Best Mini Skid Steer for tree work

[mattfr12]

Can't believe you don't want to street ride anymore Matt. I have always had a bike since I was 16 and am on my 4th Tri S3 since '98. It is a great all rounder cause if someone wants to bust it with ya at a stop light or on the twisties it is way up to it but if ya want to look at sights or snoop around neighborhoods to see how other people live like I do, or take a long putt, then ya don't have your face buried in the gas tank. Wish I could have a half dozen bikes but no room with all equipment I got to store em.

the main reason is stupid drivers especially with my little ones people never seem to see you and my bikes where always brighlty colored. i did like riding on the street but the fear of loosing a leg or something slowly pushed on me as my friends and stuff got hurt from it over time. the track is alot safer place for me to push the limits of my bike.

i also have a hard time with control you obviously know how easy it is to go 80+ mph everywhere on a bike and its like nothing. i would probably not have my license anymore. when i worked at bartlett i had a gsxr1000 and could get to work in no time a 15 min drive became a 5-10 min.

i ride my dads old harley from time to time on the road but she tops out around 120. keeps me resposible. ill try and upload some videos of when i took my zx10 to the drag strip i put exstensions on the back and a muzzy dry nitrous system was some of the most fun ive ever had. it still has an air shifter on it. up and down with the push of a button. when your in those super sharp turns like a carisol the last turn at beavrun is one that air shifter is the cats ass.


i have a bad problem with wasting money on toys like that also so ive been trying to be really conservative lately by putting my money back in my company. i just sold my late model dirt track car last year if i had all the money i dumped in that i would have had a brand new crane a year ago.

its easy to get hooked in the points race for track champion and end up blowing alot of money doing it. was alot of fun tho.

 

[GarethVW]

[video=youtube_share;IDCjEBEZy7Q]http://youtu.be/IDCjEBEZy7Q[/video]

I always gotta shout out when talking about articulated loaders, mine is old and i cant get parts but i love it and it helps me get my lift in some damn amazing spots.

Umm Did I miss something or did this thread get way off topic really fast? If I am getting my facts right I thing the multi one loader is an older version of what turned into the avanti gehl al20. And watching those clips of the zahn working one thing I noticed was when you pick up a load that is heavy you lose steering. Won't happen with a mini skid.

 

[ducaticorse]

Umm Did I miss something or did this thread get way off topic really fast? If I am getting my facts right I thing the multi one loader is an older version of what turned into the avanti gehl al20. And watching those clips of the zahn working one thing I noticed was when you pick up a load that is heavy you lose steering. Won't happen with a mini skid.

If you want great performace with huge lifting power and turf friendliness the Gehl 140 is pretty much where it's at. As far as mini skids go, it seems as though the heavy sc vermeer is decent. That Zahn looks like ass in my opinion, and I can't wait to find out how much they're asking for that thing with a "front end".

 

[Natewood]

That zahn is rediculously inefficient! makes me love my mt that much more just seeing that..... Oh, btw, how about the most inefficient crew that accompanied that useless machine??!!

 

[brookpederson]

Umm Did I miss something or did this thread get way off topic really fast? If I am getting my facts right I thing the multi one loader is an older version of what turned into the avanti gehl al20. And watching those clips of the zahn working one thing I noticed was when you pick up a load that is heavy you lose steering. Won't happen with a mini skid.

WHAT..?? I'm not off topic the guys talking about racing their motorcycles are off topic and mine is a mini, not in the true sense. But it's small, it has no turf impact and can lift 1200 lbs.
Way more than a mini. Multi trac was bought out by boxer not gehl, although they are identical looking machines.

 

[CUCV]

Hey ducaticorse, that you selling your 4 series on CL?

It was a fun job, 9 sumacs in an autobody lot all cut and chuck and drops. Being able to zip in with the cat and grab large limbs for processing was just incredibly efficient. I am thrilled with the purchase, $3600 1400hrs all in with HD grapple bucket.

