How big of a skid steer do I need
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Toddppm
Addicted to ArboristSite
I have a 743 and use at my house more than on the job. I find it to be a PITA to load and unload and can't be used very often in the nice yards we work in. Usually the access is too small, hills or just too nice. It seems easier/faster to just hump the wood out in barrows or our powerwagon most times.
Every time I read one of these threads with minis involved I think that's the better route for what we do but I do like having the bigger one for occasional big trees, landscape work and snow removal.
Every time I read one of these threads with minis involved I think that's the better route for what we do but I do like having the bigger one for occasional big trees, landscape work and snow removal.
Koa Man
Kahuna giganticus
I have a mini skid and a Gehl Advantage. I rarely use the mini skid because it tears lawns and cannot lift as much or as high as my Gehl. The Gehl is also a lot faster. Here is a video on you tube of me picking up coconut palm logs on a job we did today. The video gets a little jumpy because my ground man had to run to keep up with the Gehl.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEwxnidQv5E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEwxnidQv5E
bushinspector
ArboristSite Operative
We are running a 246 Cat skid and it is working very well for us. If you use caution and do most of your turning before you get to the lawn, the damage is small. One of the largest benefits we have found is not chipping. Just load the brush into the trailers and haul!! The machine that you get needs to match your trailer both in the width and weight. Since we are not chipping it is important to be able to smash down the material in the trailer. We NEVER get in the trailer anymore to cut the limbs up to get more brush in.
treeclimber101
UNCLE BUCK
Buy something that you can "afford " to look at parked when not in use , you don't want a payment on a machine that sits more than it runs , I just bought another case cat , paid 6k for it with the 580e backhoe engine in it just for moving snow and an occasional log or two , now I have the three machines and honestly have less than 30k in all of them ..
Thats a nice set up Koa,Having decent lift and articulation.
Have you brought another chipper?
sgreanbeans
Treeaculterologist
Love the video, that has been a debate for us, I really like the idea of that loader, is that a BMG attachment or is that a Gehl (the grapple)?
Love how your guy made the effort to make sure that fron made it in the shot! Messed up, was trying to quote Koa Man
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Koa Man
Kahuna giganticus
The grapple is a BMG. I have the adapter plate on the Gehl so it uses the universal mini skid mount, like the ones on the Toro Dingo.
a lopa,
I did not buy another chipper and currently do not plan to buy one. The reason is I now spend about 5 months out of the year working at hotels in Waikiki, mostly at night from 11PM to about 8AM, trimming coconut palms. Can't run the chipper during those hours. We trim the palms with a cane knife (like a machete) so there isn't much noise. My other jobs I just hand load in my dump trailer or if there is a lot of brush, I have my good friend bring his 250 Bandit and chip truck and pay him for chipping. What I do plan to buy next year is a medium duty truck with a hooklift. If I use a bin with 4-5 ft. high sides, I could load it with my Gehl easily. Almost like having a grapple truck with the advantage of being able to also pull the brush and logs out of the yard.
a lopa,
I did not buy another chipper and currently do not plan to buy one. The reason is I now spend about 5 months out of the year working at hotels in Waikiki, mostly at night from 11PM to about 8AM, trimming coconut palms. Can't run the chipper during those hours. We trim the palms with a cane knife (like a machete) so there isn't much noise. My other jobs I just hand load in my dump trailer or if there is a lot of brush, I have my good friend bring his 250 Bandit and chip truck and pay him for chipping. What I do plan to buy next year is a medium duty truck with a hooklift. If I use a bin with 4-5 ft. high sides, I could load it with my Gehl easily. Almost like having a grapple truck with the advantage of being able to also pull the brush and logs out of the yard.
Yes Koa will make loading easier, i have a mitsubishi low side dump truck i brought from auction and use that with my cat 226b skid steer.
With 5 months palm trimming and a good sub chipper its barely worth it,Im running a morbark 2400xl its easily the best chipper ive owned but it is heavy.
Did you end up buying the bigger lift?
Seen this one today i would rather it than the bobcat IMO
With 5 months palm trimming and a good sub chipper its barely worth it,Im running a morbark 2400xl its easily the best chipper ive owned but it is heavy.
