Hello, Im sorry for the long post, yes I typically wont read them either.....but I know very little about equipment I am in need of some help working my property,( sandy soil, central Florida, sand, and only more sand ) I am clearing some land for my future retirement home, it is only 5 acres and Im not clearing the majority of it but there is still alot of work to be done and Im NOT THE LEAST BIT interested in hiring someone to do anything I can do myself regardless of how much financial sense it makes. I want the satisfaction of working my property. I understand now that unfortunately I am not gonna be able to pull out the majority of stumps on my own ( there are maybe a couple hundred pine with tap roots deeper than you can maybe imagine ) Im gonna have to either rent a large piece of equipment or more likely pay someone to come in and pull them out. I still feel however that I can benefit greatly from buying something similar to this https://www.ebay.com/itm/ditch-witc...rentrq:8eb5375c1680ac88dade0624fff67924|iid:1 It has a backhoe which can help me with any digging that Id like to do and that may include some smaller stump removal and it has a bucket to help me to move dirt or whatever. It will also help me to stack the logs that Im creating as Im cutting down the trees Unfortunately the seller isnt cooperating with sending any additional pictures, Ive talked with him on the phone and I get the feeling he isnt being honest about condition of machine. What can I be looking for that is similar, preferably something closer to me that I can inspect. I dont have 11,000 dollars for his machine, the only way I can buy anything is with some type of credit deal so unless I were to find something super cheap on Craigslist ( I.E 5000 or less ) I cant pay cash. I know nothing about heavy machine repair ( although I have the skills and tools to repair most anything being driven on our roads ) so I cannot get into buying something that is gonna bite me in the ass with heavy repair bills. Im not looking for a project. In a nutshell Id like to find something that WILL fit into my 40 Ft high cube storage container that I can use on the weekends to make my life easier with my work. I DO NOT or would rather not leave anything outside where vandals have the chance of stealing or vandalizing. Ive tried this already Its a Dr towable backhoe and while it digs really well its a pain in the balls to move around with my little Kubota tractor cause of the soft sand. It also isnt heavy enough to do any decent stump removal in my soil. What can you guys suggest that is similar to the ditch witch link I posted. Seems to me that that SOB would be IDEAL to what Im needing. Thanks for taking the time to read
Seems to me that Cat or one of the other suppliers of industrial grade equipment has prob made something similar to this https://www.ebay.com/itm/ditch-witch-1025sk-front-end-loader-backhoe/382716291298?_trkparms=aid=111001&algo=REC.SEED&ao=1&asc=20160908105057&meid=301b36751283432d9fa9735d13bac85a&pid=100675&rk=5&rkt=15&sd=202499380283&itm=382716291298&_trksid=p2481888.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci:9a501638-2218-11e9-a784-74dbd1806431|parentrq:8eb5375c1680ac88dade0624fff67924|iid:1 at some point in the past. According to the seller the machine weighs approx 11000 pounds, its gotta be pretty heavy duty and capable of doing some heavy work. Ive already got a small tractor, Im not really interested I dont think in getting a larger one with a bucket and backhoe attachment. Ive already looked at the terrabite and for me it looks like a toy that isnt nearly as heavy duty as the ditch witch
Something like shown in this picture seems ideal but I think the equipment is from the 70s https://www.ebay.com/itm/CASE-644-6...=item23b471b5b1:g:gFkAAOSwcT5b9Agg:rk:22:pf:0
If I were in your situation, I'd go to a ritchie bros auction, and see what you can get fer your 11 grand. Also consider burning out the stumps, that aren't in the house area footprint, there are videos, on youtube, Basically cut tree down, and in a year or so, its dry enough to burn. I take a 55 gallon drum, set it up on 3 rocks, to increase airflow, fill barrel with what's handy and burnable, light it, and let it burn, sometimes it takes a week to burn out a bigger one...
