Hey all - I'm a landowner looking at potentially buying a machine to clear and level forested land, lay in a drive, drag timber around, etc. on a budget. Ideally I'd like to buy a machine, get good use out of it for a year or so without major work on the machine, and then make the call to sell it or keep long term. http://dropshare.artisandm.com/531-front-quarter.jpg I looked today at a 951c at a good price ($5k) that for the most part is in reasonable good shape. I had an equipment inspector run through everything with me, and we came up with a list of maintenance issues, larger issues, and potential dealbreakers. I'm looking for feedback on the issues we found to see if any are bigger warning signs, and most importantly any advice on the two larger dealbreakers to see if it'll still fit my needs. I'll work from bigger issues down the list - Dealbreaker - There's a delay in movement when going into 2nd or 3rd gear in both forward and reverse. In 1st the machine moves immediately as expected, but when moving into 2nd or 3rd it sits for 3-5 seconds and then starts rolling. In 3rd it also seems sluggish once it starts moving. During that delay there's no sound, grinding, etc., it just sits. The movement of the shifter stick seems fine, as far as I can tell. I'm not sure how the transmission works on these machines, so I have no idea what could cause an issue like that. Is this a common issue? Is there some sort of relatively simple fix? If not, opening up the transmission to repair/replace larger parts will be a dealbreaker for me on this machine. Potential Dealbreaker - The drive sprocket teeth on both sides are quite worn - this was pointed out to me both by the dealer and the inspector. The track pins are also worn. What I want to gauge is how much life this has left - can I get a year of moderate use out of what's left on this sprocket? At the end of that, what kind of cost / effort am I looking at to repair or replace the sprocket? From what I've seen, the more common choice is to re-weld a new sprocket rim on instead of replacing the whole sprocket due to ease of replacement. Photos here - http://dropshare.artisandm.com/531-sprocket-teeth-right.jpg http://dropshare.artisandm.com/531-track-pins-right.jpg http://dropshare.artisandm.com/531-idler-left.jpg Other concerns I'd like feedback on, but seem less severe given my needs - Blow-by described by my equipment inspector as moderate, not terrible. Mild leaks from 2 hydraulic cylinders. Moderate oil leak somewhere in the transmission area. Wasn't actively dripping but clearly there. Apparent diesel leak near the feed into the engine (hose or connector presumably). Lot's of side play in the upper bucket arms (not sure the correct name, but not the main lift arms), but according to my inspector they didn't have enough slop to worry about them snapping. Quite worn track plates - none worn through, but not a lot of ridging left on the plates. Loose plates / track bolts (every ~5th track piece on average). White smoke from exhaust after engine warmed up for ~10 minutes or so, along with an occasional miss from the engine correlating with this. Inspector thought maybe an injector issue. Aside from those issues, the machine cranked up in the very cold (~15F) quite quickly. The dealer employee who jumped it (batteries nearly dead in the cold was no surprise, it's been sitting) used ether, but I don't think it was probably necessary. The engine looks clean, not a lot of oil/crud in the engine bay. The body is in remarkably good shape for the age. The bucket has some broken teeth but is otherwise solid. There was no moisture in the engine oil (black, so needs changed, but no moisture), and what appeared to be only moderate rust in the coolant. If not for that transmission concern, and feeling like the drive sprocket is right on the edge, I'd feel pretty comfortable moving forward with it. So, hopefully that provides enough information! What I'm hoping to get is feedback on specifically the transmission / gear issue, and if this machine looks like it's in shape to be a performer for a year before needing any major maintenance. If I need to replace some track bolts, injectors, oil change, etc. that's no big deal. It's the big stuff that I'm trying to avoid as much as reasonably possible with a machine this age. I also have a video if it running here - Edit - looks like image embeds don't work so I added links to the images.
