mini skid

[dfdavis]

Advice please. I'm considering a mini-skid. Only two that I can find are Thomas and Vermeer. Does someone out there have experience and comments on their use, pluses and minuses. Uses, power, tracks or turf tires, accessories, manufacturer and sales sources.
What I think I like is the ability to help with carrying/lifting/dragging, relatively light weight, narrow enough to go into backyards, operator can easily mount and dismount to assist as opposed to a regular skid steer, relatively cheap, less tow weight than standard skid.
Appreciate your input. Doug

 

[xander9727]

Bobcat mt52 is only 36" wide and will work well in tight situations. I demo'ed one the other day. Still waiting to try the grinder and grapple attachements. Ramrod also makes one as well.

 

[tophopper]

www.toro.com/professional/sws/loader/index.html

i have one of these... i know several people who have a thomas, they too are descent machines, but i really like my toro. Stay away from the tracked units, they require more mainteance and are to aggressive on the turf.
Theres a company here in MN that sells the Thomas loaders and also fabs custom grapples (simliar to beaver squeezer) for moving brush out lenghtwise. PM if you want that contact info.

What like about the mini machines is the abilty to drive thru a 38" gate

 

[tophopper]

i looked at the bobcat miniskid, the rep told me there really not suited well for lifting loads, moreso pushing. Also you have to walk along behind the bobcat, toro, thomas, and ramrods have a step plate for you to stand on.


my toro dingo has a lifting capacity of 550 pounds, and will lift high enough to load my chip truck. In the pic is a big piece of willow that i loaded,pretty amazing huh

 

[dfdavis]

Good information. Can you cart this machine around in the back of a bucket truck, or does it need a separate trailer? Is diesel a good option?

 

[tophopper]

you can cart it on whatever you can fit it, i use a trailer. Diesel is an option but mine is gas. Ive heard the diesels have actually less hp but better torque, but have never run one so i cant say for sure.
I know of a guy who has a mount on his chipper which he hauls his mini around (behind the feedtable, a fold out steel deck), but it is a large tandem axle chipper so the extra 1500lbs doesnt really affect things to much. id consider doing the same but my chipper wouldnt like the extra weiht cause its just alittle guy.

 

[Koa Man]

I ordered a Prowler variable track unit, exact same machine as the Boxer. The machine width can be narrowed down to 34" to go through the standard 36" gate or doorway, then expanded to 43.5" while working for stability. I almost bought a Dingo about 2 years ago, but wasn't able to swing it financially at that time. (I had just bought a Woodsman 18X) The Toro is a good unit, I demo'd one, but the dump height is only 47" vs the Prowler's 59". I ordered the 4/1 bucket so I will actually be able to dump at near pin height, 75". Be sure to look at the hyd. flow....very important when running attachments. A stump grinder attachment will require a min. of 10 gpm. The Prowler has 14 gpm, the Toro 12 gpm and the Thomas only 8.5 gpm. Ramrod's have the biggest weight carrying capacity, up to 1150 lbs. dump capacity on their big unit, but the hyd. flow is less then the Prowler. The Prowler I am getting will have dump capacity of 850 lbs. with the optional platform and side weights that I am getting. I decided on the track unit because of the variable width and it had more traction. Don't make dime turns and the lawns should be OK. A friend of mine lays down 2 plyboards for his turnaround area. He says you need to over lap them by a couple of inches and screw them together or the machine will run one on the other when turning. The attachments I am getting are the standard bucket, the 4/1 bucket, the multi tool (rippers, boom lift and trailer hitch), a 6" trencher, pallet forks, a grapple from Top Notch Equipment, and a Terra Power stump grinder. All of this stuff should be arriving this week, except for the grapple and stump grinder, which is scheduled to be shipped next Friday. This is costing me a small fortune, but I already have some contractor friends who want to rent it. That should help me recoup some of the costs. I'll post some pictures as the equipment arrives and when I use it on some jobs. Needless to say, I can hardly stand the wait.

Anyway, companies I know that make a mini skid are: Gravely, Ditch Witch, Thomas, Toro, Kanga, Boxer, Powerhouse, Bobcat, Vermeer, and Gehl has a nice mini articulating wheel loader, about 40 inches wide.

 

[dfdavis]

thanks for help

still researching mini skidsteer and appreciate your input. I found a comprehensive article at compactequip.com in case anyone else is investigating these tools.

 

[CrewCutLLC]

Sorry to bring back a dead post.

The prowler and Boxter are the exact same.

I have looked at all your threads koa and wanted some feedback on your terra stumper.

I demoed a boxter track loader and loved it for digging, it was great but for turf, im not sure if i should get a wheeled unit or a tracked unitl Tracked lifts more and digs better but the turf issue could be a problem.

I would love to know where ekka got his grinder attachment with a 24 hp motor mounted above the grinder.


The best part of the Boxer prowler etc, is that they are variable tracked. So you can fit through a gate but.. the boxer brute is the wheeled unit and it doesnt ....

 

[Duffer]

info

hey guys i to am looking at one of these units,my concern is turf height,and lift capacity,your comments and experiences will be great. The duffer:biggrinbounce2:

 

[colt044]

thomas 25gt with branch manager grapple, the way to go. my guys love it.

 

[xander9727]

I just purchased a Thomas T85 with a Branch Manager grapple from Top Notch. I've used it on 2 jobs so far and it really is nice. I have a Gehl 6640 high flow that I use on large jobs but it's a pain to drag around on the smaller jobs. The alternative was to cut the pieces small enough to load by hand. This waste time and fuel as well as making a bigger mess. I wanted a smaller loader that would load my F-550 and could be towed behind a truck with my carlton grinder on a 10k trailer. The Thomas fit the bill perfectly. I also looked at the New Holland LS125 and the Bobcat 463. I was very impressed by the 5 year unlimited hour warranty that the Thomas had. I'll post pics when I get a chance.