# Gonna get a mini



## mattfr12 (Sep 13, 2012)

Sold one of my skid loaders due to it not leaving the garage since the kbooms started coming. Nothing really to use them for anymore. So i was thinking about picking up a mini and didn't wanna put a huge investment into one 10k-15k or so would be fine since i am only thinking we will be using it to clean up stumps and some light wood moving. Where are you guys picking decent used ones up from i was sort of leaning toward the dingo since it was diesel and seemed to have a decent lifting capacity. thoughts please i know nothing about minis have never even ran one but they seem like it could help out.


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## kennertree (Sep 13, 2012)

Ditch witch has a special on the sk650 right now. Brand new out the door 19.5k with a bucket. They have a 32 hp kubota and the highest specs of all the mini's. Bought mine about a month ago and couldnt be happier with it. We rented mini's before we bought and DW blows the dingo away.


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## mattfr12 (Sep 13, 2012)

kennertree said:


> Ditch witch has a special on the sk650 right now. Brand new out the door 19.5k with a bucket. They have a 32 hp kubota and the highest specs of all the mini's. Bought mine about a month ago and couldnt be happier with it. We rented mini's before we bought and DW blows the dingo away.



doesnt sound like a bad deal ill check it out.


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## Gerasimek (Sep 13, 2012)

I bought a Bobcat MT55 about 6 years ago and love it. It has a grapple bucket which allows me to grapple logs and brush as well as clean up stumps with one attachment. It has wide 10" tracks which allow me to carry heavy loads across soft lawns with little or no impact. 7" tracks can't do this. It has a cool hinged standing platform that keeps you from catapulting over the machine when you pick up a little too much and the machine tips forward.
I know nothing about the Dingo. I do know that when I buy another mini (and it may be soon) it will be a Bobcat MT55. It is a workforce in itself. A tree service without one is foolish.
Gerasimek


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## Rickytree (Sep 13, 2012)

Not too familiar with them but wouldn't the rotating grapple be the catsass? Using to drag brush?


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## no tree to big (Sep 13, 2012)

yes rotating grapple!!! the bucket with grapple seems like it is more of a pain then a help. the rotating grapple is also 100x better for feeding a chipper


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## treeclimber101 (Sep 13, 2012)

Jesus as much as I plug ramrod on this site youd think those bastards would send me a hat or sumpin , but I bought one and use it daily love it and the best part is its cheap to own and maintain


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## squad143 (Sep 14, 2012)

I have an older Thomas 25G and man is it handy.

Looking for a used Vermeer s600tx. They go for around 10-15k used from what I've seen in machinery trader and such.

I got a chance to use one this summer and loved it. Faster, more powerful than my mini.

Hope to have one before next year. And yes, it will be the diesel version. :msp_thumbup:


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## Pelorus (Sep 14, 2012)

The grapple bucket on my SK650 works OK at clamping the end of a log to load them endways into a dump trailer; ie. the log sticks straight out front, so you can manouever through tight spots. (downside is that the weight of the bucket is over 350 lb). Bucket is slao good for backdragging gravel driveways to make a jobsite look pristine afterwards. A rotating grapple is something I'll be taking a closer look at at Expo.

I didn't bother bringing the mini to a multiple dead elm removal today, and came home so wiped out that I conked out at 8 pm. (Started job thinking it would take two days, but forecast calls for rain tomorrow, so we slugged to get er done) The mini is a game changer for sure.


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## 2treeornot2tree (Sep 14, 2012)

no tree to big said:


> yes rotating grapple!!! the bucket with grapple seems like it is more of a pain then a help. the rotating grapple is also 100x better for feeding a chipper



The branch managment grapple doesnt rotate on the mini skid loader model. To me, that pretty much makes it about as effective as a much less priced root grapple.

Got me a cid root grapple for the dingo i just picked up. works great.


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## no tree to big (Sep 14, 2012)

2treeornot2tree said:


> The branch managment grapple doesnt rotate on the mini skid loader model. To me, that pretty much makes it about as effective as a much less priced root grapple.
> 
> Got me a cid root grapple for the dingo i just picked up. works great.



it doesn't have a hydo rotate but if you know how to work the machine you can pivot stuff pretty good with the root grapple you cant really drag brush your limited to the max width of your opening out of the yard... with the branch manager you can grab a pile of stuff 20' long and drag it behind you. 

having used both styles I prefer the branch manager style vs root grapple


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## 2treeornot2tree (Sep 14, 2012)

I agree that the branch manager would be alot nicer, but alot more expensive. I think i read on bm website that the mini grapples dont rotate hydralicaly or manual either. Dont look like you could make them either.


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## treeman75 (Sep 15, 2012)

I have a BMG and they do rotate. The top two minis are vermeer and DW and if you look at the specs they are pretty much the same. The one thing that was important to me was the height it could lift so I could load logs in the dump trailer, vermeer and DW are the best.