How big and what kind of trees do you have? How many acres and is it hilly? If its just your land and say 20-30 acres and fairly easy going' the undercarriage should have no problems. The track tensioners need to work. The sprockets will be fine if you don't run loose chains. The rails/chains look good, If you want to keep the machine for the long term or need the traction replace the plates. Triple grousers for dry and rocky. Double for soft and wet. The transmission sounds to be of the main concern. Hopefully its something like a transmission pump. Someone else can maybe able to help you out on pressure tests or whatever. Best of luck
Sandy hills, and a substantial piece of land (50+ acres) but I'm only clearing a 1-2 acre homesite of trees. Trees I'll want to push over include jack pine and sassafrass and other junk under ~10". Larger oaks and maples I've cut out already so this would be used for stump digging and dragging logs. I also need to flatten off the top of the hill where the home is going.
In that case the 951 should do it. Double grousers. $5000 sounds good. But I don't know about parts availability on these. The trans problem could cost as much as the machine. I believe it has a 3304 95 hp motor, popular engine so no problem. Sounds clunky hopefully injectors. If it was a 955L then it would be a hot buy. I just haven't taken notice of the 951's. Read all the searches on this site and also https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/crawlers/wwwboard1.html
For clearing tree's you need a ROPS at the very least. Tree's are very unpredictable and can fall backwards and crush you! What throttle were you at shifting gears and was the transmission oil fully warmed up? Is the oil full? If shifted at a low RPM there will be a delay until you give it more throttle, especially in 3rd gear. Does it spin the tracks in 1st gear when pushing up against something?
Oil is full, but I can't imagine it ever got fully warm - starting at 15*F and it only ran for 20 minutes. Delay was present both at full and mid throttle. Didn't try spinning the tracks in 1st.
On my 931B it won't move when cold in 1st gear. Sometimes even after letting it warm up needs almost full throttle to get moving in 1st. After 1/2 hour or so of taking it easy till it fully warms up, it works properly. The oil in the final drives is cold and thick too. Not saying there couldn't be an issue with the trans. but it could have just still been cold. Has the machine been sitting for awhile?
It's been sitting for at least a year in this lot, not sure how often it's been run.
I'd run it for at least an hour after fully warming up before condemning it.
Can you offer any insight into how the transmissions on these work? I'm more familiar with tractors and cars/trucks, where if a gear is missing it probably means teeth are missing.
It uses a torque converter drive kind of similar to an automatic transmission. More throttle makes it go faster but at idle won't move. If you tried to move from a dead stop in 3rd gear you'd probably just sit there. A direct drive transmission would still move at lower throttle and if tried in too high a gear could stall the engine. Pretty hard to stall the engine in a torque converter trans. but could stall the converter and potentially cause other damage like worn clutch packs. Someone more versed could explain it better.
O'Yea since your new when I said "Read all the searches on this site". I meant you enter your own search up at the top right of the page. Maybe leave off the C and get more threads to read. You can also check this site out https://www.acmoc.org/ . You'll have to register before searching. Good Luck
Tracks look a little tight. The transmission should roll in first gear at moderate power But if not moving will tend to stall until the convertor pumps enough pressure to move it in higher gears. I have 951 c 86j trans does the same when cold Don't use third unless traveling a distance. 951 have a small trans cooler They tend to heat the convertor up when its running to hard in second But really more pushing in third. They like weld the sprockets on after they cut the old ones off. Pins are worn don't look like they were turned. Tracks are worn but not rounded on the edge or bent. The track is probably snapping that will snap the track bolts. I lost about 50 on mine. About the radiator can you see the core are the tubes plugged. Mine was. Had to take the radiator out and clean it 3/4 of the tubes were plugged with calcium and rust. Is that the belly pan in the bucket. If so why is it down. If it is down can they put the machine over a pit to look at the underside for the leak.
Is the converter building up pressure likely what I'm waiting for then when pushing it into 2nd or 3rd and having a ~5 second delay before the power kicks in?
