Guy's help me pick out a good farm size track loader with 4-1 and teeth

[Dickjr.]

Nice looking 43. 500 acres , yeah a 63 would be better. Depends on how much time you want to spend in the seat. Fuel consumption would be far less. A thought would be buy the 43 , if you have a number of big trees , have a 6 come in and knock them over and take it from there. That 43 will take out a good sized tree , if its that straight and you could get it for around 20 or 22 , I'd jump on it. Or you could clear what your comfortable with and rent a 6 for a weekend for the really large stuff. How big of a tree are you talking ? The 43 would take out a 30" tree at the base, just takes a bit.

 

[BCOWANWHEELS]

The 2 farms i,am buying are 250 acres each and 5-6 miles apart. 1 is just cleanning up about 10-15 acres pf growth and some big old trees you have to touch your head to your shoulder to see the top... Also the entrance drive needs about 100-200 loads of dirt/rock to improve access to it for semi truck accessability. The second farm isnt as nice it has a bunch of acres that need reclaiming and a dozen hills that need to be leveled out as grass grows good on 1 side and not so good on the other because of lack of sun. Just needs a summers worth of tlc with a cat ! I,ve got that 943 in the bck of my mind. I like that it has a ripper. Wonder if i could use the ripper hyd. Circuit to run a 4-1 bucket ? Say t it in somehow ? I know probably i couldnt use ripper and 4-1 just 1 of them.

 

[sealark37]

On my 943, the 4n1 bucket and the ripper use the same valve. You have to select which one you wish to operate by positioning the diverter valve control beside the control valve.

 

[BCOWANWHEELS]

Thanks sealark37

 

[CM1995]

Sand and machinery dont mix. Look at all the military vehicles comming back from irac & afgn. There all junk

A track loader is a rarity in Florida plus most of that equipment is trucked in from around the eastern portion of the US. I would wager a gentleman's bet that none of those track loaders have seen the sands of Florida. The RB auction is a huge event and their pretty smart, have the auction in Orlando - dad gets to go to auction, mom and kids get to got to Disney World. Really they have it there because its close to shipping ports for foreign buyers.

 

[Shenandoah]

Bob,

Thought you might get a kick out of "Gramps" unloading his 953.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xfNR7RSsGQ

Don't try this at home...

 

[Dickjr.]

I wish I hadn't watched that , I read that it was a fatal accident as one would think.

 

[Dickjr.]

A track loader is a rarity in Florida plus most of that equipment is trucked in from around the eastern portion of the US. I would wager a gentleman's bet that none of those track loaders have seen the sands of Florida. The RB auction is a huge event and their pretty smart, have the auction in Orlando - dad gets to go to auction, mom and kids get to got to Disney World. Really they have it there because its close to shipping ports for foreign buyers.

There was a pretty sharp fellow that posted some of this above .

 

[Shenandoah]

I wish I hadn't watched that , I read that it was a fatal accident as one would think.

DJ, I don't think anything was killed in that video except Gramps' pride.

 

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . . Dunno fellers I've been following this thread and cannot get my head around the concept of using a track loader for clearing . . . can someone tell me why . . . particularly without a four in one . . . to me it would be about as usefull for clearing as **** on a bull.

C'mon please set me straight.

Cheers.

 

[OldandWorn]

Yair . . . Dunno fellers I've been following this thread and cannot get my head around the concept of using a track loader for clearing . . . can someone tell me why . . . particularly without a four in one . . . to me it would be about as usefull for clearing as **** on a bull.

C'mon please set me straight.

Cheers.

I would say it all comes down to money and trying to even justify the ownership of a machine. If you look at this as an individual who would like to own ONE piece of equipment they try to pick a machine that will give the most universal usage. Granted, it may be better in the long run to just rent what you need but if you have never been in the earthmoving business the thought of owning a large chunk of yellow iron often clouds the mind. I have 2 jobs at the moment where a small dozer would be the machine of choice but I can’t justify buying or even renting one so I make do with what I have. I think a track loader with a quick attach on the front would be the cat’s meow. It wouldn't perform as well as each individual machine but it would eventually get the job done.

 

[CM1995]

Yair . . . Dunno fellers I've been following this thread and cannot get my head around the concept of using a track loader for clearing . . . can someone tell me why . . . particularly without a four in one . . . to me it would be about as usefull for clearing as **** on a bull.

C'mon please set me straight.

Cheers.

Scrub I have cleared many an acre with my 953 and it doesn't have a 4in1 and don't want one.

4in1's on track loaders are rare as hen's teeth in my parts, folks just don't run them. I can push more brush than I can carry with a 4n1. Interesting how different machines and techniques are regional and can vary widely but the desired result is the same.

That's how I do it and we all know there are 100 different ways to skin a cat.

 

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . . CM1995 As you say the regional thing is interesting and you put it well when you said "the desired result is the same". . . that's all that realy matters.

I have no doubt you can clear with a tracked loader but the original poster stated he was going shopping specifically for a machine to clear some overgrown areas, some scrub and do general earthwork on a farm . . . there was no mention of excavation or chucking the odd bucket of dirt on a truck on a truck.

The point I make is that a 80-100 hp dozer with an angle blade, tree spear, rippers and maybe a simple cutter-bar is a less complex and more effective tool for the stated application.

Cheers.

 

[Dickjr.]

Yair . . . CM1995 As you say the regional thing is interesting and you put it well when you said "the desired result is the same". . . that's all that realy matters.

I have no doubt you can clear with a tracked loader but the original poster stated he was going shopping specifically for a machine to clear some overgrown areas, some scrub and do general earthwork on a farm . . . there was no mention of excavation or chucking the odd bucket of dirt on a truck on a truck.

The point I make is that a 80-100 hp dozer with an angle blade, tree spear, rippers and maybe a simple cutter-bar is a less complex and more effective tool for the stated application.

Cheers.

Scrub , most people around here also believe a dozer is the way to clear. I've used both , and from my experience a track loader does well clearing. You can reach higher and get more leaverage on a tree , pick it up and drop it to shake dirt off the root ball , and use the teeth to remove any roots sticking up out of the ground. I followed an excavator last year , he would pop the trees up and lay them down , this made my job more difficult as the trees tended to splinter and it would leave part of the stump in the ground. I'd love to have a ripper on my dozer , its a D39 Komatsu , same as TD9 Dressta.

 

[denver m farms]

Bob, I saw a 963 that says it has 250hrs on the engine,and 100hrs on the trans. for about 18000$ i think it would be about 500 miles for you. it was on the springfield mo craigslist.

 

[BCOWANWHEELS]

Thanks fellas all your thoughts are appreciated.

 

[wosama931b]

Hi BCOWANWHEELS, I saw a 973 on the A block, it looked like a 4/1 bucket, 6000 hrs. it will go for nearly nothing, in Pa., the trany needs some work. sam