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## treeman75 (Sep 15, 2012)

I have a smaller bucket grapple and mainly use it for cleaning out stumps and it works great.http://www.skid-steer-solutions.com/Photos/Mini Skid Steer Bucket Grapple 10_1024x768.JPG


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## murphy4trees (Sep 15, 2012)

You're minis want to grow up to be my asv rc-50 with turf tracks... BELIEVE ME!


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## 2treeornot2tree (Sep 15, 2012)

murphy4trees said:


> You're minis want to grow up to be my asv rc-50 with turf tracks... BELIEVE ME!



Thats a nice machine, but I will keep my Cat 236 with mcclaren rubber over the tire tracks. Might someday get the loggerman (i think) tracks units for it. I seen a used set for $4000 the other day. Some think those tracks are better then the stock tracks on most machines.


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## mattfr12 (Sep 15, 2012)

murphy4trees said:


> You're minis want to grow up to be my asv rc-50 with turf tracks... BELIEVE ME!



We have a t300 left but rarely use it the kbooms don't eff up the yards and have way way more power it will lift a t300 up. We are selling an s205 bobcat just don't use it. It has less than 500 hours I bought it new in 2008. If any of your guys want it I have it on Craigslist for 22,000 it has the platinum package cab, heat air and so on, if you guys want more info let me know. I have it priced to move I Need the garage space bad. Doesn't have a scratch on it never used to dig. I might have had the bucket on it twice. Will sell it with the grinder for 24,000.


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## treeclimber101 (Sep 15, 2012)

murphy4trees said:


> You're minis want to grow up to be my asv rc-50 with turf tracks... BELIEVE ME!



Then some days it will be expected to shrink back down and go through a 36" gate


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## mattfr12 (Sep 15, 2012)

2treeornot2tree said:


> Thats a nice machine, but I will keep my Cat 236 with mcclaren rubber over the tire tracks. Might someday get the loggerman (i think) tracks units for it. I seen a used set for $4000 the other day. Some think those tracks are better then the stock tracks on most machines.



Mclaren are awesome tracks I doubt logering are any better.


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## Nailsbeats (Sep 15, 2012)

murphy4trees said:


> You're minis want to grow up to be my asv rc-50 with turf tracks... BELIEVE ME!



They are cool until they break down, ASV is junk believe me!

Bobcat is where the reliability is, just like Stihl saws.


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## mattfr12 (Sep 16, 2012)

Nailsbeats said:


> They are cool until they break down, ASV is junk believe me!
> 
> Bobcat is where the reliability is, just like Stihl saws.



Well it runs a cat undercarriage, cat track machines have a pretty bad track record. ASV Is owned by cat they build good tire machines but every dealer we ever talked to said to stay away from the tracks on cats. Endless you like working on the under carriage a lot, the design Works its just a lot more costly to maintain than a bobcat.

Just like when morbark wouldn't do an extended warranty on a d-86 grinder. Salesmen on the phone basically told me they won't due it because of the faulty design. They are basically trying to get out from under them at this point. Look at the tree trader they are selling 50k machines for less than 25-28 grand with like 200 hours. somethings wrong what's the resale value gonna be for you if you buy it?


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## 2treeornot2tree (Sep 16, 2012)

mattfr12 said:


> Mclaren are awesome tracks I doubt logering are any better.



I would like to get a set of these.


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## sgreanbeans (Sep 16, 2012)

X2 with Matt, My uncle runs the Altorfer Cat shop here, they hate ASV's and hate the Cat track skidloaders, they are semi new to the game and are still tryin to work out the bugs. They have only been making skid loaders for about 10 years. Lots of warranty work.Even more broken gears. Because of him, I could get a huge discount on a new machine, I passed and bought a used Case. To me, Case and Bobcat are the best. I like Bobcat better, but my friend runs a farming implement store and sells Case, got a hell of a good deal on mine. Boxer makes a good mini, but the Vermeer controls are real nice.


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## mattfr12 (Sep 16, 2012)

2treeornot2tree said:


> I would like to get a set of these.



Place up here sells them, they put them on their new Hollands in a rental fleet. Seem to hold up really well but the price tag is gonna be huge.


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## 2treeornot2tree (Sep 16, 2012)

mattfr12 said:


> Place up here sells them, they put them on their new Hollands in a rental fleet. Seem to hold up really well but the price tag is gonna be huge.



I found a lightly used pair for $4000, but didnt have the dough at the time so someone else snaged them.


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## treeclimber101 (Sep 16, 2012)

I always liked asv's plow snow like a beast for sure !


