Excavation Work

[Wiredawg]

One more thought... I reccomend going wits compact versus subcompact... more weight, more stability, better tires.

Ron

 

[endoscott]

Plus 1 on that. The little ones dont weigh enough for backhoe work if you got hardpan like we do. And they can't lift very much weight in the bucket. On the plus side they are very maneuverable in tight spaces, great for big gardens, pasture mowing, lifting stuff etc. For your purposes, go with Rons suggestion of compact vs subcompact. I bought both of mine used, cash on the barrel head. No regrets. I bet I can sell my little one for what I paid for it 20 years ago. It was already fully depreciated, always stored inside and maintained, those old Kubotas really hold their value. It probably had 2500 hours on it when I bought it, so yeah, some dents and dings, but never failed to go. Kind of like Russel Wilson. I replaced all the hydraulic hoses a few years ago. Went through the (very interesting!) cooling system, thermosiphon. I couldnt find the darn water pump-cuz they don't have one. Replaced fuel lines and as I said before, recently replaced glow plugs and glow plug controller. Literally everything is easy to work on, parts easily available. I think we paid $18,000 for a used B-21 10 or 15 years ago. Needed a backhoe. That thing is a beast for a relatively small tractor, great for light construction work. Once you get good at running them it it's almost impossible to get stuck. Cant remember how many hours were on it, maybe 1500 when we bought it. Unless used commercially, they are usually fine to buy used. As far as your bid, yeah a lot of this stuff is roughly 50% labor and 50% materials. Things like cabinet work are more for labor, less for material, so you can really save a ton of $$. We built all of ours custom. Not rocket science but you need the right tools and you need to be patient. (Hope your wife is patient too). Concrete work is hard and heavy. I had help on the pours from a friend who did construction work. We poured it like commercial concrete, monolithic, vibrated it, 6 sack instead of 5, etc. No rock pockets that way, never had a crack in over 35 years and a couple small earthquakes. Extra rebar and hung with care.

Post pics as your project goes along, this is an exciting journey you are embarking on. You gonna love playing with big boy toys.

Scott

 

[JR]

OK Russell, now that you have a quote you can get an idea of what equipment costs. Just for reference I bought an L275 Kubota front end loader for $6k. It's old (1984) but was low hours and it pulls like a truck. Lifts 900-1000 lbs off of the loader without getting sketchy. More if careful.

It did require maintenance and some minor repairs from time to time but payments aren't part of my vocabulary yet. I've got no regrets.
The other major tool you'd need is a dump trailer. Get one long enough to fit your tractor in so you can haul it back and forth....you already have the truck! A good used dump trailer can be hard to find around these parts...so finances may come into play. But once you have the means gravel can be had for cheap if you can pick It up. I can get limestone gravel from the penny dock in Ashtabula (where it comes in on the barge off of Lake Erie) for $20 per ton. I don't know if there is anything similar in Erie for you. If you go to a traditional gravel yard or trucking company there will be a mark up.

The good thing is you can always sell the equipment and recoup part of the cost. It really depends on what you want to do and how much time you are willing to spend.

 

[JR]

Not a great pic but gives you an idea

 

[Wiredawg]

I bought my PJ 14ft dump trailer for $6,200. If you go used, try to get one with front end loader AND backhoe... many backhoes are often manufacturer AND model unique. Another note is NOT ALL tractor models have a compatible backhoe. A backhoe and front end loader are ABSOLUTE necessities. Other implements are standard 3-point hitches.

Cheers, Ron

 

[RUSSELL5000]

Thanks, guys. I think I am going to do some serious thinking on this.

We bought these roughly four acres about five years ago. Have done nothing; meant to, but have had some health challenges. I have been working at that and now am at a place where I can do some physical work. Need to take great care on lifting and carrying.

I have been looking and it seems clear the compact rather than sub compact is way to go. It also occurs to me that the tractor could be used to do a lot of lifting and carrying.

I think I'll start looking used. I have no deadline, so can be patient.

Question: other than a cab that I see some have, how do you keep the rain and snow off yourself when using? Do you use some type of frame and canvas?

Thanks!

 

[Wiredawg]

I don't use my tractor in the rain and we don't have real winter in SW TX either. I did mount a 12VDC fan on the engine cowl to help keep cool. There are enclosed cabs, but I don't know anyone with one.