With my machine the tracks are rusted. So they kink. Which puts tension on the final drives. So it takes more power to move the machine. Then when you try and start out in second or third gear it takes more power to make it move. and the tension on the finals takes that much more. It should shift from first to second with no hesitation but it may not move faster. third should do the same from second at full power When you downshift it should be instantaneous in the next gear. That what i worry about more. The old guy i learn from always used to work the throttle down when he shifted between forward and reverse. His kid would pull back the throttle and let her go forward or reverse. Check the trans oil stick I get a lot of condensation in the oil just from sitting outside. It has to evaporate it so you have to run a long time to get it hot. 5k is not a lot of money for it put if you have to fix anything it will add up fast. I repacked 4 rams, cleaned out the radiator put a new head gasket on it (thought head was cracked) I have 4 hundred bucks in just gaskets and packings . Did all the labor myself with kids. Might have to tackle the track tensioner yet. Now have to pay to repair it. BONG But it's a fun toy.
Always good to decelerate for a second or 2 when changing direction.
Do not buy it. Undercarriage has no value. You won't be able to sell it. If transmission goes it might cost 10-20 thousand to fix. It might be in worth the money for the engine if you needed an engine.
If you have no long term ownership desires. Haven't run these types of machines before. Would mostly need others to fix it. Are on a tight budget. It would probably be better to hire someone else to do do the work. Like others here have said many times. The learning curve means it will take you say 10-20-50 times longer then a experienced operator. But if it's the pride of doing it yourself maybe then its deferent. I believe this machine has grease adjustable track tensioners. If they need to be resealed its usually a difficult job to do. Probably have to break open the track. (Most people have a guy with a track press come out $). Possibly the Dealer has them pumped up, but if you use it for a couple days they can leak down. Then you start skipping teeth. That damages what's left of the teeth. If you want to put a new sprocket on. You need to take the track in to have the bushings turned $. A new sprocket needs a new surface. You will destroy the rails buy just butting on a new sprocket. These are heavy hard jobs. A Compact Track/Multi Terrain Loader is a lot more expensive but easier to use and easier to sell. Maybe just rent one for 2-3 mounts. Get the biggest one. 3 buckets teeth, smooth, stump digger. They drop it off. and pick it up. They fix it. Best of Luck
Per a lot of the feedback here, I'm going to go run the machine again tomorrow and see if warming it up more alleviates the shifting / transmission issue. I'm also going to do more thorough testing of the shifting at full throttle, from a stop, and from moving. I checked with the dealer again and they've had the machine on their lot for about 15 months, with no record of having done service on it. Given the time it's been sitting + the cold, seems worthwhile to see what happens once it's more warmed up. A few questions for my return visit - To warm up the transmission I'm assuming I should move around, run through the gears, etc. rather than just letting it sit to warm up? Are these machines meant to be moved into 1st, then shifted up to 2nd/3rd once moving, or should they be able to start moving immediately in 2nd/3rd from a full stop? What other in-seat testing should I do to test out the gearing & transmission? Any particular filters or places I should check to look for transmission issues / debris that are easily accessible in a dealer lot? To those recommending against buying it - not ignoring those recommendations, just getting a full picture before making my decision. I appreciate all the input. To provide a little more context, I am comfortable wrenching on the machine, addressing leaks, replacing injectors, etc. I run a '48 Ford 8n on the property now that I rebuilt from the cylinder sleeves up, so old iron and the quirks that come with it aren't out of my wheelhouse. A machine like this is obviously an order of magnitude larger and has it's own potentially expensive problems, but I'm not ignorant to the challenge of old machines. What I'm trying to avoid is buying a machine that needs an immediate 6-month project to pull the transmission and rebuild it when I need to be pushing dirt around when the frost breaks.
Get moving in 1st and then shift up (especially in 3rd) just don't do it when you're working it hard. Once warm should start in 2nd without too much lag. 3rd is basically for transport but a lot of operators use 3rd sparingly or not at all because of the increased undercarriage wear. Decelerating for a second when changing direction is best for the transmission but you can test it leaving it at about 3/4 throttle. There should be a noticeable jerk (not super abrupt) that pushes you back in the seat when changing direction (1st gear) if you don't come to a full stop. See if there's something solid to push up against to see if the tracks will spin in 1st gear or at least put a good load on the machine. Depending on the soil tracks may not spin a lot. Would be a really good idea if you could take someone experienced with you even if you had to pay them. Could save you from a potential money pit.
