Support equipment

[hopm]

 Decided I needed something a little bigger at the mill. I have found 2 pieces I think might work for me.....mahindra 4550 4wd or a bobcat 763 wheel loader. Both are low hours and in excellent condition....just a bit indecisive and I put a great deal of confidence in the advice from this forum. What would your thoughts be?

[Ventryjr]

I'd go with the bobcat! I prefer a skid steer over a tractor for moving logs around the mill. More maneuverable.  I'd recommend if the budget allows to get a tracked skid steer tho.  Good luck! Stay safe! 

[Magicman]

A "farm" tractor is very limited as to what it can pick up.  I prefer to see a skid steer for it's log and lumber handling abilities.

[taylorsmissbeehaven]

I have both and prefer to use the skid steer for maneuverability and capacity. If you are gonna use it for the mill only, id go skid steer. The tractor will just get you by at the mill, but does many other tasks on the property. If you have other needs you might consider it as an "all around" machine. Brian 

[Nebraska]

Get both .....     Seriously  I use my tractors  10 to one over my skid steer,  but it is a small one.   Will you do any work  out in the woods, do you have acres to mow. How long are the trips to the various piles you get with a mill , snow removal etc. If you have a well organized  level mill yard  a skid steer will shine.

[Gere Flewelling]

I think the Bobcat wheel loader might be a very versatile piece of equipment.  Is there forks to go with it?  If so, the loader gets my vote.  I like tractors as well, but you said you need something around the mill.  The Bobcat being a wheel loader,has a much heavier front axle for lifting and moving heavy loads. 

[Ron Wenrich]

I've only been in one situation that used a Bobcat.  It wasn't for handling logs, as they had bigger wheel loaders for that task.  But, it was used to move lumber, and was a bigger model of Bobcat.  We had problems with it tipping, even on a concrete floor.  It seemed that we had to have some pretty small bundles in order to prevent the tipping.  It wasn't ideal for a more commercial operation.  Our target bundle size was 800-1000 bf.

I don't know if the farm tractor is much better from a lifting standpoint.  It is possible to put a weight on the back of the tractor to prevent tipping.  Can you do that with the Bobcat?

[ktm250rider]

Mahindra specs show 2800lbs lift capacity at the pins vs 1500lbs for the bobcat.  Also, the tractor has more ground clearance and i would estimate a higher resale value.

[barbender]

I have a Case 1845C skid loader. I don't know the rated lift capacity, but lifting 500 bf packs of green pine makes it start to get tippy. If I put the over the tire tracks on, that helps as it increases the counterweight. 

[Walnut Beast]

A "farm" tractor is very limited as to what it can pick up.  I prefer to see a skid steer for it's log and lumber handling abilities.

Magic has seen many different pieces of equipment around the sawmill and he is a tractor guy

[YellowHammer]

For some reason, I seem to climb in the cab of the tractor when I'm sawing, even though the CTL is only 50 feet away.  On the other hand, nothing beats the CTL for lots of jobs and I drive it pretty much every day, also.  

Different tools for different jobs.  

[Larry]

Most skid steers I've been around max out at around 600 board foot of lumber.  Tractors less.

I have a piggy back forklift which is good for 6,000 pounds.  I've never made it tippy or found anything it couldn't lift.  I also have a small Ford tractor.  It doesn't have much lift capacity, maybe 1,000 or a little more pounds.  By far it gets the most use.  Quiet, fast, easy on/off, and doesn't use much fuel.  It will handle 80% of my logs, waste slabs, but won't lift any stacks of lumber.

[btulloh]

In a reply above it said the 763 had a 1500 lb lift capacity. That's pretty limiting for logs and lumber packs. If the tractor will lift 2500, that'll be a lot more useful. If you want a skid steer probably better to look for one with a bit more grunt.  

[TroyC]

How you use it and your particular situation might be worth considering. I have never used a skid steer, but I have a 4WD 48 hp tractor about equal to the Mahindra. It will pick up 23-2400 lbs if you are careful. It will get tipsy at that weight. 15-1800 lbs it does fine with a grapple. For hobby sawing with a manual mill and working the farm/deer camp, the tractor is all I use. It has a grapple, bucket, 48" forks, carry-all, runs bush hog, root rake, disc harrow, fertilizer spreader, etc. I'm no where near a pro but the tractor gets me by fine.

[hopm]

Traded on the tractor. Felt like skid was over priced and he wouldnt budge on it.  Area around my mill occasionally turns into a mud bog so I do think the tractor is my best pick for my situation. Thanks for the input!!

[Bruno of NH]

I had a 4550 it will out lift that model bobcat by alot .
Get the tractor

[RichTired]

Robert,
    However, your tractor is NOT the average tractor!!! 


@yellowhammer 

[jpassardi]

I currently use my CAT backhoe with quick grab 6' forks and it will pick well over 5000 # but it is kinda long with the forks on and hoe out the back.
I'm looking at a Bobcat 763, if I get it I'll let you know how it compares. I suspect it'll be tippy and under capacity but maneuverable and good for light loads. To me skid steers shine in the area of attachment versatility.

[Joe Hillmann]

Do you intend to only use it for the sawmill? 

If you have other uses, the ability to tow with the tractor and the pto on the tractor can make it's shortcomings around the mill worth it.

[YellowHammer]

Robert,
   However, your tractor is NOT the average tractor!!!  


@yellowhammer

That's a fact.  I'm SO glad I got it years ago.

[Magicman]

 

 
Back in the days when I had Fat Albert, the Oliver Backhoe, there was nothing that he could/would not pick up. 

[farmfromkansas]

A 2 wheel drive farm tractor does not have the strong front end that the FWA tractors have.  The 40 series JD tractors had a cast front end that is stronger than the older welded front ends.  Abilene machine near here offers replacement front ends for older models that have more capacity.  Industrial tractors have heavy front ends, I had a Ford once, but the thing needed a load of weight on the rear to take advantage of the lift capacity.  

[Joe Hillmann]

I have found on the tractors I have owned that forks on the 3 point or a loader put on backwards allows a lot more weight to be lifted than a front loader.  It puts all the strain on the heavy rear axle instead of the weak front axle and make steering much easier as well.

Although I don't know of any remotely modern tractor that would allow you to mount the loader backwards without a ton of modification to the tractor or the loader.

[Bruno of NH]

They make 3pt forklift units 
They look slick

[beenthere]

I fab'd my forks to also fit on the 3pt hitch. Was easy to do using the quick hitch. Just pick up and go. Helps a bunch to have the hydraulic top arm.



  

To convert the loader forks over to the quickhitch, added top hook brackets A & B, then round stock C for the lower quick hitch hooks.