Vermeer 252 with 1260 hours

[intheelements]

I have an opportunity to purchase a 2001 Vermeer 252 with 1260 hours on a Kohler 25 hp engine for under $4000 This unit was a rental unit and was maintained. My question is: is this to many hours on the engine and machine.?

I have been in the stump grinding business for three years and use a vermeer 222, but I want a larger machine and this appears to be a good deal except for the hours.

Any thoughts

 

[stumper63]

Got 1875 hours on my 2003 with same engine, had since new though. Just changed oil every 100 hrs, air and fuel filters often, plugs once. No hydrdaulic leaks, no blown hoses. Unbelieveably, still doesn't use any oil between changes or smoke at all. If not abused by renters should be a good deal. Check to see if bushings and bearings are in good enough shape by moving boom back/forth, up/down by hand (w/ engine off). Quite a few hours for a rental, hopefully they did the maintenance. Can they prove it? Seems like engine reliability has everything to do with the maintenance and treatment during use. I don't baby mine, unplugged the useless autosweep, but I don't abuse it either. Keep teeth sharp!
Hope this helps a little.

 

[IATreeguy]

Buy it!

Suggest that you have a thousand or so tucked away for potential unknown expenses but the hours are not unreasonable for the age of the machine. Rebuilding the engine is not a huge deal. If you have rented and operated the machine and/or you know the ownership well then your situation is much better than shopping on eBay.

If you know the ownership and are comfortable with the maintenance history then you are ahead of the game. If not then plan on going through the machine completely changing all fluids, checking bearings, belts and all that good stuff. I would think that the engine hours suggest a major overhaul might be an item to budget for next winter. The total hours should not be a purchasing deterrent considering the age and asking price of this machine.

Best of luck with your project!

 

[Beast12]

Got 1875 hours on my 2003 with same engine, had since new though. Just changed oil every 100 hrs, air and fuel filters often, plugs once. No hydrdaulic leaks, no blown hoses. Unbelieveably, still doesn't use any oil between changes or smoke at all. If not abused by renters should be a good deal. Check to see if bushings and bearings are in good enough shape by moving boom back/forth, up/down by hand (w/ engine off). Quite a few hours for a rental, hopefully they did the maintenance. Can they prove it? Seems like engine reliability has everything to do with the maintenance and treatment during use. I don't baby mine, unplugged the useless autosweep, but I don't abuse it either. Keep teeth sharp!
Hope this helps a little.

Our unit is pretty much the same. Although it has almost 1100 hours and we bought it new in 2002. I agree with everything you said though...including the "autosweep".

-Matt

 

[okietreedude1]

Id buy it too. Ive got a 222 w/ the 25hp kohler. i paid more than that for mine.

Even if the cutter wheel bearings are going bad, they arent that expensive or hard to change.

 

[l2edneck]

good deal,my only thing is that i personally dont thiink its a real big jump from the 222.I would maybe look into buying and retro fitting the bigger motor on the smaller machine.JMO if ya want a bigger machine and are keepin the 222 i would go to the 352 or maybe the rayco super jr.

 

[neighborstree]

for under 4000 its a deal. even if you have to put a new engine on it in a year or so.

 

[Bigstumps]

What are you gaining???? A 222 to a 252 - same motor different jet in the carb. You won't even notice a power difference.

1260 hours in a rental environment!! Ouch!! Nothing gets abused like rental machines, well maybe rental cars.

Put half the $4,000 into your 222 and you'll have a better machine - new engine, new bearings, new clutch, and still have money in your pocket.

 

[intheelements]

Things that make you go hmm

Thanks to all for the opinions, they all make some sense. The 222 I have has a 20 hp honda and 12 teeth. The 252 has a 25 hp, duel tire setup and 16 teeth. It is my intention to sell the 222, ( but not in the area where I operate my business )and do what I need to do to make the 252 my main machine. Maybe i2edneck and Bigstumps are right, but I don't think it would be cost efficient to try and change the 222 over to what this 252 has. It would be great to have a 352 or equivalent, but i'm in my third year of business and , well the lucrative stump grinding business part has not shown up yet. Anyway all of the opinions are sure worth thinking about

 

[arbor pro]

I'll sell you my Rayco Super Jr 1625

I just posted a thread a minute before seeing your post. I've just acquired a 1998 Rayco Super Jr 1625 as part of a business buyout. the Rayco is pretty much the same thing as the vermeer 252 (I know because I have a 2004 vermeer 252). The machine has only 310 total hours on it and a relatively new 25hp kohler engine installed by the local vermeer shop. It is exactly the same engine, air filter, etc as my vermeer 252.