 

[Ozymandias]

SAFETY NOTE. TAKING DOWN TREES IS VERY DANGEROUS, BUT CAN BE DONE SAFELY WITH THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT AND PROPER PROCEDURES. PEOPLE AND PETS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED IN THE WORKZONE, 50FT OUTSIDE THE ESTIMATED HEIGHT OF THE TREE. WATCH VIDEOS, BE FAMILIAR WITH ALL SAFETY PROCEDURES WITH TRACTOR, CHAINSAW, AND TAKING DOWN TREES. START SMALL TO GAIN EXPERIENCE.

I take down whole trees with chainsaw and tractor. Look at tree, judge which way its leaning, make sure clear path towards where you want it to fall and where you will position the tractor to push it over. NEED to have personal protective equipment PPE (hard hat, safety goggles, heavy gloves, and safety boots. Always have a clear escape route should something go wrong.

Judge if the tree is leaning and or where most of the heavy branches are. Position tractor on high side of tree, or opposite of where you want it to fall, making sure roll over protection system is deployed (roll bar is up), place front end loader about 6 feet up barely touching the tree, set brake, leave tractor running. With all PPE on, make a bedding cut (level cut) about 6 inches, or whatever allows you to operate the chainsaw on its side. Kneeling, slowly cut trunk of tree about halfway through, keeping chainsaw level. Work chainsaw slowly, as forcing it dulls the chain. With chainsaw still under throttle, remove it from tree. Now, place chainsaw about a foot up from initial cut or where the cut will result in a 45 degree cut from the edge of the tree to the center. Note, always assess tree as cutting to ensure it isn't shifting or binding the saw... if it does, stop. I never have had a tree bind the saw using these steps, but necessary safety precaution. Now cut the angle cut slowly with the saw until you reach your center cut. Withdraw still under throttle, remove from tree, shut it down and move it to a safe zone away from the tractor and the tree. ENSURE clear escape path to outside the workzone or to the safety zone. Now with tractor in, 4wd, low range, begin pushing tree over, ensuring top is moving away from you and towards the fall zone. it may take a while but should fall where crease in cut was made. Once tree is down, you can begin cutting it up, and hauling it off.

Professional tree removers typically climb trees, with tree leg spikes, ladders or cherry picker trucks, tying off branches with rope if near structures, cut them and lower them. They do the same taking down the trunk, from the top down, also tying off with rope to lower to the ground until on the ground.

I'm a Disabled American Veteran and brought my tractor to save my back. I cleared about 30 50 to 80 ft trees from my property, dug up the trunks with my backhoe, spread and leveled 175 dumptruck loads of topsoil, maintaining natural grade of the land with box blade, let laborers use my post hole digger attachment to install 5ft tall goat wire around all 2 1/3 acres, dug water lines and drainage ditches. I have fork lift, backhoe, boxblade, post hole digger, roto tiller, finish mower, shredder.

Anyhoo, you need to do a LOT of homework, research, and self analysis if you want to take this on. I was still working when I took all this on, worked after work 5PM to 9PM workdays, and about 12 hour a day Sat and after Church on Sundays. Guy delivering my topsoil said he would do all the work for $200/hr, but I said no, that's what I bought the tractor for. It has 1,100 hours on it. With forklift attachment, I can accept deliveries at my home. I also use the tractor to maintain half mile gravel road.

Hope this helps with your decision. Feel free to ask questions on the open forum or private conversation.

Cheers, Ron

May I have not found it - but please wear safety Pants all the time working with a chain saw, especially while cutting it up on the ground - that's the most dangerous part working with the chain saw.
I worked as a Forester when young and cut my pants twice in the heat. I wouldn't walk around now without the safety gear used back then.

 

[JR]

Thanks, guys. I think I am going to do some serious thinking on this.

We bought these roughly four acres about five years ago. Have done nothing; meant to, but have had some health challenges. I have been working at that and now am at a place where I can do some physical work. Need to take great care on lifting and carrying.

I have been looking and it seems clear the compact rather than sub compact is way to go. It also occurs to me that the tractor could be used to do a lot of lifting and carrying.

