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Message
Heavy equipment purchase advice
Posted on 8/28/23 at 3:36 pm
Posted on 8/28/23 at 3:36 pm
I own about 25 acres of virtually undeveloped property. I use it for camping.. shooting.. with the goal of having it as close as possible to a homestead type haven if needed.
I've been researching and looking at tractors as this would probably be most people's go to equipment choice but I've soured on them and moved more towards skid steer or excavator.
my main, immediate concern is land clearing. I've got acres and acres of overgrowth consisting of 8 foot briars and 20ft - 3 or 4 inch thick trash trees. There just doesn't seem to be a good way to attack this with a tractor, but I've never owned (or operated) one so maybe I'm underselling their capability. Tractors seem underpowered for tree pullers and a rotary cutter definitely doesn't seem like the right tool. Expensive attachments like tree saw and stump grinder may be the only way to go.
Hence the move to industrial equipment. I had a buddy come out there with a 40hp Kubota mini ex and, man, was that the most fun of my life. I'm not sure men grow out of that little boy obsession with digging in the dirt. But it worked fantastically at pulling trees and clearing land. My skid steer leaning stems from the advantage of attachments with steers. can pull trees. can get land leveler, tiller, auger, pallet forks, and cutter for skid steer. not quite so easy with excavator.. but, obviously, can't really dig with steer. And also.. much easier to move/handle material (gravel) with skid steer.
at the same time... I could do all of those auxillary tasks just fine with a tractor. and for much "cheaper." and then maybe hire someone to clear out the rest. but that feels like paying someone to go on vacation for me. I would REALLY enjoy doing it myself.
So.. any thoughts or advice?
I've been researching and looking at tractors as this would probably be most people's go to equipment choice but I've soured on them and moved more towards skid steer or excavator.
my main, immediate concern is land clearing. I've got acres and acres of overgrowth consisting of 8 foot briars and 20ft - 3 or 4 inch thick trash trees. There just doesn't seem to be a good way to attack this with a tractor, but I've never owned (or operated) one so maybe I'm underselling their capability. Tractors seem underpowered for tree pullers and a rotary cutter definitely doesn't seem like the right tool. Expensive attachments like tree saw and stump grinder may be the only way to go.
Hence the move to industrial equipment. I had a buddy come out there with a 40hp Kubota mini ex and, man, was that the most fun of my life. I'm not sure men grow out of that little boy obsession with digging in the dirt. But it worked fantastically at pulling trees and clearing land. My skid steer leaning stems from the advantage of attachments with steers. can pull trees. can get land leveler, tiller, auger, pallet forks, and cutter for skid steer. not quite so easy with excavator.. but, obviously, can't really dig with steer. And also.. much easier to move/handle material (gravel) with skid steer.
at the same time... I could do all of those auxillary tasks just fine with a tractor. and for much "cheaper." and then maybe hire someone to clear out the rest. but that feels like paying someone to go on vacation for me. I would REALLY enjoy doing it myself.
So.. any thoughts or advice?
9
Posted on 8/28/23 at 3:42 pm to tgerb8
Obvious answer for me would be rent equipment (i.e. excavator, skid steer, trencher) as needed to clear land and purchase a tractor with implements to maintain the land for years to come.
Posted on 8/28/23 at 3:51 pm to good_2_geaux
see this has been suggested as well. my one concern with this approach is how to pull rented equipment? This land is in an area where no one (I'm aware of) is in range to deliver. Do construction rental places typically rent 3/4 ton+ trucks to pull as well?
Posted on 8/28/23 at 3:55 pm to tgerb8
rent the skid steer you do not want to own one of those. If no delivery possible have it picked up by a hauler
Posted on 8/28/23 at 4:28 pm to tgerb8
Part of the good news for this stuff too is that they maintain their value pretty well. So even if you buy something and decide it doesn’t make a lot of sense, you can usually unload them for not a huge loss.
However, they are very expensive.
A skid steer is more practical for use AFTER clearing than the excavator. Excavator is a pretty specialized machine IMO, and doesn’t have a lot of value in “everyday” type use.
A tractor is really nice for maintaining land after it’s been cleared or prepped. It’s easy to store, fairly affordable, and has tons of attachments that are not super expensive. You can add additional hydraulics or tools to do a majority of the work around a homestead.
If you really wanted to do it yourself, I’d consider buying a used piece of equipment to do what you want (probably a skid steer), then selling it once done. But I’m not sure you’re really going to come out ahead compared to just paying someone to do it for you. A dozer and an excavator and a couple guys and you’ll be knocked it. Then can use a tractor and have all the fun you want.
However, they are very expensive.
A skid steer is more practical for use AFTER clearing than the excavator. Excavator is a pretty specialized machine IMO, and doesn’t have a lot of value in “everyday” type use.
A tractor is really nice for maintaining land after it’s been cleared or prepped. It’s easy to store, fairly affordable, and has tons of attachments that are not super expensive. You can add additional hydraulics or tools to do a majority of the work around a homestead.
If you really wanted to do it yourself, I’d consider buying a used piece of equipment to do what you want (probably a skid steer), then selling it once done. But I’m not sure you’re really going to come out ahead compared to just paying someone to do it for you. A dozer and an excavator and a couple guys and you’ll be knocked it. Then can use a tractor and have all the fun you want.