It has dual wheels for stability and traction but you can remove the duals to get into a 36" gate. I also have the previous motor which apparently got weak. It has a new greenteeth setup. The bearings seem very good and overall the machine runs great. Email me or call me at 605-225-7647 and we'll deal.

By the way, I agree with the other member who advised you not to buy a rental unit. I used to rent a 252 before buying mine. There's a reason I ended up buying one. I never once rented one that had even remotely sharp teeth on it. If the rental shops put sharp teeth on them, the machines do the job faster - hence, they don't rent out as long as a machine with dull teeth. Dull teeth = job takes longer = more $ for rental shop. HOWEVER, running dull teeth = more wear on the engine and bearings. That plus the fact that each time a new renter learns how to run the thing, they beat the holy heck out of it...

 

[intheelements]

I appreciate the offer Arborpro, but for me the 252 is in the area where I live and I can pick it up myself. The shipping costs from SD to Ma would add an additional 2000+ to the cost of the machine, Maybe someone reading these posts may be interested it does sound like a good machine.

 

[juststumps]

Thanks to all for the opinions, they all make some sense. The 222 I have has a 20 hp honda and 12 teeth. The 252 has a 25 hp, duel tire setup and 16 teeth. It is my intention to sell the 222, ( but not in the area where I operate my business )and do what I need to do to make the 252 my main machine. Maybe i2edneck and Bigstumps are right, but I don't think it would be cost efficient to try and change the 222 over to what this 252 has. It would be great to have a 352 or equivalent, but i'm in my third year of business and , well the lucrative stump grinding business part has not shown up yet. Anyway all of the opinions are sure worth thinking about

LUCRATIVE STUMP MARKET ??? Now thats funny!!!!! bro,,, go out and get a 352,, or similar machine,,, go to the bank,, let them buy it,, then lease it from them,,, 100 % tax write off....


LUCRATIVE STUMP MARKET ,,, I'm still chuckling over that one!!!!! If your going to UPGRADE,,,,, UPGRADE !!!!!!! $4000 for 5HP and a few teeth on a roached out rental unit ?????????????????????

go to the bank,, open up a biz acct, with the $4000... lease a new machine for 5 yrs,,,,with no money down... sell the old machine,, because its redundant,,,toss that money back into the biz acct....( 2k to 3k for a 222?) now you got 6-7 grand in the bank,,, a new machine with the payments covered for a year,,,or more ,,plus,, 100% tax write off!!!!

Thats how i got my 352 brand new out of the box!!!!!

 

[intheelements]

LUCRATIVE STUMP MARKET ??? Now thats funny!!!!! bro,,, go out and get a 352,, or similar machine,,, go to the bank,, let them buy it,, then lease it from them,,, 100 % tax write off....


LUCRATIVE STUMP MARKET ,,, I'm still chuckling over that one!!!!! If your going to UPGRADE,,,,, UPGRADE !!!!!!! $4000 for 5HP and a few teeth on a roached out rental unit ?????????????????????

go to the bank,, open up a biz acct, with the $4000... lease a new machine for 5 yrs,,,,with no money down... sell the old machine,, because its redundant,,,toss that money back into the biz acct....( 2k to 3k for a 222?) now you got 6-7 grand in the bank,,, a new machine with the payments covered for a year,,,or more ,,plus,, 100% tax write off!!!!

Thats how i got my 352 brand new out of the box!!!!!

Thats something to think about and maybe look into. But I like to own my equipment outright. Maybe thats the wrong way to go about it, but it nice to know its yours and you have no payments.

