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Recommendations for Machinery?

Started by danielb, June 02, 2020, 05:30:31 PM

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danielb

Hello!

New to this site.  I have 8.5 acres in the Catskills NY (Delaware County).   It is all wooded hillside, some of it steep.  I am trying to level out and clear the bottom ~1-2 bottom acres to have a decent-sized orchard and market garden.  (Already has some nice old apple trees that are going to be brought back to production).  Going to log a lot of the upper part for lumber and firewood. All hardwood trees around ~20 inches in diameter.  Nothing too huge.  A lot of scrubby small maple, oak, ash, etc. also going to get thinned out. 

For safety, I really want a tracked vehicle like a dozer/crawler, but am not sure what is out there. For example just missed an opportunity to buy an IH T340 with a Drott 4-in-1 bucket, which seemed perfect except for the lack of rear winch.  

Things I am looking for:
-has to be on the smaller side
-Loader to load up my truck with material/transport materials around the property.
-Can level out terrain/pull stumps
-ability to skid logs (or can be modified for that purpose)
-ability to dig
-ability to lift logs onto a portable sawmill (bonus, not essential)

Do not have a big budget either.  Less than ~5k is my target, but that might be wishful thinking.  Yes, understand that whatever I buy will need work and I do not care if it is just a rough, barebones machine as long as it runs!

If you were me, what models would you be looking for? Any other thoughts?

PM me if you have something you think I should look at also!  

Thanks!

BargeMonkey

 There's alot of STEEP in Delaware county, I was just over in the back of Delhi / Andes trucking wood. Honestly your best bet for what your doing, take your 5k bucks, go to Stamford @ Eklunds or Jack Miller tractor in Schoharie and put the money down on a decent machine, alot less headaches and 0%. Old track loaders used to be around but you can throw 5-10k into a 5k machine quick and still be broke down. 

mike_belben

If you are a good mechanic with time and tools, a dozer aint bad.  I am a dozer guy for sure, wont be without one.  Drott buckets are great, i have one on a case450 crawler loader backhoe.  

Id stay away from deere 1010 and T340s.  Theyre just too light duty and pretty sure both are dry clutch.. Theyre a notch above the oliver and cletrac parade toys but not much IMO.

First gen deeres id also try to stay away from, always seem to have a frozen clutch or brake. Wet clutches is a real big step forward in reliability.  Deere 350/450 with wet clutch, TD5/6/7.  I have a komatsu D31P-18 that i love.  They did make a smaller homeowner sized machine, D20 i think?  But again be sure its a wet clutch, the early years were dry.  

The case machines are wonky to steer because they have left and right H-N-L transmissions with a reverser .. But they never sieze up a clutch.  Just have to be sure no one stripped out the brake hub spline by driving thru the brake like a normal dozer.  Case is totally different style to operate.  Full power turns is great in rough ground though.

If you arent a patient mechanic though, an old crawler is discouraging.  Theyre stable, tough, powerful and cheap to buy but broken pretty often once you do!  Dont buy a project or a worn out bottom and do weld grousers on if its got loader pads.  Never trust the seller!  It didnt run when parked and it wont steer when it does run!  Its not a "good old dozer" if it wont drive itself up onto the trailer.  Good old dozers usually arent for sale cheap either. 


You can add a hydraulic worm gear winch later and take your time reeling out cable. Theyre slow but reliable
Praise The Lord

mike_belben

And believe it or not NYC is a good place to buy a dozer .. There is no homeowner market at all.  My 450 came from flatbush and lived indoors! 

Trucking is cheap right now. 
Praise The Lord

BargeMonkey

Quote from: mike_belben on June 02, 2020, 10:52:46 PM
And believe it or not NYC is a good place to buy a dozer .. There is no homeowner market at all.  My 450 came from flatbush and lived indoors!

Trucking is cheap right now.
I had to go move an older Case dozer for another guy last yr, I was lost 🤣 there's a reason they are dirt cheap. 

Old Greenhorn

 I saw this yesterday but didn't have time to respond. I am in Ulster county part of the Catskills, and frequent Delaware, Greene, and Schoharie. There are a handful of members in these parts. I was going to chime in and suggest you check in with BargeMonkey because he is just over the hill from you and has his hands in a lot of pies and knows a lot of people in the equipment market. Don't let his good looks and young years fool you, he is a handy guy. :D ;D In fact, If I could stay awake late enough to reach him on the phone I would be head his way today or tomorrow. He works longer days than me. I will probably go very close past your place on the way. (Are you anywhere near Roxbury, or further west?)
Mike's suggestion was also very good. It is amazing what you can get out of the city, both NY and across the river in NJ. Much of that stuff is pretty lightly used for park and road work, or landfills. Yeah, getting it can be a small hassle, but very worth it.
Both of those guys know what they are talking about for sure.
Good luck, welcome to the forum. Don't be a stranger. Nice to have somebody else from our area in the mix.
Tom
Tom Lindtveit, Woodsman Forest Products
Oscar 328 Band Mill, Husky 350, 450, 562, & 372 (Clone), Mule 3010, and too many hand tools. :) Retired and trying to make a living to stay that way. NYLT Certified.
OK, maybe I'm the woodcutter now.
I work with wood, There is a rumor I might be a woodworker.

mike_belben

Quote from: BargeMonkey on June 02, 2020, 10:58:41 PM
Quote from: mike_belben on June 02, 2020, 10:52:46 PM
And believe it or not NYC is a good place to buy a dozer .. There is no homeowner market at all.  My 450 came from flatbush and lived indoors!

