maple flats
08-18-2013, 10:15 AM
I have 2 Ford compact diesels, a 1979 25 hp/with loader and a 1981 20 hp. Both are 4x4 diesels. I need to stay rather small because I have 4.5 acres of blueberries, 1/4 acre of Raspberries and both need the tractor to fit down the rows.
I've been sort of looking for about 8 yrs for a tractor with a little more HP, a cab/AC and heat, a loader, diesel, 4x4 that still will fit in my rows. 2 days ago, I went to the NYS Woodsman's Field Days in Boonville, NY and I finally found one that will work.
I have signed and made a deposit to purchase my new workhorse. I will trade in my bigger tractor and rather than having 2 blue tractors in my stable, one will now be Red. I'm getting a 36 HP Mahindra 3616, with loader, cab, AC, heat, hydro drive, power steering and the price was right. The tractor will be about the same width as my larger tractor that I spray with. The Mahindra will now be my spray tractor and I can use charcoal filters and run the AC for comfort when spraying rather than having to wear a respirator, long sleeves, long pants etc even when I spray at 90 degree + and muggy days.
This tractor also has the quick change feature so I can drop the bucket and put a set of forks on for moving full racks of firewood or 2-3 bbls of syrup to my warehouse rather than only 1 bbl strapped into the front of the bucket. My old tractor only could lift 900# the new handles 1650#. My old tractor used clamp in forks to handle pallets or attempt my wood racks. Without PS and if the ground was soft or deep snow I could not handle the wood racks. My rack is 66" wide and if full it is 5' stacked wood with a sloped steel roof on and a pallet type floor for the forks to get in. With the old tractor trying to handle the weight so far out in front I had a real tuff time turning the wheel with no PS and it just would not work in the maple season, only on hard dry ground in summer. I will also do some of my wood hauling with it, but for most I use my excavator. I drive it up to the tree, raise the bucket to full and push on the tree. Then I cut the notch and saw from the back until i have a rather wide hinge. I then get on the excavator and push the tree over. Never had one go the wrong way since starting this on a huge red maple that had to go (about 54" at the cut on the stump) and more limbs on the wrong side than the way I wanted it to go. With the excavator and a deep notch I fell perfectly. Then on trees up to about 24" at the stump I limb them, lift the butt end and pull the whole tree to the splitter. There I hook on some tongs and lift the log several feet from the end of the log with the excavator and cut off several blocks. I split them, haul away with the tractor (yes, the new one) and then pull the log to the splitter and repeat. It makes firewood felling, gathering, and cutting a whole lot faster and safer.
This new tractor does however have one downside. I was getting ready to add an addition to the sugarhouse this fall. I'll now need to rearrange the current interior and hold on the addition until next year. Now I can't spend the funds on that for this year. I've got the drainage trench open, I'll just put the drainage tile in , cover it with the #2 crushed stone I have, lay a filter paper cover ( to exclude sand from plugging the stone bed) and refill with the sandy soil I dug out. The rest must wait another year now.
I've been sort of looking for about 8 yrs for a tractor with a little more HP, a cab/AC and heat, a loader, diesel, 4x4 that still will fit in my rows. 2 days ago, I went to the NYS Woodsman's Field Days in Boonville, NY and I finally found one that will work.
I have signed and made a deposit to purchase my new workhorse. I will trade in my bigger tractor and rather than having 2 blue tractors in my stable, one will now be Red. I'm getting a 36 HP Mahindra 3616, with loader, cab, AC, heat, hydro drive, power steering and the price was right. The tractor will be about the same width as my larger tractor that I spray with. The Mahindra will now be my spray tractor and I can use charcoal filters and run the AC for comfort when spraying rather than having to wear a respirator, long sleeves, long pants etc even when I spray at 90 degree + and muggy days.
This tractor also has the quick change feature so I can drop the bucket and put a set of forks on for moving full racks of firewood or 2-3 bbls of syrup to my warehouse rather than only 1 bbl strapped into the front of the bucket. My old tractor only could lift 900# the new handles 1650#. My old tractor used clamp in forks to handle pallets or attempt my wood racks. Without PS and if the ground was soft or deep snow I could not handle the wood racks. My rack is 66" wide and if full it is 5' stacked wood with a sloped steel roof on and a pallet type floor for the forks to get in. With the old tractor trying to handle the weight so far out in front I had a real tuff time turning the wheel with no PS and it just would not work in the maple season, only on hard dry ground in summer. I will also do some of my wood hauling with it, but for most I use my excavator. I drive it up to the tree, raise the bucket to full and push on the tree. Then I cut the notch and saw from the back until i have a rather wide hinge. I then get on the excavator and push the tree over. Never had one go the wrong way since starting this on a huge red maple that had to go (about 54" at the cut on the stump) and more limbs on the wrong side than the way I wanted it to go. With the excavator and a deep notch I fell perfectly. Then on trees up to about 24" at the stump I limb them, lift the butt end and pull the whole tree to the splitter. There I hook on some tongs and lift the log several feet from the end of the log with the excavator and cut off several blocks. I split them, haul away with the tractor (yes, the new one) and then pull the log to the splitter and repeat. It makes firewood felling, gathering, and cutting a whole lot faster and safer.
This new tractor does however have one downside. I was getting ready to add an addition to the sugarhouse this fall. I'll now need to rearrange the current interior and hold on the addition until next year. Now I can't spend the funds on that for this year. I've got the drainage trench open, I'll just put the drainage tile in , cover it with the #2 crushed stone I have, lay a filter paper cover ( to exclude sand from plugging the stone bed) and refill with the sandy soil I dug out. The rest must wait another year now.