Did you end up buying the bigger lift?
Seen this one today i would rather it than the bobcat IMO
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tawilson
Addicted to ArboristSite
Or possibly a S250 with a set of steel tracks.
gwiley
Addicted to ArboristSite
That would be nice, but remember that if you need to move the machine an S250 might be pushing/past the limits of your truck/trailer.
tawilson
Addicted to ArboristSite
I've tried one out. I've got a F-250 and a 10,000lb equipment trailer and a 12,500lb dump trailer so I can move it. I'm not in the tree business so it won't be a moved a lot right now. I just stuck my nose in on this thread cause of the skid steer topic and I'm in the market, doing research.
gwiley
Addicted to ArboristSite
That will be fun.
One thing that I discovered is that most of the hitches rated at 10,000lb are actually rated that way if a weight distribution kit is used, without it they are only good for 7,000lb. You should double check your hitch, weight distribution kits are only a few hundred dollars from NT or other dealers.
tawilson
Addicted to ArboristSite
Good point, but I'm set there too. My daddy was in the travel trailer and campground business so I'm all up on wd hitches. I bought the campsite business from my parents which is where the skidsteer will be used for now. I have done some contracting, landscaping and plowing on the side when my regular job as a tinknocker slows down. That's a future use for the skidster.
Nobody has mentioned my favorite toy: Bobcat A300
This machine switches from 4 wheel steering to skid steer from one button inside the cab. Otherwise, it operates just like any other newer style Bobcat.
good: huge capacity, doesn't tear up turf or leave tire tracks, pretty reliable.
Not quite so good: it is too big for a lot of places. And it costs 2.5 times what a new mini would run you. It will pick up 5 times as much weight though!
In four-wheel-steer mode, it has twice the traction and digging power as when in skid-steer mode. It is vastly better for snow removal than any other skid steer machine. We still have the original tires I bought with ours from 2007, so the tires last longer, too.
Here is a good demo video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2cz0JMRtgo
This machine switches from 4 wheel steering to skid steer from one button inside the cab. Otherwise, it operates just like any other newer style Bobcat.
good: huge capacity, doesn't tear up turf or leave tire tracks, pretty reliable.
Not quite so good: it is too big for a lot of places. And it costs 2.5 times what a new mini would run you. It will pick up 5 times as much weight though!
In four-wheel-steer mode, it has twice the traction and digging power as when in skid-steer mode. It is vastly better for snow removal than any other skid steer machine. We still have the original tires I bought with ours from 2007, so the tires last longer, too.
Here is a good demo video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2cz0JMRtgo
gwiley
Addicted to ArboristSite
Nice to have a good source of that kind of information. I found out after I had been hauling the skid steer and loads of up to 10,000lbs (est) of logs that my 10K hitch was only good for 7K without the weight dist. kit. Almost as alarming as when I realized that my trailer brakes were dead on both axles!
Pintle hitch for heavy loads is the only way to go. Strong, reliable, and they are usually rated for lots more weight than 10k. Shucks, I think you can get pintle hitches rated to 50k if you are willing to mount the behemoth on your truck.
tawilson
Addicted to ArboristSite
The hitch receiver is what gwiley was talking about. I still haven't checked, but I think the oem Ford hitch is rated for 10,000 or higher. It's sure seen higher.
And I made a deal for an S250 today. All the options, and I've already got several attachments, plus a set of Loegering grouser? tracks.
treeclimber101
UNCLE BUCK
Around here BOBCAT is having some tough economic times they have closed there store near me and plan to close another in central jersey , now you have to order all parts online and wait for the service truck for warranty work or run it 2 hours up north , Bobcat may be on its way out ..
I have to agree with Koa. I have a Vermeer S600 and it does a lot of turf damage unless you are planking it. I had the opportunity to buy a Gehl at the same time and now I regret it. I bought the Vermeer because the service at the dealer is A1, but those mini articulated are amazing. Virtually no turf damage. I work in an urban area, so a mini makes sense. If I worked in a suburban area, a bigger machine would be a must.
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