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## murphy4trees (Sep 16, 2012)

mattfr12 said:


> Well it runs a cat undercarriage, cat track machines have a pretty bad track record. ASV Is owned by cat they build good tire machines but every dealer we ever talked to said to stay away from the tracks on cats. Endless you like working on the under carriage a lot, the design Works its just a lot more costly to maintain than a bobcat.
> 
> Just like when morbark wouldn't do an extended warranty on a d-86 grinder. Salesmen on the phone basically told me they won't due it because of the faulty design. They are basically trying to get out from under them at this point. Look at the tree trader they are selling 50k machines for less than 25-28 grand with like 200 hours. somethings wrong what's the resale value gonna be for you if you buy it?



Actually cat and ASV have parted ways.. at one time cat owned 25% of the stock in ASV.. and the undercarriage in question is an ASV design which was used on Cat 257s (I think)... These undercarriages are known to be hard to repair and extremely expensive.. We have 1600 hours on our machine and just replaced the tracks.. The mechanic had just replaced the tracks another asv undercarriage on a cat with regualr tracks.. The undercarriage was beat.. cost many thousands of dollars just for the undercarriage part... know another company that paid somewhere between $7-12K for re-doing another similar undercarriage.. Mechanic said my undercarriage was pristine... nothing at all wrong... charges me $225 labor to replace the tracks... The turf tracks will slip before putting much stress on the undercarriage.. and we never use the machine for snow or in mud, becasue it has no traction!.. that's all I can think of to make a difference.. 

Terex now bought ASV/Posi-trac... so now the machines are beige.. I've had a few minor mechanical issues with the ASV and its a hard start in cold weather, but overall pretty happy here..


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## Tundra Man Mike (Sep 17, 2012)

Boxers suck. Warranty is crap, machine is disposable. I did Boxer warranty for 2.5 years. They are clueless.

Stand on get a Vermeer or at least a Bobcat.

ASV tracks on 287(b) skid steers are very expensive. Sold many. Lots of 2000 hour complete undercarriages.


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## sgreanbeans (Sep 17, 2012)

Tundra Man Mike said:


> Boxers suck. Warranty is crap, machine is disposable. I did Boxer warranty for 2.5 years. They are clueless.
> 
> Stand on get a Vermeer or at least a Bobcat.
> 
> ASV tracks on 287(b) skid steers are very expensive. Sold many. Lots of 2000 hour complete undercarriages.



Wow that bad! I never owned one, but they demo'ed one to me, had it for a few days and really liked it, but the controls where not well thought out, kinda hard to operate bucket and drive at the same time. That what I liked about Vermeers, the controls, but they didn't have the power the boxer did and I ended up buying a full size Case anyhow. 

Mike you a dealer?


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## mattfr12 (Sep 17, 2012)

just my opinion i have a T300 and S205 currently the 205 is for sale. I don't notice much difference in the damage done or not done between the two. as you know one is tire and one is tracks, on a solid yard they seem to leave about the same impression. on a wet yard the tracks really seem to mess it up in my experience so do the tires but the tracks when you turn on a soggy spot tear out like a 4 foot path. the pro's and con's of tracks for carrying wood don't seem worth it to me. If i was in the buying position again i would be buying a S300 or A300. Endless your digging with it i don't see much advantage to the tracks.

Now i know murphy has those fancy green tracks that seem to walk on water but once you figure out the added expensive of operation it is drastic. 12-15k price increase on a track machine when buying one. then a few thousand to replace them, better hope the undercarriage doesn't need work.

i bought chinese tires for years for like 600$ a set and they last super long for me even tho they are garbage rubber. we don't drive on asphalt to much with them so i can pull close to 500 hours out of a set. on asphalt they would #### the bed at around 200 hours.

we just use the t300 for yard organization and it gets used daily for that. Its gonna get swapped in the future for a tele handler.


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## mattfr12 (Sep 17, 2012)

Tundra Man Mike said:


> Boxers suck. Warranty is crap, machine is disposable. I did Boxer warranty for 2.5 years. They are clueless.
> 
> Stand on get a Vermeer or at least a Bobcat.
> 
> ASV tracks on 287(b) skid steers are very expensive. Sold many. Lots of 2000 hour complete undercarriages.



Im not a vermeer fan but there mini's are front runners. Lift capacity and components are all good stuff compared to the others.


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## murphy4trees (Sep 18, 2012)

mattfr12 said:


> just my opinion i have a T300 and S205 currently the 205 is for sale. I don't notice much difference in the damage done or not done between the two. as you know one is tire and one is tracks, on a solid yard they seem to leave about the same impression. on a wet yard the tracks really seem to mess it up in my experience so do the tires but the tracks when you turn on a soggy spot tear out like a 4 foot path. the pro's and con's of tracks for carrying wood don't seem worth it to me. If i was in the buying position again i would be buying a S300 or A300. Endless your digging with it i don't see much advantage to the tracks.
> 
> Now i know murphy has those fancy green tracks that seem to walk on water but once you figure out the added expensive of operation it is drastic. 12-15k price increase on a track machine when buying one. then a few thousand to replace them, better hope the undercarriage doesn't need work.
> 
> ...



