35 Years in the Making! (3 Viewers)

[knuckle47]

That’s a great idea and I have wanted one for 30 years…(like the pole barn) I will need to look at the costs of buying a used one. I could not move the smokers either after they started coming together and got heavier.

what makes the idea palatable is I live in a rural area and when it snows, our dirt road can become impassable for a day or 2. As we get older, emergencies happen and the perfect storm combination could be a real problem.

years ago had to have a new septic system…after $12,000. the backhoe guy said…”where your old system?” He went to the edge, dug a 10’ deep hole and worked his way over to the drainage field.. then a huge gush of water broke thru the side nearly filled the new hole…. He told me to use the old system as a laundry drain and it has worked perfectly for 19 years.

I have looked at some online but they seem to command $40-$50,000 to buy something useable these days

 

[1911]

Do you have any need for small tractor with bucket around the site? Maybe rent (if practical with location) small lawn tractor with front end loader? I figure this would be cheaper than a skid steer?

That's what I was going to recommend. I use mine for stuff like that a lot.

 

[greenbeast]

That’s a lot of coin for used small tractor. I r have small kubota L3400 we use in and around the yard which would be fine. It should be a $14k tractor at most. It has 400 hours on it.

I’m leaving in a few minutes to drive to Colorado to pick up our L4700 Kubota which only has 170 hours and has post hole diggers, brush hog, bucket and angle blade. I sold it to coworker for $30k but could have gotten more.

Hope that puts possibilities into perspective.

 

[1911]

That’s a lot of coin for used small tractor. I r have small kubota L3400 we use in and around the yard which would be fine. It should be a $14k tractor at most. It has 400 hours on it.

I’m leaving in a few minutes to drive to Colorado to pick up our L4700 Kubota which only has 170 hours and has post hole diggers, brush hog, bucket and angle blade. I sold it to coworker for $30k but could have gotten more.

Hope that puts possibilities into perspective.

Kubota's are worth spending a bit more on IMO; the Land Cruiser of tractors.

 

[Njck22]

Moving a few things from my garage to the new building… I have zero experience regarding moving heavy things. decades ago I could use shear force…but that’s out of the question now. It is 100’ from the garage to the new pole barn and I have R Blend (crushed concrete) and my driveway. Some of these tools are 300-400 lbs and years ago at 35, I could muscle them around and find a way to get them where they have been for so long.

can someone recommend a rental tool that would get them lifted and across the stone?

I was thinking engine hoist, place them in The pickup and drive over the the garage and reverse the process ..that’s a bunch of work, but maybe there is an easier way I do not know about

this drill press I carried back in 1988… when I tried a few days ago, it top heavier itself to a position in the floor… thank goodness it was a well controlled movement but my arm suffered a few cuts and bruises

View attachment 3137803View attachment 3137804View attachment 3137805View attachment 3137806View attachment 3137807

In the meantime you could roll it to the new place with two pieces of half or 3/4 plywood. Would take forever but no lifting

 

[Michael B]

If you get a tractor, I would recommend getting forks to fit on the bucket. I used a friends kubota with forks and it worked perfectly! Toolboxes, filing cabinet, shelves and everything in between.

 

[Michael B]

BTW lovely T bird. She’s a real beauty!

 

[knuckle47]

Well, this puts much more of it in perspective…a set of forks and a bucket would be terrific for moving… thing is, I’ll likely not find something along these lines quickly. I am hoping to get the garage ready to use by Christmas.


I feel like I’m fighting a timeline between age and aging. it appears that in 9 months I have a big change in much of the ability to lift, push and drag…which is how I moved everything years ago but much more easily. Don;t get me wrong, Im not a weakened sick old man but I am facing the disappointment of trying to get things done and making very slow progress

@Michael B Thank you….The t-bird is a sweetheart. Getting in and out is tricky. I am 5’11” and about 215…but still a fun car to drive.

