All, I’m thinking about getting a skidsteer for the jobsites. It seems like a real handy machine. Especially the pallet lift option, bucket, and auger. What brand and size do you recommend for residential (2000-3000) sq. foot homes in the state of Tennessee (mild climate so I don’t need a closed cab)? Also horsepower needed.
Thanks
Greg
Replies
The predominant one I see is Bobcat. If you go with Bobcat be sure to get the 700 or 800 series size. The smaller ones just can't handle moderate to serious work and they can't accet some of the more useful attachments.
You might want to consider just subing all that work out. A skidsteer is a major piece of equipment that needs maintenance and a pretty hefty vehicle to tow.
Thanks, I thought about subs or renting but it's never around when you need it. I want to just leave it at the site for most of the job. I looked at used ones but the price is so high and you don't know what you're getting. If you pay a little more for new you get a few good years before you need serious repairs and you will get good use out of it. Plus, you can always sell it later.
Greg
At our steel mill, we used Bobcats and also another skid steer brand known as a Mustang. Really no difference in handling or function whatsoever.
Before buying one, rent one from a local rental supplier...my local rental supply store rents out these all the time. They too carry the Bobcat line.
Whatyever brand is being cared in your area, simply try it out and see whether you like it's performance. These same suppliers normally carry the attachments too ( backhoe bucket...post hole digger...etc)
Most times. a rental supply store is gonna carry a good line of tools so they don't have much down time repairing their equipment...whereby they are losing money by not being able to rent the tool out....soooo, whatever brand they handle, is most likely to be a tried and true brand.
If you have serious doubts or questions, go seek out the advice of the mechanics who keep these things running on a daily basis. They will give you the true "skinny."
Davo
New Holland...solid and reliable...you get what you pay for.
http://www.newholland.com/h4/products/products_series.asp?Reg=NA&RL=ENNA&NavID=000001277003&line=000001863511
A bad day at home is still better than a good day at work
Six,
My old man has operated skidsteer loaders for over 20 years. He has operated many models of Bobcat and owns two Case models. Recently he used a Mustang and told me that it would be his next purchace.
So in my dad's opinion....get a Mustang.
gk
I bought a Case 1845C on E-Bay several years ago - picked it up in Nashville. It came with the dirt bucket AND a Case backhoe attachment. I've never regreted it, the combined price was way less than a new one would have cost, and the machine only had 750 hours on it so it was barely broken in. It was perfect for me cause I couldn't decide whether I wanted a skid steer (a friend's recommendation) for clearing brush and timber in the mountains, or a backhoe for all the holes I wanted to dig here and there. The D175 backhoe isn't one of those cheesy half-a**ed little bucket things, it's an honest-to-God Case backhoe that'll dig a nine foot deep hole - perfect for trenching footings, septic lines, water, etc.
You want to know exactly what you're going to want to do with the machine, because some of the attachments require Hi-Flow or auxilliary hydraulics - concrete pumper for instance, or stump grinder. These things are tough, too, so don't be scared away by the maintenance thing. Keep the motor maintained, grease everything mercilessly, clean hydraulic fluid, etc. and have some damn fun. There's nothing I like more than hearing that diesel purring in the cool morning air... well, I mean not many things I like more.
Bob
Rebob -
Do you have any info on any of the Case half-track backhoes that operate on hydraulics ?
(Looks like they call them 'mini excavators'.)
I saw one in action and it has a small diesel engine that is very quiet for running the hydraulics, which also powered the halftracks.
Fairly compact with good capabilities.
They even used it to pull heavy cable through conduit by wrapping the rope around the halftrack.
(Operator lefted one side off the ground with the bucket and ran the suspended halftrack.)
Thanks.
Edited 2/23/2004 8:53:36 AM ET by Ahneedhelp
I rented an IHT (I think that was the brand) mini track excavator.
It was great for the trenching that I had to do. Great control and easy to work in some real tight places.
But it was fairly limited to just that job. But there where some attacments available, but I don't know what they where.
Thanks, Bill -
Main thing I was impressed with was how guiet it was with hardly any diesel exhaust.
It was more like a hum.
I can see how it would be awkward trying to run a front end loader bucket with it.
It did have a small scoop on the front mounted low on a hydraulic arm for pushing things, so it could be used for spreading or shoving stuff out of the way.
to get the best use out of your skidder, use the same brand as the rental stores. This way you can rent the attachments on an as needed basis. But you can buy a pallet fork and bucket.