I paid $18K fomr my asv with 175 hours on it, delivered from NC.. back in the worst of times when the banks were just taking whatever they could for the re-po'd 'quipmnt.. That was sweet, got in cheap... found some factory second tracks fairly cheap too.. got two sets so I have a spare.. and the undercarriage is still 100% (thank GOD!)... I wonder if doing snow work beats up those bearings, like the seals go and its all over but the shouting once the bearings get wet.. That machine is a game changer.. Just Friday I dropped an ash tree that could have never been done without the loader's help.. did some prunign first.. stakced the brush in the street to protect the curb, then dropped a 20" standing dead oak in the street .. splash!!!.. used all the limbs and wood to protect the curb for the ash drop.. ASH had a huge wide canopy, maybe 70-80' spread.. that's a lot of curb to protact and the neighbor's had a little 1' retainign wall along their front corner, which was also protected.. Ash goes splash, late Friday afternoon.. Stuff chipper with loader for a while, then clear yard and leave all the wood and some smaller stuff in the street for the firewood lovers.. grind stumps, haul grindings into the woods with loader.. Rake up the yard, haul rakings into the woods with loader.. Street, curba nd retaining wall are perfect and the lawn has only a few minor dings... 'mazing if you ain't see nutin like it!

ps ... "never could have been done" means in that kind of time/ for that kind of $$$


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## mattfr12 (Sep 18, 2012)

murphy4trees said:


> I paid $18K fomr my asv with 175 hours on it, delivered from NC.. back in the worst of times when the banks were just taking whatever they could for the re-po'd 'quipmnt.. That was sweet, got in cheap... found some factory second tracks fairly cheap too.. got two sets so I have a spare.. and the undercarriage is still 100% (thank GOD!)... I wonder if doing snow work beats up those bearings, like the seals go and its all over but the shouting once the bearings get wet.. That machine is a game changer.. Just Friday I dropped an ash tree that could have never been done without the loader's help.. did some prunign first.. stakced the brush in the street to protect the curb, then dropped a 20" standing dead oak in the street .. splash!!!.. used all the limbs and wood to protect the curb for the ash drop.. ASH had a huge wide canopy, maybe 70-80' spread.. that's a lot of curb to protact and the neighbor's had a little 1' retainign wall along their front corner, which was also protected.. Ash goes splash, late Friday afternoon.. Stuff chipper with loader for a while, then clear yard and leave all the wood and some smaller stuff in the street for the firewood lovers.. grind stumps, haul grindings into the woods with loader.. Rake up the yard, haul rakings into the woods with loader.. Street, curba nd retaining wall are perfect and the lawn has only a few minor dings... 'mazing if you ain't see nutin like it!
> 
> ps ... "never could have been done" means in that kind of time/ for that kind of $$$



O i understand it completely thats why i have skid steers. They have became obsolete to us now with the purchasing of knuckle booms thats why i have my s205 for sale. If you think that skid loader is the #### take a ride and see how we do it. And I'm being serious murphy not trying to be a smart ass. I know your ASV is a very productive machine once you have it you don't know how to do without.

But once you see what we are packing your gonna start saving or be ready to whip out your check book. ill explain

Imagine not having to tow your ASV around and be able to pick up 25k logs with 100 foot of boom at your disposal tucked in behind the cab.

Put the grapple on and we are loading 18 foot logs all day we pull a 18ft dump trailer behind it so we can fill up the bed and trailer giving me a hauling capacity of 42k. out of a 38k single axle truck.

If 100 foot of boom isnt enough retract crane all the way in run the winch out to 300 feet! with crane fully retracted on the smaller of our booms we can pull around 30k off the side, the front or back it will actually scoot the truck because the front and rear outriggers don't extend. combined with the cable being horizontal. 

to top it off you can stand wherever you want with the remote control.

now i saw some of your video's you talk about the 75 foot bucket, we have one and love it but imagine having around 105 of horizontal not only vertical but horizontal reach!! not to many trees we cant tower above. because you can actually go farther than that since you only need a capacity off say 500 for you and the bucket you can really pump it out there on some of their bigger models well over 150.

come check it out if you want, its a crane, a log loader, a log truck, and a chip truck. tomorrow we have one scheduled to do air conditioners in the morning for a few hours.