 

[Waorani]

Forks on a bucket work but are weight limited and seeing what you are doing can be tough. Better option is quick attach on front end loader with a set of QA forks, bucket, grapple, etc, etc.

 

[knuckle47]

@Waorani well, I can see this ain’t gonna be cheap…..! When we lived in Vermont, access to equipment like this was widespread And more affordable.Here in the Garden State, it is highly specialized because the farms have disappeared quickly and they just don’t have a need for this kind of equipment in developments. Locally, if you have a 54” lawn tractor, that is seen as huge …l

My rural spot has been ideal for us for near 45 years, I wouldn’t live anywhere else in the state but we never had the money years back…now that it is more of an option, I can’t spend it as quickly…if you get my drift. Just paid $5.19 for diesel fuel today. Was $4.66 3 days ago and $4.07 for #2 heating oil

I'm checking for used equipment within A few hundred miles. Hopefully i can find something. My primary use after these things are moved will be moving the occasional big snow and a few logs as needed seasonally. I’d rather have a FJ45!

 

[greenbeast]

What stinks is the delay in delivering new tractors and has brought higher prices and increased demand for used ones.

I’ve always been kubota guy and they have never failed me. Look for the L models, I have not found the b series to be much good except for mowing.

 

[knuckle47]

Thanks for that… @greenbeast

 

[greenbeast]

Thanks for that… @greenbeast

Wish you were closer, my little L3400 would probably be perfect. Holler at me with any questions on these things.

 

[knuckle47]

Armed with a model number for that Kubota L3400, I found several for sale between $11,500 and 22,000. Of course at 11.5 it is only the machine…if you need a bucket add, $4000.00 or more

 

[Waorani]

When I tell folks I was born in New Jersey I often get an "I'm sorry!"

Above is my second Kubota - 20 yr old L4630 w/ LA853 loader bought new. Looked into trading up in HP a couple years ago but decided to just hang on to it given cost of new ones and what dealer would offer in trade. I use the forks all the time and would be lost without it. Also use a grapple often, and occasionally some other stuff I made. Rarely use the bucket. Never had any problems with this or my earlier Kubota. Good luck.

 

[knuckle47]

so now you live near Forrest Gump? From New Jersey? Here’s another …What Exit?

I have seen Kubotas for a very long time but every few years when I would look at one, they were beyond my reach and continued to climb. Then I made a choice…pole barn and FJ40 or tractor? When we bought this place in 1977 I had a new 1974 FJ40 …..So you see where that wound up… recaptured a fond memory

 

[PIP]

A tractor or skidsteer to move a drillpress? Come on guys.

I have equipment. I also have lots of gravel in my big driveway. When I need to move things under 300 lbs I usually grab the old handcart and it does a fine job even right over gravel. I recently picked up a drum cart for 55 gallon drums. Full drums are pretty heavy and I deal with 12 of them in constant rotation for the lubes and solvents we use. That (new to me) old drum cart hooks onto the drum, squats down as it leans back and balances a full 55 effortlessly and rolls quite easily across gravel on two big 10" steel wheels.

If you do find yourself wanting an engine powered machine to lift and move stuff I highly urge you to look at skidsteers and forklifts, not loader tractors. Tractors are horrible at lifting, loading and moving things. They are designed to pull stuff, like a plow or a brush hog. Little hobby loader tractor prices are also pretty absurd likely because so many homeowners think that a tractor is the right tool for what they're doing (probably not).

Skidtseer can lift dramatically more than a tractor with a loader. Skidsteer is simpler than a tractor and much more maneuverable when you get used to them. Skidsteers swap implements in seconds without getting out of the seat. Hydraulic implements are so much easier and safer than anything with a PTO shaft.

Forklifts are king at moving and loading things. Especially up high and reaching far out. Once you get some real forklift seat time you can do amazing things with them.

Kubota is pretty good, but there are lots of other makes that are just as good. Yanmar is top shelf. Machines with Isuzu and Mitsubishi and Komatsu built diesels are really good too.

