I need advise on what track loader to buy

[jmb]

My family has a 225 acre farm in central tx. I am want to take about 20 acres of cedar off. I also need to push and pile about 20 acres of dead Spanish oak trees. I also want to do some general light dozer type work. I will be working on a government cost share program to help defray the cost. This will bring in 4 to 6k or so. My terrain is rocky with some hills. We contracted a dozer 15 years ago and I was not pleased with the end result (holes and rocks dug up). We also had a skid steer with a shredding machine and it left a lot of ground up cedar which is a problem in itself. I will pile and burn the cedar or do a prescribed burn which I am trained to do. I am considering a tree sheer. I have ash juniper cedar so regrowth is not a problem except for new seedling which will always be an issue. I figure I can buy a used machine and sell when I am finished with out much if any loss. I am some what mechanically inclined and can do routine maintenance (fluids hoses etc.) and will do it. as for doing repairs I will probably have to call a local mobile mechanic or the JB dealer which is close. Not reasonable in my opinion but both are close.

I have never even sat in one of these machines, but I never drove a HDT before I bought my Volvo to haul my 38 ft 5th wheel rv either.

What is the unit that would work best for my situation, size, brand horsepower etc on the steer as well as the sheer. I would also like a post hole digger that will cut into limestone. Who should I buy from is another important consideration and what should I expect to pay. Leasing vs buying? What about service contracts? I do not want to buy somebody else's problems. When I bought my Volvo I had a dyno run and checked out by a dealer. What should I do for a skid steer? are there specific tests? The closest big town is Waco, TX. If anybody is in my part of the world and would like to mentor me I am all for it.

Many thanks in advance. All advice is appreciated.

Regards
JB

 

[Wray]

What was the problem with the mulched up cedar? Your rocky description has me thinking Spring Branch and-> north or west of there. If that's right A small-medium track loader with a 4 in 1 bucket might be what you are looking for. You can dig out and pile the bigger rocks that need moving but there will always be rock outcroppings that you have to deal with.

 

[CM1995]

Welcome to the Forums jmb.

It's hard to give advice on the "what kind of machine do I need" questions as their are so many variables. From the what you describe I agree with Wray, a real track loader, not CTL is what may serve you best.

My terrain is rocky with some hills.

Metal will be cheaper to operate than rubber in that situation. My CTL is the most expensive undercarriage per hour that I run.

 

[jmb]

Thanks for the quick advice. The oak trees will be cut down and in manageable pieces. I do not want hole where the stumps are. Can you put a shear on a track loader? I should have added that not all my terrain is rocky, just the area where the oaks are. I think and certainly could be wrong that a TL would be more easy to maneuver than a CTL. am I wrong. This will be more of a select cut than clearing. If I am wrong what size TL would I need and what should I expect to pay?

Just trying to my due diligence.

Thank you ever so much for your sage advice.

Regards
JB

 

[JBGASH]

You can never go wrong with a 943 or 953 size both will do a tremendous amount of work in general...

 

[CM1995]

Why would you need a sheer if the trees will be cut down? I haven't used a sheer but it's purpose is to cut/sheer a tree and leave the stump. It sounds like you will have that already done.

As far as the stumps go, once again I don't know your terrain or working conditions but just grub them out and backfill the hole. That's the normal practice of clearing and grubbing a site as you need to backfill the stump hole for many reasons.

Spend some time on www.machinerytrader.com (just one of many equipment websites) and see what fits your budget. That's the most important question - "What are you planning on spending"?

 

[rancher2]

I think you will find it hard to have one machine do it all. I am doing about the same on a 160 acres pasture. It lots of cedars hedge rows that were planted in the 1930's and elms, locusts and most other tree. I have a 941b track loader and have pushed some out but like you said then the holes have to be taken care of. I have a s-750 bobcat with a hyd tree saw which I think works better than a shear because I can cut big trees and get them cut below the ground so I can shred the pasture and keep the trees down. We post some of the hedge make some in to fire wood. Make some of the locust in to fire wood and then we have lots and lots of burning party's. I would not do with out either machine they both have a use. Good luck. The skid loader was new when I started this project and I should have spent more on a track loader as this one has been a pain in the --- but I have ran it a lot of hours digging ponds fixing water ways and of course pushing the trees.

 

[DMiller]

I bought a old Allis with a 4 in 1 Multi Purpose bucket, was thinking it would do better than a conventional loader GP bucket, is actually heavy almost too heavy where the General Purpose bucket will also hold more material. The loader is OK, it is in constant need of attention but I knew that going in and buying it. As stated a good 941, 955, 943 or 953 will not do you wrong so long as it isn't in need of rails or other work to make it work ready. Once a tree is cut down to a stump, digging them out with a loader is a lot of work and excess time spent, a track excavator or trackhoe is better suited, at that a trackhoe in general is a better choice for pushing down trees but is of little use in finish grade work, again it is what you expect to do with the machine, how much time you have and how much to spend on first the machine then repairs as you use it.

