Advice on what to buy

[fried1765]

May I ask how do you like the L47? Looking for an all a rounder and feel I need a hoe for pond clean out. Tons of trenching for irrigation and pasture finishing.

I do not have an L47!
I have a 2006 L48 TLB, which is the predecessor to the L47.
The L48 model was discontinued in 2009.

The L48, and L47 are fine machines, but for the work you describe, you really need a larger machine, like a full size Ford or John Deere.

The L47 has a 10' hoe, while my L48 has an 11' hoe.
Greater hoe reach is a good thing.

The major advantage of an L48 or L47 is that being mid size hoes (machine weight), they can legally be trailered behind a 3/4 ton pickup.

11' or 10' hoe reach might seem adequate......until it quickly proves that it is NOT!

 

[PoTreeBoy]

Looks like this thread is sufficiently diverse for this:

Saw an L175 advertised locally last week with a 4 foot blade for $2900. I was thinking about it as a replacement for my 1948 Farmall Cub, which I find somewhat less than dependable. I've kind of discounted making the switch, as the L175 has only a 17hp, 2 cylinder, 700cc engine. I'm sure it's reliable and torquey, but in terms of power, it's probably just a marginal improvement on the Cub.

The Cub's ignition has always been quirky. Not disabling, just annoying. If it sits for a month or two, I need to dress up the points for it to fire up. Just the nature of old gas-powered engines. The reason that more modern engines have electronic ignition.

Soliciting opinions on the L175...

-Paul

Don’t know much about the L175, but I can tell you this, you won’t have to dress the ignition points - ever.

Yes, there’s a smart-ass in every crowd.

 

[Outland1776]

If your pond is six feet wide it will be great! A mini-x will be greater and betterer for trenching and digging.

For a tractor I would go minimum 80-100 PTO HP utility tractor with loader and the biggest front tires I could get.

Darn. Was thinking you would say an excavator. Pond is much larger than 6 feet but really was thinking a hoe would suffice to keep the cat tails down on the edges. Big deep clean outs would rent a ex. was thinking the tlb for a tractor type platform I could use a pto for box blade, tilling, and disc. Hoe then for ditch clean out, endless irrigation trenching, and fence posting with a loader attached auger. My place is roughly 5 acres right now so was looking around the 40 HP range. For the price I don’t understand why not go for the L47 TLB… just most guys seem to go strictly tractor and I don’t know what I am overlooking focus on the L47.

 

[Outland1776]

I do not have an L47!
I have a 2006 L48 TLB, which is the predecessor to the L47.
The L48 model was discontinued in 2009.

The L48, and L47 are fine machines, but for the work you describe, you really need a larger machine, like a full size Ford or John Deere.

The L47 has a 10' hoe, while my L48 has an 11' hoe.
Greater hoe reach is a good thing.

The major advantage of an L48 or L47 is that being mid size hoes (machine weight), they can legally be trailered behind a 3/4 ton pickup.

11' or 10' hoe reach might seem adequate......until it quickly proves that it is NOT!

Yup the machine weight was something I liked since it would work on a 10k lb trailer and the f250. The answer is always in my mind more machine just trying to keep the finances arguably sane for me when explaining it to the wife.

 

[PaulL]

Darn. Was thinking you would say an excavator. Pond is much larger than 6 feet but really was thinking a hoe would suffice to keep the cat tails down on the edges. Big deep clean outs would rent a ex. was thinking the tlb for a tractor type platform I could use a pto for box blade, tilling, and disc. Hoe then for ditch clean out, endless irrigation trenching, and fence posting with a loader attached auger. My place is roughly 5 acres right now so was looking around the 40 HP range. For the price I don’t understand why not go for the L47 TLB… just most guys seem to go strictly tractor and I don’t know what I am overlooking focus on the L47.

