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Anyone want to offer advice to me about skidsteers and such. I’m soon to be purchasing a used one. There are many available around here: skidsteer, bobcat, etc. It’s the old ford or chevy question.
Which one is best? We’re planning on using it for landscape installations.
blue
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Never used anything but Bobcat, cant help 'ya. I would think that its pretty durable considering the way they get abused (not me though) from the rental yards. Parts are redily available around here, (Northwest).
*Have driven just about every make of skidsteer made.recently had the chance to spend a week in the new caterpillar model. All hand controls, (one stick for motion controls, one stick for bucket functions.) make it much easier for the inexperienced operator to learn. Also has an improved bucket design making it possible to see the leading edge of the bucket for better fine work. Awesome power and an incredible cokpit design.
*Blue, how tall are you? I consider myself to be pretty average sized (6' 175lb. ) and I have a terrible time trying to operate bobcats and new-holland skid-loaders. My legs are just too dang long to do those pedals very effectively! I have had much better luck with the hand-control type such as Case. I would recommend "try before you buy"
*Huh??? Bobcat?..can you dig up phone wires with them??
*You might want to check on attachments that are available to rent for whatever brand you are buying. Example: We have a fairly large Bobcat dealer locally that rents accessories that you might not be able to justify outright purchasing (i.e. excavator, rock picker, etc.). We also have a John Deere dealership that is pushing their version out the door at better prices than Bobcat, but they have no plans on offering rental attachments.
*Many Bobbing Bobcat hours....Fun but....I rent.scarey uphill empty...near the stream,aj
*I have a Case and that's all I've driven. I've heard people who've used both say that the hand controls are easier and better than the foot controls.But the point about being able to rent attachments is very important. Check out what's most available to you locally.Goose
*Good advice about the rental attachments. That alone will probably make my (our) decisions. I don't plan on running the thing, given my history for ramming things.I had to build berms and do some other backhoe chores this spring. I actually did pretty good. I only crushed one barn downspout, hit a few trees (ripped the bark), backed into the stored boat (the motor and bracket are pretty strong), and managed to get my bucket under the buried barn cable. When I saw the earth moving four feet away from the bucket, I miraculously didn't continue and released the "root". It wasn't a root, it was the 4" pvc that I put the barn wire in. I only crushed an elbow.Hey, i'm getting better-last year I would have had the #00 barn wire dangling!Oh yeah, I ran over one of my wife's bushes.And scraped open the septic system.Now you know why I won't be running the bobcat!blue
*Blue:If you buy a used machine, have a good equipment mechanic check it out before you buy. We operate on the premise that you should get about 5000 hours out of your machine before you get into serious rebuilding, assuming good maintenance. Of course this varies depending on working conditions, the operator, and the preventative maintenance. Even if you have to hire the inspection, it is money well spent. As you say, Case, Bobcat, Cat, John Deere, et cet., they are all about the same, as you say Ford v Chevy.I'd look for a good dealer support network in trying to determine what to buy. Most of the rental yards I've dealt with use Case or the Bobcat. That speaks well for the machine. It is nice to be able to go to the rental yard and get attachments that you don't want to buy. So, consider what brand the rental yards carry. I've adapted attachments, for example using a bobcat backhoe on a case skidsteer. Its not real hard to do if you have a torch or a plasma cutter and can weld. It is nice if you can avoid adapting unless the price is just too good to pass up.I'd look for auxillary hydralics (not all come plumbed for this. Without it, you are limited in attachments. I'd also look for a high flow hydralic system in case you wanted to run a trencher or something that needs lots of flow. I like a diesel, but there are some good gas units. Price cost more for the diesel but they can push a little harder. A friend of mine had one that had a little Pinto gas motor and it did just fine. Sometimes you can make a package deal and get a number of attachments with the machine. Generally this will save you money. I'd check out the equipment auctions and the equipment trader. They are the handiest machine I can think of. Great to demo, nice to carry concrete, even slick to stand up walls. I like the wrist controls but thats just my preference. What ever, make sure you don't buy a machine you end up completely rebuilding. Been there, done that. Equipment is like aviation or marine stuff, all the pieces are expensive. Good maintenance is the cheapest solution. Good luck, happy bobcatting. PS. Make sure you get a ROPS canopy and wear the seat belt. Some machines came without rollover protection, e.g. no top. Don't fool with those because these little short coupled machines can be flipped.
