Need opinions on Looking at a couple tractors

[Plan B]

The reason for the copied thread title is ,,,Im in the same situation as useraccessdenied ,so I didn't know whether I should have just asked on useraccessdenied thread ,or start another,,,so here I am. Same size propery same chores except I will also be digging out @18 18-30" pine stumps that I dropped (pine bark beetle )and removed over the past few years.Also I harvest my own firewood.
As of now I have 2 choices
20013 L3000 500 hrs FEL ,BH(thumb) 4X4 HST under 500hrs.Have not seen it in person but looks clean. 1 owner,asking $23k
Next
2003 JD 4700 800 hrs. Cab & doors(no heat or ac)FEL,BH,forks,posthole digger,finish mower,back blade.
Iv seen the JD and there's some cosmetic's(I dont really care about cosmetics)because its been outside for the past 10 years.The only mechanical issue is when the FEL is up the bucket will slowly hinge down.No visable leaks so a quick search says its leaking in the arm( or something like that)
Originally he was wanting $10K but then had an offer of $19k.So I was out of that.Well that buyer passed on the offer because of the distance to pick up.So the JD is back up for grabs but now he's wanting $15K. I offered $8K but am now thinking of offering $10K . But then I would still need to add forks and a back blade.
Iv never owned a tractor before,but am always borrowing what I need.I dont really like borrowing so thats why im in the market.. With that said, I dont know if either of these are good deals or should I keep looking?TIA

 

[ve9aa]

I dunno. I get it, but I still think it borders on "kinda greasy" swiping the guys very unique subject line, pretty much verbatim.

 

[rc51stierhoff]

Good day. If I understood, you will be digging a lot of large stumps correct. To me that sounds like a great opportunity to rent a track hoe / excavator or pay someone to do it that has one, unless you do not have the space to operate, and in that case a (rent) mini ex. Then figure out what you need to clean up the offall / marks left from the excavator as well as maintain the property with you future tasks in mind. I think the size/machine to dig a bunch of stumps over a couple days is very different than the size/machine to take care of several acres.

 

[Shekkie]

With being new to tractors I’d pass on both and get something newer or new. Kubota B or LX or JD 2032R-ish size.

Change your thread title. We are easily confused.

 

[Plan B]

I dunno. I get it, but I still think it borders on "kinda greasy" swiping the guys very unique subject line, pretty much verbatim.

Thanks for the input,have changed title.

 

[Plan B]

With being new to tractors I’d pass on both and get something newer or new. Kubota B or LX or JD 2032R-ish size.

Change your thread title. We are easily confused.

Thanks for the input,title changed title..Sorry about that

 

[OrangeKrush]

From 10k to 19k offer? Why would anyone offer this much extra?? So now the guy wants 5k more than original price.
Stick with his original price if you find it's worth it.. I know nothing about the green but I like em, just not as much as the orange.

 

[Plan B]

Thanks for the input,title changed title..Sorry about that

Also I do have inquiry in on the LX 2610 ,waiting for a reply
I also have a inquiry on a kotie CK3510

 

[Plan B]

From 10k to 19k offer? Why would anyone offer this much extra?? So now the guy wants 5k more than original price.
Stick with his original price if you find it's worth it.. I know nothing about the green but I like em, just not as much as the orange.

He did not have it listed at $10K,he was taking offers.He ogiginaly was hoping for $10 ,until that guy offered the $19 .Where he has it listed,,,,I dont know But yeah Im agreeing with you, Ill be sticking to the$8k offer.If that dosent pan out, I'll keep looking

 

[PoTreeBoy]

1. Big pine stumps - I'm a DIY kinda guy, so I understand wanting to do it all yourself. I dug up one about like you're describing with my L35. I still ended up cutting roots with a chain saw. Don't even consider it with a 3ph hoe. If this is your only BH work, rent or hire.

2. I don't know much about John Deeres, but the 'dear' is common. Any tractor worth only ~$10k with loader and backhoe these days is likely going to need a considerable amount of work. Cab, no A/C or heat, will be a miserable environment in the summer.

 

[fried1765]

Good day. If I understood, you will be digging a lot of large stumps correct. To me that sounds like a great opportunity to rent a track hoe / excavator or pay someone to do it that has one, unless you do not have the space to operate, and in that case a (rent) mini ex. Then figure out what you need to clean up the offall / marks left from the excavator as well as maintain the property with you future tasks in mind. I think the size/machine to dig a bunch of stumps over a couple days is very different than the size/machine to take care of several acres.

