What's best implement for building a new yard?

[kthompson]

As a full time business person and part time farmer and other tractor work want to share some thoughts. Price the insurance and licenses first, I do sell insurance and no idea what you will find price wise but it may help you decide. If you are moving dirt it is mining or if you are spraying roundup or such are you licensed and again insured. In SC you need a commercial applicator license to spray that yard with roundup (my understanding). If grading do you know what is wet lands and the rules with them? Insurance probably will not cover you in case of violations of such laws.

There is a lot of building in my area as I am only 20 miles west of Myrtle Beach, SC. Here tractors and skid steers both are used for grading but compact tractors probably most popular choice, four wheel drive. Part of that is lot size, 1/4 lot is about most common.

As to bushogging most farmers handle the work on the land they farm, part of the deal. Some cutters are very costly. This can be very dangerous depending on how near a road, building or such you are working. A heavy rough cut mower can throw even a broken blade or large anything a long way. This is reason some use flail mowers.

My first suggestion is to look around and talk with others in your area about what they wish they could hire someone to do but have hard time doing so.

One issue to me with the landscaping work is for the most part it is one and done and now find another customer unless you get tied in with a builder and then I know several builders who do their own grading.

In my area the bushogging I think would have the best success. As farmers get older, as they don't want to buy the $15,000 plus cutter for their ditches or such. As subdivisions are built and they have woods around them that will need to be kept cut back think that will be a growing business. Now that is HERE. I would look for subdivision, small towns, anything with woods around the property as the trees keep growing into the open area.

I have a 4 foot flail boom mower and think if I wanted to stay busy with it could. A 70 hp tractor should handle a 3 or 4 foot boom flail mower or a 6 foot 3 pth rough cut. Again before you decide on anything keep asking and gaining from others experience.

Will tell you went through the hay thought process in fair detail the winter in place of my row crops. I asked and asked until I felt comfortable I had the right answer for me. Have two friends who raise hay who gave me great advice and also our farm agent on hay and think all three were telling the truth but one told a lot different story than the others, his was very glowing. I thought and thought as to why and finally realized he has not been raising hay long or large and has not been at it near long enough to be worn his equipment much. His operation is also small enough he is able to sell his crop out rather quickly to other friends with horses. On that line the farm agent quickly told me you can not make money with round bales, only small square. Again all of this is local markets.

Before you begin with any custom hired work you be sure you have your pricing where you are making money. You can go broke quicker with equipment running than parked if pricing is wrong. If you are getting every job you bid you are too low or very very good. kt

 

[MMagis]

Cattle is low and loads of people around where I live are getting out of it. Mostly its older generation that can't see it through this low point.

Correction, cattle are NOT low. They are lower than they've been the last two years, but everyone knew those prices couldn't hold out. I find it hard to believe there are "loads" of people getting out of it in your area. Prices have only been really high the last couple years, and people that were going to sell out did so when culls were worth $140 cwt. There's probably a couple idiots here and there that bought at the peak and have lost interest, but not many. Not that I'm suggest to not do it, I've been buying a little each year since the prices started to climb 7 years ago. But I'm doing it because I enjoy cattle. I'm not expecting to make a dime, and I'll be happy to break even in the long run. But make no mistake, cattle prices are FAR from being low. They absolutely will fall again sometime in the future. That's just the way it goes.

 

[roadhunter]

Roadhunter.... Thank you for you input on the silt fence. Actually had another man say the same thing. I'll look into it. I don't take you as a jerk and I appreciate your input and concern. I'm not doing any of this for money that I Need now for daily living. I have a good full time job. And trust me; I'm not trying to do everything just because I got a Tractor. Just looking around at what I "could" do to make extra change possibly with something I may enjoy. After getting several opinions from people and its not a good idea; then move on to the next interesting thing. I'm not a pridful man, I'll take a ton of advice and criticism to gain an oz of knowledge.