*Thanks for the details Bill. All these suggestions will certainly make me a better buyer, as I'll be much better informed as what to look for.I'll probably insist on a diesel. How much should I be thinking about spending?How do you raise walls with this thing? Are you talking about driving it on slabs? or decks too?Can't wait to see the thing fall through the floor into the basement...blue
*Oh yeah, I knocked over my wife's bird feeder.blue
*Blue:A good used machine whill probably run in the general range of $7500 to $15,000. Try your local rental yards, as some yards have a policy of exchanging equipment every two years. Usually a good yard will have excellent maintenance. How to raise walls? Had several large, tall (12') walls that were platform framed on a slab. Ran two eyebolts thru the top plate & chained the wall to bucket & stood them up. No fuss, no muss. Most good sized machines run about 7000 pounds. With a little care you can put them in all sorts of places. I have even used it to prune trees. Put number one son in the bucket with a powersaw. (Not OSHA approved) Sure beats a ladder. The attachments for the machines are literally unlimited. If I were you, I'd hold off on buying a rock rake for your machine. Rent for a while before you dump a lot of money into it. You can always tell the attachments that have problems because the major rental units wont have them. Bill
*Blue,How big are your feet?I was driving one for a week on a job and quickly discovered that Japanese feet are way under size 14.Made it hard to work the heel-toe pedal controls because my foot covered the entire pedal and slopped over some. As a results, my moves were somewhat lacking in grace and precision.ToolBearSomething to be said for hand controls.
*Sounds like your bragging a little Toolbear. I have small feet, and there fore a small Johnson. I don't mind though, because there's really nothing I can do about it.All the machines I looked at have hand controls. I'm kinda leaning toward a new one. I found a nice used Case for 15,500 with 412 hours on it, a few attachments. But I'm also thnking about leasing a new one. That would preserve the capital during the initial startup, and give us a chance to drive the thing for a few years before we commit to buying it.I've checked out the bobcat, new holland and will visit a case dealer on Monday.blue
*Hey Blue,Maybe the bobcat will save your wrist from excess hammer swinging, I heard they are pretty good for straightening stud walls, and "leveling" sheetrock. A whole new booger tool!MD
*I'm lookin' forward to destroying a whole new set of items with this. Actually I doubt anyone will let me in it. They all know me by now.Oh yeah, I ran over my wifes fire pit with the backhoe. Every time i walk through the yard I have to look ar more evidence that I don't care what I hit! I'm just glad they don't have driving tests for backhoes!blue
*Blue,Is it just a coincidence that most of the things you run over belong to your wife?MD
*No mad dog. i love my wife, and am just a lousy driver. I've smashed so much stuff around here that I'm even ashamed to admit it. I think I'd do better out in the open jobsites, but theres no guarantee. Sometimes I feel like MR Magoo after I ram something.Oh yeah, I knocked over my neighbors woodpile that was stacked against the fence. Since we are sworn enemies, I actually enjoyed it.blue
*Blue- Six months ago we bought a Case 1835B diesel from a local landscaper. It's a 1987 with 4000 hours. Got a backhoe, york rake, snow plow and a trailer for $8500. Great machine. Have used it for all kinds of pick-up work around the site.( We recently gutted a house and loaded four 30 yard dumpsters with brick, block and concrete.) We still sub out excavation, but for small stuff it's a real time-saver. Have already ordered pallet forks for it. The hand controls are much better than foot controls-I've used them both.Good luckKen D.