Trucking is cheap right now.
I had to go move an older Case dozer for another guy last yr, I was lost 🤣 there's a reason they are dirt cheap.
My first test drive was backing off a brand new all aluminum stepdeck.  No pressure!
Praise The Lord

danielb

Thank you so much for taking the time for these thoughtful comments everyone.  Still looking, but this is really helping.

kiko

The old case dozers basically have a power shift transmission for each track . The brakes are to be used for stopping not steering. I like them , I still own one that does not run.  Got a 821c loader , I like it too. The transmission is currently out of it.  I also have a jd 450b track loader with backhoe , it runs good just will not steer,^^^^ dry clutches . I am currently trying to sell it because John Deere.

woodmaker

My former in-laws live in Bloomville, and bargemonkey is right, there is a lot of very steep land, once you leave Rt. 10
 I would say track loader as well, but be careful with the earlier 450 john deere machines, the frame always broke where it bolted on to the final drive housing
 My personal preference would be a 125 international. They were very heavy and rugged for their size, they had the same running gear as the td8, so parts are readily available still, and they  have wet planetaries  instead of steering clutches, 
franklin q80,builtrite 40,husky 372,sachs dolmar 123, dozers,excavators,loaders,tri-axle dump trucks ,autocar tractor with dump,flatbed and detachable trailers, and 8  f350 diesels

Haleiwa

Nothing you find for 5000 is going to do anything but cost you a lot more than 5000 to keep it going.  You want a dozer/skidder/loader and cheap to boot.  Not likely unless you get something so old that parts are NLA.  Closest you will come will be the down payment on an older medium sized excavator.  Not much for skidding, but possible to carry one log at a time.  Nothing on this planet is more expensive than an old dozer or track loader,  even if you get it for free.  Come to think of it,  if you get one for free it's probably going to cost you more in the long run than one you pay a reasonable price for. 
Socialism is people pretending to work while the government pretends to pay them.  Mike Huckabee

mike_belben

i can only agree with the first half.  5 grand isnt enough.  10 is the start and 15k is getting decent. 


A dead paid machine is not nearly as costly as a dead machine with a big pricetag due every month.  They can all die.  Were all playing the odds and there is risk to everything.  


Ive got only very old, very cheap cash bought machines.  1 is a constant battle but 2 defy your rule, as theyre almost always running and have needed very little additional investment after purchase.  


Ones choice should factor heavily on A- how large and stable is my cashflow, and B, how good is my capacity to repair equipment?  


A guy who can fix anything but doesnt really have the clients or is in a saturated market should not be buying new.  A guy who has tons of clients and cashflow but no shop or tools or seasoned mechanic buddies shouldnt consider anything old.  If match the man to the machine youll reduce the various risks of owning one.



Someone with no tools, no money and no clients shouldnt be dragging iron home, thats yard art.    
Praise The Lord

Walnut Beast

Quote from: Haleiwa on February 03, 2021, 08:20:59 PM
Nothing you find for 5000 is going to do anything but cost you a lot more than 5000 to keep it going.  You want a dozer/skidder/loader and cheap to boot.  Not likely unless you get something so old that parts are NLA.  Closest you will come will be the down payment on an older medium sized excavator.  Not much for skidding, but possible to carry one log at a time.  Nothing on this planet is more expensive than an old dozer or track loader,  even if you get it for free.  Come to think of it,  if you get one for free it's probably going to cost you more in the long run than one you pay a reasonable price for.
That's why my friend has two 850 John Deere dozers that sit. He probably would fix but another D6 open cab is running fine. And one is a newer one. $$$ to fix. The CAT D6 high track just needed new tracks and various other work 40k and the guy talked him into a non CAT brand track that he claims is just as good for much less. Unless you have a lot of cash to spend on hydraulic oil and oil they can run pretty good for a long time if you keep adding them everyday 😂

DDW_OR

my 2 cents.
good 30 hp 4x4 tractor.
Front end loader with bucket and pallet forks. DO NOT get the slip on forks
box blade
skidder winch
rototiller

when needed, rent an 8,000 pound excavator for a week.

this is my Mahindra 5520, 51 hp with Farmi 501 winch rated at 11,000 pull


 
"let the machines do the work"

BargeMonkey

My honest opinion, take a drive to Eklunds in Stamford and look around, probably 100 machines sitting there and Billy has more all over, your going to leave with a new tractor dont worry 😆 We quit buying tractors there when they went from blue to red but to each their own, i will say they are good people to deal with. 
Unless you've got a shop and the ability to do serious wrenching i wouldn't try and resurrect something you find in the weeds unless you can buy it for scrap price. 
Actual read something in the paper last week about Delaware County, county board was all worried because the county birth rate is expected to go way down due to the covid, people couldnt go to family reunions.... 🤷‍♂️ 

woodmaker

franklin q80,builtrite 40,husky 372,sachs dolmar 123, dozers,excavators,loaders,tri-axle dump trucks ,autocar tractor with dump,flatbed and detachable trailers, and 8  f350 diesels

BargeMonkey

Quote from: woodmaker on February 05, 2021, 10:26:00 AM
Ouch!
My joke wasn't meant in a bad way but if your from the area.... 
 Got a local kid here, family is originally from down that way. He starts dating a girl out of Roxbury -Del county. Note she is his 3rd cousin, i can overlook that, so the parents are 2nd cousins, remember this. Ok so now she is his cousin and GF... the parents are both divorced, some things happen and the kids father and girls mother get married... so now she's his cousin, GF, and step sister... parents put a house in behind where he lives. He gets talking about breaking up with the girl one day, i said, "whats she going to do move back in with mom and dad" 🤷‍♂️😆 I actually saw him last night leaving somewhere, I got outside and made a remark about the one girl inside, he goes hey now thats distant family of mine, im like come on buddy that hasn't stopped you before 😆...  

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