skid steer debate

[priest]

Thanks for the information guys. Thor's Hammer, which ASV model have you used, and what were the results when turning on turf/soft ground? Do they do significantly less damage than the Bobcats? I would probably be looking at the RC-60 or RC-85, which are 6200lb and 9700lb machines, respectively.

The machine would be used for hurricane/ice storm cleanup, so I want one with enough power to clear massive amounts of fallen trees quickly, but that still easy enough on the grass and soil to use it back home on standard removals. A tough balance to find, I know (the skid steers I have rented and used tore the hell out of things).

Maybe I'll eventually be able to afford a larger machine for hurricanes and a mini-skid for more delicate and backyard removals, but right now I'm looking for one all-around machine.

Thanks

 

[Thor's Hammer]

The ASV use a suspended undercarrige. This significantly reduces the damage they do. Best thing is to go on the ASV website, find your local dealer and get some demos.

 

[Dadatwins]

I saw a brochure for these and thought it would be cool to help with stump cleanup and tree planting. Big plus was that it fits in a 36" gate and with the right trailer setup you can carry both the mini loader and the stump grinder. I have not demoed it myself or seen one in action but as always the pictures and brochure look great.

http://www.cpiequipment.com/series.html?series_id=5

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

I like the look and design of this machine Dadatwins...go on guys tell me it's flaws

 

[Koa Man]

The Prowler I have is the same machine, except mine is gas powered, not diesel. It will tear up lawns when making anything but a very wide turn. On very fine lawn grasses it will show some track marks going straight, but no tears. My Gehl Advantage can run over any lawn and make tight turns with no damage. Drawback is it is 40 inches wide. The Prowler has variable tracks, 34 to 43 inches wide.

Eventually, I will sell my Prowler and Gehl and buy one of these. Not sure exactly which model yet.
http://www.multione.com/html/multione.html

 

[Leebo]

I've owned an ASV-RC30 for about 6 months and couldn't be happier with it. The 31 HP Cat engine has surprising power. Cat owns 30% of ASV and supplies the engines. ASV supplies Cat with joystick controls and undercarriages for their 247.

 

[priest]

I got my ASV RC60 in yesterday. Its a beauty. Got a Loflin grapple attachment on it. Now I'm just trying to decide on a trailer to haul it on.

Been thinking about a 14 ft gooseneck dump with 4 ft sidewalls.
The plan is to haul the ASV on it to the jobsite, load big wood, trash, etc into the trailer, and go to the dump (smaller limbs would usually be chipped into the chip truck), then come back to pick up the ASV.

I've even wondered if on big removals it would be faster to load limbs into a dump trailer and compact them by dropping the big logs on top instead of chipping all the brush.

I guess I'll find out. I'll let ya'll know how this baby works out.

Nate

 

[Koa Man]

It has been my experience, if you have a big chipper (18 in. or bigger cap.), it is faster and more efficient to chip the brush by feeding the chipper with the skidsteer and hauling the logs with the dump trailer. Dropping the big logs on the brush will not pack it down a lot unless you have mulched it with a chain saw first.

 

[BruceL]

Try a Kubota R420

I have bought and sold a few of these and they are great. No lawn damage and will use any skidsteer attachment. Just bought a new one for 33K with 0% for 36 months.

 

[B-Edwards]

Rolla and the rest of you guys New-Holland is my choice (because its what ive used the most ) but in the mini line check out the Boxer mini skid tracked ,wheeled, nice loader . Its all bout being able to get to your work and not destroy the lawn, actualy a very dynamic situation . SIte for the boxer i think is powerhouseequipment.com

 

[jp hallman]

Rolla, there is only one machine I would even think of using and thats an ASV positrac. its on rubber tracks and they dont even mark lawns. up to 125hp with massive flow for stumpgrinding and mulching. Over here you need to speak to Gregor McArthur up in newcastle. will dig out his number. massively impressive machine

ASV's have some shortcomings. The Deschutes National Forest owns four and has nothing but trouble with them and their service reps. One with the 80hp Perkins(I don't know the model) didn't have all the bolts in the engine mounts. The cooling fan shredded the oil cooler and it took months to have the thing fixed. This is on a new machine with less than 10 hours. A second machine overheated, caught fire and burned five acres of timber. They get stuck in the snow easy, have CAT undercarriage(not the best design). Are mighty spendy compared with the rest. I could go on. I tried them all at one point or another, in the real world.
I ended up buying a Gehl(track). Gehl and Mustang are the same machine. Bobcat's are OK, but kinda' light for timber work. You can buy the same attachments for all of em'. I'd let the checkbook decide.

