New here, just getting started and needing advice!

[roberts.isaiah]

It might be an old international, it has 3 rubber tires with a track. Small machine but i'm sure it works well. He picked it up from a guy in Addison who had used it for quite a few years. I haven't ruled out buying a new tractor yet but i'm not sure I want to spend that much for a 45-60 hp tractor right now. There are a lot of 0%, 0% financing deals around though. I found 450 Case with a winch on craigslist, not sure how big that would be or how powerful it is. Whichever route i'm going I plan on getting someone who knows a lot about either to go with me. I certainly don't know the first thing about dozers or tractors. I think its time to start learning though!

[Ron Scott]

Yes, definitely go with a 4 wheeled drive tractor as a minimum. There's a reason why commercial loggers have gone to rubber tired skidders over crawlers of years past. Crawlers can always be rented for the minimum use that you might have for one, unless you are also into theland clearing, earth moving, and excavation business.

One of my larest timber producers (recent photos in the Timber Equipment and Harvest Methods Thread) also has two crawlers, but just rented a crawler that was closer to the job site so he wouldn't have to transport one of his a further distance. We were just closing out a timber harvest contract and had to grade out some excessive rutting on a wet access road section due to the heavy rains we encounted this spring and early summer. A crawler was needed for this 2 hour job, but the rest of the timber harvest was all done on rubber tires.

Crawlers are also a lot harder on the soil and landscape.

[chevytaHOE5674]

I have both and the dozer is great for building roads and pushing dirt around. Also nice around the farm for various jobs. On occasion I use it in the woods to twitch a few trees. But it is slow, bumpy, expensive to repair, and did I mention slow. Also driving long distances is very hard on the under carriage.

That said my tractors see 100x more use per year than the dozer. They are very easy to operate, can navigate to and from places quickly (and you can drive them on the road). Also you have the option to run hundreds of attachments on the back (winch, brush hog, post hole digger, snow blower, hay baler, etc).

If I had to chose one piece of equipment it would be the tractor hands down. The dozer is handy for certain jobs but its practicality is very limited.


Also a "cheap" dozer will end up costing you thousands if the undercarriage is shot, or if there is any issues with the clutches or final drives.

[Banjo picker]

I have already had a say, but you said you might get a mill someday..a tractor is mighty handy around a mill...dozer not so much....Tim

[thecfarm]

How big are the trees you want to haul out? Your land real hilly? I'm retired now and probably will have to buy another tractor. We have a 30hp NH that we use just to mow with and snow blow the driveway. My 40 hp can do ALOT more than the 30hp,but money will come into the finally say. I'm kinda thinking of a smaller tractor. Most of the big trees are all cut now so I could get by with a smaller tractor,even though I would not want too.
By the way look under the tractor too. Some brands are putting the hyd filter kinda low and the hook up for the loader too. I feel right in the way for a rock or a high stump or a good size branch to do some damage to them.

[Ed_K]

I started with a yamaha big bear cutting firewood.Now I have a 4x4 60hp with a loader and homemade graple on it and a tajfun winch/forestry trailer and a 136hp skidder doing full time logging.I use the tractor more than anything else. You can always hire a dozer for major roadbuilding,cutting a few trees to pay for it.Steel on the ground cost $$$.

[Sprucegum]

I have 160 acre playground. I use a D4 dozer (1956 model) in the winter and a 35 hp two wheel drive tractor in the summer. I am not making any money with the stuff but I am not losing too much either. 

To keep the expenses down on an old dozer you need to be a bit mechanical/welder/redneck and appreciate the speed things happen with old iron. 

[snowstorm]

the way he describes the machine his father has is sounds as if its the old international track skidder. they had 3 rubber tires on each side with tracks over the tires . a lot like what would be used on a tamden axle fowarder.the 2 front tires were on a walking beam so they moved . i have seen 2 one gas one diesel. dont know the ih model # i would say they were from the 60's

[HuZzEy]

if you go the dozer route theres a jd 1010 dozer with winch for $5600 in peru looks great from the pics that case dozer is an 850 and ALOT more money for just getting your own firewood. 

[chevytaHOE5674]

if you go the dozer route theres a jd 1010 dozer with winch for $5600

When I was looking for a dozer i looked at a few JD 1010's and found that parts are getting hard to come by for them. So that is something to keep in mind as well.