Homeower Vehicles - What to buy?

[Treetop_Tom]

If this is too far off topic, my apologies.

I've been getting a lot of good info and advice here on how to handle my newly aquired 5-1/4 acres of woods. It's a small holding, to be sure. The land adjoins my home lot (1/2 acre), and I intend to expand my yard into part of it.

Any logging to be done will be hired out, so I don't need skid loaders, or big stuff like that. But the land is steep, and I intend to cut firewood (and haul it down to the yard), help pull stumps and pull wayward tress during felling, mow, clear brush, and possibly do some light grading (the heavy stuff, again, would be hired). My son thinks a heavy duty utility quad, with suitable attachments, might be the trick. He's also mentioned one of those small off -road trucks built on a quad frame. I think the conventional lawn tractor might be a bit light, but there is also the possibility of getting one of those for mowing, and hauling the wood with my Jeep Grand Cherokee and a trailer.

Any other possibilities come to mind? Any thoughts on the matter? Sure the decision is mine, but "in a multitude of counselors there is wisdom..."

Thanks all,

Tom

 

[BostonBull]

Tom get a good sized mower for the lawn and if it is big enough you can put asmall trailer on it and chains on the tires! Also I too am a Grand Cherokee owner.....use it for what it is menat to be used for 4 LO!!!!!!!!! Put the traqiler on and see if you can get stuck have fun!!!

 

[Newfie]

Get a sub-compact size tractor. Kubota makes some nice ones.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I guess it all depends on what your budget is.

The gators and the like do not have a very heavy load cap, and if you go for the cushman your into light truck numbers, though a cushman will go places a s-10 cannot

A light tractor/loader and trailor may be the best bet for all around versatility

 

[Stumper]

The Quads and six wheelers are wonderful toys but you probably need a small tractor. If you don't get in a hurry and save a little cash yuo can buy a used one cheap.

 

[geofore]

Quad

Here's the problem with the quad, it works well with a small dump trailer BUT when the kids/friends come to visit it becomes a toy to play with and they'll be hotrodding when you're not looking. The Kabota is a bit more money but it doesn't have that "Let's go 4wheeling" aspect to it that a quad does. You don't get to take the Kabota out 4 wheeling and trail riding. That's the problem my buddy Jim has with his 350 Honda three wheelers. They work and haul a trailer but they turn into toys when people come to visit if you don't hide the keys. So, if you get the quad you'll have the urge to go trail riding not just work it. Check out the price of liability insurance for the four wheeler vs the Kabota if you can't make up your mind yet. You can get a mower deck for the kabota can you do that with the quad?

 

[Newfie]

A tractor will cost more than an ATV but in the end will be much more useful. Like Geofore mentioned, mower deck, front loader and a host of other attachment options that you will want to have for doing other tasks around the property.

 

[Molecule]

IHMO, the most forgotten but irreplaceable tool for a homeowner with 5 acres of green h3!! would be the hydraulic winch. the 12,000# Milemarker for example runs about $700.

Disregard whatever good anyone says about electric winches for a working environment. For $800 you get ten rewinds at full load, and wham ... it's rewind the motor windings ... the copper heats up and "hardens," and won't pull current. Plus, batteries and other electronics are destroyed.

The big advantage of a tractor, or a well made 3/4+ ton truck is the strength of the channel beams in the frame, as well as the suspension system ... axles etc. that connects the frame to the ground. (Are Jeeps unibody ... if so, I suspect they won't take the lunging and jumping that gets transferred to a frame and suspension when dragging 20" trees into position to saw them up. With my winch (a Milemarker), I once pulled a 21" pine straight down, just rolled the 6' dia. rootball right up and out of the ground ... dynamic strap was at about 20' up. I won't do that again ... even after powerwashing, the rootball was impossible to cut with a saw, all the little rocks in the crevaces etc.) Also, with the winch, when I drop the trunk of a tree, I know *exactly where it's going to land, no matter the windage, or the tree rot in one side of the hinge, or whatever. It's coming down where that wirerope puts it. Leave the hinge an inch thicker and let the winch take it down.

When hurricanes or windstorms hit, and blowdown old trees, a winch is IMHO an absolute necessity. first, you can pull the blowdown tree out of the tangled mess, and get it to where it is safe to work on it. second, if the trunk is still pointing up, supported by large spring branches underneath it on left and right sides, the winch can be used to roll the trunk over, so the branches can be cut one at a time. You just can't do that with the "cute" little suspension system, and race-car frame of an ATV.

If you've got a few acres, you're eventually going to need to move something heavy ... for which you will need some mechanical assistance. And once you get used to the control and safety which a hydraulic winch (*properly operated) adds to land operations ... well, now, I can't imagine owning land without one. You will have to learn how to rewind the rope under tension each time it is used (each pull is finished with a carefully done 2 minute rewind, under tension) and you will need a bumper or mounting bracket ($300) and a few buckets of chains, straps and fittings and so forth ($300).

 

[topnotchtree]

here ya go. http://www.deere.com/en_US/ProductCatalog/HO/series/HO_cut_2000_series.html

 

[NeTree]

Perhaps...

But you can have more fun with the quad during "non-work" time.