> You've got me thinking twice about a backhoe, I've got a good excavator guy who has dug my tree holes and otherwise it would just be for creek maintenance.
My first year of planting, I dug the holes and almost all were too deep; a result of operator learning curve and machinery limitations. The second year, I hired out. Dug faster and with almost no hole too deep. Plus, I cluged a screen out of chain link fence gates that strapped to my forks. As the holes were dug, the buckets were emptied onto the screen and shook free of rocks and turf. Makes refilling holes easier, although you will need make-up dirt from elsewhere to replace the volume of rocks not returning.
> What Kubota model?
L5240
> Were there any maneuverability considerations on your farm to factor in tractor size and turn radius?
I was planning on a 20x20 pitch, so I was looking for a tractor that was relatively compact, but knew of all the jobs it would be required to do I should hold to 50hp. Paper specs between manufacturers in this range are so close, that the real break point is more when you go up frame size and enter the tractor proper at 60hp. Up until that point, the market considers us consumers of miniature or compact tractors.
> What type of transmission does it have?
HST. All my personal vehicles since the first, through to my current, have been manuals. My left knee has begun to remind me that my next infernal cumbustion transveyance should be automatic. To that end I thought that HST would be the bees knees. I now know that you trade a HP or two for that convenience. I also am now aware that the hydraulic system has a bypass which over the years can start to fail and rob you of HPs. What's a person to do? I will think strongly about shuttle shift when the time comes to replace this one; I can hope I get that many years to come…
>With that Pac Tank full is there any rear hydraulic lift considerations or counterweight considerations up front?
After consulting with the vendor, and Michael, it was proffered I could strap the 150 gallon to my rig. Fully loaded there would be no issue with the rear hydraulics as they are supposed to lift 3000lbs. Cost was one factor why I chose less capacity. Pitch of the road to my orchard cemented the issue. For maneuverability I leave the bucket behind, but do keep the front loader on for counter weight. The rows in the orchard essentially run North / South. That grade, along with the switch back road leading up to it, ranges from 5 to 12% grade. The tractor feels quite planted on the approach and up and down rows fully loaded, and I have extracted myself from other loads that have lifted both one and two tires off the ground. To turn between rows or go East / West, I have to choose the upper most or middle of the orchard where flat spots exist.
> I know the hp to width ratio for a brush hog is around 5:1, what about for a flail mower? Can anyone chime in on the necessity of a flail mower for scab control, vole habitat, building fungal duff, etc?
I just floogled flail mower and am wondering if you are not talking now about a sickle bar mower? That seems to be what Michael favors. I think it has to do with laying down of the whole stalk as opposed to mincing it fine. Someone else can pick up the details there. The brush hog approximates this by leaving many whole seed heads and multi inch long sections of grass. Another consideration is the length of the unit behind the tractor makes it an exercise in attention when maneuvering. I will admit to chewing two new trees through fatigue by mowing too long. I now budget two days to mow four acres and can now do so with barely a dent in a rodent guard; munched a couple of them too early on. A sickle would be easier to monitor as it would only be barley over your shoulder as opposed to fully behind you with the brush hog.
>We only get a few good snows every winter so snow cover is not a factor in orchard habitat.
I do not plow the orchard, but I try to keep the access road clear. Makes getting there with snowshoes for winter maintenance that much easier. I figured at 3K plus elevation, you could factor in a tool that would eliminate any driveway plowing costs; although at 3 grand for a plow attachment, that might be a hard sell to any other participants in your madness.