There is a reason that it has been setting for so long.Those track pads will not stay tight, even new pads & bolts will stay tight for long. it is in your best interest to check transmission strainer & filters, get oil samples. This a different animal than a Ford 8n. Bigger tools, welder, etc, just saying
Ok, went out and ran the machine again today for close to an hour. I'm more comfortable that I was after the first visit, and I have a strong suspicion that the shifting issue is linkage related. Here's what I found - No issues in first at all, and will spin the tracks in place when I pushed into a hill, although granted we're hard frozen here so it's not hard to spin. The issue with second was interesting, and I've included a video at the end - when shifting from 1st to 2nd, it would only engage sometimes, but if I moved to 3rd and then back to 2nd, 2nd worked just fine. No issue when driving or steering in second, it's just the engagement itself. The fact that 2nd works all the time when shifting in one direction, but not always from the other, is what makes me suspect linkage. That feels to me like something not slotting int place correct. See the video at the end here of what that looked like on the machine. Engine continued to run and look good, no major leaks there other than what appears to be a small fuel leak. Not concerned about that one. There are two leaks of transmission and / or hydraulic oil under the machine. One comes from the shaft going from the engine to the rear transmission / assembly (note in the video I say hydraulic pump but the shaft is going into the trans or torque converter). The other is up the right side of the machine somewhere. See the second video at the end here. I assume the first is a bad shaft seal and probably a bear to deal with, but I'm not particularly concerned if I can keep topping off the oil for the time being. Engine cranked in < 5 seconds with a jump and no ether, cold, in 30*F. Steering and handling all good. See the third video for a short function demo. At this point I'm leaning toward picking up the machine, but again am interested in any input on the shifting issue still and those leaks. Does my inclination that it's a linkage / adjustment issue make sense?
The leaks look to be pretty active. Looks like a bigger dealer so curious why they didn't try to clean it up a little. Might be better though as you can see it's been leaking for awhile. Not familiar enough to know if worn or mis-adjusted linkage would cause the shifting issue or if worn 2nd gear clutch packs would do the same thing. In hindsight should have suggested seeing if it will spin the tracks in 2nd gear on frozen ground. For production 2nd gear is the most used. Hopefully somewhere more versed will chime in. Don't be dead set on this machine until you know more about the trans. problem and the leaks. It may or may not be a good project for someone experienced in repairing this type of machine and has the right tools and resources to do it. It still would need a ROPS if you plan on clearing tree's and brush.
I did a search on Machinery Trader, found the machine you are looking at . Those sprockets are shot period! Won,t last ,big job lots of $$$
Sprockets are shot and track adjustment is near the end. Sprocket teeth aren't pointed, the tips are gone and the stubs are rounded off. There's a reason for the low price. I'd keep looking.
I would feel better about about the idea of buying a more common machine. The salvage yards well keep more of them. There is a 1981 Caterpillar 955l Track Loader on Ebay for $7500. Cracked head he told me. Looks like track adjusters shot. Also he sample jars at Cat are say $13 and that includes jar, test, results, and I believe shipping. I don't remember how long it took. Sample pump $25 good for like ever. Do you see any sign of leaks coming from the final drives? Possibly exploring with a magnet wouldn't hurt. On my 977's you can reach quite a way's down towards the bottom. Trouble there is probably a deal breaker. I don't know much about mine or any power shift transmission. Yours clicks into each gear better than mine. You just have to see the 955K in the for sale on this site. Bottom of the opening page. You can zoom in on the sprockets. I think you want to have a old piece of iron as like a collectors piece. I'll hike back to my old TD15 Int. tomorrow get some pictures of the track. I think I wore those teeth down to the gums. I do not want to say buy this machine. In the future you may end up trying to buy a parts machine or using this machine as a parts machine. I have a lot of old iron. But that's me. I have a good deal of money tied up in old iron. Its my hobby. My advise is you wait and watch for a good deal on a better machine. If you really for some reason want this one. (It does look visually nice). If it was me go for free delivery and give me a price I can't refuse. If he doesn't leave your phone number and go.