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## mattfr12 (Sep 18, 2012)

murphy4trees said:


> I paid $18K fomr my asv with 175 hours on it, delivered from NC.. back in the worst of times when the banks were just taking whatever they could for the re-po'd 'quipmnt.. That was sweet, got in cheap... found some factory second tracks fairly cheap too.. got two sets so I have a spare.. and the undercarriage is still 100% (thank GOD!)... I wonder if doing snow work beats up those bearings, like the seals go and its all over but the shouting once the bearings get wet.. That machine is a game changer.. Just Friday I dropped an ash tree that could have never been done without the loader's help.. did some prunign first.. stakced the brush in the street to protect the curb, then dropped a 20" standing dead oak in the street .. splash!!!.. used all the limbs and wood to protect the curb for the ash drop.. ASH had a huge wide canopy, maybe 70-80' spread.. that's a lot of curb to protact and the neighbor's had a little 1' retainign wall along their front corner, which was also protected.. Ash goes splash, late Friday afternoon.. Stuff chipper with loader for a while, then clear yard and leave all the wood and some smaller stuff in the street for the firewood lovers.. grind stumps, haul grindings into the woods with loader.. Rake up the yard, haul rakings into the woods with loader.. Street, curba nd retaining wall are perfect and the lawn has only a few minor dings... 'mazing if you ain't see nutin like it!
> 
> ps ... "never could have been done" means in that kind of time/ for that kind of $$$



We just jumped up to our biggest chipper ever they are bringing a bandit 1990 down for us to use for a while. They claim the woodsman cant touch it and want to prove it to me so well see but we should be able to get rid of a pretty decent size tree in a hurry tugging it around even compared to our 2400. 

Originally we wanted the 280xp due to the disk being able to throw the chip much farther. we cut a good bit of gas roads down here so we chip into 45ft containers a lot. your average drum struggles to pack it like a disk. thats one of the main things we have to see. The 1890 didn't get the first 10 feet packed very well with alot of space left up top but the 280 jammed it in there.

The not packing it all the way cuts into profits for us since we haul it to a paper mill out in ohio 700$ is around the average for clean chips 45ft container full.


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## murphy4trees (Sep 18, 2012)

dayum!!!!!

Another tree care revolution happening right before our eyes!

You write enough to make any tree man drool.. but words fall short.. that's the kind of thing you have to see to really appreciate..

I AM always looking for a competitive advantage, and think the K boom would work well in that regard, however it's a bit beyond the need for our present work load and infrastructure etc.. If I ever do decide to go that direction, I'll come out for a day.. appreciate the invite..

Still gotta love the ASV.... same job as the ash, we cleaned up 15 years of old wood and brush piles all over this lady's yard and still have to move 20 yards of wood chips that someone else dumped without her permission.. And no CDL/license/insurance etc.. to run it...


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## arbor pro (Sep 18, 2012)

Bobcat, vermeer and dingo are all good mini skids but buy an sk650 and you'll never regret it. I've owned and run just about every make and model out there and, while I might run a dingo or bobcat for stump cleanup or landscaping, I prefer the sk650 for tree work. They're just so much more productive; yet, compact and easy to use. I run them up to 1000hrs and then sell them. Not because they're trashed at 1000 hours but because they're depreciated out by then. If well-maintained, you should get a few thousand hours out of a mini skid just like a full size skid steer. If not maintained, they'll be junk at 1000 hrs just like a full size skid steer. Just try to find used sk650s and you'll see that they hold their value extremely well. If you can swing the price of a new one ($21k with tax and delivery - everyone forgets about tax and delivery), go for it. If you can't afford new, expect to pay around $12k for a used one with 1000hrs and more $ for less hours.

Compact equipment will never replace large equipment in the tree care industry. However, compact equipment can go most anywhere while large equipment is typically limited by access. That's why I sold all my big equipment three years ago and replaced it with low impact equipment and I've never regretted it. My customers don't care if a job takes a little longer to complete. They do care if I rip up their yard and landscaping. Easy decision for me.


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## murphy4trees (Sep 18, 2012)

Its rare that I have a problem with access.. It does happen from time to time, but not TOO often.. the added productivity of the asv is a no brainer to me.. guess it depends on your market area.. I originally bought the ASV with the idea of using it for stump chips, but now its on the tree crew full time! NO GOING BACK!


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## murphy4trees (Sep 18, 2012)

ps.. I'd like to run a 200-250 hp chipper.. that would make quick work of A LOT and be a great competitive advantage... At this point I'd only get one with a grapple... The 1990 sounds awesome.. does morebark offer a grapple??


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## mattfr12 (Sep 18, 2012)

murphy4trees said:


> ps.. I'd like to run a 200-250 hp chipper.. that would make quick work of A LOT and be a great competitive advantage... At this point I'd only get one with a grapple... The 1990 sounds awesome.. does morebark offer a grapple??



Ya on there larger 18 and 20. The problem we are running into with our morbark is the way the drum lift and drum are designed. Don't get me wrong we use it daily and I'm not jumping to sell it. But what happens is that the drum opens on an arch not straight up and down. Every once and a while your gonna stick a piece in there that the feed wheels can't bite and the drum sucks it straight through and stalls the machine, it's rare but really annoying trying to get it unstuck sometimes.