Thanks, this thread isnt about stump removal necessarily, its more about having a useful piece of equipment that Ill have on my property that will help with future development. Im needing something like the ditch witch link I posted but am not familiar enough with heavy equipment to know what I should be looking for.
IMHO the selection of machines you are proposing in the linked sale/auction sites are nowhere near large enough for the work you want to undertake. Also IMHO - Your budget of $10k is grossly insufficient. I would have suggested a used track loader (953/955 or similar) with a 4-in-1 bucket as a possibility, but I think you'd be looking at $30k minimum for something along those lines.
I think (username redacted) is saying you wasted a lot of people's time on another forum and weren't listening to what experienced people were telling you. There is a wealth of knowledge on this forum about anything and everything to do with earthmoving and construction equipment. If you're coming on here hoping to get a different answer (the answer you want) it's likely not going to happen so don't waste everybody's time. I will say if the sand is a problem you need something with tracks, CTL, larger mini excavator or track loader. I have the machine you need but if you're limited in funds looking for a cheap machine, you're setting yourself up for a huge failure. A machine that's going to work and not give much trouble isn't going to be the cheapest thing you can find. The machines you're looking at like big toys and not designed for clearing land. The other really important thing to consider is that with no experience running equipment, especially something like clearing/moving tree's, it's dangerous and bad things can happen without warning. My machine is a Cat 931B track loader with 4 in 1 bucket and backhoe attachment. Look for something like that.
Ok, let's shut this down for a minute, and then start it up again and see if it works any better. A respected member used the "report post" feature on himself, for being personally critical of the OP. I have to respect that sort of behavior. If you've read the entire thread before my intervention here, that's fine. I can't ask you to un-read it. What I'm going to do is this--the reported posts, and the response to them will be deleted. The reference to the member who reported himself will be edited out of Welder Dave's post above. (Thanks Dave. That was a useful summary and it saves me some work.) The thread will be re-opened, and everyone can go forward and participate or not, as they choose, based on the merits of what's been posted *here*, on HEF, and not on another site. Of course, now that it's been drawn to the staff's attention, everyone will be on their best behavior...
I dont want to respond to ANY of this, too much drama. If it would be allowed Ill start a new thread that is short and sweet, if anyone that has experience in the heavy equipment field could respond to that than great, it will be appreciated.
Well, I thought I had put the drama behind us, but you're free to do what you want. I do agree with Dave that there's a wealth of experience here, and that the responses you get to whatever you ask, wherever you ask it, will be grounded in that.
Im sorry if I sound rude or ungrateful, this is not my intent. Im looking for a piece of equipment to keep on my property, this piece of equipment will help me in many ways over the next few years Im sure, it will serve a multitude of functions for me. Some may be digging out small stumps but again I dont expect much from it in that respect. I have a SMALL kubota tractor that ALOT of people warned me against purchasing on other sites, needless to say it has been a blessing for me. It has save me hour after month of back breaking work. I am happy to own it and Im sure I would be thrilled to own the machine I have the link too in the e-bay auction as well, unfortunately the seller is most prob a POS that is hoping to scam an unsuspecting buyer and that buyer isnt gonna be me
If you're still considering the Ditch Witch machine, forget that idea. There is a reason you don't see many of them. A TLB would be a better option.
TLB Alot of other people have suggested this, I googled TLB, tractor loader backhoe. I thought the witch was TLB? Can you help me to understand TLB? What TLB will fit in my high cube container? My property is in the middle of no where almost, nothing but meth addicts for miles and so I want things inside. Thanks
It is but one based on a tractor would be a better option. Also a more common machine like Case or JD, etc. I think I'd look more for a machine that will do the jobs I need than a machine that will fit in a shipping container. A smaller track loader might fit in a shipping container. Don't have 2 threads on the same topic.
As Welder Dave said, this guy has wasted a lot of other people's time at GarageJournal.com asking the same questions and getting the same answers that he refuses to accept.. The answer he wants is "Yes there is a tiny TLB that will fit in his container and do all the things he wants to do and doesn't cost more than $5000." And now he's here doing the same thing. Joe H
A little off topic but why would you want to have your retirement home surrounded by meth addicts? Sell the ground and buy something in 'a little better neighborhood'.
