Utility Tractor?

PeterAce · February 27, 2014, 02:08:49 PM

Thrilled to find this site! My very first post! My wife and I purchased 154 acres in Central Maine. Harvested 3 years ago, in a tree growth plan. Our future plans are continued tree growth, possibly balsam's for Christmas trees / wreaths. Is mixed growth, moderate white pine, although all small saplings. We intend to prune when ready, but wife and I won't live long enough for 18" diameter. I am impressed with the wealth of knowledge and helpful folks on this sitem, however, I digress! We have a 1600 foot woods road, that will eventually will be our driveway (which will need to be maintained - snow, grading, box cutter etc..). Small harvesting, not so hilly terrain but plenty of deep harvester ruts from past history. I am looking for tractor suggestions that can serve some domestic uses as well as moderate to light forestry activity. I am looking at a JD 4320 utility tractor with loader, skidder plate, and backhoe. Is an enclosed cab really a nightmare in the woods? All thoughts and suggestions welcome - and I have thick skin and I know NOTHING! Peace!

chuckthompson · February 27, 2014, 03:09:22 PM

I'm in about the same situation as you acreage wise. Cutting my own firewood and a couple of truckloads of saw logs or veneer a year. I have a 40 hp open station tractor with BH and Wallenstein FX90 winch (which I REALLY like). If you're detail oriented the cab will be an asset to you (especially in ME) as you will take the time to trim low branches. If you're not working by (getting paid by) the board foot you'll enjoy working in your woods. Here in PA, I can live with an open tractor except for a few cold days moving snow when I wish for a cab! Also check out web site tractorbynet - LOTS of good tractor info there from opinions to facts, divided up by brand and topics. Most of all, don't get in a hurry in the woods, take the time to work safely...

PeterAce · February 27, 2014, 03:43:12 PM

Thanks Chuck, great advice. Was not aware of tractorbynet, I appreciate that.

DeepCreek · February 27, 2014, 03:44:48 PM

Good information from Chuck.

The first thing I would suggest in addition to what he said is check out your local dealers. A good dealer is invaluable, especially if you are not heavily into wrenching your own stuff. On the other hand, bad dealers are nightmares that never end. Also, keep in mind that tractors can require some good sized tools if you are doing your own work, and heavy duty transport if they are broken down. If yours is broken down and you have no way to transport it, you hope your dealer provides free or low cost transport, especially during the warranty period. Be sure to ask.

JDs are too expensive, in my opinion, all else being equal, but again the dealer trumps all.

Regarding TractorByNet. There is indeed a tremendous wealth of knowledge available there, but I would add this caution. Be careful that the individual whose advice you are considering has real world experience in the subject he is talking about. It's not all that uncommon for members to give advice on subjects they know nothing about.

Good luck with your search and post back with your progress.

PeterAce · February 27, 2014, 04:05:10 PM

Great points, and Dealer reputation and support has been a very common denominator. I do have a very good relationship with this dealership - down home guys that are all tractor owners themselves, my land is well within their service area (free during warranty, $150 round trip after). Still better than a cheap heavy duty trailer to transport I assume. I agree that green is more than orange, and those are the two most supported brands in our neck of the woods. There is a case dealer not far from us, and I need to get over there to talk with them as well. JD dealer flat out said he would not bad mouth orange, but stated JD"s advantage on torque, resale (if needed), doesn't have the rocker foot pedal, less expensive on parts and service. He could be pulling my leg, but he did pass the straight face test. He said that if I bought orange, he'd be more than happy to service it for me.... well of course he did! ;D

BargeMonkey · February 27, 2014, 04:06:26 PM

Finding a dealer that treats you right and will service the machine is sometimes more important than brand. We have 4 New Holland tractors in size from 35 hp, to 130 hp. Our tractors dont see the woods but if I was buying one for a primary machine like you are I would look for 3 things.
Transmission - a hydro is nice, personally I would stay with a tractor that has a manual with a reverser, more coolers and lines equals more problems.
Hp - unless your looking to pull a large trailer or forwarder wagon I would stay under 75 hp. 35 is a bit small but the 50 hp range is enough to do almost anything.
Axles - make sure it has heavy enough axles, a winch can destroy axles if you hang enough weight off them. Regular ag tires are better for the woods than R-4 but ride harder and tend to wear fronts out faster.
Also, if your going to do it, buy a tractor with the "skidsteer style attach" it makes life so much easier and your machine will do alot more.

thecfarm · February 27, 2014, 05:25:52 PM

PeterAce,welcome to the forum. Is that a 48hp tractor? All those numbers don't mean much to me.