It's a great machine if you need a hoe. Bit fiddly taking the hoe on and off to use the PTO I think, but personally I enjoy taking things on and off my tractor. The hoe isn't amazing, but it's a lot better than a shovel.

 

[mikester]

Darn. Was thinking you would say an excavator. Pond is much larger than 6 feet but really was thinking a hoe would suffice to keep the cat tails down on the edges. Big deep clean outs would rent a ex. was thinking the tlb for a tractor type platform I could use a pto for box blade, tilling, and disc. Hoe then for ditch clean out, endless irrigation trenching, and fence posting with a loader attached auger. My place is roughly 5 acres right now so was looking around the 40 HP range. For the price I don’t understand why not go for the L47 TLB… just most guys seem to go strictly tractor and I don’t know what I am overlooking focus on the L47.

I have an M59 and the hoe goes a max 15 feet at ground level. In my experience if you get close enough to the water to reach anything your jack and wheel end up under water because the banks can't support the machine. In reality I probably only get about 10 feet max horizontal reach off the side, probably 6 feet reach with any depth. The L45/47 has a couple feet less reach.

If you aren't planning on trailering the machine with a 3/4 ton truck everywhere you might want to look at the M59/62 with better loader capacity, more BH and more PTO HP in a similar footprint Make sure to get a hydraulic thumb and front remotes.

 

[fried1765]

Yup the machine weight was something I liked since it would work on a 10k lb trailer and the f250. The answer is always in my mind more machine just trying to keep the finances arguably sane for me when explaining it to the wife.

That will only work weight wise if your trailer weighs 2795 lbs. or less.
Empty 10K trailer probably weighs right at that.
I have a 14K rated trailer for my L48.
At a minimum, I would suggest a 20' 12K trailer for an L47.

 

[pigdoc]

Back in the 1990s when I was just 40 years old, I cleaned out a small (1000SF surface area) leaky pond with a wheelbarrow and a shovel. <spit> As I recall, it was about 200 wheelbarrow loads of wet silt. Made great garden soil! Then, I spread about 20 bags of bentonite on the bottom of the pond before refilling it. Still looking good today!

-Paul

 

[Outland1776]

I have an M59 and the hoe goes a max 15 feet at ground level. In my experience if you get close enough to the water to reach anything your jack and wheel end up under water because the banks can't support the machine. In reality I probably only get about 10 feet max horizontal reach off the side, probably 6 feet reach with any depth. The L45/47 has a couple feet less reach.

If you aren't planning on trailering the machine with a 3/4 ton truck everywhere you might want to look at the M59/62 with better loader capacity, more BH and more PTO HP in a similar footprint Make sure to get a hydraulic thumb and front remotes.

interesting. Good points. Thanks for that. Yes if I ever end up with a hoe it will have the hydraulic thumb and front remotes for sure, that will have to be in the budget or nothing will be. ; )

 

[Outland1776]

Back in the 1990s when I was just 40 years old, I cleaned out a small (1000SF surface area) leaky pond with a wheelbarrow and a shovel. <spit> As I recall, it was about 200 wheelbarrow loads of wet silt. Made great garden soil! Then, I spread about 20 bags of bentonite on the bottom of the pond before refilling it. Still looking good today!

-Paul

So you're the one. You sir then attempted far more than me. ; )

Though I have wheeled my share of dirt and stone and my back reminds me every day. Did the big clean out of the pond last year with an excavator and loader. Rough spread it across about 3 acres of the pasture to bring it closer to grade. Now I need a machine to till it in and finish grade it and lay in the irrigation, hence one reason for the pto and implement need.

 

[Vlach7]

Love my L47 TLB, have to do things a little slower than my old full-size JD 500C, when I wanted a deeper hole, I dig down 4' with the FEL and had a 14' deep hole. Would not want to tow any more weight behind my 2004 Duramax dually with a 14k dump trailer, & the PM works well, you get use to watching the #s, can run it in the workshop and barely smell it, don't mind switching between BH and rear blade.