# Mini skid at work



## Koa Man (Apr 12, 2005)

I got my Prowler mini skid a couple of weeks ago, but the grapple loader and stump grinder just arrived today. I immediately put it to use. I was having fun being the ground man. Pulling brush and loading logs was so easy. I also made me a power wheelbarrow attachment with a 10 cu. ft. tray I had. The wheel barrow frame got broken when it fell off the truck, but that's another story.


----------



## a_lopa (Apr 12, 2005)

looks real good koa,moving wood isnt going to be so bad


----------



## Ekka (Apr 12, 2005)

Great hey, I got an Aussie version called Kanga.

I noticed your grapple bucket is mounted 90 degrees different to mine, probably better in one respect to feed the chipper but what if you want to pick up a really long log?

Mine's the other way, I pick up like whole palms etc, usually cut them to fit straight in a skip bin etc ... just wondering.


----------



## murphy4trees (Apr 12, 2005)

Awesome... what's the mat made made out of and what kind of grade can she move on... up stairs would be very cool... even if it couldn't handle a load on steps, just getting past them might be enough in many cases... We could have a lot of fun with that machine... how much for the whole package??? How much can it lift??? I AM inrterested.... Maybe I can't compete with the big boys and their toys on the monster front yard removals, but wqith that piece I could get the edge in the backyards..


----------



## Koa Man (Apr 12, 2005)

Ekka,
I can change the position very easily. We are using it tomorrow so I'll take a picture of it in the other position. All you need to do is turn it by hand, no tools needed.


----------



## murphy4trees (Apr 12, 2005)

That seems like a good match for a dual axle dump trailer too... Doesn't have the height for loading dump trucks does it???


----------



## Koa Man (Apr 12, 2005)

Daniel,
The mat is 3/16" reinforced rubber. I bought 75 ft. of it, 48.5 inches wide. The tracks on the machine are variable width, 34-43.5 inches, so it can easily squeeze through a 36" gate. I don't know what kind of grade it can climb yet. I haven't had the need to climb something real steep and I wouldn't want to with a big load. I wanted to buy 3/8 or 1/2 inch mats, but the hardware store here did not have any. It protects the lawn pretty good. I would love to have Alturnamats, but the weight and cost are prohibitive. The 75 ft. of 3/16 inch mats costed me $782.00. You could probably get it a lot cheaper. Freight to Hawaii really adds to the cost of goods here. 

I bought a 2002 demo machine for $11,500. All my attachments are new. Grapple $1980, stump grinder $3200, pallet forks $475, multi purpose tool (rippers, tow hitch, lift boom) $500, and I got a trencher and 4/1 bucket new on Ebay for only $2645. Normally the trencher is $4100 and a 4/1 bucket is $2200. The 10K Brimar dump trailer cost me $3995 and shipping for all of the above was $4587.00. Compact Power is where I got the machine from and their website shows a list of used equipment for sale.

The dump height on the Prowler with a 4/1 bucket is about 6 ft. Yes, it would be difficult to lift over the side of a big truck. You will need to load from the back. My next item on my wish list is the mini articulated wheel loader by CSF. 38" wide, telescopic lift arm 9.5 ft high and dumping capacity of about 1500 lbs. Its their SL25 model. These will be exported to the US some time this year....it is European made.


----------



## TreeJunkie (Apr 12, 2005)

Koa,

Sweet little machine! What is the lifting capacity? What engine does it have in it? Total hours on the machine when purchased? 

I agree w/ murph, this machine could really give us smaller companies a one up on all of the big removal low ballers. At least in the back yard that is....


----------



## a_lopa (Apr 12, 2005)

youll be suprised the 4in 1 buckets on these type and similar loaders is comparable to a bobcat bucket and they open real wide,i watched a really competent owner/ operator moving logs with a dingo loader it was suprising.we all need a loader that just needs fuel


----------



## darkstar (Apr 12, 2005)

i have a new holland ls 180 steer skid loader with grapple att. gees it tears the ground like a freakin plow .... im wondering if i should get rubber tracks for it ... it can lift a 30 inch dia. log 20 feet long and put it in a tall truck ...but its almost useless for residential work since it ruins turf so bad .... i like the looks of that mini ....dark


----------



## Lumberjack (Apr 12, 2005)

A NH LS180 is rated to lift 2555# (50% of tipping load) to 100" or 8'4". Probably the biggest reason you rip yards up is the skid steer steering combined with the 7193# of weight BEFORE you pick up the first thing. It tips around 5k pounds on level ground so I wouldnt think for it to be uncommon for it to pick up 4k pounds on a semi regular basis. That gives ya a total weight of around 11k pounds with a majority of that on the front tires, dont think rubber tracks are gonna help your cause too much. 

Check out Alturna Mats, set them up in predetermined locations to turn on and put them in squeeze areas like when going through a gate your tires will wear out 2 strips of grass and any other place where you will constantly be going across the same grass.