The challenge is what's available in the price range I'm looking in (<$7500) and timeline (need to clear trees now, dig dirt when the frost starts to break). And yes, you're right about the desire and the hobby. I'm certainly open to other options if you know of others out there in the upper midwest although I'd much rather deal with a spent undercarriage than a cracked block out of the gate. I've also spoken to a few people locally regarding undercarriage refurb and the price (~$3k at a shop, more depending on if chain needs replacement or other details) still makes this a machine that's close to my price range even after the work. I will say after pricing out work I really wish this machine had bolt-rim sprockets, would certainly make life easier. Also one local refurb/repair shop I spoke to won't weld on rims to a sprocket that's previously had a rim welded on (in this case, one of the sprockets already has a previous weld-on rim) so that's not great. All that said, I do think (from my own research and from those who know more than I do) that this machine could do the work I want over the next year before those teeth round off completely. Question is whether I want to deal with repairs or selling it at that point, and the cost associated with it. Also did look up that 955k and wow, that's an outstanding amount of wear.
Did you go into machinery trader and see what they want for those other 951's $ ? If you go in. I would say if you have trouble park it, and Rent something. Its just a throw of the dice. All you have then is maybe a parts machine. I think the track pads are High Centered. Like a car stuck on top of a rock. Take a piece of steel or plywood flat and stiff the size of the pads. Set it on the rail does it sit flat. If not grind a little in the center. Use some spay dye or magic marker. rub it grind a little. Do the same to the back of the pad. Try to do the work mostly on the pad. Any way for now I would just use it. Replace missing bolts. If you get determined to go ahead. Take a 4x4, sledge hammer, and chain saw. Use the bucket to try to push front idler back, each side. If they go back easy, it would be a problem. You'll be adding grease a lot. Good Luck
Out of morbid curiosity I found the MT link and had a look at the photos. What I would do regarding this particular machine is take steps - big rapid ones in the opposite direction....!!! Top value for it is whatever it would make for scrap IMHO.
Seems many wise readers say run, probably should. If you get determined to go ahead. Take a 4x4, sledge hammer, and chain saw. Use the bucket to try to push front idler back, each side. If they go back easy, it would be a problem. You'll be adding grease a lot. Don't try to dig up those stumps till very last. You should have left a good 6' to push on. Don't go too high or too low on any tree. Dead trees are brittle and will throw pieces from who knows where. The Pro's have roll over protection and cages. Nothings worth your life or limbs! Good Luck
Seeing this answer more than I'd like - what is it specifically that makes you say that? Is it the sprockets / undercarriage or something else?
Everything from the condition of the u/c to the oil leaks, plus everything else in between. I feel that you are looking at it with rose-colored glasses, especially when you need it to be somewhat reliable to get your project completed in a timely fashion. The last thing that machine is going to be is reliable. Oh, and it doesn’t have a ROPS that would be an absolute essential when working around trees unless you have some sort of death wish. Maybe your $7.5k budget isn’t set high enough.?
I think you may have a bit of wishful thinking that you could buy a decent enough track loader for $7500 or less and do your work without having to do a bunch of work on the machine first. The machine you are looking at has a couple of active leaks (maybe more), shot sprockets/poor undercarriage, no ROPS and doesn't shift properly. That's just the easily noticed stuff. Clearing tree's without at least a ROPS is a recipe for disaster.
Must have been typing at the same time as Nige but thinking the same thing.
That's the answer I'm looking for - I'm trying to understand if this machine is bad for it's price, or if the budget I'm looking at doesn't reasonably fit my requirements. In the price range this remains one of the best examples I've found (among many that sound great until you get to 'hole in engine block') but if the budget isn't reasonable, that makes sense.
Your asking a tough question at $ .10 a pound its $2800 a fairly reasonable scrap price. But what would be the cost of frustration if you run into trouble. Its a you get what you pay for deal. I see there are pads to mount roll over protection. That's good. But to get a 955k/L that's good say $9 to $18,000 plus shipping that's what most would point to. But that's not in your budget. Construction jobs are considered to be essential, because of Covid. Things are booming for construction guys. If you had one that was good and trusty. You wouldn't be selling it. All machine prices are up now even the old ones. Seems that any that might be considered a good deal is one that is a project machine. Just a bit of Rambling Good Luck
I appreciate you taking the time to explain throughout the thread, thank you.