 

[GarethVW]

WHAT..?? I'm not off topic the guys talking about racing their motorcycles are off topic and mine is a mini, not in the true sense. But it's small, it has no turf impact and can lift 1200 lbs.
Way more than a mini. Multi trac was bought out by boxer not gehl, although they are identical looking machines.

I didn't mean you. I was trying to get us back on topic and was using your post. I like the loaders like yours and I think they are a good consideration when trying to decide on the best small yard machine. Random question. Am I the only one that thinks that having a loader on the other end of a stump grinder like a trx7015 would be a nice way to go for a small tree service? .....I probably am..... I know you can buy the branch manager powered stump grinder attachment and then use a mini but those can't grind like the big machines.

 

[GarethVW]

I think the gehl al20 loaders were made by avant and rebaged gehl. I think they are the same as the multi one and the others that they became (boxer) they are Italian made.

 

[sawinredneck]

I didn't mean you. I was trying to get us back on topic and was using your post. I like the loaders like yours and I think they are a good consideration when trying to decide on the best small yard machine. Random question. Am I the only one that thinks that having a loader on the other end of a stump grinder like a trx7015 would be a nice way to go for a small tree service? .....I probably am..... I know you can buy the branch manager powered stump grinder attachment and then use a mini but those can't grind like the big machines.

I've pondered that thought as well, two birds, one stone, like a trencher/excavator setup, flip the seat around to run what you want. But I think the price would be a deal breaker, and it's getting large.

Anyways, I've read this thread for a while now, nothing new, same old crap hashed over again. BUT! I did come up with the true and proper answer for the OP's question!
The BEST, without a doubt, mini skid for tree work, is the one you own that works for you! Simple as that!

 

[arbor pro]

...The BEST, without a doubt, mini skid for tree work, is...

a ditch witch sk650! I just bought a brand new one - needed a tax writeoff. anyone interested in my 2008 sk650 with only 408 hours? If so, pm me or give me a call.

AP
605-228-9350

 

[arbor pro]

just put ad in classifieds for mini skid (skid steers and loaders) and stump grinder attachment (stump removal). thanks for looking. would consider some bartering/trading for full size skid steer such as a s185 bobcat...

ap

 

[sharkfin12us]

Using my articulated tractor has totally convinced me that when I buy a loader it will be a wheeled articulated machine. The Gehl looks good, but I'm very interested in the DW Zahn. Has anyone had any experience with one?

[video=youtube;MGU56mht5DI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGU56mht5DI&feature=player_detailpage[/video]

I demoed that machine with branch manager grapple.Back end is too light if they can do something about adding more weight to back maybe it would help.Lift capacity I believe is 400lbs and I picked up cut log piece that was about 22 inches 3 and half feet diameter and moving forward and going back tipped so not ready to use in the tree industry yet IMO.

 

[arbor pro]

[SUB][/SUB]

I demoed that machine with branch manager grapple.Back end is too light if they can do something about adding more weight to back maybe it would help.Lift capacity I believe is 400lbs and I picked up cut log piece that was about 22 inches 3 and half feet diameter and moving forward and going back tipped so not ready to use in the tree industry yet IMO.

I've never demoed the Zahn but the lift capacity on an sk650 is rated at 650lb and it will lift about 1300 before it tips. I recently moved a freshly-cut 16' long ponderosa pine log that was 12" at small end and 24" at large end. my log weight calculator says it weighed right at 1300 which seems right as it was right on the brink of tipping when I loaded it onto the trailer.

I'm 200 lbs btw and, unless someone else is significantly lighter, they should be able to lift about the same. The sk650 is an awesome machine for the tree care and landscaping industry. They won't lift as much as a bobcat 300 but they do lift a lot more than the Zahn at a mere 400lb. heck, even a little dingo 420 will lift more than that!