Is that a 4wd? I have a 40hp ,NH,which don't matter what kind,just hp. I use mine ALOT and I use the whole weight of the tractor too. I dig rocks and haul them into the bog. I dig and level out rough spots with it. I use it in the woods a little. Dig out old stumps with it. I also have a 30hp that I have a snow blower on the back of it. You might want to look into that with a long driveway. That cab will be good for that. I have a 500 foot driveway that I use mine on. The NH salemans lives on the other end of town. Any filters I need are brought to my front door.

Ed_K · February 27, 2014, 06:24:41 PM

Also look at where the fuel tank is mounted,I bought a landini with the fuel tank under the hood.

thecfarm · February 27, 2014, 06:30:23 PM

Ed,That is not a bad thing,is it? I've seen some under the step.

Ed_K · February 27, 2014, 06:37:30 PM

The side mounted tanks i looked at were made of plastic,and most tractors that i looked at didn't have protection for the tank.J.D. did say they have a add on tank protector for extra $.

thecfarm · February 27, 2014, 06:55:01 PM

Ed,one of my friends kids bought a JD,hydro. They should of brought the hyd filter protector for extra $ too.

47sawdust · February 27, 2014, 07:22:20 PM

My latest tractor is a1985 Kubota L3750.It has a loader and a3.5ton Tafjun winch.The tractor is 4wd with $800.00 worth of chains on the rear.My property is rough.This tractor is old style heavy duty with big tires on the front.I would highly recommend this model or the L3350 or L4150 of the same vintage.I built a cab for mine,no doors,and would not be without it,it is not a hindrance for me in the woods.Yesterday was windy enough to freeze your face off but I was protected while stacking logs with the grapple.

chance33 · February 27, 2014, 07:35:12 PM

I got a Mahindra 4025 (40 hp) with 4 wd. I thought with 4 wd 40 hp would be enough. I now wish I had gotten a 50 hp. for the hills that I deal with. I also got a Farmi 351 winch. I now feel it is more important than the tractor.

JohnM · February 27, 2014, 08:04:40 PM

Welcome to the forum, Peter. And to Maine? ??? Or have you been here and just bought the land? Neither here nor there just curious. I'm guessing you're talking to Hammond Tractor. I don't have any experience with them but can recommend Union Farm. I'm 20 min east of Bangor and the Kubota dealer there. If I need something I drive 60+ min to Union Farm if that tells you anything about dealerships. ;) :

;D I rarely need anything if that tells you anything about the tractors.

Good luck and grats on the land.

Wellmud · February 27, 2014, 08:17:37 PM

I have an L3130 Kubota with FEL and a Farmi 351 winch. I can only say good things about the tractor (and the winch for that matter), I have only had to put fuel in it and change the oil. I have 3 other pieces of equipment that have Kubota engines, a Case trencher, a generator and a Kubota zero turn mower, they are tough to beat.

DDDfarmer · February 27, 2014, 08:47:40 PM

Tractordata.com can give you specs on a tractor if you know the model number. Not always 100% correct but almost.

I would second the manual transmission, our NH TS110 with the 16x16 electroshift has wires, hoses and more wires all over. I would never take that into the woods.

I have taken tractors into the woods with cabs on them no matter how careful you are, lights-mirrors-wires get damaged. You can't watch for sticks and trees under the machine-tires as well as watch for branches above you all the time. I always use the open station tractors for fence-line work in the woods.

Before the time of our skidder, I always likes using dad's old international 350 utility. Open station, lights had been removed long before my time and nothing that could be damaged any worse ;D

ahlkey · February 27, 2014, 08:52:12 PM

My first tractor was at 42HP, 4 X 4, loader, and Cab. I did a lot of light tree work with just a farmi winch but I would not go off the trails with it. Overall it was a good all-round tractor. However, if you have to buy in this range I would say the one thing you could not do without is the 4 X 4 capability.

BargeMonkey · February 27, 2014, 09:33:23 PM

I see alot of people on here have more common sense than most, but it doesnt take much to flop a small tractor. We have had 2 deaths in our area from guys skidding with tractors in the last few years, both times where open cab with no rollover bar. One guy was swatted turning a corner with a drag by a small tree and the other guy flopped it and got pinned.

