Asked to go with BIL to his farm again

BIL last month asked if I could accompany him to the old farm I used to mow and work on to keep some functional, been fourteen going on fifteen years since set foot on that place. Was not sure but explained to wife he needed the hand as his son was all too busy and she agreed to my going.

Entire area is nuts with people now. New neighbors with crappy homes being built, wells drilled and trash building up was so sad seeing that. At least someone is always close by that the druggy thefts have ceased. All that I had gotten cleared with the old Allis 180 is overgrown again. All the work we had done for close to twenty five years gone to rot, he explained he cannot get any help from son as works so hard and the reason we own our place, his wife’s pissy attitude, where she determined would help him was as functionless.
We had discussions on what he should get for land clearing and cleanup, how to house it and so on, he is as lost as was when I first ventured in on that place over thirty years ago. The third party partner died three years ago, so is just he and son that works six to seven days a week. He was thinking forty horse tractor, I explained he needed at least seventy, smaller row crop size, he was also considering a skid steer as a second choice where is a good second machine but not as general purpose. Cannot get a building built as costs are extreme now, so we discussed shipping containers for storage and expanded machine shed capabilities. At 65 he is not sure he can manage to get this all done if I do not help with his boy. I dare say he waited too long.

In my opinion- he needs to just sell it - get what is going price and forget it, his son has no interest in it or he would do something with it- he,s 65--time is moving ,, 

YEP... sell it and move on... Kid has no interest, so forget it.

Does not really want to sell, the Son does go there but as noted from others is a adult now with a life of his own and responsibilities.  BIL still likes the place, tried to do the work 'On the Cheap', bought a used DR Field Mower, edges kept creeping inward as could not handle the bigger materials.  Chainsaws and Weed Whackers with Blades next up with that walk behind, spent almost enough to have bought a real purpose built tractor and bush hog.  He just could not understand why I could mow in two days on the 180 and did not need a third, he needs WEEKS for same area.

Edited by DMiller - 11 Nov 2024 at 5:57pm

Unless the skid loader is High Flow hydraulics - it's not going to work . For clearing and piling things fine or carry but for tillage and power attachments a tractor is only good solution .  

Nick, my nephew and the son had the long talk with his dad, BIL is signing over the entire property to him so long as he does not sell it before the BIL passes.

Nick has the finances to do as he wishes and intends to begin with a rental machine. Not Sunbelt but a close second thru a Deere Dealer where the machine will be at their yard closer to the farm than his own home. Try it to see if will be useful enough, for other functions, for a later purchase. Knows full well needs a full time owned tractor with general mower first, then the Skid Steer. Also contacted me as to hauling in two perhaps three CONEX shipping Containers, already spoke to concrete finisher down there as to grade out and pouring a pad large enough for those.

Skid steers are like tractors in that there are all sizes, HP ranges, and optional stuff. I agree with Coke in that you want the high flow hydraulics to run hydraulic motors. The machine I would buy would have minimum 65 to 80 HP. We use my neighbors skid steer on what seems like every project outside the house, recently, firewood, lifting the septic tank lid, post hole digging, rock moving, snow moving, deer blind moving... Handiest thing around!