excavator for residential tree work

[Langlais23]

was looking at buying either a mini skid like the telex pt30 or the more im thinking about it now i was leaning towards the idea of buying a mini excavator, specifically the bobcat e26. i was thinking this would be better because i can tear up lawns less by not spinning the tracks, plus i have roughly 16ft of reach with the arm. just was wondering if anyone had any advice as well as their experiences with them. i just think it would be better on sight and off sight for stacking wood to later be cut and sold rather than just dumping it out of the dump trailer. i would also get the hydraulic thumb and grapple bucket

 

[Ugly truck]

This is what i bought. Love it. Lots of different attachments and fits on single sheet of plywood if yard is really soft. Lifts 500lbs.

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[Langlais23]

when your not on the plywood does it destroy the yards or not to bad?

 

[Ugly truck]

Not bad at all long as it didn't just rain.

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[D&B Mack]

was looking at buying either a mini skid like the telex pt30 or the more im thinking about it now i was leaning towards the idea of buying a mini excavator, specifically the bobcat e26. i was thinking this would be better because i can tear up lawns less by not spinning the tracks, plus i have roughly 16ft of reach with the arm. just was wondering if anyone had any advice as well as their experiences with them. i just think it would be better on sight and off sight for stacking wood to later be cut and sold rather than just dumping it out of the dump trailer. i would also get the hydraulic thumb and grapple bucket

I personally don't like terex, but they are ASV so they have been around a long time and work fairly well in the forestry/landscaping industry. Bobcat makes a good miniex IMO, but they are expensive. When friends ask me what to buy, one of the most important things is a good dealer. The choice between skid steer and mini is going to be mainly dependent on how far your travel cycles are. For example, when you go to unload, are you stacking your wood right where you dump it? When I first started, I bought the Bobcat MT55 which is similar to the vermeer above.

 

[sweetjetskier]

Nice machine. In CT hauling that machine on a single axle landscape trailer would have DOT attention very quick.

 

[Langlais23]

yeah id most likely either get a tilt deck trailer...or im leaning towards a 14 or 16ft dump trailer so it can have multiple purposes. im just curious to see if a lot of other people use them seeing as the reach and power you get without ever having to spin a 180 on someones lawn

 

[Langlais23]

and i have a dealer less than 10 minutes from home so thats whats nice for service and repairs or whatever it needs. and as far as dumping goes...i have a pretty big open pit that i can fit 2-3 years worth of firewood in and by that point 1 pile should be opened up already from selling the wood. i would use it to stack up high so i can just maximize space and efficiency without breaking my bak moving lunkers end over end to their final spot before getting split

 

[Ben84]

Problem with using the excavator is they have a slow travel speed, it may work well for loading and stacking, but if the tree is 100 yards away from the truck or trailer you're loading into, it's going to be much slower than a skid steer getting there. All depends on what your job sites are like.

 

[capetrees]

Unlike the excavator, the mini has a number of attachments like a Branch Manager grapple, bucket, stump grinder, brush mower deck, snow blower (for off season).

Got me a used mini skid a couple of years ago and love it, Ditch Witch SK650. Minimal damage to lawns, light weight.

 

[CUCV]

I have an older 3 ton EX30 Hitachi mini ex and can't say I have ever been compelled to bring it on a tree job. It's still pretty good at tearing up the turf (no matter how careful I am) and super slow. I have an ASV RC30 and have often thought about getting the turf tracks but wonder how the tracks would do on the other things I do with the machine. It tears up the turf pretty good with the regular tracks. My brother in-law has the Bobcat e26, we were both not impressed with the lifting capacity of the machine compared to my old EX30. He complained to the dealer and got them to give him the extra counterweight which helped some. I purchased a Wacker WL37 loader for snow work this winter and started to use it on tree jobs this spring. Super impressed with the speed, lifting capacity and lack of turf damage. Now I can see why I've been hearing so much hype about the Avant loaders.