I'm not an expert on all the equipment that's out there, but it might be hard to find a multi-use machine that has the power for pulling larger stumps that can be stored in a relatively small space. We have found deals, but it always required some work to be done on the machine. Sounds hard to solve fulfilling all of the requirements. I hope you find what you need.
I was just explaining what another poster had stated.
The ditch witch is lacking a lot of things that you can find in deere 110s or kubota mini backhoes plus a ditch witch and sand are not a combination you want to mess with and if it is a hydrostatic drive it will be a real pain to get unstuck by yourself You can't use a car for a job that you need a pickup for and be pleased with the results I have never seen bad advice given on this forum everyone here has best intentions of helping just bear that in mind
Hang on a second ……. At times like this often wonder of what Scrub Puller might suggest ? Problem is got some trees & stumps to be removed . Budget is tight , equipment needs to be locked in a shipping container after dark , and local's got a dope habit . Ok … You need a small fleet of TMW's Barter & trade with the natives to operate the units . https://www.indiamart.com/proddetail/monkey-winch-7916937062.html Problem solved .
And what I said was that anyone who wants to reply can do so, based on the merits of what's been posted here on HEF, not somewhere else. Nobody is holding a gun to anybody's head and forcing them to type a reply here. If 1930 gets a suggestion he can use, life is good. If he gets no further replies, then the time wasted will be his and his alone. And whoever posts the post that gets this thread closed is liable to get some time off. Everybody clear on that?
There is Week's auction in Ocala, Tampa Machinery Auction in Tampa, and Richie Bros auction in Davenport. Attend a few of them to get an idea of what you cane get for what money. 20 years ago I bought a Clarke Michigan 125B wheel loader with a 5 yd bucket and a root rake. It would pull 24-30" pine stumps with 15' tap roots out of my FL sand in Homosassa. I paid $8k for it back then. It was cheap mostly because you needed a low boy to move it around: a site machine.
Use the machine to dig a grave. Put up a sign: 'this spot is for thieves I catch'.
We like hunting with night vision stuff here in fl
I would not have tried that without a lot of heavy carpet over the cables and straps...
Carpet would be the last thing on my mind . Those rigs run on cornbread & beans .
If I were in your situation, I'd stick with the little Kubota and the tow around digger. That ditchwitch would be an improvement for sure, but rare and hard to find parts and info for. If you find something close, sure, go for it, but Ohio is a long way to go for something like that. The way I see it to get a real machine you need to get a Ford, Case, ** etc. tractor loader backhoe. Cat and Deere are out of budget. A mini excavator, but that would be a deal, or a disaster, with that budget. Any old machine on a tight budget is going to break the bank eventually (the house always wins math) You have the Kubota, you like it, you're working on a retirement home. Get some chains, a long cable, some snatch blocks, and some technique, and those stumps will be a piece of cake. The Kubota and digger will do everything else you need.
Im off the ditch witch, I did have a topic on another forum similar to this and I decided not too take advice. Guess what? That was my decision, I was paying the bill, no one got hurt, ALOT of people learned from my mistakes and we had alot of fun. Sure there were some 11 year old kids that got butt hurt cause I didnt take their advice from the get go but wasting anyones time online is kinda hard to do. I am gonna stop responding to this thread. Im not looking for a machine to pull stumps neccessarily and Ive already tried to clear that up above. Thanks but Im done
All BS aside the way I look at any job is how our ancestor's would have did it 150 or 200 years ago . Clear a lot for a cabin using simple tools & some help from the neighbors . Pretty amazing what they could accomplish under the circumstances . If Daniel Boon had a dozer I imagine there would not be a tree left standing . LOL!
I guess that would depend on the reliability of his fuel supply...
Cornbread , beans and a little bear meat .