Question: Are you trying to tell me I well not become well off or rich from Stump Grinding???? Damn was I misinformed about this business

 

[juststumps]

Thats something to think about and maybe look into. But I like to own my equipment outright. Maybe thats the wrong way to go about it, but it nice to know its yours and you have no payments.

Question: Are you trying to tell me I well not become well off or rich from Stump Grinding???? Damn was I misinformed about this business

bro,,,, NUMBER ONE !!! WHY??? Would you want to buy someone elses junk ??? And reguardless of the reason,, They are getting rid of it !!!! and a rental !!!!

NUMBER TWO!!! You might want to talk to a accountant,,,owning everything is nice... but it is a really lousy tax write off...... deprication sucks !!!! leases,, get written off every month !!! and no or low $$$ down and you get brand spanking new!!!!!

NUMBER THREE!!! Getting rich is on YOU !!!! Thats in your hands,,, doesn't matter what any one else says !!!! GOOD LUCK

 

[intheelements]

leasing vs buying

This sounds like it should be a new thread to find out the opinions of others here. I think I well start it and see what happens

 

[PUclimber]

I thought that the 222 and the 252 were pretty much the same machine as far as size and everything. I know the 252 is newer and has all sorts of new gizmos and improvements but it says you're wanting a bigger grinder. Unless I am wrong. I am actually looking at a 222 grinder for sale and was curious what motor yours has on it.

 

[intheelements]

I thought that the 222 and the 252 were pretty much the same machine as far as size and everything. I know the 252 is newer and has all sorts of new gizmos and improvements but it says you're wanting a bigger grinder. Unless I am wrong. I am actually looking at a 222 grinder for sale and was curious what motor yours has on it.

I have a Honda 20 hp on my 222 which has 12 teeth. Most tree guys in my area have a 252 or equivalent. 252 has a 25 hp and 14 or 16 teeth. Don't know if there is much difference between a 222 and 252 because I have never used a 252, but it would seem to me that 5 more hp and more teeth would grind faster. The reason I want a 252 or equivilent is to use it as my main machine, with a eye towards a towable unit for larger stumps in the future.

 

[howel07264]

bro,,,, NUMBER ONE !!! WHY??? Would you want to buy someone elses junk ??? And reguardless of the reason,, They are getting rid of it !!!! and a rental !!!!

NUMBER TWO!!! You might want to talk to a accountant,,,owning everything is nice... but it is a really lousy tax write off...... deprication sucks !!!! leases,, get written off every month !!! and no or low $$$ down and you get brand spanking new!!!!!

NUMBER THREE!!! Getting rich is on YOU !!!! Thats in your hands,,, doesn't matter what any one else says !!!! GOOD LUCK

Sounds like you might want to get a new accountant. Section179 depreciation allows you to take up to 100k the first year on any equipment you purchase new or used.In other words you do 100k in buss. you owe nothing in taxes! With a lease your obligating yourself to the terms of the lease for however many years with NO equity in the equipment. Dealers love leases because they usually get list price plus a profit on the financing. If cash flow is not a problem its always better to own.

 

[howel07264]

I have an opportunity to purchase a 2001 Vermeer 252 with 1260 hours on a Kohler 25 hp engine for under $4000 This unit was a rental unit and was maintained. My question is: is this to many hours on the engine and machine.?

I have been in the stump grinding business for three years and use a vermeer 222, but I want a larger machine and this appears to be a good deal except for the hours.

Any thoughts

Think about it, would you want to buy a piece of equipment that 1000 different people with no clue of what there doing had been operating for the last 6 years? I wouldn't touch a rental unit.

 

[intheelements]

Well I didn't buy the 252, figured that I need to do a little more research on a machine that is faster than my 222, although all of the opinions made since.
yes a rental machine is abused, but comparing prices of used 252's on ebay and on dealers web sites, it appears that even if the engine needed to be rebuilt or replaced, and the bearings needed to be replaced, lets say it cost $2500, the machine would be worth in the range of 7 to 8 grand. 4000 + 2500 = 6500, profit if sold 500 to 1500.

Not that I'm looking to buy a machine to fix up and sell, Just a thought to compare the low price of this machine and what it would most probably sell for on ebay or at dealer