 

[Koa Man]

I have a Prowler, exact same machine as the Boxer, just different labeling, sold by the same company. It will tear up most lawns unless going just straight. It will fit through a 36 inch gate. In contrast, my Gehl AL20DX, will not tear up lawns, even when making as tight a turn possible with the machine, but it is 38.5 inches wide. I use the Gehl whenever possible. I posted pictures of the
Gehl running on a very wet lawn on the following thread.
http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=21558&page=2

 

[tallrick]

"As far as tearing up the ground, yea it will, unless you want to take the time to learn how to operate the machine (there is a big difference between operating and running a machine)."

Is it actually possible to use a skid-steer and not tear up a lawn while turning on it? I have never seen anyone use one and not leave torn up grass when making any turns while holding a load. I suppose that it's possible unloaded, but wouldn't a tractor work better? Would love to know the secret of damage-free skidloader turns...

 

[Koa Man]

Unless you are using a skidsteer with smooth tracks like the ASV turf model, you will tear up a lawn with repeated turns, no matter how careful you are. The cleated tracks will dig in no matter what. I have done the slight angle, back and forth, slight angle, back and forth, repeat, repeat, etc. to make a turn and it will be OK for a couple of times. Problem with most yards and moving brush out is that you often have to run and turn repeatedly in the same spot.

 

[tallrick]

When you do that back and forth motion, is there a load in the bucket? What kind of controls are you using to do it? I have never been able to get into a skid loader but they do fascinate me. What I have used so far are tractors and forklifts, and when moving branches and brush it's mostly just loading it on a trailer and pulling it out. If you use a loader in a tight place you are grabbing the load and taking it away to load? Also isn't it kind of rare to be clearing a lot and actually care about the grass if there is any? Also I see Koa's gehl loader on grass, is that a skid steer or articulated? One more thing, why do the some loaders even bother to use turf tires? I really appreciate your taking the time to answer my silly questions.

 

[Koa Man]

Yes, there is a load in the bucket and the controls are the ones on the loader. If it is a lot clearing job, then no need to worry about the grass. I am talking about hauling out brush and logs and traveling over an established lawn. I do a lot of high end homes...multimillion $$ estates. The Gehl is an articulated wheel loader....very good on grass.

 

[tallrick]

Never knew that an articulated loader came in a compact size like that! Is there any particular advantage to using a skid steer instead of articulated? It does seem like the skidloaders are a lot more common and used everywhere. Actually tried to get a job picking up debris after the hurricane but since none of the companies spoke good english it didn't happen. That would have been a good way to try out a skid steer loader, as they had rented both wheeled and tracked.

 

[Koa Man]

A skidsteer can make much tighter turns, 360 in its own length. The articulated loader can make tight turns, but it won't do a 360. The articulated loader is also a little harder to manuver in a real tight space because sometimes a part of the machine is moving toward something you don't want to hit, because of the articulation. It is hard to explain....you need to drive one, then you will know what I am talking about. But because the articulated loader is so turf friendly, I will probably sell my miniskid, even though it will fit through a 36" gate and the Gehl won't...I need 40" for that.

 

[tallrick]

You've got a good point about articulation, while I have not driven a loader I have used an articulated roller and know exactly what you mean about the turns. The hydraulic ram just pulls one side together, and you turn , but in the process something on the machine may hit something if you're close. Believe it or not I have never driven a skid loader and am dying to try one out.You have a skid loader under 36 inches wide, can you sit in it or is it a walk behind? I can't imagine something that small doing a lot of damage to a lawn though. Something else I would love to try out. Where does one go to get experience with these different machines?

 

[Koa Man]

I have a Prowler, a stand on ride behind machine. A mini is capable of ripping up grass just as well as a full size one, just not as fast.