Track hoe or track loader?

[WinstonSmith]

Calling all heavy equipment guru's.

Down the rabbit hole with what is going to be a large purchase. Trying to decide what will be best.

What I need the equipment to do.....

Lift heavy things sometimes (idealy) as much as 3500lbs sometimes on/off trailers. Tree sections sometimes 16.5' long, fuel tanks, brush, dirt, manure.
Clear and mulch underbrush and brush piles
Dig hard soils
Load manure, dirt, gravel or sand into dump trailer
Would be nice to mow steep grades
Handled rough ground like going through woods in the mountains

I need a back hoe anyway. I have 2 kubota tractors in the 60 horsepower range. I can put a back hoe on one of the tractors. Was going to put a grapple on one as well but might wait on that because the track loader or track hoe will be better for that because either can lift more.

So, I can put a back hoe on a tractor and get the loader with a fecon brush drum, forks, grapple (comes with bucket) and possibly the bush hog to mow some of the steeper hills. Or, I can get a track hoe and get much of the same attachments (albeit smaller versions) but be able to lift less but not have to buy a back hoe for the tractor. No mowing with track hoe but I already have bush hogs for tractors and have been making do just would be easier with track loader and hog.

Tractors are great for what they do but thinking if I use them to do what a track loader or track hoe can do I'll just break them. I have already hit my tractors limits in several tasks.

Rabbit hole of variables in a large financial equipment. Appreciate any thoughts/advice folks that know would like to share.

 

[K79540]

Excavator with a 6 way blade up front...get what ever attachments you need for the boom to do the rest...

 

[Scuba dog]

track hoe with a thumb unless you got a lot of trees push over

 

[K79540]

Some of the kubota stuff that are on the smaller side don't need def...

 

[K79540]

If you can stay away from def

 

[Ruger34]

Def sucks, track loader is more versatile, but a track hoe is good for a lot as well.

If I had to buy one it would be a big skid steer, there are tons of attachments for these things Nan’s they will do any and everything that you say you need to do with one

 

[Psilloh1]

Skid Steer I have a Bobcat and thats the first thing we hop on at the farm....

Edited to say with Quick connects with Bucket with Teeth, grapple and Mulcher.

 

[KSouth]

If you can stay away from def

68hp or less doesn’t require def.
OP for what it’s worth I’d go with a skid steer. Move more faster.

 

[K79540]

You really need both to be efficient

 

[roundhouse]

I do a lot of digging and trenching at work and we have two mini excavators and two tracked skid steers

I’ve also used backhoes and I hate backhoes .
They are like one of Those amphibious cars that also float . It’s a terrible car and a terrible boat .

Do not DO NOT ! Get any diesel powered machinery that has ANY kind of emission garbage on it .
Not a particulate filter not DEF not anything .

I’d try to find an older well maintained one that didn’t even have any computers at all

Without fail , 20
Minutes after I start working, the thing will go into limp mode and you have to do a manual forced regen , to cook off the particulate filter .
Which takes almost an hour .
So I have to arrive at the site an hour early and do a forced regen . Every day before everyone else show up.
Or I risk having a crew standing around waiting for 50 minutes on the machine to finish it’s regen so we can start working again.

We have one of each at work .
An older one with no computer and a new one with computers out the ass and emission crap all over it .
Wanna guess which one is always broke down and in the repair shop ??