Looking at act tract of land that was clear cut over the summer. Approx 20 year old loblolly pine in Arkansas. Part sandy soil. I was looking at this machine to push/dig the stumps out. Stumps are cut pretty flush with the ground Thoughts on this?
It will do it, albeit slowly. Would be curious what tracks are on it?
just metal ones. Not sure if there are other kinds. There is another machine for sale a cat 977 for a little more. It looks like quite the machine
A 977 with teeth on the bucket, would be about as perfect as it gets!
An excavator would be the best but depends on what else you need to do after the stumps are gone.
50 stumps or 500 stumps is the question and how big average. Do you plan to do other work that requires a machine. Simon C
Let me go make some popcorn. Seriously, you need to get a couple quotes from some reputable contractors. Then, whatever you plan on spending for a machine, add about $25-30k, and then see how the numbers compare. Even if it's another $5-10k for the contractor, you should still have him do it.
Agree because a veteran operator will do 5 times as much in a day as a rookie. There is a guy that works for county here that puts in all the road culverts with no transit, just get out of his way as he wastes no moves. They have checked his work and spot on. 30 years experience is worth the charge per hour versus the breakdowns some have encountered after buying some worn out junk. I would listen to what Shimmy says! Simon C
Totally depends on what he’s doing. Is he building, farming, selling? If it’s 5 acres, might not be too expensive to have a big excavator brought in to pile and burn. If it’s 20 acres and he’s thinking of a building and a yard and some upkeep even a 977 is a little excessive unless he’s planning to resell? Really need some more info. Still a 977 with teeth will pick a 20 yr old 3rd gen Loblolly out of the ground quite easily.
Until he loses a final, or transmission, or torque, or pulls the dipstick and it has 5 gallons of coolant in the oil, then he'll wonder why he was born.
No there are only steel tracks available. The question "what type" refers to how many grousers they have. Most standard loader tracks are triple grouser (which in certain ground conditions can slip rather than give traction) but double and single grouser options for added traction are also available. The disadvantage of the additional traction is that it can tear the ground up more, although in your case that probably doesn't matter. What type of shoes does it have.? Do you have any photos.? 100% agree.
If you want to give owning a track loader a try, rent one to do this work. I've rented loaders and bulldozers over the years. I was curious so I called to see what a transmission for the same machine costs. Renting can work out really good.
Well, here’s the thing. If you can afford it and make it work, owning some heavy iron can be quite rewarding and productive. It can also take you out of you wheel house and force you to learn something new. Just because a machine could break, shouldn’t be a deterrent from owning it. I have a 40 year old backhoe that works its ass off, I also have a 14 year old 6k mini excavator and it frustrates the crap out of me. Granted, I have put a lot of time and not that much money, making the backhoe like new. Every adult should be able to experience the joy and pitfalls of owning equipment, if that’s their desire. Just make sure to do some research and look at what if’s and get someone experienced to look at it with you. Also make sure you’re not spending time and money chasing internet issues that you will find, when you buy your machine. I have had 20+ people bring me bikes that swore their Twin Cam was about to blow up, because of the cam chain pads. Everyone of them were okay, some were changed because of worries and excess money floating in their pocket. I swear, the internet has spent more money, on problems that weren’t problems, until they took it apart, Do not get me started on M8’s or cheap ass bore scopes. If you feel comfortable doing the work and want a machine, do it, we will help as much as we can. Bonus, I had a Cat 977 with a digger bucket on my land in TN and I cleared 22 acres in 3 days and had a burn pile, the size of 4 3 story houses. That damn thing would eat, eat and drink 25 gallons a day. Short days.
A 955L is a capable machine & will certainly do what you need done, & I would go for it over the 77 if they were in the same conditions. A 977 is a brute & not at all a finesse machine. I suggest you get someone that is competent to go with you to look at it. Run it for a couple hours & make sure it doesn’t have heating problems, weak components once at operating temps, sufficient life left in the undercarriage, etc. An Undercarriage for that machine is near $20k today. An engine job is going to be north of $12k. Know what condition it’s in before you buy it.
I have been running a Cat 963 21z for months now. Average 350 to 700 per day cost without figuring undercarriage wear. Some days I get what feels like a 1/2 acre some days 3 or 4 acres. I am just completing a 70 acre tract. I pushed through and left stumps that did not move when I hit them. So not 100% are gone. I have pulled 1000s of them. I have lost count of piles maybe 40 or more. Some piles are 300' long. I have had trees and stumps that had to be cut in half because the machine could not pick them up still whole. Some stumps are unbelievably big. Some pine stumps come right out others are 5 or 6 feet deep and still strong. 40 year old trees and even older hardwoods. Been 2 years since it was cut. So some rot and some not. Easily 130k+ worth of work done. I would buy the best machine you can get then resell it. I would not buy a 55 or 77. 63 all the way! just go rent a good new one for a month. It will be the most fun you have had. A 21z 963 is one hell of a tractor. I bet the new ones are unreal. An excavator could not even come close speed wise to what I can do. I can get out medium sized stumps very quickly.