David-L · February 27, 2014, 09:55:02 PM

All good points, dealer support is critical IMO. Unless you are mechanically inclined and fix things yourself, I have had some fancy power shuttle and hydro transmission tractors and wish I had never wasted my money. I now have a Valtra that is all mechanical with a mechanical shuttle and a tranny splitter. Basic clutch and simple to fix. the fuel tank is wrapped around the underneath of the tractor for even weight distrubution and is made of steel and can be unbolted and taken off. I would find a 1985 or so 2355 or 2555 or 2755 john deere 4wd with 2k hrs or so. 245 loader with the high-low option and they were great tractors as i have had a few. Castings and steel from Germany and motors from France. Bomb proof tractors. good ones are hard to find but they are out there. fuel tank is in the nose of the tractor on those.

David l

Big timber little dozer · February 27, 2014, 10:40:50 PM

The best by far utility tractor is a oliver OC3 with blade and hydraulic remote's and a scoot for logging

But I like international's mahindra and SAME oh and Oliver ;)
As for winch's I like farmi or a chain+tracks+horsepower= fun

DeepCreek · February 27, 2014, 10:55:10 PM

Quote from: BargeMonkey on February 27, 2014, 09:33:23 PM
I see alot of people on here have more common sense than most, but it doesnt take much to flop a small tractor. We have had 2 deaths in our area from guys skidding with tractors in the last few years, both times where open cab with no rollover bar. One guy was swatted turning a corner with a drag by a small tree and the other guy flopped it and got pinned.

Sad and so unnecessary.

A ROPS (Rollover Protective Structure for those not familiar with the governmentese) is mandatory. Any new tractor will have one, and old ones can have them fitted if they don't come with one, but they don't do any good if the operator isn't wearing his seat belt. In fact, having a ROPS with out being belted in is worse than having no ROPS at all.

My tractors don't move on any slope or with any kind of load even on the flat unless I am belted in.

Windy_Acres · February 28, 2014, 12:48:00 AM

Ive got 2 tractors, do some small time farming with them both, Ive owned 3 tractors. For whatever reason, I use a skid steer when logging, not a tractor, but to each their own. At the same time, I do drag a box blade down our lane with a trator a couple times a year as maintenance.

When ever equipment comes up, I here time and again, "dealer support" is so important. I dont agree, and let me throw this out there, instead of buying a poorly engineered piece of equipment, why not get one that does not need dealer support, only maintenance. Go ahead, call me crazy... I prefer the stuff that does run vs the stuff than needs "dealer support", that is just so backwards.

I buy the "small block chevy" of every piece of equipment or tool, I do ALL my own repairs, so Im vested in finding the stuff that runs for ever with regular maintenance and attention.

I buy all my parts online, because of my locale, the closest dealers I do have stock nothing and are outrageously priced on everything.

Anyway food for thought.

As far at the tractor goes, Id buy at least 40hp up and 6klbs plus tractor, and if you can swing it, 4wd is almost a necessity for a utility. Chains will take you places you cant otherwise go.

Good luck with your selection, Id do allot of reading before pulling the trigger. Everything you want to know is out there, you just have to take the time to read it.

BargeMonkey · February 28, 2014, 03:01:39 AM

Even if you buy a "superior" brand tractor, which those only come in BLUE your still faced with dealer only parts and certain things anymore unless you buy a tractor older than 5-10 years old then yeah maybe you can get aftermarket or bone yard stuff. Our TN-70 NH takes a NH only battery, they sized it and set the terminals just right your basically forced into a 200.00 battery. We have a mechanic 2 days a week to service 29 pieces of equipment and 9 trucks, not counting farm or sawmill equipment and yes proper maintenance trumps a dealer but anymore your stuck sometimes.

gspren · February 28, 2014, 08:22:05 AM

Quote from: David-L on February 27, 2014, 09:55:02 PM
I would find a 1985 or so 2355 or 2555 or 2755 john deere 4wd with 2k hrs or so. 245 loader with the high-low option and they were great tractors as i have had a few. Castings and steel from Germany and motors from France. Bomb proof tractors. good ones are hard to find but they are out there. fuel tank is in the nose of the tractor on those.

David l

I agree, I have the 2355 4X4 W 245 self leveling loader. Unless you put a lot of hours on every year these older tractors were built heavier than a new one of the same HP. For maintaining our driveway I have a heavy 7' scraper box that works soo much better than a back blade. I've had it for 16 years and the most expensive parts were new batteries, twice. It's 55 HP but has the weight of a 75 HP.

Hilltop366 · February 28, 2014, 08:47:44 AM

Going in the woods, spend some time under the tractor before you buy it. Some brands have filters, hydraulic lines, steering linkage and cylinders, fuel tanks....... in the strangest places.

I would not take a factory cab in the woods around here but I did make a cab for mine with woods in mind, only broke the windshield once in 8 years. (it is still broken)