus]

A whole four inches? You should probably go out and buy a Big Bud tractor.

You simply wrap a good chain around them and pull them out of the ground, roots and all. No need for a fanny pants set of implements for such little things. It's optional if you want to cut the tops off beforehand and leave 3-6 feet of trunk.

That's what we've been doing. Takes forever though when there's so many small trees.

 

[gersus]

Speaking of driving 2 hours to buy something... I found a Woods brushbull 60 rotary cutter for $670. Looks used but not abused. Seems like a great price to me. Mostly I only see junk for that price around here. If it were you would you make the drive?

 

[4570Man]

Brakes, maybe DEF if equipped, insurance, all need to be added. Plus minimum wage for the driver! For someone like me, who doesn't drive much, it can make the cost per mile quite high! (Same as one year when I didn't fly my airplane much, and figured it cost me about $400 per hour in the air.)

My insurance doesn't change if I drive 1 mile a day or 100 miles a day, so I didn't count that to be a worthy consideration. My truck doesn't use DEF, but I don't think that cost very much on the trucks that do. I didn't factor in the expense for brakes, but driving down the interstate isn't very hard on them. I've never put together a spread sheet of my vehicle operation cost. It doesn't really matter. I don't have any choice except to pay it.

 

[Redlands Okie]

It cost me about 25 cents a mile in fuel at current diesel prices. Maybe less just cruising the interstate. Oil change cost is about a cent a mile. Tire cost is about 3 cents a mile on my truck. ( I've not had the truck long enough to wear out a set. That's just assuming a $900 set last 30,000 miles ) Those cost are for my 90s model dually. Is the depreciation on your truck that bad?

On a $55,000 current price range of similar pickup. Running a 2006 dodge dually diesel, averaging 2000 plus miles a month. Tags, insurance, 6 tires, fuel, oil, all the filters, brakes, fluids replacement, cost / replacement cost of the vehicle, recorded repairs on the truck such as front end etc. maintence cost performed for “free” by me. Have someone else do the oil change or other fluids and it adds even more.
90 cents a mile easily. $1.00 a mile is what I figure at also.

Plus trailor expense, tires and brakes and once in a while a light.

So “freight” cost to get or move equipment adds up fast.

Tractors not run or get replaced for free either darn it.

 

[Texasmark]

Get an experienced dozer and operator in there and do it right and be done with it. They can uproot the trees and push them up in a pile for burning later, thus getting the troublesome stumps out of the way and level the ground at the same time. Also you can cut firewood from the pile if suitable types of trees. A D6 Cat on a per hour basis can't be beat for clearing land. Best money you will spend.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Hey everyone, I bought a LS XG3025 a couple months ago for cleaning up our land and we're having a great time with it. It is time to purchase some attachments and I need some guidance. Our needs are mostly clearing small (up to 4'') trees right now. Still have quite a few to remove and more in the future. Also smoothing out the ground after pulling the trees, leveling out a spot for a tractor shed, maintaining the road, and clearing brush with a rotary cutter. Our property is 17 acres, almost completely wooded. Eventually I'll be using the tractor to clean up the acre or so of bottom land by the river. Basically sandy,rocky,some dirt area.
If money were no object I'd get a whole truck load of stuff lol! But, I have to prioritize. I have $1700 to spend. I would love a grapple but thats not in the budget and I don't want to spend the money on running the 3rd function just yet.

Here are some options I've looked into:
piranha tooth bar
stump bucket
rock bucket (to use like a grapple since I don't have remote hydraulics)
5' box blade
landscape rake
5' rotary cutter

I've been looking like mad for a used 5' box blade but none have been less than 2 hours away from me and/or overpriced.

I'd like to buy used if possible, so I can stretch my dollars a bit. I can find good rotary cutter for around $800.

So, if I buy a cutter for 800 and a used box blade for 400, then I have 500 to spend on one of the other options.

What do ya think? How should I spend my money?

Thanks in advance!

It sounds like you are off on the right track starting with a bush hog and box blade.

On clearing the acre or so near the river look at getting someone with the right size equipment and knock that out for you perhaps?