AP

 

[defensiblespace]

[SUB][/SUB]

I've never demoed the Zahn but the lift capacity on an sk650 is rated at 650lb and it will lift about 1300 before it tips. I recently moved a freshly-cut 16' long ponderosa pine log that was 12" at small end and 24" at large end. my log weight calculator says it weighed right at 1300 which seems right as it was right on the brink of tipping when I loaded it onto the trailer.

I'm 200 lbs btw and, unless someone else is significantly lighter, they should be able to lift about the same. The sk650 is an awesome machine for the tree care and landscaping industry. They won't lift as much as a bobcat 300 but they do lift a lot more than the Zahn at a mere 400lb. heck, even a little dingo 420 will lift more than that!

AP

Agreed. I'm amazed at what I can lift with my sk650. The thing is a serious work horse.

 

[arbor pro]

zahn

again, I've never run a zahn myself but, to me, it looks like it is well-suited for running attachments and light material moving. Emphasis on running attachments though. Same goes for the sk300 and 350 which is why they're popular with rental places. If lifting and material moving is important, the sk500 and sk650 are the way to go. The one big limitation to anything that articulates is that it's going to be easier to flip over. The one big limitation to larger tracked skid steers including the sk650 is you can tear up a lawn if you're not careful.

I just ordered a set of narrow turf tracks for my new sk650 (came with wide aggressive). It's supposed to be a pretty easy conversion from wide track to narrow - just drop a spacer frame on the undercarriage to change from 42" to 36" and, of course, change the tracks from wide to narrow. I'm anxious to see how the narrow turf tracks compare to the narrow aggressive tracks which I have on my 2008 sk650.

AP

 

[Tdaz250]

We just got a diesel dingo with the grapple attachment...thing impresses us with all the stuff it picks up.

 

[defensiblespace]

I just ordered a set of narrow turf tracks for my new sk650 (came with wide aggressive). It's supposed to be a pretty easy conversion from wide track to narrow - just drop a spacer frame on the undercarriage to change from 42" to 36" and, of course, change the tracks from wide to narrow. I'm anxious to see how the narrow turf tracks compare to the narrow aggressive tracks which I have on my 2008 sk650.

AP

I had my sk650 changed from narrow to wide at the DW dealer. If I remember correctly it took 2 guys just over an hour. It was worth the money to have them do it. Since then I have gotten pretty good at putting the tracks on and I could probably do it myself pretty easily. I've had a fair amount of experience with this since I've thrown the tracks on mine a few times. There's nothing wrong with the machine, I just tend to push its capabilities pretty hard on the terrain I work on.

 

[newsawtooth]

There's nothing wrong with the machine, I just tend to push its capabilities pretty hard on the terrain I work on.

Defensible Space, has it been rolled yet or are you a much better driver than me? Also, did you make a decision on a chipper?

 

[defensiblespace]

Defensible Space, has it been rolled yet or are you a much better driver than me? Also, did you make a decision on a chipper?

It's been rolled twice. Once by me and once by one of my guys. We just let it sit to let the oil drain out of the valves and it fires right back up. Hasn't even left a mark on that thing both times we rolled it. I think I'm going to buy a Vermeer 1800. Looks like the best big chipper I can get for my money. Just haven't had the cash flow to pull the trigger yet.

 

[arbor pro]

It's been rolled twice. Once by me and once by one of my guys. We just let it sit to let the oil drain out of the valves and it fires right back up. Hasn't even left a mark on that thing both times we rolled it. I think I'm going to buy a Vermeer 1800. Looks like the best big chipper I can get for my money. Just haven't had the cash flow to pull the trigger yet.

Don't know if you're considering another machine so don't want to step on anybody else's toes but, if not, I have a '99 vermeer 1800 with 2100 hours that I'll probably update next year. runs and chips great and looks pretty good since a body shop stripped it down, primed it and repainted it for me a year ago. I'd probably want somewhere around $17,500 but could negotiate on that.

Attached pic is right after it was repainted and decals put on. Obviously, it has some battle scars since then but still pretty decent. Vinyl graphics should come right off with a heat gun and some touch up paint would likely be in order.

AP