Never happens with big wood usually like 6-10 inch silvers maple smooth bark stuff. Saying that I wouldn't hesitate to get another one. We are gonna be using a 1990 for a long demo because at the end I think we will keep it if it does what they say.

Murph in my opinion bandit only makes two chippers you can expect to truley pull in large crotchy trees. 280xp and 1990 and that's because of the chain driven feed system and crushing power is the same system on there 1850 whole tree chipper. it hands down is 4x the power of standard hydraulic attached to the roller style and will actually move 40ft of tree. Others will not without a lot of relief cutting. This was what shut me down on woodsman also other than them being insanely far away, they use a standard single roller feed system. To me there is no point in having it if I can't stick a whole tree in and walk away. 280xp and 1990 you can do that, we have the rear stabilizers on all of our machines to keep them from pulling my one ton backwards. 

I think there is 50/50 you would like he 280xp better than a 1990. The reason is in my opinion they are about the same on how big they will chip. Same feed system same hp capabilities, but what really comes into play is shear size. Side by side the 280 is significantly smaller, lighter, and easier to tow they even make a single axle model which I wouldn't recommend.

Again I can line them up side by side and let you be the judge. I was very skeptical buying a disk chipper in this new evolution of drum time. But was really surprised at how much it will pull in un assisted and how much hp you can out under the hood. We have 275hp Deere on there website its not even shown to be possible but they will throw in whatever you want. Auto feed rarely kicks in with 275hp and you might say well I don't care how much it kicks in and you might not now be but in time you will. Once you get a job and your taking out like 50 small trees and it's auto feeding all day while your holding the next tree in that asv waiting for it to go through amounts to hours a day lost.

Vermeer brought down the 1800 2100 and i don't even know what to compare them to in bandit or morbark lines but if you see them side by side and love vermeer your gonna be disappointed.

I would say the 1800 is closer to there 1290 15 inch capacity chipper and i would have to say the 1290 is faster. and there 2100xl was about the same as our 1590 it would auto feed around 20 times a log for us on over a 10ft log which for us is just not acceptable. the 1590 out of speed smoked it, the auto feed was doing less than 10 on the same sized logs 19 inch size. The guy from the dealer had to hold that freaking override button on the side of the machine in also every time a limb would hit it. 

in conclusion right now bandit is the only thing i would touch. Morbark has some design issues that need addressed, woodsman is just to far away with poor dealer support for our area, and vermeer i feel your really not getting your money worth as if you put the same money in a bandit or morbark. you get a lot more machine.


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## mattfr12 (Sep 19, 2012)

murphy4trees said:


> dayum!!!!!
> 
> Another tree care revolution happening right before our eyes!
> 
> ...



Ill have to get my camera rolling again on any average sized house that has a driveway running up to it we can usually reach across from front to back to get material in the back yard by lowering the ball down. thats the real advantage i have found by putting the winch on my knuckle boom. we did some air conditioners today that ill try and get some pictures up of but the guy that took them had a very i mean very poor camera.


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## mattfr12 (Sep 19, 2012)

Once again sorry about the poor pictures they where sent to me by a cell phone this was around 2pm today i stopped down to make a few extra bucks lifting ac units. but it gives you the idea of how i can run a ball down like a standard stick crane. i didn't take the time to put the ball on just used a regular hook with a single part line but the units where light maybe 1k. We have gotten a little bit known for being able to get in weird spots for this to do ac units and i charge a flat rate of 400.00 which has seemed to got everyone calling me to do it now because of other companies wanting a lot more. I've never been on site for more than 45 minutes, they hook the rigging up I must pickup and go. They seem to love the idea of a flat rate knowing that 400 is it no more no less vs standard crane if it took a little longer well you get the idea.


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## murphy4trees (Sep 19, 2012)

mattfr12 said:


> in conclusion right now bandit is the only thing i would touch. Morbark has some design issues that need addressed, woodsman is just to far away with poor dealer support for our area, and vermeer i feel your really not getting your money worth as if you put the same money in a bandit or morbark. you get a lot more machine.



I would agree with that. I AM glad I went with the 1590 xp back in '07.. Demo'ed morbark, woodsman and conehead.. Bought the bandit and she's a work horse... I definitely want the grapple on the next chipper. We usually chip in the street anyhow.. I AM actually thinking the grapple could be used to chip in staged piles from a second or third crew.. Load the brush and wood in a dump ster/truck with a loader, stage at the yard and once every week or two blow the piles into chips... Oh ya.. we also demo'd vermeer.. complete junk, totally underpowered as you mentioned.. 
An old buddy used to work with a big bandit / grapple.. said they'd slam a tree in the street, grab it with the grapple and chip the whole thing, clean up and be on the road 15 minutes and $800 later.. Sounds like a good time to me!


