For general all purpose farm use, clearing fence lines, maintaining roads, tank clean out, what size type should we be looking at.

In Sandy loam soil, but some pretty good sandstone, and clay mixed in occasionally.

Trees are mostly cedar, with post oak and mesquite scattered.

Skid steers are cheap but didn’t think the wheeled versions will do a whole lot that our midsize tractor won’t.

Would a small bulldozer be more useful or bigger tractor, or is the compact track loader the ultimate in all around farm use?

I watched one of these go back and forth from pine trees to a burn pile. He pulled them up like green onions, shook the dirt off the root ball, then went over and precisely laid it on the burn pile. I think the one I saw was the biggest one they make.

https://www.takeuchi-us.com/compact-track-loaders/

I've been watching-waiting for about three years on a skid steer. IMO you want at least 74hp (seems to be hp level for that tier). Prices have leveled and in a lot of cases are coming down as the economy has softened.

I feel that the skid steer is going to be more useful than a dozer. Sure, the dozer would likely make faster work of moving trees and dirt. But I talked to a guy who had a small JD dozer and a big JD skid steer and he said they were pretty even on pushing dirt. And with the skid steer, you get all the possibilities of attachments. Cutters, grapples, forks, drills, buckets-just an endless list.

And if money is no object, check this bad boy!

https://www.casece.com/northamerica/en-us/products/compact-dozer-loaders/overview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzP2jK4F9k0&t=107s

Minimum Kubota SVL-75

It will do lots of work, and no DEF. A friend of mine ran one of years. He said all it needed was 1000 pounds added to it.

Since I do not haul around my skid steer, I have a Kubota SVL-95. 11,500 pounds, 95 horse power. I do everything with it. With a tooth bucket it is like a small dozer, cutting dirt down. Many days I do not need such a large powerful machine. But, when I need it, it is there for me.

Smooth bucket
Tooth bucket
Grapple bucket (and absolute must for hauling trees and limbs)
Pallet forks
Bale spikes
Gin pole (turns it into a crane)
Skid Pro 72" brush cutter (blaze a trail)

I can transform property very quickly with it. I built the pad for my shop and house with an 80 horse tire skid steer. I've got 20 years of seat time in a skid steer like that. The big track machine is a night and day difference.

If you're ever going to be up my way, you are welcome to come operate it. It will impress you!

I have also rented a post driver. I drove 2 7/8" pipe five feet in the ground, making fence braces.

There are over 100 implements made for skid steers.

I call the skid steer the Swiss Army Knife of machinery. They can do all kinds of tasks. I will never be without one.



^^Best of both worlds right there. I don't want or need a loader on my tractor. Can't operate a 15' batwing shredder, or hay implements with a skid steer.

My dad has a New Holland and has removed mesquites with his. Not sure the model but he has been very happy with it.

This...... For 90% of land owners this will do everything you would ever need to do.

Are there deals to be had on the used?

Is there an alternative to the Kubota that offers anymore? We already have a Kubota tractor and RTV just curious about other competitors.

You can save money on used, just like anything else. If you're borrowing money, the interest rate may be higher than what Kubota is offering.

A machine with less than 1000 hours is still fairly new in my opinion.

Brand is a Ford, Chevy, Dodge debate.

Deere controls are jerky. Deere and Bobcat have horizontal swinging doors. Kubota slides over head. If you have your mast partially off the ground (I do weekly) you cannot get out of a Bobcat or Deere. That is no wano.

Not all, but many experienced skid steer operators say Kubota got it right. Best machines they've ever operated. I say the same and have experience with New Holland, Bobcat and Deere.

They were designed to move material very fast and are great for that. You already have a farm tractor that will do almost everything you listed except cleaning out tanks. For what they cost and the maintenance involved you might consider renting something for cleaning out tanks.

There is no comparison to a loader on a tractor versus a skid steer.

They are not in the same league at all.