I think I'll start looking used. I have no deadline, so can be patient.

Question: other than a cab that I see some have, how do you keep the rain and snow off yourself when using? Do you use some type of frame and canvas?

Thanks!

Most older compacts don't have cabs. Some of the newer ones can be had with one...in my humble opinion they are soliciting to the "softer" crowd

The weather won't hurt the tractor a bit. Obviously it's preferable to store them inside but if you drive by a farm your bound to see a couple of 40+ year old cabless tractors sitting outside no worse for the wear.

If you are in and out alot cabs are more of a hindrance than anything. Wet clothes and body heat tends to fog windows up especially in our humid climate. In all honesty not many people enjoy working in the rain. I've been caught out in it my fair share and worked through it but if it's in the forecast I generally try and plan around the weather. Snow isn't bad at all to work in as you are likely moving enough to stay warm anyhow. Like anything, dress and plan accordingly.

 

[MarkEagleUSA]

With a cab you can often lose some functionality of the machine. For instance, many cabs aren't compatible with a backhoe.

 

[Timd32]

What are you thinking of using the property for?

I might be in the minority but for $4k I'm hiring out that first push in as described.

Especially if they can finish it now before the snow flies. Its a great time of year to clear land, we have till like mid March then it already starts to get rough, mid April the ticks come back, female survivors first by mid May its a disaster with Ticks. We have lots of deer with not alot of hunting going on.

Then you can tinker as needed as per the above.

I get all decked out in the safety gear for cutting. Pants, hat/face grate, muffs, glasses. I have young kids and a business so no issue with safety anything.

I don't wear gloves using the saw. But I used to work on wood working equipment and have seen some pretty nasty issues with loose fitting and gloves.

You can start small like a MS-250 with an 18", does not need all the fancy stuff to start it easy because once you flood it out one time you catch on quick.

Stay away from the Fiskars hatchet with the composet handle those things are scary light and slippery, super sharp.

Good luck.with your project.

 

[Mark31]

Russell, get some GOOD chaps and wear them. Get a helmet with a screen. I'm not paranoid about wearing one after everything is on the ground. (I read recently that chaps don't stop electric saws.) I use Oregon chain and their handy little sharpening guides. Learn how to sharpen the chain and file the ramp, and how to keep the bar dressed. Keep your chain tight. As long as it can turn freely by (gloved) hand it is not to tight. Loose chains jump off and also ruin the bar just behind the nose sprocket. Get a couple of plastic felling wedges, and a sledge hammer. Also, use them when sawing a log on the ground to keep from pinching. When cutting a tree, if you lose the hinge, you have no control. I don't want my tractor anywhere near a tree! With a wedge, a leaning tree can be made to go the other way. Get a cant hook so you can roll a log on the ground and keep your chain out of the dirt. That is my favorite irk! Buy a tractor big enough for a grapple, my favorite tool. I have a very torquey 62 hp '97 Ford NH 5030 with a Woods loader and BX90 backhoe. A tractor that makes low rpm grunt is easier to drive and easier on a clutch. With a loader, you need rear ballast, With my 2 wheel drive, I MUST have it. The farther back the better! I have a 8 Ft John Deere 115 blade with 2-4 rear wheel weights on the blade. Jump on in! I haven't had too much caffeine. Don't know why I got on such a rant!

 

[RUSSELL5000]

Good morning. Thought I would post an update. I spent a while going around in circles - although, only circling around the web. I found and read county requirements for culvert and driveway, how to get a permit, etc. Had a couple of questions and called the county engineer office. Was speaking with a very helpful guy and we got into a couple of questions and he asked why my parcel was - turns out the road is a state highway. While it is a paved road the term "highway" really does not come to mind when you look at, but that it is what it is. So, need to get a permit from the state DOT.

Now, there were two or three pages dealing with culverts and driveways on the county site, and just shy of 400 pages on the sate site. Yikes! However, not as bad as first impression because 99% of it deals with commercial driveways. There is actually a small section for "field entrances and residential driveways." There were a couple of questions I had on the permit form, however, and so I got on the phone again. Landed with another helpful person who clarified that I did not have to worry about 80% of the stuff on the form - said to print off some Google maps and mark my parcel, include the parcel number, draw the driveway into the map, and provide some sketches of what I wanted to do. I was concerned about what size culvert would be required, but told not to worry - take my best guess, send my stuff tp the local office in the county marked attention to the engineer, and I'll get a call if there are any concerns. If no call then I should receive the permit and can move along. Permit fee is $15 and mandatory insurance cover is $25. Mailed in on Friday, so we'll see how it goes.

