Advice on what equipment to get next

Gusdriveskubota

New member

Equipment
RTV 1100C, MX 5660 SUHD
Jun 4, 2019
1
0
0
North plains
Hi, this is my first post, here goes...

So we purchased a large piece of property a while back and at the time made equipment purchases based on our needs of just starting out and needing machines to do our daily chores.

We own 170 acre property that's about 70 acres of pasture with 30 or so horses and another 100 acres in trees/forest. At the time an MX 5660 SUHD was a good option for loader work and it has the capacity to handle large square bales which is nice. The tractor has been really nice and it's getting close to being paid off, leaving potential funds for another machine.

Next we added an RTV 1100C and ditched the Polaris ATVs for doing chores and daily work. It's been great I wish that we would have done this sooner. I was driving around spraying weeds in the cab today thinking how much easier it was not to be spraying this much space on an ATV.

The farm ranch chores are going good with the tractor and the RTV but lately I've been really wanting to work on mowing, clearing brush and/or mulching areas for replanting.

Option 1

Use the tractor somehow...

Get a grapel bucket and a PTO driven brush cutter. I like this option because it could use the 60 hp tractor we already have. I am concerned about getting around with this long of a rig out and about in the woods etc. We also have some decent sloping terrain in areas.

Option 2

Spend money on a new machine...

Buy an SVL when the tractor is paid off and use the high flow head to run nearly any style cutter I want. I like this option because the land is suited to this type of cutter, however the price tag of the machine and cutter is large. I'd likely find a lot to do with the machine to help the tractor, but this would be another significant expense.

Option 3

Rent?

Rent a machine to cut and do the work. Unfortunately nobody rents skid steers with mowers or mulchers in my area so we'd be talking a large tracked mulcher when I want to clear and open up areas. The price is 4,600/week to rent, not sure if it's worth it to rent vs own?

What do you guys think?
 

BAP

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
2012 Kubota 2920, 60MMM, FEL, BH65 48" Bush Hog, 60"Backblade, B2782B Snowblower
Dec 31, 2012
2,531
670
113
New Hampshire
I would go with option 1. You will be amazed how much you can clear with a brush mower and a grapple. Do all that you safely can with that setup on your tractor and if there is still more to do than then consider another way. You may find that you are able to get it all done. Make sure you don’t buy the lightest duty mower and grapple. Spend more and get a better built attachments and they will last longer without needing repair.
 

PaulL

Well-known member

Equipment
B2601
Jul 17, 2017
2,130
1,130
113
NZ
Doing it yourself v's hiring it out is personal choice. If you plan to do it slowly a bit at a time, then hiring out won't really work, but if you would be happy to just have it all done in one go, great idea.

Grapple and bush hog shouldn't make the tractor a lot more unstable on hills, so long as you keep them low, so I wouldn't see that as a barrier.

Are you aiming to make pasture with no stumps/roots in it, or just roughly clear it? If you want to stump grind then you'll need more than a bush hog. If you're happy to push it down to a few inches high and then let it rot over time (and if the trees are thin enough), then that's a good way to go. And a bush hog and grapple are both really useful implements, I'm not sure a SS is going to be as useful ongoing.

But then, I tend to like adding more implements to the machine I already have rather than buying new machines. For budget, storage and maintenance reasons (and of course because my property really isn't big enough to justify even the machine I have).
 

Jchonline

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
Kubota L6060, KX040-4, M7060, RTV X1100C, M62 (sold)
Oct 28, 2018
1,388
597
113
Red Feather Lakes, CO
Either do it with your own machine or hire it out. Preference to hiring out. Brush clearing of this nature is a brutal task.
 

Tornado

Well-known member
May 7, 2019
793
251
63
usa
Many have already suggested what I was going to suggest as a 4th option - To hire out the work. I am with the others in suggesting Option 1 or the 'new' option 4. Id personally go with option 1 because a good heavy duty brush cutter and a grapple can do a lot of work. If you need to clear full on woods with big tree's, I would hire a site prep outfit to come in and do it.