ETD, it does sound like you need to move some serious earth. Plus the addition of a need to dig trenches calls for an extremely versatile machine (if you plan on owning only one machine). I hate to say it but really, it sounds like you're going to need a crawler of some type. You might want to consider buying a tracked loader with a backhoe or perhaps add a backhoe to a machine that doesn't have one (that's what I'm considering doing with my loader). I'm not familiar with the machine you mention that your father owns, but is there a possibility that a detachable backhoe could be added to that machine instead? Adapting backhoes to tractor loaders is usually easier than to a crawler.

Your land sounds somewhat similar to my lot. I have soils that are very soft when it gets wet, topsoil layer and then loamy clay underneath. It can be a mess when its wet. My biggest challenge was avoiding getting stuck in the wet bogs (like where I was installing culverts). I did get my machine stuck 4 times in the mud. Although I managed to work my way out every time without calling in any heavy equipment. If your lot is like mine in that respect, I would go with a machine that's got mega traction (like a crawler).

I put in an 800' driveway and used my crawler to save on my road materials. I undercut out the soft topsoil and then stockpiled it. Then I would dig trenches parallel to the road path and remove solid, sandy/gravely clay material out of the trench and put it into the undercut road area. Then I would take the stockpiled topsoil and use it to fill in the trench. Ending up with no big piles of dirt and decent roadbase material in the roadway (saving me the $$ to pay someone to truck in road base material). I have a hilly lot too and used my loader to cut into the hilly driveway sections to flatten out what would have been a hilly driveway. Those hills would have been tough to drive up and down in the winter after a snow, plus I used the undercut clay/gravel material to fill in the low lying culvert areas. It worked like a charm.

The loader also does a number on trees, plenty of traction weight and power. No struggling involved.

Here are a few pics of my loader in action...

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Re: dynahoe link Dave Brennan 15:09:18 03/12/05 (0)

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