Plan is to have an 18 inch diameter HDPE culvert at forty feet long; going to utilize flared ends as well (requirement). The drainage ditch gets shallower as you go along, so probably have 24 inch of cover at the uphill end of the culvert and 18 inch to 20 inch at the downhill end. Driveway itself to be 30 feet wide at the road with radius down to 12 feet wide driveway. Driveway base to be two layers - large stone and then gravel and fines on top, going 50 feet into the parcel.

 

[BSeyler]

Are you going to have a gate into the property?

 

[RUSSELL5000]

Yes. Driveway, brush-hog, gate.

 

[BSeyler]

Not sure if this is something you may want to consider:
We have a state highway that borders a pasture and we have a couple of access points along the highway. I set the gates back about seventy-five feet from the roadway and made a little alleyway so I can turn in with a trailer and not block the road. It's also easier to manage when we have cattle in the pasture, as I can keep a little better control over them while the gate is open.

 

[Ozymandias]

Good morning. Thought I would post an update. I spent a while going around in circles - although, only circling around the web. I found and read county requirements for culvert and driveway, how to get a permit, etc. Had a couple of questions and called the county engineer office. Was speaking with a very helpful guy and we got into a couple of questions and he asked why my parcel was - turns out the road is a state highway. While it is a paved road the term "highway" really does not come to mind when you look at, but that it is what it is. So, need to get a permit from the state DOT.

Now, there were two or three pages dealing with culverts and driveways on the county site, and just shy of 400 pages on the sate site. Yikes! However, not as bad as first impression because 99% of it deals with commercial driveways. There is actually a small section for "field entrances and residential driveways." There were a couple of questions I had on the permit form, however, and so I got on the phone again. Landed with another helpful person who clarified that I did not have to worry about 80% of the stuff on the form - said to print off some Google maps and mark my parcel, include the parcel number, draw the driveway into the map, and provide some sketches of what I wanted to do. I was concerned about what size culvert would be required, but told not to worry - take my best guess, send my stuff tp the local office in the county marked attention to the engineer, and I'll get a call if there are any concerns. If no call then I should receive the permit and can move along. Permit fee is $15 and mandatory insurance cover is $25. Mailed in on Friday, so we'll see how it goes.

Plan is to have an 18 inch diameter HDPE culvert at forty feet long; going to utilize flared ends as well (requirement). The drainage ditch gets shallower as you go along, so probably have 24 inch of cover at the uphill end of the culvert and 18 inch to 20 inch at the downhill end. Driveway itself to be 30 feet wide at the road with radius down to 12 feet wide driveway. Driveway base to be two layers - large stone and then gravel and fines on top, going 50 feet into the parcel.

Unbelievable how easy that is here in the US.

 

[RUSSELL5000]

I have been doing some googling and reading while I am waiting for my permit. I came across a place in Alabama that rebuilds Yanmar tractors. These tractors are early 1980s vintage. I recognized the Yanmar name because they are a very popular small diesel in marine applications (sailboats). While there is much discussed, overall it seems that the tractors have a following due to low initial cost, dependability, and simplicity (no computer modules, no emissions, etc.).

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This is a 37 hp, 3 cylinder diesel, 4wd, power steering, and powershift transmission. Has roll over protective structure and other required safety measures. Built in 1980 and 1981. The loader is new. Comes with a one-year warranty. Listed at $13,000.

Opinions?

Thanks.

 

[Wiredawg]

Looks nice, I'd go for it IF you can get a backhoe with it. Backhoes are often make and model unique.

Cheers, Ron

 

[JR]

What's the model of the tractor? The 160 is the loader I think, or it's a model I'm not familiar with. You have to be careful with some of the Yanmar stuff as some models was imported for very short periods and dealers sometimes could not even get parts. Even some of the more popular older models can be hard to get parts as they age so I'd be checking out who around you can get parts or work on them if need be.