This week we’re comparing the small machines that actually get used on homesteads, hobby farms and small properties: compact tractors, skid steers, walk-behind tractors and mini excavators.
We’ll go through the real jobs — clearing, grading, digging, gardens, compost, firewood, moving material — plus what to rent vs buy, implement cost and swap time, PTO vs hydraulics, fuel, maintenance, where these things get tippy or annoying, and what we’d buy first if we could only afford one.
In this episode:
- Which machines are usually rented vs purchased
- Compact tractor (about 25-40 hp) as the most practical first machine
- Mini excavator as the strongest second machine for digging and tight garden work
- Why mini skid steers / dingos rarely earn their keep on a homestead
- Skid steer strengths (lift, attachments, speed) and weaknesses (price, fuel, visibility)
- Walk-behind tractors for small-scale market gardening
- Implement storage, used market and DIY builds
- Dealer vs cheap import, plus the US sub-25 hp emissions cutoff
- Listener question: starting welding
- Tips of the week
CHAPTERS
00:00 - Intro: best small machinery for homesteads, hobby farms and smallholdings
00:51 - Start with the job: raw land vs established property
01:26 - Heavy clearing and big root balls. Rent, don’t buy
04:46 - After infrastructure: when owning a machine starts to make sense
09:51 - Compact tractors, skid steers, walk-behind tractors and mini excavators
11:00 - Mini skid steers / dingos: great on job sites, poor homestead fit
13:55 - Tipping and stability (mini skids, then tractors)
14:13 - Compact tractors: Swiss Army knife, balance problems, counterweights
19:01 - Walk-behind tractors: cheap entry, high labour, fast implement changes
21:34 - Mini excavators: digging, gardens, drainage, compost, reach vs travel speed
33:01 - Skid steers: power, attachments, fuel, visibility, implement swap speed
35:07 - Tractor vs skid steer: pulling, road legality, cost, fuel, maintenance
43:53 - How implements are powered: PTO vs hydraulics
45:39 - Maintenance, parts and how hard each machine is to work on
48:45 - Buying strategy if you can only afford one machine first
52:51 - Size, emissions (sub-25 hp) and dealer vs import brands
55:45 - Audience question: how to start welding
01:00:51 - Weekly tips: stop procrastinating simple jobs + make test pieces
01:04:37 - Wrap-up
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Welcome to the Greenhill Forge Podcast, with Eric from the Greenhill Forge YouTube channel, and my buddy Amal, a fellow builder of many trades.
In this podcast we’ll talk about where the real world meets experiments in alternative energy, wood heating, metal fabrication, off-grid engineering and self sufficiency, so expect discussions about workshops, tools, fabrication, building, homesteading, and what it actually takes to make those dreams real.
We’ll answer a question each week, so send yours to us at https://forms.gle/zNzKTtjDnBEupLBQA
WATCH the podcast on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/@GreenhillPod
LISTEN on all your favorite podcast platforms.
See you next week!