Not many in the construction business would be be running 40 year old or older track loaders. Larger farms and land owners are more likely where you'd find older machines in a lower price range. See some from estate sales sometimes too. Machinery Trader might be a good place to get an idea of prices.
Have been comparing on Machine Trader, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, etc. across most of the great lakes area.
You could rent a more modern and efficient machine wether it's an excavator, dozer, or track loader (if one is even available for rent) for a good bit for 7500. No headaches if something breaks, and you could probably do it 4 times faster than with that track loader you're looking at. Not trying to spend your money, just putting an idea out there. Just curious, have you had a local excavation contractor price it out for you?
Fastest option is to pay someone to have it done, obviously I'm an order of magnitude slower than a professional operator. Rental is somewhere between pay & own, but requires me to block out a solid chunk of time, rather than nights and weekends. Also along with site clearing for our home build, owning allows me to take the time to do other things - put in a drive, grade and level lawn area, skid timber, pull trees out of our pond etc. Anyway, for this particular machine my decision has been made for me. After sitting on the lot for 15 months it sold in the last 24 hours.
Sorry the machine is gone. It’s always a crap shoot. My son saw a used dozer and, in the 24 hours it took to run oil samples, it sold. I’ve been exactly where you are: I’ve rented and rushed to try and get as much heavy work done (and wind up with a mess) or then had something else happen you have to attend to while the rental sits with the clock ticking. I also lucked out on buying a used 6ton excavator that ran pretty well. As you said, when you have the time or another project, it’s ready when you are. I did have to replace a seal in swing drive- had dealer do it (I pulled it). Bigger repairs can add up fast. I should have kept it but finished most of my projects and feared potential unseen major repairs lurking. I currently have an older Deere 450 track loader- it’s had a few issues and there have been times I’ve been working ON it and not WITH it... It is certainly great to have the members here to help you (and me) along. Good luck in your search. Darryl
It's probably a blessing in disguise it was sold. If looking for an older machine on a budget don't be in hurry and don't just jump on the 1st machine that comes along without having it thoroughly inspecting, preferably by someone experienced with the particular machine you're looking at.
Well you have had some good learning knocking about on the purchase of this one. I think the purchase of old Iron is like finding a wife. Because an old track loader can be a real money pit. You need to either commit to her for the long term, or you may have to face a real ugly "Divorce". And you know that's going to cost you $ . You may find a machine you can use and sell and just get away free. Like say like a Mistress. But then just as in real life you get caught and have to pay the piper. Look at the fellow on ebay he says he want to sell a 955L for $7500 that he put $20,000 of repairs in. Even if you need a motor its not bad. How can a guy end up getting hurt that bad. He doesn't even add what he paid for it. Anyway if you are going to live on 50+ acers that's really Sweet! You may want to cut some trails, manage some of the trees in the winter , ect... Find a machine that fits you. I'm a bigger is better guy. But you with a 30,000# machine sounds right. Maybe one with a cab "its cold up there in MI"! I didn't get to the TD15 for pictures of the track. I needed the 4WD tractor. Oh yes, the thing that may help somebody. Putting in a new starter on the 4wd tracker was above and beyond the call of duty. The fuel filters well ok. The shut off vale from the tank. Used a triangle file to turn the T handle. But really, fishing with bare hands in the winter by wires, a wobble drive ex. ex. with knurling, then down to 1/4 drive. Thank goodness the bolt wasn't real tight! 1/4" breaker bar with 1'extesion you've got to be kidding me. Installing, wrap the head of the bolt in tape so it sticks in the socket. strap the bolt socket and extension assembly to the backside of the starter, with 2 sets of electoral tape. Havethe bolt flush to the face starter. Assemble! Napa let me down. Fuel filters don't fit. Going to the dealer. After I settle the worker strike! Best of Luck! .
