(quoted from post at 05:09:41 01/04/08) the dealer in Newnan Ga. has been helpful when we asked them questions or needed the shear pins for the bush hog we had to learn how to start the hog with the clutch then turn it to independent and let it go.he has had it over 2 years and no trouble.we looked at several tractors before going with this brand seemed to be built better than others plastic hood but the loader protects it and when some stuff hits it it pops out instead of being a big dent in metal.fiberglass will bust and break but that plastic will give then bounce back out in most cases. I saw a dealer down in Joshuas neck of the woods had them lined up by the road ready for pick up. Have you heard any feed back Joshua?I saw some pretty big ones down there cabs and all.
Wouldn't be STS Equipment, would it? On Highway 82 just wes of Ty Ty? Yeh, see them most days going to college. They look decent enough. I shopped around on compact tractors for a while for us to use in the chicken houses, but ended up buying a New Holland LS180 Skid Steer. Last couple of weeks used it to clear up some woods. Got about a third of it done, but need a bulldozer to get down some of the bigger brush. Done a lot more than expected, but rough on me and the skid steer. Montana tractors are about as good as any I seen, but I believe to run around the woods, I would look for a beefy frame. Have you considered a Mahindria tractor. Patrick Tractor over in Tifton sells Mahindrias and they look like good, solid, reliable tractors. I don't doubt Montanas are good tractors, but they are made more to turn the pto than to be pulled hard. Small fast turning engines simply cannot be used to lug logs day in day out and be expected to last. They are great on a bush hog because the have a greater range of RPMs to pull from, or on a loader because they are so compact. Otherwise, I think I would purchase a larger framed tractor, with 4WD and Syncro, and preferably a shuttle transmission, of some discription, add a loader with the bucket and brush rake, and install a forestry cage with limb risers. If you play in the woods without a cage, more than one limb will smack you. Also, try to get the widest tires with the highest ply you can, and preferably a forestry tire, because nothing will ruin your day worse than driving a limb through your tire. And please, consider a bulldozer in your rougher areas. The tractor will be fine for light brush, but if you encounter something heavier, a bulldozer will be faster and cheaper, that tractor is only designed for so much before it breaks. And finally, before you spend the money, look at dealers for rental tractors. A few hours on a tractor knocks thousands off. In my area, larger growers rent tractors to use in vegetables, or buying points rent tractors to handle trailers (these are peanuts we are talking about, and since we dry on trailers, it takes alot of trailers to handle the crop), and most come back with between 300-800 hours, but are several thousand dollars cheaper than new. My thoughts.
JoshuaGA
P.S. Roy, not knocking, if we had bought a tractor instead of the skid steer, it probably would have been a Montana. Almost looks like an Oliver, doesn't it?