*Hey Blue, Thanks for sharing the info on you johnson, hehe. Uh, what exactly is the protocol for becoming sworn enemies with your neighbor? I got one like that too and I wanna make it official.You're killing me,Tom
*Tommy, here's the protocol for becoming sworn enemies. I went to him to politely discuss a problem (he had invited me to "if you ever have a problem, just let me know...blah, blah, blah...")The problem? He likes to whack trees in the easement (he's got a tree cutting fetish) on property that he doesn't own. I asked him to please stop. I prefer a less manicured enviorment. Keep in mind that he's a part-timer (he only comes up on weekends for 1/3 of the year) and I live here full time. The other problem is somewhat more severe. He bought a 50 foot lot, and managed to manipulate it into 56 feet at someone's expense. I have a 75 foot on the lake that turned into a 74 foot lot because of the complicated legal description "adjustment". I politely asked him to give me back my foot. He offered to sell it to me for $10,000!To make a long story short, I told him that "since we agree that we disagree, then we shall remain sworn enemies until he does two things: 1) quit chopping in the easement 2)sign a quit claim deed giving me back my foot."Then I walked away and have never spoke to him again. This all happened about two years ago. He has stopped chopping, mainly because I alerted the absentee owners and they also told hem to stay away.My lawyer is now attempting to fix the legal description problems with my property. I'm very glad that I had used a lawyer for my original purchase agreement, to overlook all the paperwork and to acccompany me to the closing. Now, the lawyer is stuck fixing the mess (the people sold me the property that contained original legal descritions that were not accurate).Someone owes me a foot of lakefront property and my dumb ass neighbor set the value at $10,000! I thought it was only worth about $1000, but what do I know?blue
*It is damn tough to love a neighbor blue!In a similar boat...near the stream,aj
*Blue If you hav not purchased a loader yet, try renting. We did all the research, demoed all the brands and still could not dedcide. We have rented several now and are leaning towards the bob-cat. Here in K.C. they have the best parts/service around. We are also fond of Case products, but they are more pricey. Most dealers have weekly monthly rentals that they will put towards the purchase price if you decide in a month or two (or less). We are serious about a low hor rental unit. Thay have maintained it very well because it is a revenue maker and it willl come with the warranty. The rental units seem to be priced better than the trade ins because they did not have to give the previous owner top dollar for the trade to get him to purchase a new machine.The bob-cat 763 seems to be tne best all around machine that we have found for landscaping.Also, the new model bob-cats can be ordered with hand controls very similar to case.oh yeah!! my theory is (and she seems to agree) is that if you don't have it in the hips, you better have it in the lips!
*Jack, how can two innocent, reasonable, good natured chaps (us) have two ignoramuses (or is the plural of ignoraus ignoramii?) for neighbors. What makes this situation so weird is that the guy was welcome on our property (especially the shoreline), and could use his other neigbors property too-a total of over 600 adjacent feet of lakefront! Now, he is limited to his 50 because he's pissed off everyone in the neighborhood. For some reason, he felt a need to "own" the 6 feet that he could already use!!!Greed will lose every time.Plus, I plugged his yard drain that was tapped into mine. He now has a nice flood going.Never mess with a Devil,blue
*Ive been married for (approx.-I've got a bad memory) 27 years. I must have something going in the lip department!blue
*I have a New Holland Lx665 equipped with optional hand controls, bucket, forks and steel tracks. I love it. I tried them all and rented some different models before I bought. I think the hand controls are a must have especially if you want to do alot of fine gradeing. The steel tracks are awesome, a must have in mud or sand.
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Anyone want to offer advice to me about skidsteers and such. I'm soon to be purchasing a used one. There are many available around here: skidsteer, bobcat, etc. It's the old ford or chevy question.
Which one is best? We're planning on using it for landscape installations.
blue