Compact tractors

[Liam54]

good evening all. 
 

i am looking at buying a machine to make life easier for my business which is typically domestic tree removal , and firewood. 
 

Right now the machine winning the race is a compact tractor (boomer 55). I’ve thought of avant, ditch witch etc, but the reason I like the idea of the compact tractor is that I can get it road registered, will drive it to local jobs to assist with work where it can (Most of my work is in a small village ) , the boomer is compact enough for my yard, wouldn’t need a second vehicle and trailer unlike with an avant/ditch witch, however it is only 2ton so could be towed to a job further away should I need that. 
 

what I’m posting this up for is to hear of anyone else running a similar tractor and to hear any negatives / reasons to reconsider a avant/ditch witch/ multione etc… 

i also hope that whatever it is I end up buying will increase the services I offer. 
 

lastly I am aware that a compact tractor won’t fit through a domestic gate, but neither will an avant upwards of the 420 which I wouldn’t want anyway as I’d prefer a larger model. I’m aware the tractor won’t be able to be used for every job. 
 

thanks all 

 

Liam 

 

[dumper]

You can road register a loader, it will be far more productive than a tractor and your back will benefit given the choice iwould get a loader, I have a wheeled loader tracked loader and compact tractor and if made to choose would get rid of the tractor first

[Ty Korrigan]

I run a budget tractor, 26hp Solis.

It can only lift about 150kg in the bucket but that is enough for my needs. 

It acts as a tow tug for the chipper, moves rounds, brash and the 3.5t winch is great for ragging over conifers and pulling them to the chipper.

Quite fun to use and has been really usefull though at times I do wish I had bought a larger machine.

Stuart

[Liam54]

58 minutes ago, dumper said:

You can road register a loader, it will be far more productive than a tractor and your back will benefit given the choice iwould get a loader, I have a wheeled loader tracked loader and compact tractor and if made to choose would get rid of the tractor first

Thanks for your feedback dumper - out of interest what do you have ? 

 

 

[Liam54]

58 minutes ago, Ty Korrigan said:

I run a budget tractor, 26hp Solis.

It can only lift about 150kg in the bucket but that is enough for my needs. 

It acts as a tow tug for the chipper, moves rounds, brash and the 3.5t winch is great for ragging over conifers and pulling them to the chipper.

Quite fun to use and has been really usefull though at times I do wish I had bought a larger machine.

Stuart

Thanks for your feedback Stuart it’s appreciated - looks like a useful tool. I’m after something bigger that can lift an ibc cage full of wood 600kg aprox. 
do you transport that in a trailer ? 

[Ty Korrigan]

7 hours ago, Liam54 said:

Thanks for your feedback Stuart it’s appreciated - looks like a useful tool. I’m after something bigger that can lift an ibc cage full of wood 600kg aprox. 
do you transport that in a trailer ? 

I have a 3.5t Ifor tipper which carries it very well. Alloy floor though so I need to be careful with logs.

 

[Dan Maynard]

7 hours ago, Liam54 said:

Thanks for your feedback Stuart it’s appreciated - looks like a useful tool. I’m after something bigger that can lift an ibc cage full of wood 600kg aprox. 
do you transport that in a trailer ? 

Maybe could put pallet forks on the rear arms? Need a loading ramp to put IBC onto a trailer though, but that is possible.

[Liam54]

38 minutes ago, Dan Maynard said:

Maybe could put pallet forks on the rear arms? Need a loading ramp to put IBC onto a trailer though, but that is possible.

Thanks Dan - are you talking about Stuart’s 26hp solis? 
 

im personally looking at something a bit bigger , new Holland boomer 55 will lift 900kg load so loading trailers etc no problem.

 

but if I could get away with a smaller machine I’d be all ears 

[monkeybusiness]

13 minutes ago, Liam54 said:

Thanks Dan - are you talking about Stuart’s 26hp solis? 
 

im personally looking at something a bit bigger , new Holland boomer 55 will lift 900kg load so loading trailers etc no problem.

 

but if I could get away with a smaller machine I’d be all ears 

I’d definitely suggest you get a decent demo of the boomer loader before purchasing - I’m not saying it won’t lift that but I’d want to know for certain it could before parting with my money personally.

There can be a significant difference between claimed figures and real-world lifting capacity, particularly as the centre of gravity of the load moves forwards of the tipping point (as in the case of pallets/IBCs etc). 

[dumper]

8 hours ago, Liam54 said:

Thanks for your feedback dumper - out of interest what do you have ? 

 

 

I run a 520 avant, a cmf 1500 Cormidi loader and a bi directional Antonio Carraro the cmf works as a loader and a dumper just change the body, 

a wheel loader will pull a small trailer and ger many places a tractor can’t it’s also possible to hire attachments for the loader . I find the tractor better at larger areas it’s more comfortable to pull the implement than push 

but for general work lifting moving soil and aggregate, levelling, pulling, augering, trenching, grass cutting the loaders win every time