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I notice that most ag land work is done by bulldozers with tracs.
Would a standard wheeled tractor (used on the mainland for discing, plowing, pto, etc on normal sandy dirt) be realistically useful in puna?
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(08-14-2024, 08:03 PM)Ccat Wrote: I notice that most ag land work is done by bulldozers with tracs.
Would a standard wheeled tractor (used on the mainland for discing, plowing, pto, etc on normal sandy dirt) be realistically useful in puna?
Depends on what you are trying to accomplish.
If your land is cleared and has soil and you want to farm, then the tractor seems preferable.
If you are talking about using a standard tractor to clear raw Puna land, that's probably not optimal to say the least.
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I'll add that if you haven't ever been on a tractor on uneven ground, you need to before buying one to use on uneven ground. It's a wakeup call. A small mound runover from the wrong angle can make you feel like you're about to die, and sometimes, it's true. You are about to die. Tractors are RIDICOULOUSLY tippy if the rear tires aren't at the same level.
I learned tractors are made for working on LEVEL fields of DIRT for the purpose of FARMING. Further you depart from that, the more pointless it feels.
I stopped using mine a couple years ago now because I had my last scare. It's time to just sell it, I won't get on that thing again.
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My new preference is an excavator instead of a backhoe. Much more stable and it can move stuff without moving, at least, as long as the stuff you're moving isn't going more than about twenty feet to either side. Most of our ag is planting trees, but we're most of the excavator work is for construction. It works a treat for harvesting bananas, though. That was today's ag task done by the excavator.
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Kurt Wilson
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I'm just popping in here to agree with dobanion and Hotzcatz. Completely!
Both will give you a beating in the driver's seat but the excavator is much safer.