If a tractor could put enough break out force on it's bucket, parts are going to break. But a tractor cannot do it.

A farmer friend of mine said the same thing ten years ago. I told him "clearly you have never owned a skid steer or you would not have said that."

Then he bought his own (first ever) skid steer and called and said he was sorry for saying something so foolish. He doesn't know how he made it all the time without a skid steer.

The nice thing about a loader on a tractor is if you're haying for somebody else, you can cut/roll/load without having to bring another tool to the mix. Roading a tractor is tolerable; SS you have to haul on a trailer.

A tracked dozer will accomplish work a skid steer can't do, not even in the same class, but it's about money well spent to me. I don't move much ground so I really don't need a skid steer vs a farm tractor. Renting a skid steer for a couple of days is money better spent for me. They require quite a bit of maintenance.

That's right, a tracked dozer will move a whole lot more dirt. And that's all it can do.

It's a one trick pony. The skid steer is the 100 trick pony.

True

But Scott didn't say anything about doing any hay work. And especially doing hay work for his neighbors.

I stack my hay with the skid steer.

Two days a year, I'd like to have a loader on the tractor. Bale spikes on each end.

363 days a year, I don't need a loader on the tractor.

And the tractor usually doesn't move November to March. The skid steer gets used on a weekly basis.

Dozers can knock a giant tree down too. I had one here last spring and knocked hundreds of them down.

I have a Deere 317 for all the small stuff around the ranch.
A 333G wouldve been nice, but wasnt in the budget 5 years ago.

If I would be in the position to replace it, Id buy a Case B series.

RDO has been terrible about service or parts since 2020, cant get a mechanic to come out and work on it so Im on my own.

ASCO has been great to me with my dozer and I was impressed when I test drove their skiddy.

Dozer gets used for dozing, tractor for discing and mowing, skidsteer for everything else. I dont think it makes sense to buy all those if youre working on small acreage.

Id look for a dealer youre happy with before you decide on a brand.

Can it lift pallet forks 10 feet in the air?
No

Can it be used as a fork lift at all?
No

Does it have front, remote hydraulics to run a huge list of implements. Like post driver, auger, stump grinder, pole saw, mulcher, brush shredder, soil conditioner, finish mower? (Just to name a few)
No

Can it scoop up, transport, and lay out soil?
No

Does it have a high gear that will travel over 7 mph?
No

Two trick pony. It can push dirt and push trees.

For what the O.P. is wanting to do, a dozer is NOT the answer.

I had a dozer rented for a week in 2018. It did some chores. Never needed it again. But as I've said, the skid steer gets used weekly. I used it today for 10 minutes. I used it last week for four hours.

A friend of mine has a small excavation business. One man show. He sold his dozer last year. He said he will never be without a skid steer. He will rent a dozer when needed.

My point was there's always something better but I agree on that one. He also said he has a tractor already and with what it can do, taking into account the high cost/maintenance of owning a skid steer, I'm still suggesting he look at renting one when needed. If he didn't have a tractor already, I'd suggest going for it though.

What is the high maintenance cost?

You don't own one, you are making assumptions.

As RiverRider said yesterday, use your mouse more and your keyboard less.

The maintenance cost is the same as a tractor or a pickup. Fluid and filter changes. That's it. And they are due every 200 hours. That's about once a year, or longer for me. And I use mine a whole lot.

https://idigtexas.com/

https://skidpro.com/skid-steer-attachments/

Look around these websites. Look at the list of implements.
They connect to skid steers. They do not connect to Bull Dozers.

If all you spend on the maintenance on one is the same as a pickup then good luck to you.

Put an auger on a skid steer and a tractor - see which you appreciate more.

If you are dealing with financing Deere is much friendlier than Kubota in my experience. I have a 317G, great little machine but probably should have went 325G. Hydraulic sensitivity is adjustable on the 325G, so maybe info provided on controls for Deere being jerky is outdated. Standard routine maintenance is less on Deere as well.