What should my friend buy for $30,000 ?

[JD440ICD2006]

Good point, but not all people ever gain the skills to actually operate equipment the way it is intended, even after years of seat time.
I guess maybe their bubble has popped?

Skill sets are interesting. Not to get off topic but I have flown radio controlled airplanes for many years. We had a local based commercial pilot coming to the flying field. He could rattle off all of the "numbers" such as V1, VR, etc, knew all of the languge. But after crashing 5 different airplanes over the course of several months, we never saw him out there again.
He was a high time pilot certifed in B-727-100, B-727-200, DC-9 (all variants), MD-80 (many variants), MD-90 and B-757 & B-767 which are basically the same flying platform with a few parameter differences.
I relate grading to flying R/C in that you must develop a feel for where your machine is at all times.

[wildbill65]

I agree with you that experienced is needed. You have to want to learn to improve your skills.

Safety is another issue to take into consideration for those without experience.

Bill

[Paul Buhler]

This might be a good option too. It's on rubber often meaning less wear and tear and maintenance. The bucket wrist allows for ditching and odd angles. The front bucket can grade, carry, lift, and push, etc, and the 4wd feels better in more challenging situations. While this picture shows a newer machine, I've seen used ones in the price range mentioned.

A rubber tired machine can travel the distances mentioned quicker too.

https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/image ... B6XKk4KmIE

[Willyr]

I concur with Paul. If the fellow had a small dump body on a heavy duty pickup, he can use that loader for hauling things like tree stumps.

Plus having a backhoe is nice if you ever needed to do some line installs.

Also its road legal if he wanted to drive it to a fuel station to fuel up.

[kedorland]

I need to retract my ealier sentiments re: hiring out the work.....The shear sporting challange has great value.

Getting off track here but brings me to ask....What landowners are resposable for what boundry fence in Canada?

Kevin from Iowa.

[Willyr]

Are you asking what happens when land owned is in two separate countries?

Not much of anything.

There was a story not long ago about some one from Louisiana that stole a Police cruiser and drove it to Canada. The felon was in a low security prison and felt he should get away by driving into Canada. Alas many of Maine's backwoods roads allow you to cross the border with out going through customs. So the fellow didnt realize he was in Canada already and came to a border crossing (where he thought he was still in the USA and was not). The story has it the RCMP and USA guards were rather puzzled when a Louisiana police car wanted back into the USA. FAIL

http://bangordailynews.com/2012/07/15/n ... -of-entry/

[kedorland]

As I understand it...from coast to coast...in the lower 48.....fence laws are different in every state.

Iowa uses what is called "The right hand rule". Facing the fence you own the right hand half and are legally bound to maintain fence...even to keep in the neighbor's cows.

When I read 10 miles?...that is substantial. Gave me a moment of pause and wondering if fence is shared, split, or otherwise, with the neighbors or not.

Kevin from Iowa.

[CELSESSER]

Kevin,
In Michigan I believe the right hand rule applies if both landowners have livestock. If not the livestock owner has to maintain it for his use.
I maintain a property that has 13 miles of perimeter fence. over the last 6 summers I have pretty much rebuilt 75% if it. 4 strand high tensile, I hate barb wire with a passion. No cattle any more, just to keep the locals honest, it's hard to cross a maintained fence and mown perimiter road and say you didn't know you were tresspassing.

Chuck.

[Lu47Dan]

I vote for the dozer, I have cleared brush and trees with the nieghbors crawler loader with a root rake it works but getting a decent grade on the ground is not easily done. The optimum set up would be a dozer with a root rake and a blade.
Rubber tired hoes work but then you run the risk of flats from unseen pungy sticks and buried rocks.
I taught a local dentist to run his dozer, I would not hire him to grade out a lot but he can and does grade out his driveway and do his wood hauling trails. 90% of people can not run equipment. the 10% who can do well with a few days instruction.
Dan

[Tigerhaze]

As I understand it...from coast to coast...in the lower 48.....fence laws are different in every state.

Iowa uses what is called "The right hand rule". Facing the fence you own the right hand half and are legally bound to maintain fence...even to keep in the neighbor's cows.

Kevin from Iowa.

it is interesting to see how each state handles fencing laws- generally fencing laws shift the burden to the landowner requiring the fence as you go West into open range country.

In Missouri fencing laws have changed over time- for instance the "right hand rule" was not formally promulgated in Missouri law until 2001. The laws can even vary from county to county, as Missouri has an optional county fencing statute which deviates from the statewide fencing law. As an example, here is a good summary of Missouri's fencing law from the agricultural extension:

http://aglaw.missouri.edu/guide810_fencinglaw.htm

[kedorland]

Gave this topic some more thought...while clearing trees out of a fence line (widening fieds) this afternoon with our 450C. I side with the tracked equipment idea.

Gave much thought to how easy(er) it is using the crawler..and can spin on a dime in close quarters.

Personally feel more comfortable sitting on tracks being back in the wooley bulley wild woods rather than wheeled equipment.

Just one old man's opinion.

Kevin from Iowa.

[Tigerhaze]

I tend to like tracked equipment for clearing fencerows, mainly because in my part of the country we have a lot of hedge and locust with large thorns and I get pretty sick of dealing with flats. I don't know if that is an issue in that part of Canada but something to think about.

[JWB Contracting]

and I had these funds to spend, I would by a 555G LGP loader machine and then built an angle dozer for it. 95HP makes for alot of pushing power and the LGP would be a must for any type of wet conditions. I think the base machine is around 18,000 lbs. There aren't many of them out there, but they are often low houred machines. The resale market for used loaders is not as good as a dozer so they can be found reasonably.

I considered getting one out of the states when I was looking for a larger hoe machine, but I spotted a 450G dozer rigged up with a hoe less than 100KM away. I paid less than his budget for this machine with 7,000 hours on it, with new rails and pads, fresh paint, heated cab and a swing cylinder converted 9300 hoe.

Scott, if you think the production increase from your 350 to 450 loader was impressive, a 450G is about that much larger machine again. The same forces that keep hiring the work out come into play when buying equipment, prices for this size of dozer are at a premium as everyone one wants them for their farm or acerage use.

There are 3 G series at Ritchie Bros on Wednesday, I am guess these will bring around $30K for the LGP machines and $25K for the narrow pad.