----------



## Koa Man (Apr 12, 2005)

TreeJunkie said:


> Koa,
> 
> Sweet little machine! What is the lifting capacity? What engine does it have in it? Total hours on the machine when purchased?
> 
> I agree w/ murph, this machine could really give us smaller companies a one up on all of the big removal low ballers. At least in the back yard that is....



The lift capacity with a 200 lb. operator is 640 lbs to dump height. I have the optional platform and side weights on mine, which increases the dump capacity to 750 lbs. The engine is a 24 hp Honda. Total hours on machine was just under 200. It runs great, starts instantly and no oil leaks. 

I ran on dry grass straight with no problem and gentle turns can be made without ripping up the grass. I even did a few tight ones with minimal damage. A lot depends on the kind of grass you are operating on. I rented it out to a friend moving dirt and he did a dime turn on St. Augustine grass and there was no damage. Otherwise, lay out a plyboard or some mats where you will be running over the same spot or making turns.


----------



## Lumberjack (Apr 12, 2005)

I am interested in mini skids, but it will probably be next summer before I can afford one, if I chose to get one. This summers purchases have already been planned.

Doesnt hurt to look tooo much.

How much does your machine weigh? 1500-2k pounds?


----------



## Koa Man (Apr 12, 2005)

The machine weighs 2228 lbs with the optional weights I have and no attachments. Standard weight is 2025 lbs. without attachments.


----------



## ROLLACOSTA (Apr 12, 2005)

Nice peice of kit koa..i'm looking forward to seeing the stump grinder.


----------



## treekiller (Apr 24, 2005)

koa man have u tried the stump grinder yet, I am thinking about getting a mini with a grapple and stump grinder, but only if the grinder is productive. I would like to use it on some 30"+ stumps once in a while and i don't want to be their for a week.
thanks


----------



## Koa Man (Apr 25, 2005)

I was supposed to use it tomorrow, but the control module I got with the unit was defective. The manufacturer of the module sent me a new one, I installed it, ran the grinder and the hyd. motor blew a seal. This is with no load on the cutter wheel. In defense of Terra Power, the parts in question are not made by them. The hyd. motor would not run forward, only backwards. Now it doesn't run at all and I haven't even put it to a stump yet. I would think that the assembled unit would have been test run before it was shipped out. I left a message over the weekend as to what happened. I'll keep you posted as to what transpires.

The grapple is really awesome. Definitely get that if you get a mini skid.


----------



## ROLLACOSTA (May 9, 2005)

any news about your stump cutter attachment koa ??


----------



## Koa Man (May 9, 2005)

Did not get the hyd. motor back from the shop yet. There already were two jobs that I was supposed to use it on, and the 3rd one is on Wednesday. I have to bring along my regular stump grinder, which means another truck. This is getting to be a hassle right now. The shop first told me they could have it fixed by the end of last week. I sure hope it gets done today so I can install it tonight. I'll keep you posted. I also got an email today from Griesback Equip., where I ordered my Gehl AL20DX. They told me it was ready for pickup on Friday, Yellow Transport is scheduled to pick it up today, and now they said my adapter plate did not arrive. I told them when I ordered the machine that if I could not run my mini skid attachments on it, then I did not want the machine. I do not want the plate "backordered" and then later find out it is no longer in production. I will wait to see what happens on that one.


----------



## ROLLACOSTA (May 9, 2005)

i agree with ya koa why the heck was the unit not tested before it was shipped out


----------



## ROLLACOSTA (May 12, 2005)

You all fixed up yet KOA ??.


----------



## tophopper (May 12, 2005)

The mighty Dingo!



http://***************/treehouse/files/p5050017_174.jpg


----------



## Koa Man (May 13, 2005)

ROLLACOSTA said:


> You all fixed up yet KOA ??.


Hah, I wish! The shop calls me at 1700 on Tuesday that the motor is ready for pick up. I can't go pick it up because they are closing. Wednesday is when I need to use the grinder. Once again I need to bring my regular grinder. Anyway, I got the hyd. motor today, Thursday, and will install it tomorrow after I get done with work. I sure hope it works this time. Only problem is the 3 jobs that I was going to take the grinder on are done, no other stump jobs are on the books.


----------



## ROLLACOSTA (May 13, 2005)

i hope all goes well, with the grinder KOA,i reckon like most new kit ,its just a case of teething problem's


----------



## Koa Man (May 14, 2005)

I installed the hyd. motor today and same thing as before. It will only spin backwards and when I move the aux. lever to try and make it spin the way it is supposed to, it locks up and makes a funny sound. I need to contact Terra Power on Monday and see what they want me to do. It is not a matter of just reversing the hoses, the instructions say if flow from the loader is reversed, the wheel will not spin and seal damage may occur.


