Which tractor or skid steer ?

[Bunton Guy]

Just curious with you guys who have had prior experience with heavy equipment. I have a job in which I need to remove a hill from a property and level the ground. The hill is pretty good size about 20 ft.X75ft. My choices of equipment is a John Deere mid size tractor with a front end loader. My second choice is a Gehl Skid loader with a larger bucket that has the teeth on the front. Which one do you think can move this soil quicker. The soil is mostly loam/farely loose clay with some roots. The tractor has a smaller bucket and no teeth on the bucket but has a box blade on the back. Which do you think will work out better.

[Scag48]

Go with the skidsteer. Much faster and easier to run.

[Gravel Rat]

I second the skid steer idea they do work faster and more manueverable compared to a tractor but be prepared tobe tired by the days out. I find running skid steers really wear me out don't know what it is but I'am beat maybe because the machine I use is a 763 Bobcat with foot pedals and steering levers. The bouncing around is also hard on the body gotta get out and stretch.

Too bad you couldn't get a ripper attachment for the skid steer bucket to loosen up the soil a bit but a tooth equiped bucket can dig pretty good.

[clamcooker]

Skid-Steer will out dig the tractor, no question, but around here skid-steer guys are finding the new tracked machines work better and at the end of the day your not beat-up like a wheeld skid-steer. Try a Cat mtl or an ASV, they have suspension.

-Clam

[Xtreme Lawns]

I agree go skidsteer but cat or asv but if you had a tiller for the tracotr you could use that to loosen up the soil make things easier

[Scag48]

How about a Harley rake? Those things look like they could rip quite a bit of dirt. Take a Harley rake to it first, then use the skid-steer. A box blade is useless in hard pack unless you've got rippers.