Posted on 8/28/23 at 4:49 pm to tgerb8
With a big enough skid-steer you can equip it with a sizeable mulcher to clear that kind of land, also have more flexibility for attachments later on.
Posted on 8/28/23 at 5:49 pm to Clames
quote:
With a big enough skid-steer you can equip it with a sizeable mulcher to clear that kind of land, also have more flexibility for attachments later on.
This is very true. However a track loader /skid steer with a mulcher is close to $150k for new and maybe more (I priced one a couple of years ago).
My tractor with loader, 7ft bush hog, 7ft land plane, 7ft disk, 150g sprayer and cone spreader was $75k. The implements cost more than the tractor.
ETA:
I have a field that when I bought my place was overgrown in blackberry and sweet gum. The best thing I did was to bush hog and the disk a fire lane around it and then burn it. After that, I cut anything bigger than an inch or so with a chain saw and bush hogged the rest. Guy at the dealership say the bush hog will cut up to 2” trees.
This post was edited on 8/28/23 at 5:56 pm
Posted on 8/28/23 at 6:05 pm to bbvdd
Guess the OP needs to decide his long term goals and how quickly he wants to get there. Probably the most effective method would be to rent or hire the heavy equipment to mulch and clear what needs. A large forrestry mulcher could clear all the acreage he wants in a few days. Could buy a good tractor and a smaller used skid-steer to have all the capability to maintain he would need.
Posted on 8/28/23 at 6:29 pm to tgerb8
quote:
but that feels like paying someone to go on vacation for me. I would REALLY enjoy doing it myself.
Sounds like you should buy some equipment and change careers.
Posted on 8/28/23 at 6:35 pm to tgerb8
Do you also enjoy maintaining and repairing heavy equipment?
Posted on 8/28/23 at 9:55 pm to tgerb8
Posted on 8/28/23 at 10:21 pm to tgerb8
quote:if removing trees is the top priority get a chainsaw and cut the trees. then get a stump grinder. The alternative would be to rent a bulldozer.
Expensive attachments like tree saw and stump grinder may be the only way to go.
quote:plenty of poison options for this. spraying is working smarter not harder.
8 foot briars and
I've pulled many trees out of the ground with a small tractor though. there are techniques such as using leverage. a 4" tree is nothing if they're really 4".
Posted on 8/29/23 at 7:41 am to faraway
Grabbed a 2003 deere 455G track loader from 2011-2013, put about 200 hours on it and sold it for slightly over purchase price. Did have a 650$ track adjuster repair and diesel was pretty pricey at that time but I don't regret buying enough machine to do the dirt work and clearing that I needed to.
Pic shows digging 1/2 acre pond. Skid steer wont have enough weight to do heavy dirt work.
Pic shows digging 1/2 acre pond. Skid steer wont have enough weight to do heavy dirt work.
Posted on 8/29/23 at 8:00 am to Wraytex
quote:
Pic shows digging 1/2 acre pond.
Gawd that looks like fun.
Posted on 8/29/23 at 8:30 am to eatpie
I dug while we were in a drought, the clay would shatter rather than let the bucket cut in on the run, so it was slow going. I wish I'd kept it, as the financial situation improved. But we've been enjoying the pond for over a decade now. Wife (no pics) caught a 7.5# bass (no pics either) three years ago.
Posted on 8/29/23 at 12:39 pm to tgerb8
thanks for all the suggestions and advice guys. Really appreciate it. I do have a forestry mulcher contact I could hire for a couple days. that, in conjunction with a tractor would probably be the best route for multiple different reasons. Im only struggling with it because it's not the most fun route. haha. I guess I'll have to come to grips with that.
Posted on 8/29/23 at 12:43 pm to faraway
quote:
I've pulled many trees out of the ground with a small tractor though. there are techniques such as using leverage. a 4" tree is nothing if they're really 4".
out of curiosity. how are you doing this? with a chain (or similar) just pulling it out? or some implement to rip it up/out?
what size tractor?
Posted on 8/29/23 at 2:15 pm to tgerb8
Im not very experienced but I've been involved in hiring excavators and dozers. You can find both the below for $150-200 hour especially with a 2-3 day plan. A dozer can clear a lot of land with favorable landscape of your small trees, vines etc.
I'd highly suggest getting some herbicide that will kill the smaller stuff and then hire a professional to come in and clean it up. With the small stuff killed and the right timing a pro could clear quite a bit of your 25 acres in just a day.
Then get a tractor for daily use maintaining your land that fits your needs. I wouldn't worry about griding stumps, a dozer can rip those out. Cut the tree down and let the dozer do any stumps you need. Or cut them low and die out and then come back in a year or two and burn them.
But the first thing I'd do is talk to a couple of land clearing pros with equipment and discuss their price and plan. Then go from there.
I'd highly suggest getting some herbicide that will kill the smaller stuff and then hire a professional to come in and clean it up. With the small stuff killed and the right timing a pro could clear quite a bit of your 25 acres in just a day.
Then get a tractor for daily use maintaining your land that fits your needs. I wouldn't worry about griding stumps, a dozer can rip those out. Cut the tree down and let the dozer do any stumps you need. Or cut them low and die out and then come back in a year or two and burn them.
But the first thing I'd do is talk to a couple of land clearing pros with equipment and discuss their price and plan. Then go from there.
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