Tractor question - hydrostatic drive or shuttle-shift reliability

[Rick_W]

You will find zero turns are heavy, and don't like soft ground. other than that, they rock!
No zero-turns in the near future.

Went and looked at LS - no warm and fuzzy. Can't say the closest Mahindra dealer was much better.

JD salesman seemed to be very knowledgeable. Was pleasant to talk to and not pushy. Recommended a tractor that I originally felt would be too small - 3032E. I hesitate to call them "local" since they are actually based out of Georgia with 21 locations across four states.

The Kubota dealer also recommended a tractor I originally felt was too small - L3301. Was waited on by the owner/sales manager. When I introduced myself, he says "you just bought the land by N.D. - he told me he was sending you my way". Also quite pleasurable to talk with.

JD & Kubota both offer competitive financial options.

[mbohuntr]

Be careful with Kubota, I just came from mine looking at a new rig, they don't include many things on their machines like leveling rods, backhoe buckets etc. those were... ...extra... :mad:, I picked up a new Mahindra 1533, gonna get it dirty today... ;)

[yobuck]

Sent you a message Rick, but your inbox is full.

[Rick_W]

Sent you a message Rick, but your inbox is full.
I believe I fixed it.

[Rick_W]

In my continuing research I stumbled upon a web site with a calculator that will allow you to get an estimate of the weight of a tree.

Log Weight Calculator (http://www.woodweb.com/cgi-bin/calculators/calc.pl?calculator=log_weight)

There are other calculators there that allow you to estimate board footage and other things.

Most of the trees I'll be cutting up and moving are under 18 inches in diameter. Based on the calculator, I can cut these into 12 foot lengths and stay under 1,000 lbs, The few that are 24" or greater will have to be cut into 7-8 ft lengths to stay under 1,000 lbs. I would have a difficult time moving a 12 ft log in those woods so 8-10 ft seems more likely. This means I won't require the 2,000+/- FEL lift capacity that I was searching for - 1,100-1,200 lbs will be sufficient.

[racer55]

be very careful carrying loads up front,a great many people have been crippled or killed when they lifted the load too high and it rolled down the loader arms directly to rest on or clean the operator from the tractor.

[Rick_W]

be very careful carrying loads up front,a great many people have been crippled or killed when they lifted the load too high and it rolled down the loader arms directly to rest on or clean the operator from the tractor.

I will be using logging chains and skid grapples attached to the bucket to keep the logs low.

[gbflyer]

be very careful carrying loads up front,a great many people have been crippled or killed when they lifted the load too high and it rolled down the loader arms directly to rest on or clean the operator from the tractor.

That's very good advice. A load carried high will also make the tractor very top heavy and prone to overturn. Small tractors can be dangerous little buggers.

[mousemotors]

I bought a KIOTI 24 hp a couple of years ago. 24 month bumper to bumper and 48 on drive train. So far I haven't had to claim anything and I have abused the heck out of it at my new lease. I did find a small issue with one of the hydraulic cylinders on the bucket that was fixed when I bought it. Brush hogging constantly, disking food plots, building and repairing roads with the bucket and a drag blade. It literally hasn't stopped. I was real skeptical at first with the hydro-static tyranny but I fell in love with it, brush hogging and building roads. Fast forward and reverse was the best, a lot better than a clutch system. I grew up farming a drove a lot of different brands, sizes and types of tractors. This one by far is the most comfortable to operate. Would it replace a 4020JD, Cadillac in the 70's, no. It isn't designed for it but for its size, it is a work horse. About the biggest problem with it, even though it is a 4 wheel drive, it does get stuck. I believe it has to do with the smaller diameter tires in the front. I guess it wasn't designed to replace the Jeep either.

[yobuck]

[QUOTE=Rick_W;403413]In my continuing research I stumbled upon a web site with a calculator that will allow you to get an estimate of the weight of a tree

Depending upon the type of tree, they could be valuable left as they are.
Contact a logging outfit and ask the question before just cutting them.
A saw mill could be helpful also and could no doubt recommend a logger.
The county agriculture dept might also be helpful with free information before you just willy nilly start whacking away at things.
To give you an example, about 1970 I purchased 14.5 acres of wooded property for $3500 in the mountains of NC PA.
I have had the trees select cut, meaning just some, on 2 separate occaisions which returned more than my original cost of the land.
I also donated enough Hemlock trees to rebuild a covered bridge in Bucks co, for which I received a tax credit.
And I'm now in a position to have it select cut again, so trees can be a valuable thing to have.
You might also be able to have it cut into lumber for your own use.
There are people with small portable saw mill setups who would do that.
Even soft pine has many uses, such as interior window and door trim etc.

edit to reflect that land is actually about 17.5 acres, but a few acres are on the opposite side of a road
and didn't enter into much of the lumber harvest.