Most useful "big machine"?

Hi all,

I'm trying to figure out what would be the single most useful "big machine" type purchase would be for my situation i.e. excavator, skid steer, etc. It would have to be used, I'm sure, unless like a mini excavator that seem fairly inexpensive new but maybe sketchy.

My situation: It's just me, a mid-40s woman, on 5 hilly and rocky acres in Missouri. Currently in a trailer, but wanting to build a small house or cabin or something (still considering options), and also definitely need to dig out a root cellar / storm shelter. Lots of heavy personal items to move around, lots of downed trees to clear out & potentially use but definitely will need moved, etc.

Basically I'm in the beginning stages and still don't have much direction...if I had my druthers, I'd live in a cave or dig tunnels and become an official mole person, haha!

Sorry if this is too vague or the wrong spot. I'm just a bit adrift and this seemed like as good a place as any to start.

Thanks in advance! Even if you tell me to eff off.

Welcome to the forum.

I am sorry that I don't know much about heavy equipment.

We have a tractor and dear hubby dreams of owning something big.

What are your dreams for the next step on your 5 acres?  Is it to build a cabin or build a road?

Why do you dream of owning a big machine?

Sometimes its best to earn the money and hire a machine and operator.
They are usually much faster.
I used one recently and was not happy with the bloke, he charged my the coffee drinking time!!
But that is unusual.
I have been trying to rebuilt a bobcat slowly and was offered an excavator for a fair purchase price.
I can use it as a crane, to shift benches, logs etc, post hole borer, digger and slow spreader.
I will get a bobcat for the longer jobs.

I am with John, hire out the work. Payments, depreciation are alligators for most.

I am in agreement with John D … but from a different angle.  Some large pieces of machinery have a reputation for people being seriously injured on them. While you can learn to operate machinery … both my wife and I did; it can be expensive and dangerous. It is not the fault of the machinery, …just the inexperience of the user. In my area Bobcats have done some amazing damage in barns in the hands of the wrong person.  I have encountered an experienced person who smashed his foot with a Bobcat by catching it between a steel post and the machine.  Backhoes are known for flipping because the user forgets to use the safety equipment.   I had an uncle have a bulldozer roll on him because he didn’t watch the Incline of a muddy hill in relation to the tracks.   Finally, if one breaks down, how will you get it repaired…and what will be the cost?

I own a small tractor with a front end loader.  It has come in handy. But I seriously doubt if the money I put into it is justified.

John F Dean wrote:......
I own a small tractor with a front end loader.  It has come in handy. But I seriously doubt if the money I put into it is justified.

I will agree with many others here regarding really large equipment, what they tend to be used for, and the skill that typically is needed to use them wisely, safely, and efficiently.  That said, like many, we have a tractor....well, not technically true....we have 3 tractors.  It appeals to my sentiment that I have access to at least two of everything that I consider important or useful.   All are within that 20 - 35 horsepower range and they are a good substitute for a lot of what skidsteers and excavators can do if you have time and patience.   But again, some work is best done with that larger equipment and hiring it out may be the best course of action.

John F D....I must admit that I feel the money spent on tractors is the best money I've spent outside of the homestead.  Interestingly, even as the homestead will appreciate due to the size and location, the house itself is probably not worth $20k....those were the words of the real estate agent when we purchased and I think it's gone downhill from there!  Two of the tractors were bought new and were not cheap, but each year that goes by with minimal maintenance and continued operation, I feel the cost-per-year gets ever more justified.  If you compare your tractor in terms of both what it *can* do as well as what it *has* done for you along with the resale you could get for it to your car, your computer(s) and other equipment, you might be surprised at how justifiable it is.  And remember how we discussed the savings in doctor's bills due to reduced wear and tear on your body?  Since my wife uses these tractors as much if not more across the year than I do, it's not just a benefit to me alone.   The third tractor, a small used grey-market Yanmar, has a 3-speed PTO that allows one to run certain equipment at higher speed without maxing out the rpm on the engine....a tricky balance between fuel use, engine wear, and equipment operation to be sure, but great to have the option.  Finally, although you noted doubting if the money spent was justifiable, was not the education received on using, modifying, and maintaining the machine some sort of vague 'financial kick-back' that was unanticipated?  It's taken a while for me to realize how much I've learned about 'the way things work' just out of necessity of getting familiar with and fixing the equipment and appliances on the property.  

Back to OP:  If you end up getting a tractor and are on hilly country, get something with wider wheel spacing for stability.  Familiarity with front loaders and attachments are just something you learn on the job with use.  Good luck!

to answer your question I guess it depends what your wanting and needing to do.Are you thinking of new equipment or previously owned. The old tractors like ford 8N , 2000, 3000, 4000 series can do a lot of work, have all kinds of 3 point attachments and were built to be very durable and last a long time if cared for and are much lest costly used than a new machine. A 25 hp diesel 4wd tractor with 3 point hitch can be very useful for homesteading. but be mindful that a loader with bucket on many farming tractors are not designed for heavy digging of rocks and dirt.  A 5 to 8 ton mini excavator with an angle able  plow blade and hydraulic thumb can be invaluable for digging  building, road making, lifting and has a fairly low center of gravity and is much less likely of getting in trouble in hilly and uneven terrain compared to a loader/backhoe.
If money were no object the ideal lineup for building a homestead from undeveloped hilly land for me anyway would be a tractor like I described, a mini excavator with blade and thumb and a tracked skid steer and maybe an old dump truck for moving materials around the property.