 

[Skid Shear]

jmb, I'm in your neck of the woods, ~80 miles west of Waco, and faced the same challenges several years ago. I opted for the skid steer w/tree shear. I participated in a cost share (EQIP) program through the NRCS office in Stephenville. The agreement suggested using SS and shear because they do not disturb the soil as much as other machinery. Before I entered the program, I did some clearing with dozers and tractors w/ FELs, and am still filling in holes left by the uprooted stumps.

The setup that I have will take down Junipers up to ~12" in one cut, depending on the shape of the trunk.

Where about is your project? If it's in my direction, I'd be happy to visit with you about it.

 

[Plebeian]

One of the problems of buying old machinery is not knowing when it is going to let you down in a large manner (major engine failure etc). Some go for a long time, other fail after a short time.
http://youtu.be/8F8ExB2XRDs (Cat 316E L)
http://youtu.be/T3EieTWB21Y (Texas Steiger rolling brush)
http://youtu.be/zfi2uwA0oB4 (lone* Logging -sometimes it preferable to use a crew on the larger trees)

http://youtu.be/tIHazN5nwiM (Tree shear on excavator)
http://www.augertorqueusa.com/ (if the lime rock is hard are explosives or excavator rock breakers used?)
http://youtu.be/VA6AQ94g4gk (Cat 977) if you are going to start collecting classic machinery
A liebherr lr622 (http://youtu.be/UcjtY9hsVxs) Find out what the difference between a caterpillar (french? built track loader) and liebherr track loader transmission is.

 

[hillbillywrench]

Several years i ago worked on a farm that row-cropped summers and logged/cleared winters. We used a JD 755 track loader. The operator would push the trees out, then I would go in with a chainsaw and cut the stump free. Used extreme caution to avoid having a rootball roll toward the sawman. I was also the chain sharpener (small rocks love to get embedded in the bark and dull freshly sharpened chain.) The logs were bucked out of the tree and skidded to the load site. The stumps were buried. The tops and brush were burn't. The 755 size machine would probably be a little big for your use.

 

[hillbillywrench]

We were pushing out hardwoods up to 26" dia. (measured at the little end of a 9' log). It was dangerous work and required an operator that really knew how to be careful. I spent alot of the time with the saw hung in the cut (trees that are pushed out before cutting have horrible and unpredictable twist/pressure on them that will pinch a saw in a heartbeat.) One time we cleared some timber on a ridge that wouldn't be farmed, so we cut the trees as close to the ground as possible and left the stumps (easier, safer cutting, but the trackloader operator wanted to shoot us everytime he hung a hidden stump pushing brush or bounced over one backing up). The boss would hire a local contractor who would bring in a cat 943 (with ripper), cat 312(?) excavator, and/or a cat D6 with a 6-way blade to help sometimes. We used the farm tractors for log skidding and light cleanup. The trackloaders (with ripper) were the most versatile. The dozer and the excavator were much better at certain aspects of the job (grading and smoothing with the dozer, digging out stubborn trees and stacking brush with the excavator), but the trackloader could dig, push trees, lift stumps, rough-grade, use the bucket teeth to rake roots/rocks, pile brush, and load logs, rocks, or dirt.
Caution: Be prepared to spend money and time on repairs. Check any machine you consider very carefully, preferably by a trusted and competent mechanic with track experience. In two years we replaced 1 front idler, multiple lower track rollers, rebuilt 1 bucket lift cylinder, replaced 2 drive sprockets, 1 track-tensioner seal kit, 1 expensive hydraulic control valve body, fabricated 1 1" thick belly pan plate (done when replacing the hydraulic valve, Cause-and-effect Right?), final drive seals, welded a major crack in one main bucket lift arm, and replaced the turbo mounting bracket. I grew tired of driving out track master-links. This used machine appeared to be in decent shape when purchased (except for the missing belly plate protecting the hydaulic controls that no one noticed), the operator didn't unnessarily abuse the machine (he never even cracked any glass in the cab, running without screens or brush-guards in timber). It got worked pretty hard, and I wasn't too impressed with certain aspects of the track design, but for the most part all the wrenching and parts were just the cost of clearing timber and running tracks.
All that being said, I LOVED working in the timber and around the tracked equipment, there's nothing like the smell of fresh cut timber, fresh dirt, diesel, and chainsaw gas while looking at ground that was overgrown and unproductive but is now clean, smooth, and ready for grass/crops.
Sorry I rambled on, i hope this info helps.