machinery choice

[Alexis]

Hello,

If you had one piece of machinery to chose and just one, what would it be. I'm talking about loader, bulldozer, skidder, atv or else

what would you choose and why?

Alexis

[Dave Shepard]

I bought my Kubota L48 with removable backhoe, as it covers loader work, excavation, and three point hitch work like mowing, skidding, or york raking. The other machines tend to be somewhat more specified. I guess it depends on what you need it to do most.


Dave

[moonhill]

Saw mill comes first.   Tim

[cheyenne]

It all depends on what you want to do & what your budget is. Cheyenne

[underdog]

Skid steer on tracks is ok. But one big enough to do any work is way expensive and you would have to be rich to get enough attachments.
As the others posted what are you trying to do.
I will go out on a limb.....
A backhoe is affordable and will do about any job as is right off the trailer. about 20,000 to 30,000 will get you a pretty good one.
If you are going to rough terrain; Look for a track loader with a backhoe on it.

[Alexis]

it'a a general question...

just trying to figure out what people are using more and what do they have

[underdog]

I have a Case 580K backhoe. It is my 1st pick for about any chore or job around here.
10,000 pound small dozer. It does good in rough conditions and finish type work.
As a pair they play well together.

[pineywoods]

I chose just one cause that's all I could afford. Went with a good sized farm tractor (kubota M4700) with a front end loader and plenty of hydraulics. Home-made forks in place of the bucket and a home-brewed hydraulic winch on the back. In the woods, it's a skidder and a loader. It pulls a log trailer. Around the mill it loads logs, hauls off slabs and stacks lumber. Bought it used, been well pleased.

[cheyenne]

here's what i run but i don't think any one machine can do it all as they all have there limitations & assets. IH 3800D backhoe/loader 4wd. Gehl 4635sx skid steer w/forks & bucket & detachable tracks. Ford 1910 tractor w/loader 4wd for skiding logs. Honda 500s 4 wheeler w/atv wagon w/power dump, great for getting where the others won't & will haul logs. So think of everything you need to do, the space you have to do it in & go from there. I would not get anything that is not 4wd. I hope this helps. Cheyenne

[shinnlinger]

Well if it had to be one, it would be a 4x4 tractor.  I love my Kubota!

But if you have the space, are mechanically inclined, and can wait for the right rig, you can often find 2 or three or more used specialized machines for the cost of a new tractor.

[Thehardway]

Probably a mini-excavator in the 11-13,000lb category.  One equipped with a grading blade and a thumb will give you a lot of function.  Skidding, dozing, trenching, stumping, lifting, loading etc.  a full complement of accessory devices suck as rock hammers, flail mowers,  etc. are available.  I also like my sawmill and my simplicity sovereign garden tractor.

[jfl]

He is what I got:

First I got a old backhoe (almost 20 years old) 4x4 to clear the snow and to do various work (I needed to dig a multi-thousand dollar trench; Instead I bough the backhoe and didn't regret it).

Then my father started by buy toys and bring them here:
First year he got a Berfor.  It's a 10 foot long x 4 foot wide light bulldozer mounted on caterpillar (Isn't it?) with a winch in the back, designed to tow out wood of the forest.

Then he build a trailer for it and found out that the berfor wasn't strong enough to pull  enough logs.. So next year he bought a Bombardier J5 (1959) with a trailer with hydraulic claws.

This year, he bough a bobcat (1972), to move things around.

Now general advice: A lot of people get a land, then pay to have some jobs done and when it is finished and they don't have much to do, then they buy the equipment.  I think that if you are having a job to do (and are not too much in a hurry) you're better buying the equipment to do it early, so you can amortize the cost on all the jobs you have to do.

But then, it will become expensive, so you have 2 choices: buy small equipment, or buy older equipment.  The 1959 costs about 66% of a ATV with a small trailer (with hydraulics).  However, it has a 6 cylinder engine and enough power to pull 2 cord of wood in difficult terrain (slope, mud, rock, whatever) It can pick-up 2500 pound log easily.  On the other hand, it needs more maintenance.  So in the last few years, I developed a lot a mechanic skills.