The OP should pass on ALL tractor brands/types for the removal of those stumps.

Small tractor BH's are nice/handy to have as homeowner toys, but they are totally inadequate, when it comes to digging out large stumps.....and particularly pine stumps, with their deep tap roots.

I have a 48 HP TLB with 11 ft. hoe, and I would not even consider removing 18 pine stumps that size!
Too much time and effort (I am retired) and MUCH to hard on a small machine!

He should either rent a large size mini-ex, or as you suggest, pay someone with an excavator to remove those stumps!

 

[Plan B]

1. Big pine stumps - I'm a DIY kinda guy, so I understand wanting to do it all yourself. I dug up one about like you're describing with my L35. I still ended up cutting roots with a chain saw. Don't even consider it with a 3ph hoe. If this is your only BH work, rent or hire.

2. I don't know much about John Deeres, but the 'dear' is common. Any tractor worth only ~$10k with loader and backhoe these days is likely going to need a considerable amount of work. Cab, no A/C or heat, will be a miserable environment in the summer.

The OP should pass on ALL tractor brands/types for the removal of those stumps.

Small tractor BH's are nice/handy to have as homeowner toys, but they are totally inadequate, when it comes to digging out large stumps.....and particularly pine stumps, with their deep tap roots.

I have a 48 HP TLB with 11 ft. hoe, and I would not even consider removing 18 pine stumps that size!
Too much time and effort (I am retired) and MUCH to hard on a small machine!

He should either rent a large size mini-ex, or as you suggest, pay someone with an excavator to remove those stumps!

Hummmm That puts a damper on things.I'll ask my friends that I borrow from ,what I've been using.I usually just tell them what I'm doing and they bring something over. Thanks for the input. Ill still be looking for a tractor with FEL ,forks ,BH ,,,but now I can go down in size.

 

[fried1765]

Hummmm That puts a damper on things.I'll ask my friends that I borrow from ,what I've been using.I usually just tell them what I'm doing and they bring something over. Thanks for the input. Ill still be looking for a tractor with FEL ,forks ,BH ,,,but now I can go down in size.

If you stick to a $10K budget for a tractor with FEL & BH + forks, that tractor will likely be 2 WD, and/or, very small, very old, and very worn!

 

[Plan B]

If you stick to a $10K budget for a tractor with FEL & BH + forks, that tractor will likely be 2 WD, and/or, very small, very old, and very worn!

I dont have a budget..But my thought was ,if i got that tractor for $8k ,it would be well worth it.

 

[minthral]

The OP should pass on ALL tractor brands/types for the removal of those stumps.

Small tractor BH's are nice/handy to have as homeowner toys, but they are totally inadequate, when it comes to digging out large stumps.....and particularly pine stumps, with their deep tap roots.

I have a 48 HP TLB with 11 ft. hoe, and I would not even consider removing 18 pine stumps that size!
Too much time and effort (I am retired) and MUCH to hard on a small machine!

He should either rent a large size mini-ex, or as you suggest, pay someone with an excavator to remove those stumps!

I both agree and disagree. My Kubota L47 TLB CAN do it, but that's a lot...thing though about pine trees is the root ball isn't that large/wide, but deep. The bigger problem is trees with thick roots going out to side... you need a really powerful backhoe to break those. I've removed 26-30 inch diameter (at the base... the tree is smaller going up) stumps with L3301 BH77 backhoe. It can be done, but takes 5-6 hours and you make a big mess by trenching deep all the way around. Then after you get the stump loose, it is too heavy to move. With L47, it is easier, but I wouldn't say considerably...still take a lot of time. It can pickup the stumps (where the L3301 could only drag them), but it still doesn't feel safe on a slopes...2000-2500 LB, but it's way out front. I messed around with trying to chainsaw it into smaller pieces...forget about that as all the dirt around just dulls your chain really quick.

And after you cut the pine tree, assuming you want the log, you'd have to move that too. L3301 will move a 12 foot (only reasonable size to move around with grapple and trails IMO...anything larger you need to skid) log, but it gets kinda sketchy. The L47 will move them no problem though and this was one of the usage cases I had where I wanted a bigger tractor.

18 stumps isn't really that much...if each one takes 5 hours, that's only 100 hours of tractor usage...or maybe 5 weeks at 20 hours per week. In the grand scheme of things, not much.

