Skid steers

[Walnut Beast]

What is the seed?

Thirteen different seeds. Alsike Clover, Blanketflower, Lemon mint and Canada Milkvetch just to name a few

[Walnut Beast]

Why would you need a tractor to plant or drill crops in when you could use your skid

Good point. I should sell my tractors and pickup truck. Put an SMV triangle on the CTL and have no need to buy auto insurance or tags.

Why not your retired. Just trade your tractor in for John Deere with IVT 31 mph. Heck my CTL in high is 12-14 mph and rides like a Cadillac 

[Walnut Beast]

Planting with the 10 ft Great Plains NT drill between 4 - 6 mph at 1/2 throttle no need for any more. Had at 3/4 and just didn't need to.  I've figured I'm using in the ballpark of 3/4 gallon of Diesel per acre. This New CRP mix is a tricky one to  plant and lots of guys are not happy and having trouble planting to get right. The equilivent of a cup and a half of seed per acre at 48 bucks plus adding oats and adjusting to get right 

[Walnut Beast]

 
Planting at night is like day when it's dark with LED lighting. 
 

 

 

[Walnut Beast]

 
 
 

 

[Walnut Beast]

Pulling through washouts that a tractor wouldn't even try unless it was a big one is a cake walk. 

[YellowHammer]

So you really aren't worried about the wear and tear on the tracks and gear?  How many acres?

[Walnut Beast]

Amazing weather to be planting in December at 55 and even warmer weather tomorrow. Running less than half throttle. 1,900 rpm. Plenty of power and speed at that.  

 

 

[Walnut Beast]

So you really aren't worried about the wear and tear on the tracks and gear?  How many acres?

Not worried at all.  Ran over probably hundreds of trees most cottonwood and cedar and stumps from various sizes of a quarter to pop bottle size and a few bigger. With stumps two to five inches. Welcome to CRP. No matter how much you do, spray or how nice it is.  Had a few get caught in the planter I had to cut out. But none in the nasty stuff in tracks. They would get kicked out. 58 acres officially planted. Takes a little time with a 10 ft drill. 

 

 

[YellowHammer]

That's impressive. 

[newoodguy78]

What is the seed you're planting? I deal with expensive seeds but 48 bucks for a cup and a half on that type of ground....ouch
Just a little jealous of your drill looks like a dandy 

[Walnut Beast]

What is the seed you're planting? I deal with expensive seeds but 48 bucks for a cup and a half on that type of ground....ouch
Just a little jealous of your drill looks like a dandy

Here it is. The first picture is with the oats mixed in. All of the CRP mixes are fairly expensive. I had five bags of oats and used four mixed in and that worked perfect

 

 

   

[newoodguy78]

Not up to speed on crp regulations don't know if it's an option or not but I priced out some cover crop cocktails pre blended last year the cost savings of buying the individual seeds and mixing them myself was substantial and well worth the effort. 
If it's something you're interested in pursuing let me know and I'll put you in contact with the supplier they were excellent to deal with and had very reasonable prices. 
Interesting to see oats going in this time of year, glad that solution worked out. 

[farmfromkansas]

Did you have to plant all this stuff to get some CRP renewed?  I had some CRP and was glad to get it out of the program.  Found that scattering composted manure really renews the growth of native grass, and it produces like grass that has not been farmed out.  But the folks at FSA read the regulations and you are not allowed to scatter compost.  Only commercial fertilizer that just fertilizes weeds.  Did figure out that native grass is not compatible with ground if planted after manure, only brome does good on that ground.  Last quarter I bought was CRP, and it ran out end of September, so me and a neighbor cut and baled it, are selling some hay and donating some to those burned out west of here, and I hauled manure there to scatter as soon as the bales are gone. Will take a few years to produce enough to make a lot of difference with just 70 cows. But the ground I have treated this way is good hay production. Have to harrow the ground after scattering the manure.

[wisconsitom]

Not sure how applicable to this thread, but it's been said to me-and this is in restoration work, i.e. prairie planting-that you'll never go broke regardless which cover crop, and at what seeding rate you use, but you might go broke spending too much time/effort trying to decide.  Generally not expensive seed.

We like winter rye in late fall-seeded dormant plantings.

[Corley5]

I've got 15 acres of big bluestem that was planted as part of a DNR program.  Kind pricey at the time but it sure produces hay and our droughts have little effect on it.

[mike_belben]

Only 70 cows he says  :D

[farmfromkansas]

Before you get envious, think about spending all summer cutting, raking, and baling hay enough to feed 70 cows and calves. Today I only fed 3 bales, yesterday it was 6.

[mike_belben]

Sounds okay to a guy who works every day of the year with no income at all.  :laugh:

[Walnut Beast]

The CRP is a five year maintenance of burn off and inner seeding on a ten year contract. All contracts and incentives are different. For instance I will get reimbursed half the costs of all the maintenance. The new contracts now don't have that incentive. They do checks on compliance more than they used to, written warnings and getting terminated from non compliance. Anything in the designated areas that you want to take out before the contract is complete is going to cost you every dime they paid you plus interest. For example it was 5,500 pay back for 6 acres I took out for two lots. It could also be transferred to new owners if they agree to the terms and sign. Many benefits for nature and wildlife with CRP but a fair amount of work especially if it gets out of control. And it can in a hurry

[Walnut Beast]

The total payback of 5,500 of the six acres was three years in at the time.

[Walnut Beast]

Doesn't matter what skidsteer you have when you need two 😂

 

[wkf94025]

I bought a Bobcat T76 last year, with log grapple, heavy duty bucket, pallet forks, and auger.  Couldn't be happier.  Wide track machine, which allows us to keep working despite 26+ inches of rain since mid-October.  Great financing, and dealer loaned me weeks worth of other machines while waiting for mine to be built/shipped.  Just over 10,000# before attachments.  I believe practical capacity before adding any counterweights is ~3,500#.  I can lift clean or lift one end and drag anything I would want to mill with my Lucas 7-23.  I think HP is in the 90's.  

I like the double lift of the previous post.  When I need to move containers, I lift one end, and insert one or more rollers, typically ~8" log or 4" galvy pipe, then tow with ease.  

BTW, Bobcat just announced an all-electric skid steer at Consumer Electronics Show this week.  Cool.  I think.

When I was shopping last spring, I consulted my brother who sold for Perkins then Cat for decades.  He said go Cat all the way, except in the skid steer space, where Bobcat ate Cat's lunch, with a best-in-class product and great support.

[Walnut Beast]

Nice setup! Pretty tough to beat a higher hp tracked skid steer for all around use

[sumday]

For me this is a skid steer question, others it might be a FEL on a tractor - what if anything are people treating their bucket with to keep snow from sticking in it? I was thinking diesel or a diesel/used motor oil mix sprayed on. Any thoughts?