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## cory nicols (Sep 19, 2012)

Access my be a bigger concern for you than me, but i owned a vermeer mini and now own a swinger model 2000 with a bypass rotating graple. for my area i have the ultimate setup with a 18x woodsman, ground work is practicaly gone. I can drag entire trees, lift 3,000lb logs, lift 10ft high, clean stumps in three scoops, and go anywere anytime with turf tires. I truly can't get why there not more popular. Greatest business upgrade i have ever made. Yes it is bigger but i leave it behind my bucket EVERYWERE i go. Just to darn good! Just my experience.


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## mattfr12 (Sep 19, 2012)

murphy4trees said:


> I would agree with that. I AM glad I went with the 1590 xp back in '07.. Demo'ed morbark, woodsman and conehead.. Bought the bandit and she's a work horse... I definitely want the grapple on the next chipper. We usually chip in the street anyhow.. I AM actually thinking the grapple could be used to chip in staged piles from a second or third crew.. Load the brush and wood in a dump ster/truck with a loader, stage at the yard and once every week or two blow the piles into chips... Oh ya.. we also demo'd vermeer.. complete junk, totally underpowered as you mentioned..
> An old buddy used to work with a big bandit / grapple.. said they'd slam a tree in the street, grab it with the grapple and chip the whole thing, clean up and be on the road 15 minutes and $800 later.. Sounds like a good time to me!



What your buddy did is exactly why i run the stuff i do. The only thing man power is needed for after the tree is down is raking at this point. The only reason we didnt do the grapple on our chippers is the kboom can reach so far and the capacity is a lot higher.

Murph the only downfall i see you having with a loader on the chipper is that i know they are all over CDL with the weight added. A 1990 with loader is around 15k the money added is worth it and i do exactly what you said. i rarely even chip pine trees, just stick them in the back of the truck in a lot of cases so i don't have to try and maneuver the truck and chipper due to how big it is with a 1990 sticking off the back of it. i simply chip it when i get back. if you put all the limbs in first the logs really smash it down and i have put 2 medium sized pines in my truck by squishing them in. when i dump it usually stays together in a rectangular shape. without a skid loader it would be a nightmare to get apart.


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## treemandan (Sep 19, 2012)

1 mini = 3 illegal aliens... but hook to a truck if you want to Murph it.


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## murphy4trees (Sep 19, 2012)

"murf" it is a new term in arboriculture, first coined by treeslayer, dave B, meaning "dropping a big tree in a such tight DZ that it makes people think you're crazy"...

Unfortunately it doesn't apply to you dan, because people ALREADY think you're crazy!


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## mattfr12 (Sep 20, 2012)

murphy4trees said:


> "murf" it is a new term in arboriculture, first coined by treeslayer, dave B, meaning "dropping a big tree in a such tight DZ that it makes people think you're crazy"...
> 
> Unfortunately it doesn't apply to you dan, because people ALREADY think you're crazy!



We have adopted this term. Usually at the end of the day I tell the guys to murph the trunk. Or go murph that tree, at first they where lost until one day at lunch I showed them the video on my iPhone. Now it has caught on pretty well.


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## mattfr12 (Sep 20, 2012)

murphy4trees said:


> "murf" it is a new term in arboriculture, first coined by treeslayer, dave B, meaning "dropping a big tree in a such tight DZ that it makes people think you're crazy"...
> 
> Unfortunately it doesn't apply to you dan, because people ALREADY think you're crazy!



Actually turned into a half decent thread instead of all of us trying to decide who's right and who is wrong. 

Been a while since advise has been able to be exchanged without fighting. Your alright in my book murph. Been kind of nice reading stuff and not getting pissed off.


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## broganana1 (Sep 20, 2012)

I love trees.......and Mr Holden Wood


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## 2treeornot2tree (Sep 20, 2012)

Used my mini all day yesturday. Moving brush to the chipper. Its the best thing i bought in a while.


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## mattfr12 (Sep 20, 2012)

2treeornot2tree said:


> Used my mini all day yesturday. Moving brush to the chipper. Its the best thing i bought in a while.



Ya got to go for it. Ditch witch is looking like it so far. Gonna try a Vermeer 800tx see how it does. I gotta get a diesel one so it helps narrow it down


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## mikemcC (Sep 20, 2012)

mattfr12 said:


> Ya got to go for it. Ditch witch is looking like it so far. Gonna try a Vermeer 800tx see how it does. I gotta get a diesel one so it helps narrow it down



I bought a brand new ditch witch in May when the special was going on ($19,500) and I absolutely love it. It is a sweet machine and if you buy one you will not be disappointed.


