Anyone have/know an old tractor/loader for sale? Thoughts?

I'm casually looking for an old tractor/loader......like an 800 series Ford or preferably a 2000 series (or greater) Mitsubishi. I'm not crazy about the Fords...but they tend to be less expensive. The 2N, 8N, & 9N probably don't have enough bucket strength (1000lbs lift needed).
A Massey-Ferguson, Case, or yellow Deere would be just as good....but I'd have to pay higher for them.

I'm only casually looking because I'm trying to purchase a 2-acre densely wooded lot behind my home and I'd use the tractor to help clear it - not 100%.....but definitely thin it out. My hopes are to spend $5,000 or less and likely sell the tractor once I'm done (Unless I get attached to it!). I won't buy the tractor unless I can get the land. I’ll need to move dirt, big rocks/boulder, scrape, pull downed trees, etc.

Any thoughts?

One of the best values in tractors are the Korean made Kioti tractors. http://www.kiotitractor.com/ My previous tractor was a Kioti with a Woods loader. The tractors are similar to the Kobota tractors of the '70s and '80s. I've since moved up to an enclosed cab with more HP but at times I miss my smaller Kioti.

Have you thought about a crawler loader? It would be a little more up to the task of clearing land.

I have a Ford 600 with a loader and while it's not for sale I can't recommend it for loader work. #1 it won't dig. #2 it's front heavy so it wants to tip with a heavy load unless I ballast the rear with a large weight box, which leads me to #3 it doesn't have power steering. That is fine for a 2800 lb tractor, but maneuvering a load with ballast on the rear plus the weight of the loader makes it a serious workout. It comes in handy for occasional use but I wouldn't use it to clear land. I think the International 300 series utility tractors are the best deal out there, most well used but still good examples are about $1500 locally, a bit more on ebay.

need a backhoe

gambler wrote:Have you thought about a crawler loader? It would be a little more up to the task of clearing land.

yeah.....I agree that is best. What I'd like more than anything is the crawler/loader setup like these:

http://images.google.com/images?q=crawl ... a=N&tab=wi

(Copy and paste link cuz I can't get the darn php url thingie to work!)

They can be a mild dozer and a bucket! I won't have any huge stumps (I leave the big 'uns)....but these crawlers can rip the smaller one's out.

They typically run over the $5000 mark though.....but not always over 10K.

The guy that did my SCADA computer programming cut a deal with the local equipment rental place. Any time he didn't have the machine rented, drop it off I can use it. He got it for half price, always an almost new machine and never any grief. He got dozers, loaders and hoes. Transformed his backlot without the big investment.
This guy buys a new Caddy every two years and puts the old one in the barn with the others.

If you can find an old michigan volvo L70 with a root rake, it will work very well. It will pop out the root and all. I did land clearing in central Fla. with one for 2 years.

I have several pieces of equipment, each one is a compromise. If I were to get one tractor it would be a 4x4 front loader/backhoe. They are expensive, but do the work of two or three of the below pieces:

I have a 1959 Hough wheeled loader, 2-3 yard bucket, very heavy, not very maneuverable.. not articulated, but a rear wheel steer. It is 4x4, and in low gear [has automatic shuttle trans with reverser] it can really push or pull, it has more pull on good surfaces than my little dozer.

I have a 1960's JD 450B dozer with 6-way blade. a nice grading dozer, but not heavy enough for serious stump pulling or cutting/digging into virgin ground. I've used a Cat D6, now that can dig and push!! 3x the weight!!

I have a 1960's Case front loader/backhoe, 2 wheel drive, with extendahoe. A 580CK I think [560CK?] A very good but worn tractor, I'm lost without it. But it really needs to be 4x4, I can get it stuck on soft ground with a loader bucket full of anything. the front end sinks into soft ground, and even with the weight of the backhoe, it needs front axle drive. With a new set of rear tires it manages OK, but I'm always thinking about 'will I get stuck here??'

Best but small unit is my 1980's maybe 1990's JD855 4x4 compact utility tractor with a Hardy self leveling loader, 72" belly mower, 29hp diesel, Power Steering, turf tires all corners, runs forever on a few gallons of diesel, is easy to drive and maneuver. I wish I could make it 3x as big for my bigger jobs, I'd sell the rest of the stuff.

Gary, if you can afford it, buy a 4x4 Loader/backhoe, it will hold it's value, my ancient 2wheel drive one is still worth what I paid for it 15 years ago.
You can always sell it when you are done, and recoupe most of your money. Fighting with an undersize or inadequate piece of equipment often breaks the equipment or hurts the operator [getting unstuck etc]

Find a neighbor who will trade work who has a tractor, or try the rental deal, or find an excavator with a spare or two, and rent one cheap, There are lots of ways to make it work.

Be carefull, I've been hurt running equipment several times, hit on head by tree limbs, rock coming out of front bucket, springy roots when digging out a stump, pulling roots/rock/broken concrete out of wheels/under axles, and many I have forgotten. Just be carefull, the machine can only do so much.

Take care, Greg L

take a look at http://www.tractorbynet.com has lots of info.

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I have cleared quite a bit of land with a JD 455 crawler loader and used it to dig the hole for my basement. A little more power would have been nice but if you leave the trees attached to the stump and use the weight of the tree to help topple it over you would be surprised how big of a tree that machine can take down. As with any downed tree be careful when you cut it up as they can be in a twist.

i have a John Deere 500-C backhoe , one of the biggest hoe's out there , i think the JD 710 is the biggest. we like BIG. it's like any equipment , big is always better. paid $8,000 for her. i cleared about 7 or 8 acres of dense woods to put a acre pond in. with the hoe you dig one side of the tree up , move the hoe there. put the bucket up high and dig the teeth into the tree. you can put the tree almost any direction you want. move the hoe to the side of the stump and shave as much dirt as you can off the stump. use the bucket and pack the dirt down. you hardly even know there was a tree there. i rented a dozer at first to take the trees down and it looked like a war zone. the backhoe is the ticket , but you need a real hoe , not a farm hoe. i put in a new spetic system with her , some drains here and there. bunch of work on the pond. i had her about 10 years and she has paid for her self twice over. i could sell her for $8,000 no problem. now i'm in a chair and hope for the day i can play with her again , was a blast. my bubby has her now. better to use her , then let her sit around never being run.