The cattle business I AM doing. I do disagree with you as far as a bad time to get into it. IMO this is the best time to start one up from scratch if a man was ever going to do it. In stocks or any other investment or business including cattle; its best to buy low and sell high. Cattle is low and loads of people around where I live are getting out of it. Mostly its older generation that can't see it through this low point. For me its a long term business. I'm not trying to make money at day one. I hope to have it where I want it when I retire. Then maybe pass down to my kids. Somethings in life you must invest in before you reap any return. Not much (at least in my life) will be handed down

Fair enough. You might want to check the cattle prices again. They are down off the last couple of years but the herd numbers still small and recovering from the huge winter kill we had. It's certainly not close to the bottom of the market or a good time to buy cattle or land in most places.

We have a lot of cattle up here, #2 in the country behind Texas. I get to watch a lot of successful ranchers operate. I worked on a ranch over in Wyoming that was 140k acres and still wasn't the biggest operation in the area. It's certainly an interesting business but takes a lot of land, and equipment to be successful. Best of luck.

 

[kthompson]

"It's certainly an interesting business but takes a lot of land, and equipment to be successful."

Seems to be true of any farming business. Also takes a lot out of the people working it. Yet it can be one of the most rewarding work to be in. Will say the same about any farming as I do about caring for sick people, "a great calling but a terrible job." If you are in it just for the money you will not be happy or I think successful either.

 

[airbiscuit]

A rotary tiller and a landscape rake would do it.

You basically have four operations:
*Spread/Move Dirt - Loader
*Till Dirt - Rotary Tiller or Disc and Drag, or Harley Rake
*Level and Smooth - Back Blade, Box Blade or Landscape Rake - Any of these should have trailing Guide Wheels
*Finish Prep - a Drag and maybe a Roller or Cultipacker

 

[bbd 25]

Thanks everyone for posting. I'm probably just going to do driveways, bush hog and maybe a little loader work to play. I was just testing the waters and getting opinions and more less kicking tires. Will start on my small cattle farm soon. Plenty to get get ready in that field

 

[Sprinklerman]

You will pick up implements along the way , as needed or as the deal drops in your lap

 

[crazyal]

My first question is do you have a way to move your tractor? 70hp is not something you can just tow around with most half ton pickups (once you figure in the weight of attachments and a trailer to hold the weight). You're not going to make money if you have to pay to have your equipment moved. So unless you own the truck and trailer I doubt you'll make any money.

Around here a root rake is needed to remove anything that was left behind when clearing the lot. We have lots of rocks and other trash that need to be removed, a good york rake could do it. Then you'll want a land plane/ grading scraper to level things out. You could get one with ripping shanks that could also be a root rake but here's the downside, with 70hp you'll want a heavy one (I'm thinking 2000lbs or more) to cut into hard soil. That's weight that you have to transport along with any other attachment.

If you have the truck, the trailer, the tractor, and want the attachments anyway then find a job site and talk to the guy running it. Tell him what you want to get into doing and see if he would be willing to let you get some practice. Maybe you could just ask to have your fuel paid off. If it works out you're name will get out there pretty quickly. My guess is that you're going to find it's hard to make money without having the exact piece of equipment, a skid steer, and attachments needed for the job.

 

[airbiscuit]

Thanks everyone for posting. I'm probably just going to do driveways, bush hog and maybe a little loader work to play. I was just testing the waters and getting opinions and more less kicking tires. Will start on my small cattle farm soon. Plenty to get get ready in that field

That simplifies things greatly. If you are starting a small cattle farm, you won't need another business to help you lose money:laughing:

 

[jenkinsph]

Thanks everyone for posting. I'm probably just going to do driveways, bush hog and maybe a little loader work to play. I was just testing the waters and getting opinions and more less kicking tires. Will start on my small cattle farm soon. Plenty to get get ready in that field

As sprinklerman mentions you will pick up implements along the way and at some point you will have the tools you need for various side jobs. A lot of the same implements you need to improve pastures could do double duty in lawn work.