$25k budget, looking for suggestions.

Not to sound smart, but why not just hire it done for about half of that budget and be done with it . One thing to highly consider is one break down with these machines can cost dearly!! Good luck

Some pretty cool ideas & machines from other HEF members for cuttin firewood .

Metsaman and his forest trailer behind the Massey 4x4 tractor .

https://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/threads/massey-ferguson-365-with-forest-trailer.63090/

old-iron-habit uses an " Iron Mule " forwarder / skidder ". Interesting piece of equipment ahead of it's time .

Uses a Ford tractor engine & drivetrain . Pretty cool unit !


http://www.lumbermenonline.com/find-for-sale/Iron-Mule-Forwarder?class=Logging&category=Forwarder&manufacturer=Iron Mule&makeid=1268

Now if ya get old - iron - habit to do the job tell him to slow down in the curves ...... He's all about production & getting the most out of the machine

If I had only one machine in which to make a living it would be a 953 trackloader. If I lived in the Southeast where track loaders are abundant and had a 25k budget for the work you describe, I would look at a 953.

There is a learning curve in order to get all a 953 can offer but it's a jack of all trades.

Finding a 5 to 10 ton excavator with both a thumb and a blade might be a tall order to fill. Only a small percentage of older hoes have both. Sounds like you really need the thumb.

I fully agree with what CM1995 had said. You can find many nice 953's for 20 to 25 $ range and its by far one of the most versatile machines in the woods. If you going to do any land clearing that's the first and only machine I would buy. Also the resale on 953 with be good. Watch for transmission problems when buying one as to rebuild it would be a lot, I think in the 12-15 range.

Hi all,

Just wanted to say belated Merry Christmas to everyone. Thanks you for all of the feedback, sincerely appreciate your taking the time. I don't plan to clear any land myself outside of the .4 to .5 acres for my workshop. The majority of work will be storm damage tree cleanup in mostly red/white oak forest with a few poplar and hickory throughout. So I'll need maneuverability and some precision which is why I thought initially if a smaller footprint excavator.

After reading all of the responses, researching more, etc. I've bumped my budget allowance up to ~35k. Even taking my time on a 9-12k excavator, I'm wondering if it can really handle the standing trees size to dig out and push over.

I do want to do it myself or try and if I take a few thousand loss on resale in a6-12 months that's still much cheaper than hiring it out.

Thanks again everyone, hope you all have a happy new year!

One thing nobody has mentioned, is the work you are describing can be dangerous to man and machine. A friend of mine who was a very experienced landclearing contractor with over 20 yrs in a trackhoe seat was taking down a mature hardwood and it split. He was running a 20 ton hoe and it knocked the cab clean off, folding him up, knees-to-chest. He was very lucky, when they cut the tree off the cab and the cab apart, he was found to only have a broken back and crushed hand.

Much more common is damage to the hoe. If you are holding a tree with a bucket and thumb and one end is still attached, or hits something, you will either twist the stick, or break something. It is very common to do lesser but very expensive damage to hoes in the woods.

ToyLC: I am a retired engineer with a farm similar in size to yours. I have two tractors with front end loaders, one two wheel drive the other a 4 wheel drive, a JD 490E Excavator (which I would not recommend to anyone, the first generation computer controls are a PITA) and a JD 644 loader. The ownership of heavy hydraulic equipment is very expensive maintenance wise. Something is always breaking, leaking, wearing out or just plain failing. I have owned other equipment like a new CAT TH-83 telescopic boom, and multiple 4 WD backhoes. Heavy equipment in the price range you are seeking for the service in my honest opinion I would not recommend. You will invest more in time and money than you will ever recover on resale. The most versatile, reliable and useful machines for your purposes in my opinion would be a good 4 wheel drive backhoe, a good long chain and two good chainsaws. Cut the tress off at the stump and drag them out with the hoe bucket and chain, then cut them to size and transport them to storage in the front bucket. The front bucket will also be useful for stacking and pushing debris piles. Many dealers offer a lease or rent to own with a minimum 1 year term. They can be rented monthly with the option to convert to a lease to own later, applying the rent to the purchase price, or simply have the machine picked up. Lease payments are normally significantly less than rentals. Backhoe's in my experience require little other than ordinary maintenance. Heavy hydraulics and track systems can cost 10's of thousands with one breakdown.

Thanks again all. I've looked at backhoe's and they are just too long to move around in the woods and would also be too wide for many of the atv trails.

I'm wishing I was retired, used to be network engineer, now just manage a bunch of very talented folks.

I'm going to get a demo Bobcat E42 dropped of in the next week or 2 to try out before committing this much $, that should inform me a fair amount.

If you decide to get a Bcat or similar multi-function machine, have a look at the "rotary" cutting attachment.
I cant think of the correct name for it at the moment but it knocks down small trees & shrubs & mulches them back into the soil..
They are excellent for cutting trails, where you would leave LARGE trees & just work around them..

Hi all,

Ended up spending a bit more and bought a Takeuchi TB250 cab with 1200 hrs on it. Should be delivered in the next week.

Thanks again for the feedback, I appreciate it.

Good deal please post pics and address so we can ( test drive ) to make sure you got a quality machine. But seriously best of luck that's a good machine most people like them. I rebuilt a yanmar motor in tl130 was impressed with whole machine. I like them way more than bobcat.