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## MarquisTree (Sep 21, 2012)

Bought a ditch witch sk 650 few months set it up with a couple ryan's equipment grapples. Couldn't be happier with it. Just bought a second one this week take delivery Monday. Dan at jesco has been great.
Matt. Have you tried a 790? Bandit makes a nice machine but their grapple design is awful and it still is not as aggressive at breaking crotches. We just ordered another 790 should be here in month or so. It will do things no other chipper will do (besides tractor trailer pulled units).
It would be worth the trip to boston just to see it work.
We just had morbark bring out the newest design of their m20r 325hp grapple chipper. We played with it for an hour, then showed them one piece go thru the 790. They left embarrassed and apologetic.


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## mattfr12 (Sep 21, 2012)

MarquisTree said:


> Bought a ditch witch sk 650 few months set it up with a couple ryan's equipment grapples. Couldn't be happier with it. Just bought a second one this week take delivery Monday. Dan at jesco has been great.
> Matt. Have you tried a 790? Bandit makes a nice machine but their grapple design is awful and it still is not as aggressive at breaking crotches. We just ordered another 790 should be here in month or so. It will do things no other chipper will do (besides tractor trailer pulled units).
> It would be worth the trip to boston just to see it work.
> We just had morbark bring out the newest design of their m20r 325hp grapple chipper. We played with it for an hour, then showed them one piece go thru the 790. They left embarrassed and apologetic.



Have never tried it and I know it's a wicked machine. Just went with the 1990 due to dealer support being close. Woodsman is just to far to do business with. When we have a problem with one of our bandits bandit of Ohio comes and gets it then brings it back for no extra cost leaving us a machine to use during downtime. If woodsman was closer I would absolutely give it a whirl but until they get closer the 1990 will have to do.

They seem to be not 100% down on there design which alarms me a little. All the machines are different from year to year. We got 275hp coming in the 1990 so it should have some gitty up


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## mattfr12 (Sep 21, 2012)

mattfr12 said:


> Have never tried it and I know it's a wicked machine. Just went with the 1990 due to dealer support being close. Woodsman is just to far to do business with. When we have a problem with one of our bandits bandit of Ohio comes and gets it then brings it back for no extra cost leaving us a machine to use during downtime. If woodsman was closer I would absolutely give it a whirl but until they get closer the 1990 will have to do.
> 
> They seem to be not 100% down on there design which alarms me a little. All the machines are different from year to year. We got 275hp coming in the 1990 so it should have some gitty up



Two buckets are gonna get replaced in a year or so and I'm gonna do altec this time. I'll give that guy you talked about a call.


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## mattfr12 (Sep 24, 2012)

Welp the ditch witch is it less than 20g's new is the best deal for quality i can find. Guys are trying to sell 08's and 09's on machinery trader for more than they are going for new right now.


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## sgreanbeans (Sep 25, 2012)

mattfr12 said:


> Two buckets are gonna get replaced in a year or so and I'm gonna do altec this time. I'll give that guy you talked about a call.



ummmmmmmmm........Matt, ur talking to yourself again!


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## mattfr12 (Sep 25, 2012)

sgreanbeans said:


> ummmmmmmmm........Matt, ur talking to yourself again!



marquise gave me a guy that sells altec to call.


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## treemandan (Sep 25, 2012)

mattfr12 said:


> Actually turned into a half decent thread instead of all of us trying to decide who's right and who is wrong.
> 
> Been a while since advise has been able to be exchanged without fighting. Your alright in my book murph. Been kind of nice reading stuff and not getting pissed off.



Well that is all nice and swell BUT I was the one who coined the phrase " murph it" and anybody who says different is a liar.


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## Blakesmaster (Sep 26, 2012)

treemandan said:


> Well that is all nice and swell BUT I was the one who coined the phrase " murph it" and anybody who says different is a liar.



Funny, I thought I coined it. But I've been known to tell a tale or two.


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## sgreanbeans (Sep 26, 2012)

Well, who ever coined it, it is being used in Iowa too!


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## arbor pro (Oct 18, 2012)

*sk650 for sale*

Time to sell my sk650 with 990 +/- hrs on it - up for depreciation rotation. Brand new undercarriage and new tracks just this summer - $5100 cost (have receips). Runs great. $12k obo with bucket. might sell my forks if necessary. Trencher and auger available too.

this is the mini skid of all mini skids IMO. New ones are $19,500 plus tax and shipping - about $21k at the dealer. Save $9k if you dont' have the bucks to buy a new one. Remember - brand new undercarriage! Needs nothing. Also will throw in set of wide tracks with 40% tread left if you prefer the wide configuration.

AP

605-228-9350


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## MarquisTree (Oct 18, 2012)

What happened to the undercarriage? Less the 1000 hrs and needed to be replaced?


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## troythetreeman (Oct 19, 2012)

we run an articulated mini gehl, its a great little machine, but it does take up much more space then the small tracked models


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