It never hurts to buy one size bigger then you need......
Mostly good advice so far, here's a different perspective;
Find all of the dealerships in your area, talk with the sales people, also get a sense of how the place is run -- will you be treated well there? You are right about this being an expensive purchase, and you will need parts and service.
If you are a serious buyer, any salesperson will let you demo a machine, that is use it for a day at no charge. See what you think about each machine.
Every skid steer is different. One of the big things to look at is the controls. Many skid steers use a combination of hand and foot controls, some operators like that, some will never get used to it. Some use hand controls only, but the configuration varies. For example on both hand controls are required to move the machine (some Gehl, but not all), others (like CAT and some Takeuchi) all directional control is in the left control, boom and curl are in the right control.
If you are working near homes this is important.
Servicability is important. Some machines are easy to work on, some are not. SOme you can get parts for in 24 hours, some you can't.
Stability is important -- check the wheelbase and the width of the machine, and think about this as you run them. As a result, every brand varies slightly as to their ability to dig, turn, lift, and negotiate unstable ground.
Bigger is not always better, figure out what you really need the machine for and where it needs to fit.
Horsepower, as far as I'm concerned more is better.
If you are using forks, check into level control, it's a feature that keeps the forks or bucket level as you raise them.
That's a good start. I'd be interested to know how you decide.
DRC
Whichever you buy or rent, make sure it has "float" capability on the bucket arms if you intend or foresee the need to do any grading functions with it. Can't imagine you won't be doing that.
The only skid steer I've driven much was a New Holland. It seems to be well built and reliable. The only problem I know about with it is that the exhaust noise is a bit loud.
Bobcat seems to be the premier brand. But I'd be more worried about dealer support than brand name. I don't personally know of and particularly unreliable skid steers. So the dealer and parts availability would be most important to me.
I didn't realize for a long time that they came in many different sizes. I worked for a truss plant who bought a cheap one, only to find that it was WAY too small for what they wanted to use it for.
But you also don't want one that's so big it's hard to haul. The new Holland I drove weighed about 7,000#, and was too heavy for the trailer I tried to haul it one last time I borrowed it.
I think most of them have a sort of "universal mount" that works with most attachments. Don't know if that's the correct name, but it's important. That means that just about any attachment you buy will fit the thing if it has that mounting system. It's worth asking about. Or maybe someone here with more knowledge about them will tell ya more about it.
What's shaking Norm?
All four cheeks & a couple of chins.
Mostly bobcats around here but I drove a different brand last year with hand controls rather than foot like the bobcat. It seemed to be easier to control on rough ground even though i wasnt familiar with it. I believe it was a new holland but im not sure. My point is check out the difference in hand and foot controls.
Six,
I posted earlier about skid-steers, but as I got thinking about it I thought I'd toss out the idea of getting one of those 4x4 crane-lifts. Most people around here use the name Skytrack. They seem to be alot more stable than skid-steers. They have a wider stance, higher lift capability, seems I may have seen one with an enclosed cab too.
Did a quick search, heres a pic.
I Don't know if you're still looking at Skid Steers, but I came across this website in my search.
http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?s=767da6a64cdeb433c3c1f3d1bafe0d80&threadid=6923&highlight=skid+steer
Today I've had a Cat 242 all afternoon to demo. It is amazing. Far better than I had thought it would be and probably the one that I'll buy. Hope that this helps.
Best regards, Clayton
I really like the power and lifting ability of the John Deere.. I really disliked selling Cat's because Cat seemed determined to make their profit on the service end.
John Deere too had some serious issues with service early in the production run.. I know that they are working very hard on eliminating those issues.
Bobcat while their market share is declining is very aggresive about keeping the maintinace down and resale value up..
If they have a weakness it's in the little motor they use.. tends to stall very easy and has little torque.. They do have the biggest variety of sizes.. thus if you need something very small or very big they can supply you while Cat and Deere have a very narrow product line..
New Holland is a decent skid steere with the same lifting ability that Deere has. Parts are expensive though.For example if a gauge stops working you need to buy an $1100 instrument cluster to get it working..
Case is still available and at one point they offered a very good and reliable skid steere, too bad they are having all that trouble..
Mustang is now owned by Gehl