----------



## Koa Man (May 14, 2005)

Terra Power has been bending over backwards to help me. I want this thing to work and work well. I'll wait till I hear from them before I make my final judgement on this thing. In the mean time, I got a $1300 deposit on my Levco grinder today. That means I only have my Alpine grinder now and as good as the Alpine is for the small and hard to get to stumps, I DO NOT want to be using it on a stump that is big and in the open.


----------



## ROLLACOSTA (May 14, 2005)

yeh i wonder how many unit's they have in actual use, i'd by now be getting pretty p*ss*d off by now

just a thought are the hoses 'fitted' to the skid steer the wrong way around ?? have you used other implaments that require hydraulics ?? ahh you have the grab but would it matter if the hydraulics were reversed to work the grab ,just a thought!

ie does the problem lay with your skid steer hydraulics


----------



## Koa Man (May 15, 2005)

In addition to the log grapple, I have a 4/1 bucket and a trencher that uses the aux. hyd. system. The trencher chain will run forward when I push the aux. lever forward and backwards when I push the lever backwards. I just wonder why the stump grinder will only run backwards and lock up in the forward position. The 4/1 bucket will open the clam when I push the lever forward and close when I pull it back, and of course, the log grapple works just fine.

I am pretty sure the hyd. system on my loader is correct.


----------



## Koa Man (May 16, 2005)

OK, I reversed the motor hoses without waiting for a reply from Terra Power and ran the aux. lever in the reverse position. The grinder wheel now spins in the right direction (forward). I think if I were to move the lever to the forward position with the hoses reversed from the schematics I got, it will deadhead the system and blow something. So now it is working like it is supposed to, with the hoses connected opposite from the schematics. Unfortunately, I don't have a stump to grind to try it out.


----------



## Koa Man (May 16, 2005)

Actually, almost all my correspondence with the manufacturer has been by email, which they answer right away, as long as it is during business hours. The email I got today, said to do exactly what I had already did. They also told me not to try and reverse flow from the loader by moving the aux. lever to the forward position as it is designed to run only one way and would deadhead the hyd. system. It is just as I had figured, by looking at the schematics that they sent me. So it is running....just gotta find me a stump to try it out. Got a call to remove 2 stumps....if I get the bid, I'll try it out next weekend.


----------



## Koa Man (Jun 5, 2005)

*Terra stumper*

I finally got to use the mini skid stump grinder today, grinding out 2 stumps that a guy with a Rayco Jr. could not get to. I don't think any grinder could do it unless it could lift the cutter wheel at least 4 ft. off the ground. The slope it was on was too steep to climb. Pictures below explain the situation better than I can. My opinion of the Terra stumper: It is not as fast as a Rayco Jr, mainly because the side to side movement is very slow, but I think I need to adjust the oil diverter to get more flow to the side arms. The grinding is pretty good, this was my first stump with it and I was getting faster with it. It is way easier on the body than my Levco HD46 or the Rayco Jr. I previously owned. Moving the grinder around with the skid steer is super easy and climbing over the grindings was no problem. Though it was not as fast as my stand alone grinder, I like it a lot, plus the ability to switch to a bucket to move the grindings will make it my grinder of choice. Good thing, since I sold my Levco a couple of weeks ago. I now have just the Terra stumper and my Alpine Magnum.


----------



## a_lopa (Jun 5, 2005)

what teeth are you running koa? i had a similar stump a while back a tow behind couldnt get high enough,rg50 could just get it.


----------



## ROLLACOSTA (Jun 5, 2005)

how long did it take to do the stumps ??


----------



## Koa Man (Jun 5, 2005)

The Terra comes with Rayco Super Teeth. First time I used them...they are really good teeth. I hit good sized rocks several times and they did not even chip, but the rocks shattered. 

It took me an hour to do the first stump, (soft wood). It was about 18 inch dia. with a large side root running about 4 ft. to the left that was about 10 in. thick.
The 2nd stump was a hard wood, about 30X22 inches in dia. with some good root flare. That one took me 2 hours. That may sound super slow, but keeping in mind that the stumps were on a slope, I was grinding wood down about 30 inches. If these were on level ground, I would have gone down only about 10 to 12 inches deep. I had to get all of the root out, as the customer wants to cut the slope back further to the wall. The customer also decided to rent my mini skid with the bucket instead of moving the dirt with a shovel and wheelbarrow. 
My mini equipment rental business is starting to move along slowly. Hopefully I will be able to retire from the tree business by the end of the year.


----------



## crane tree (Jun 9, 2005)

wow what a cool piece--even ah,,, , wat with my lost youth squandered and all, could be monster ground man with that thing.


----------



## ROLLACOSTA (Jun 23, 2005)

tophopper said:


> The mighty Dingo!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## tophopper (Jun 23, 2005)

ROLLACOSTA said:


> Have you got anymore pics of your Toro in action ,and what make is your grapple [could you supply a web address for the grapple] thanks mate




I'll pm ya the contact info for the grapple maker. 
Mine is the first ever he fabricated, so it looks a little rough. The new ones are nice looking! Koa has one.


----------

