Still kicking the tires on a mini track loader

Doc said:
Very impressive. :wow:
What is the size and price of that monster brush cutter?
How hard and how much time does it take to swap the bucket for the brush cutter?
Click to expand...
This cutter is a 72". You can also get it in a 78". The price for the high flow cutter was a little over $10k. Ordered it from the factory 3 weeks ago.

I have the hydraulic Quick Attach built into the CTL. So it is just a matter of flipping the switch to unlock and lock the bucket or cutter and the time it takes to you climb out and back in the machine to disconnect the hoses. My big ass takes longer to get in and out of the machine cab than it does to disconnect or connect all 3 hoses.
 
So impressed. I've been wanting an excavator with a brush cutter. Now looking at your setup a CTL with a brush cutter might do the job better for me, then I could replace the bucket on my FEL with a grapple.
Then I checked prices and dang if the used CTL's and excavator's are so close neither has the advantage price wise. Was hoping save some bucks with a CTL. LOL not gonna happen.
I might rent one this summer to further evaluate things. Then hope for a winning lottery ticket.
 
Doc said:
So impressed. I've been wanting an excavator with a brush cutter. Now looking at your setup a CTL with a brush cutter might do the job better for me, then I could replace the bucket on my FEL with a grapple.
Then I checked prices and dang if the used CTL's and excavator's are so close neither has the advantage price wise. Was hoping save some bucks with a CTL. LOL not gonna happen.
I might rent one this summer to further evaluate things. Then hope for a winning lottery ticket.
Click to expand...
With having both excavators and CTL's on the farm off and on through the years, you have to look at what machine would get more use. What attachments are available for each machine. Which machine is gonna give you the biggest bang for your buck. Will you likely jump in the excavator to do a choir on your property, or would the CTL with the right attachment be your daily goto machine?

I don't dig very many holes or ditches on the farm, so for me, if I needed to dig a hole or ditch, I can rent an excavator when I need one. The CTL is so versatile. It moves faster than an excavator, the bucket choices and attachments are endless. Here I thought I wanted a smooth bucket for the CTL. It came with a tooth bucket. Now that I have used the tooth bucket for a bit, I found I like it much more that a smooth bucket. I can still back pull with a tooth bucket. It looks damn good when I am done and there are no teeth drag marks in the finished product.

The more I run the 72" brush cutter, the more impressed I am with it. It is a cutter, not a mulcher. I have had both here on the farm. I really don't need to mulch. (not to mention, the cutter is around 1/4 to 1/5 the price of a decent forestry mulcher head) I need to very quickly cut trees down and cut the stumps to the ground. I grind the branches off quickly with the cutter and then I am pushing the trunks into a central pile in the middle of a cleared area in the woods. I am going to find a used root grapple for the CTL. I will haul the trunks out of the woods to a burn pile in one of my fields. I am not going to waste hours trying to grind up trunks and beat the cutter to death in trying to do it. Will it do it? Sure. Is it the right attachment for the job? Not really. Is it cost and time efficient? No. If I didn't want to burn the trunks, I could just rent a big chipper for the weekend and chip the pile in the cleared area in my woods. Trunks and shit be gone!
 
Driving my trails I'm back to thinking I really need an excavator with a brush cutter. Off my trails are steep, either up or down. I could not drive a CTL up or down them safely. An excavator can reach 9ft off the side which is enough to keep the trails clear. Plus I feel turning with the tracks on the CTL would tear up my trails and I sure don't need that.

For clearing 5 to 10 acres I think the CTL would be best, but if I buy an excavator I would do my best to make that work.

Realistically I will not be buying either for awhile. I'll rent for now.
 
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