Or a skid steer on tracks?





The one picture is the second driveway and the other is what was an ATV/UTV path to The Big Garage.

Due to the ice storm in Northern Michigan, I have quite a bit of clean up to do. I spent six hours with the Farm Boss and Mini Farm Boss (Stihl chainsaws) yesterday making the one driveway passable by passenger vehicles. This was just cutting up trees enough to move them off to the side by hand by myself with no dragging things into the woods and making piles. There are a lot of leaners hung up on other trees in the woods as well.

I’m thinking skid steer with a grapple for maneuverability. What do you guys think? Probable renting unless a case (no pun intended) can be made for buying.

Buy both is not an option, although speaking from experience, having one to pull the other out when I get it stuck could be handy. It was really embarrassing to go to the rental place and ask to rent a skid steer to get the tractor I had rented earlier that day unstuck (reason 492 I don’t fly an airplane).

A tractor with a front end loader and a pto has some serious versatility. I have no comment on a skid steer.

I think a tractor is just more versatile than the skid steer but you could also just clear all of that with a hefty 4 wheeler just dragging limbs into the woods. If the woods are as thick as they look, you might need more maneuverability.

Be careful with those leaners.

I see work to be done with a chainsaw. Cut the trees, keep any firewood as desired.

I don’t see how a tractor helps much, unless just pushing the road open, then you have a mess. My question is, how much of a use for the $15k+ tractor after you clear this road? Then it’s one more thing to maintain.

It isn’t a race to get the road open, important areas first, pace yourself.

I see people going mechanized when it’s more of manual job. If you want a tractor for other uses, have at it. One can barter with the neighbor some, they come over with their tractor.

If you don't have enough land or projects to justify a tractor or skid steer, renting a track loader with a grapple might be a wise decision. I recently purchased a Kubota MX5400 to replace a 2002 John Deere 4600. We have a total of 29 acres between two properties and always have a need for a tractor for one reason or another.

Y'all, can't you hear the man? He's sayin he wants a tractor? We can debate the need. Looks to me trapper you need a tractor!

Either way, DO get a grapple. They're perfect for that sort of work.

If buying, I'd get a tractor. Much more versatile and capable of handling a large array of attachments for future projects/needs.

If renting just for the purpose of clearing, then skid steer for sure.

We have a 2015 Deere 3032e and a Massey 1240 from the mid-90s. Others near us have Kubota.

If I had to buy new, I would get a TYM, which is a South Korean brand. Neighbor has their 40 horsepower unit, and it has been bulletproof. He uses it frequently, it gives him no trouble, and has good ergos.

Around here, they are much cheaper than Deere or Kubota, and are well supported by their dealer network.

Looking at the pictures nothing there I couldn’t easily handle with my L2501 Kubota HST tractor. Other brands may have better value but I am an Orange tractor fan. I would use a small to medium chainsaw, gas or battery powered.
As mentioned above a grapple makes that type work easy. I have a FEL and a grapple. Wish I had known about a grapple 25 years ago.

Both. Definitely both.

A grapple on either a skid steer or tractor would really be of help. After it's cleaned up, which would you have more use for, skid steer or utility tractor?

I've been clearing the same kind of mess from wind damage here a week back and I'm sure glad I have a compact utility tractor with loader and grapple for doing this. I use the tractor quite a lot around the property with the three attachments that get used most are the grapple, bucket, and rear mower.


Moving stuff off the road that I've cut and piling it up by the driveway.

It’s 20 acres of mostly wet ground with 900’ of sandy beach. I’m not sure either would be good on the beach. There’s a small bit of grass over the septic system of the house on the left that I do with a push mower in an hour. Otherwise, no mowing. There’s probably about a 1/2 mile of gravel drives and parking areas.

There a lot more than just the two pictures and quite a bit of it is 12”-15” with a couple of 24” thrown in 40’-60’. It’s not as bad a Hurricane Charley when I rented a T300 with a grapple. That was all 24”+ 50’ pine and when we bought the Farm Boss.

I’ll get my 18yo son and his buddy plus my soon to be 15yo son organized and we’ll get what needs to be cleaned up done. I’m looking at it though and saying that source of labor will be gone soon, my wife and I will be spending more time up here when our kids are gone, and I’m going to be 60 at that point doing this by myself. I’m not sure, but I think the closest rental place is 40 miles away.

If renting rent the CTL. You will know if you want to buy one pretty quick.

We got lucky that this one fell the right direction. I have no idea why or how it fell in two pieces.





House looks a little barren without that cedar. I loved that cedar, but my wife hated it because she was always worried it was going to fall on the house. I always said don’t worry, it’s not going to fall on the house. I think that’s the third time I’ve been right in 19 years.

I’m going to run fiber between the two houses and between the one house and The Big Garage this summer.

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:

It’s 20 acres of mostly wet ground with 900’ of sandy beach. I’m not sure either would be good on the beach. There’s a small bit of grass over the septic system of the house on the left that I do with a push mower in an hour. Otherwise, no mowing. There’s probably about a 1/2 mile of gravel drives and parking areas.....

Beautiful area there!

I'm unsure if you'll have enough use for a tractor often enough to justify one? And you'll want a garage or carport to keep it in. But it could be used to clear snow off the drive, move stone, firewood, help clear trails if you have them, etc.

At 71 years old now I'm cautious about not trying to lift as heavy of stuff as I used to so having the loader really helps for setting the heavy chunks of firewood up on the splitter, lifting the generator up in the back of my truck, spreading tons of stone on the drive, etc. All things that I used to do by hand, that I couldn't do now by hand. The other useful thing to have, and one I use a lot, is a small SXS.

There is nothing in that original picture that a modest sized tractor with a grappel could not do.
And that's the cheapest solution in any case.
I have an extensive inventory of equipment tractors, skid steerers, tracked loaders, backhoes, bulldozers etc. And I have a rule use the smallest thing that can get the job done because when you get to the economics every hour gets more expensive the bigger the equipment is.
A chain saw and a tractor will do that project just fine, and at a practical level do less damage to the road than a tracked skid steerer. My tractor grappel has a load limit of about 900 lbs so that's a good baseline, tree sections bigger than that will need something bigger.
Probably the fastest (but not least expensive way) to clear what's in the pictures is a small excavator as you wouldn't need to saw anything if putting the debris on the side of the road is acceptable.

I vote using a chainsaw and an ATV or garden tractor. The ATV is cheap, a little fun, can drag away fair sized logs and debris in any direct, has quick run around time and minimal damage.
If I was renting and the price was close I’d want a skidsteer over a tractor and find more use for it to fill the day.

quote:

Originally posted by mjlennon:
Y'all, can't you hear the man? He's sayin he wants a tractor? We can debate the need. Looks to me trapper you need a tractor!

This guy gets it.

I have a Kubota UTV, two Polaris ATVs, and appreciate those suggestions. I also appreciate the sanity checks on my actual need and you guys are right, I don’t need one and certainly can make do with what I have.