My skidsteer is a Mustang 2040 and for a little 40HP machine it has been a phenomenal machine.

Probably also worth mentioning mini excavators- a 4 to 6 ton sized machine with a blade is a super machine to have. They are slow for moving stuff from place to place because travel speed is low, but they have immense hydraulic power to lift, push, pull, dip, duck, dive and dodge.

 

[knuckle47]

@PIP damn, that is a good write up… I think my problem is as an older guy, I just dont have the muscle any more to maneuver these heavier tools. I have used a drum cart 30 years ago for 55 gallon drums both steel and plastic…heavy? Hell yea But doable with the right tools.My drill press might weigh 150lbs but I just can’t lift and carry it. The compressor is probably 300lbs…and 70% of it is on top….same deal.

I think the tractor will have better longer term use in my environment. My driveway is 1/2 mile long dirt and needs to be maintained yearly. Going thru the process of watching things get done around building the pole barn and seeing these machines in action Gave me great insight. The skid steer with the grapple lifted dozens of 30’ logs from trees, stumps, raked out 10 tri-axles of fill and 12 tri-axles of crushed concrete. The loader literally bowled down 90’ trees like nothing, roots and all And spread the fill initially…Personally I was cutting these things up into log lengths for the splitter but these pieces of equipment made 1 month work into 3 days. Some of the logs I could not even lift only 24” in diameter and 24”long

This Cat 420 has been sitting in my yard for the last month… problem is, I don’t have the keys…

 

[Waorani]

This Cat 420 has been sitting in my yard for the last month… problem is, I don’t have the key

41 Heavy Equipment Key Set Case Cat Komatsu JD JCB Kubota Bobcat JLG Genie Volvo | eBay

Komatsu Ignition (787 fits Komatsu 787, 646, 648 etc., Komatsu Forklift, Kalmar, Dressta, Sakai Forklift, Komatsu part #TR2611434. (9901) New style JLG Lift. Old Style JLG Lift (587): fits Genie Sky Jack 66811/14, Genie part #37947, Ronis 455, Sky Jack High Lifts, Snorkel Lift, Terex 25/41 Lift...

www.ebay.com

Not that a forklift isn't nice, but a tractor w/ FEL is much more versatile/useful to most folks. However, if you're going to go the forklift route, make sure you have at least one inside and one outside forklift!

Inside

Outside

 

[PIP]

a tractor w/ FEL is much more versatile/useful to most folks.

Just to clarify, my intended point was that a skidsteer is much more functional, useful, ergonomic, and cheaper than a small tractor with a loader.

For around the house tasks like moving dirt, moving stuff, maintaining a gravel driveway, loading and unloading trucks and trailers, mower fields, augering fence post holes, rototilling, trenching, etc, a skidsteer wins by a mile over a tractor.

I've had a couple different FEL 30 to 60HP 4x4 tractors. Sold them off years ago before buying a place in the country. After I bought my current place, a farmer friend talked me into a skidsteer even though I thought I wanted a 4x4 tractor just to mow my 2 acre field. I didn't realize how efficient and simple skidsteer hydraulics are. $200 brush hog, $300 in mounting plate and hydro bits and instant hydraulic skidsteer brush hog. Then I end up using the skidsteer for all kinds of stuff. They are a super versatile and user friendly machine.

Just a couple weeks ago I had a semi deliver a 53' refer trailer for storage on my property. Semi couldn't get it in the driveway. I hooked my little skidsteer to a 5th wheel dolly and zipped out to the road. Skidsteer was the perfect tool to jockey that big trailer in the driveway and drive it back into the field. Tractor would have been too big and too big a turning radius to do it.

Just saying before I owned a skidsteer I didn't differentiate between a tractor and skidsteer. Now I see them as entirely different critters and can't think of anything I do with my skidsteer that a FEL 4x4 tractor would do as good or better.