You got the right idea about not looking anything smaller than Kubota L, though IMO this is bare minimum. You need equipment that will cost 50k+ used with many hours or 70-100k new to do what you're talking about. Also removing stumps is really rough on equipment...I personally wouldn't trust and old used beat up tractor to do it reliably.

12k LB or 6 ton mini-ex will knock out stacking the logs and removing the stumps in a week versus you spending a 1-2 months on it. Then after you're done, what do you need the tractor/equipment for? Again since there is no long-term consistent maintenance need...this is just a project you want done, you're best off renting or hiring. Years ago it might have been possible to buy a nice used mini-ex, do the project, then get all your money back selling it...wont be able to do that today as prices are so high.

 

[leveraddict]

Under certain circumstances my BX23S can dig out a 30" pine stump in about an hour. I did two of them in the spring. Thats only because there was no obstacles near them and I was able to get the BX 360 degrees around the stump! Moving it to where you need to is the problem. Lucky for me it was a down hill roll to the woods. If there are huge boulders near the stump or a clump of other stumps...well good luck to you! I had to abandon one growing against a stone wall.

NOW 18 stumps! Just rent an excavator! Even large tractors will struggle. They dont have the hydraulic flow of an excavator. Some think because a tractor has a loader and backhoe you can just latch onto a stump and rip it out! Not so! A proper sized excavator can rip it right out in no time.

 

[fried1765]

Under certain circumstances my BX23S can dig out a 30" pine stump in about an hour. I did two of them in the spring. Thats only because there was no obstacles near them and I was able to get the BX 360 degrees around the stump! Moving it to where you need to is the problem. Lucky for me it was a down hill roll to the woods. If there are huge boulders near the stump or a clump of other stumps...well good luck to you! I had to abandon one growing against a stone wall.

NOW 18 stumps! Just rent an excavator! Even large tractors will struggle. They dont have the hydraulic flow of an excavator. Some think because a tractor has a loader and backhoe you can just latch onto a stump and rip it out! Not so! A proper sized excavator can rip it right out in no time.

My L48 TLB has 25.9 gpm hyd. flow (3 pumps) which is a lot for any Kubota tractor.
I would NEVER attempt to dig out 18 large pine stumps.

 

[minthral]

It's not about hydraulic flow. It's more about mass... You need lots of weight to have lots of power. Getting flow isn't difficult, but the restriction is if the structure can handle the stress and have the counter weight to not topple over. You really need 10-12k+ LB to do reasonable work with a backhoe...my 8k LB L47 does fine and is 'close enough' to this, but definitely bigger is better.

BTW, mini-excavators are really tipsy, especially when not lowering the blade and operating at the side. With a backhoe, as long as you're not operating to far to the side, you're really stable in comparison. For both, typically you will tip toward where the boom arm is so, recovery isn't difficult as you're falling on a hand.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

Digging out 1 or 2 stumps is fun, in the beginning, by #3 or 4...it's a miserable chore when the machine is 'undersized' for the job.
can it be done, yes, even the lowly BX23s CAN dig out big stumps..all it takes is time and fuel and thinking ahead and ,well MORE time....
18 stumps, 1 a day ,is a solid 3 WEEKS of labour. I'm thinking day 4 you'll be second guessing WHY am i doing this !!!
Since there's probably lots of real 'tractor chores', hire someone to excavate the stump, should take less than a day.

The other option...... drill some big,deep holes in the stumps, pour diesel in them. when you get back to the 1st one, pour some more into them all...now when you get back to #1, add a wee bit of gas, strike a match, ignite and let them slowly smouldery burn until they've gone.Depending on hole big and dry/rotten they are ,it might take a week or so. cost ? $10 in fuel,$2 gas and a pack of matches

bottom line..it'll either cost YOU , time or money or BOTH...

 

[minthral]

Burning stumps doesn't work. Don't ask how I know.

The stump/wood is like a sponge and soaks up water from ground. Water + fire don't match. The earth acts like a like a heat sink. Fire/heat rises, not falls. You might be able to burn the top off kind of like a stump grinding if you put a bunch of other material/brush on top and burn that.

The best way to get ride of a stump is a powerful huge excavator... it pulls it out like a weed. A bulldozer will rip it out well too. A skidsteer or huge tractor with loader only works for tiny trees.

I recall I hired someone for $400 (minimum job fee) with a huge land clearing bulldozer. It was as big as a small house and when it rolled, you can feel the ground shake many feet way. It was too big and heavy to unload on the road else it would damage it. He removed about 12 tree stumps (12 to 20 inches each) in 3.5 hours.