The question you have to ask yourself is:  when something breaks, what is going to happen?  If you are a contractor and have employees paid by the hour and are on a job site, you can't afford to loose time while one of the machines isn't working.  If you playing with toys on the weekend, then it isn't so bad.

Also having more than 1 machine is useful. Everyone has it's specialty.  And it is very useful to have a machine to tow the other one if it ever stops working...

jf

[Raider Bill]

That would be my Kubota L 4300 4wd with FEl, Back hoe, grader box, bush hog, bog har and auger. Wish I had more power but I can't complain as this baby will do a lot of stuff. Paid $11k for everything used.

My ATV's are fun but not real workers. Have rented tracked bobcats to make trails but the Kubota does the most.

[Raphael]

I'd like a 4 way steering telehandler with a swiveling seat and a 3pt. hitch on the back.  ;)

[barbender]

I have a case 1845c skid steer that serves me well, but if was strictly for taking care of my place/ hobby farm type of stuff, I think one of the 4x4 tractors with a 3 point and pto, detachable hoe and whatever else you need. The compact tractor attachments seem to be much more reasonably priced than skid steer attachments.

[slowzuki]

I got a tractor but it is needed for farming in the summer and snow removal in the winter.  I wouldn't be without some type of tractor or backhoe with a loader now.

I would like to add a small escavator with a blade, tractors don't dig well here.

[ScottAR]

Raphael, McCormick has one in the Europe market. I wish they'd bring
it here.  95hp if I remember.

As far as machines, We've got a 1050 JD tractor.  30ish hp and a loader.
Also have a Case 580D backhoe/loader.  They play well together. 

The JD gets used more for maintenance type stuff like mowing and grading the
drives and so on.  The Case is for heavy work and makin' mischief.   ;D

[Raphael]

Raphael, McCormick has one in the Europe market. I wish they'd bring
it here.  95hp if I remember.

I think I've found it... The McCormick TTH.
Looks like it was introduced as a 150hp unit, possibly a bit large for me but it'll certainly mow the field, drag the logs and raise a bent.

[witterbound]

One of the things I learned after  bought my first tractor, is that the attachments for bigger tractors cost more.  Duh.  A bush hog rated for my 55 hp tractor costs about 50% more than a bush hog that can be used with a smaller tractor.   Lesson is that you need to consider the cost of attachments when shopping for tractors. 

[ScottAR]

That sounds right...  I don't {know} where I got the 95...  Probably the same
place some of my other hair brained ideas come from.

Anyhow, Would make a great haying/chore tractor.  Probably a good
snow mover too as you can spin the controls around to the 3 point
end and drive backwards...er is it frontwards?   ;D

[Raphael]

Anyhow, Would make a great haying/chore tractor.  Probably a good
snow mover too as you can spin the controls around to the 3 point
end and drive backwards...er is it frontwards?   ;D

Yup, they say it's truly reversable, you can cruise at 31mph either end forward.
Also supposed to tilt the wheels up to 30 degrees for working on a slope.
I'm afraid by the time it's bought and smuggled into the country it'll cost more than the house and barn.  ;)

[ScottAR]

Pricey for sure!  Seems that way with a lot of European equipment.

Perfect for many applications but as expensive as multiple domestic
machines. 

I'd still lust after one if they were imported across the pond. 

I understand the Merlo brand has a 3 point hitch option on one or more
of their machines but it too faces the same problems of imported machine
in a domestic place. 

[Tim/South]

We bought a backhoe over a loader because I could drive it from here to my father's place with out loading/hauling. I never realized how versatile a loader/backhoe was.

[cheyenne]

How come all the good toys are across the pond....Cheyenne

[ScottAR]

I agree Tim/South.  A 7ton pocket knife...   ;D

Welcome to the forum!