I want to just add a little real life so no one gets me wrong. Married at 19. Divorced after 7 years. No cheating on my part. 17 years spent to find Mrs. right . 15 years of totally committed not always perfect marital good stuff. Good Luck!
Saw that 955L on eBay, that's a lot of money into a machine just to overheat the engine.
I think there is more to the story than that. I had sent him a question cracked head or block? He said. "I think its the head". Is there water in the oil? He said. "I don't think so". Then " If your close come take a look". He seems to not have time for this machine. Someone else is doing all the work. He has enough money to toss it aside. Right deal for the right person. But probably not you. You have work to do now. I say Buy Cat or go home. They have the most parts for old machines. They made more of them. More parts machines. More people with experience. But how far to a dealer. Can you find one as soon as you need one?
I was thinking a little more about your project. It would seem to me you don't have enough money to fix a crawler if you were unfortunate and it broke on you. Also you it seems you have a firm schedule to build this summer. The worn triple grouser track pads may not have had enough traction to push over or even pull trees across snow (especially) if there are hills. It would of coarse depend on the snow conditions. Also they would be very dangerous on a side hill. Think of a 28,000 lb. bobsled. The TD 15 gave me a short ride once. Put the bucket down fast! Teeth first! I used a 4wd Ditch Witch $3500 when I first started clearing on my place. It was in the summer. Just a Fairly small 1/2 acre spot for an out building. I removed the tail. Made a new tail with a hook. I would run a strap around the base of a felled tree. Hard woods. Then lifted and pulled the whole tree out at once to burn and stack piles. 65hp machine and pretty heavy'. Had good tractor style tires and in the winter I put chains on . I could go through anything but real deep drifts. It had a backhoe on the front for getting out of trouble. Never tried pulling trees in the winter. I was cutting down hardwoods. I hired an excavator to pop the stumps and level the site. Have you worked out how to plow your driveway? I didn't want to put money in a truck so I bought the tractor to mount the plow on. I just bought some of the new style off road studded chains. A fiend is coming over tomorrow to help put them on the Ford 545A 60hp tracker front and rear. Front gets premade as pictured. I also bought a length studded chain to add cross bars on the existing chain in back. I'm hoping it will work well in the snow. I want to do some tree work in the part of the woods I planted 15 to 20 years ago. Even though my tires aren't so good. I'll post the results. Possibly you can buy a heavy duty 4WD (probably not ag.) tractor with a 3pt. hitch, pto, and 4 in 1 bucket, maybe a box blade for the back. A quick attach in front even better. You would have to put some steel in the center for pushing over trees. Then you could run a brush hog also. I know hard, well almost impossible to find on a budget. I'll test out mine to see about dragging. This an expired auction it's better than mine but I have a cab and its a 1985. https://www.auctiontime.com/listings/farm-equipment/auction-results/196847405/1997-ford-545d
I was/am in the same situation as far as land clearing, limited time, limited budget, ambition, etc. Review my thread "Happy new 955L owner..." and you can see my experience has been mostly good. I got a 955L delivered for $8k that needed some love, has done a lot of work, is currently getting more love (but hasn't broken the bank yet), and I hope will do a lot more work before I sell it (knock on wood, fingers crossed, sage burned, rabbit foot rubbed, etc etc). Personally, I would of walked away from that machine because it doesn't have falling object protection, and I've needed my FOP many times! Then the condition is bad, even at that price. I fixed that transmission input leak on mine. It was cheap for me because of the tools I have access to, but could have been much more costly. The transmission issue could of been seals in the shift valve body. I don't think it was linkage, since there is only one linkage arm going to the transmission and the other gears were working fine. Probably a internal transmission fluid pressure issue. Putting a pressure gauge on the transmission when moving through gears might of told you more but I'm no expert on that. Keep hunting and you will find the right one. You're already on the right track by coming here for guidance. At the end of the day though, you have to make a decision. I think some here would of told me not to buy my machine, and that's right for their circumstances. It's always going to be a gamble. I definitely got lucky with my steering issue being just a pedal bearing and linkage maintenance issue. Keep searching and getting educated on these machines.