Your Opinion Please

[dogdad]

I live in the New Orleans area(have a landscape-lawn business) and recently bought a small ASV skid loader to move downed trees and debris( doing quit well). Some of my customers have asked about stump grinding so I have decided to buy a new one. Don't know much about them. The Vermeer dealer is the closest to me ( 1 hour ) My top price is $25K. So I'm leaning towards the CS352 diesel. They want $23K plus tax. Sounds like List price. Are these pretty good machines? I know some of you use Rayco-Carlton- Ect... but i don't think there are any dealers around. I plan to have the machine for the long haul.

 

[BostonBull]

Vermeer has some of the best support you will find in the bus! You cant go wrong with any of them its kind of like what kind of saw is better Stihl or Husky... they are all excellent choices its just a matter of the closest dealer and what you like. If your getting a decent sized machine than make sure it is diesel. Good luck!

 

[ShoerFast]

Dogdad
Having no experance with the Vermeer grinder, I have worked with a lot of brands with other equipment, but Vermeer equipment is very well built! there trenchers compete with Ditch Witch and stand toe to toe. I have used Vermeer's user support and found them to be there when I needed, my clincher, I think someone awnsered the phone on like the second ring, with the help I needed! I can recomend service like that!
If I may ask, how are the efforts going down there, you guys were sure in our payers?

 

[stehansen]

I have a Vermeer 2465 and haven't had any trouble with it.

 

[dogdad]

ShoerFast----effort will be for a long,long time. I have seen some parts of the area and it looks like a bomb has just exploded. The North shore (Area on the North shore of Lake Pontchartrain) had thousands of trees down everywhere. The roof damage is unheard of. People can't get them fixed because there aren't enough roofers or insurance is holding them up....An area called Lake View had 9' of water. It is just a dead zone. People go and sight see just to see it and break down crying. It's awful. The pictures on T V don't do any justice. I still get shocked at sites. New Orleans will never be the same.I could go on and on. I was just lucky and didn't have damage to my house here in Old Metairie.

 

[rwilk]

Dogdad,
I have two vermeer chippers and have been happy with them. The dealer if I'm thinking correct is in Denim Springs, he is questionable on price. He sold my my first machine, before he went out of business in Shreveport/Bossier area. Now Mid south runs the store in Shreveport. Support and help is much better. Talk them down a little on the price, but you'll be happy and profitable with your pruchase.

As for working in LA. You must be a lic arborist to cut anything taller than 10ft or 2 inches in diameter, so be careful. The forestry dept is out giving tickets. I spent 10 days down there working and did well, but I left because everybody with a chainsaw was calling themselves a tree service. I seen alot of people doing more damage than already there.

Good luck and be careful. My motorcycle club will be down in the New Orleans area on Dec10 bringing toys to all the firefighters that were effected by the storms. I was with the Shreveport Fire Dept crew that there the day of Katrina. Man you guys have your work cut out. Good luck.

rwilk

 

[ShoerFast]

My Prayers Dogdad!
Wow, what a mess! My ideas are to lend a hand, in the dead on winter is my slow time here, depending on the snow. What would be the first step? Minnesota born, I almost speek the language, sorry, bad shoer! But how can someone entertain the ideas of helping, how hard would it be to hook up with respectable contractors?

 

[dogdad]

rwilk...I checked in the current laws for tree work and since there are so many trees down, the state has lifted the Arborist Law so to speak. You can cut trees but have to have insurance( I have $1,000,000 liability). The state requires $80K. I personally am not cutting down trees but am cutting and removing downed trees. I am not ready for that yet( Although I just recieved my Arborist Certification Study book from the state). Believe me I have heard of horror stories. One ole boy cut a tree and it went through a house. He ran to his truck and drove away............ Another story. two guys cutting a tree off of a house. They finally quit and left the scene after they dropped the limbs on the roof making 3 holes ,and then knocked off the gutter.

ShoerFast.....One tree company hooked up with a local contractor through a website. Can't tell you which website but the local tree company is Hoover. One problem out of towners are having is finding a place to stay. Alot of the area is uninhabitable

 

[priest]

Dogdad,

I've never owned a Vermeer, but I know another tree guy who loves his. Don't know the model number, but its a big one that can retract to go through a 36 inch gate (a necessity in my opinion). But he said he paid 42K, so it may be out of your price range (and mine).

Just wondering what model ASV you purchased as I'm in need of one. Is it a good size for doing hurricane cleanup and can you keep from tearing the heck out of the ground?
I need a machine for serious storm cleanup that I can also use for removals on nice lawns, at least when the ground is dry.

We worked in Slidell, LA and Beaumont, TX this fall. Good luck to you.

Nate

 

[dogdad]

Nate...Your friend has the vermeer that is on tracks.....yep,,about $42K....and has 60 Hp.
My ASV skid loader is the RC30...The smallest one they make,,,but it will do some serious cleaning. Has done everything so far but picked up a bottom of a oak tree because the tree was to wide and the grappel wasn't wide enough.. So I rowed that part with the skidsteer. It'll pick up 1200 lbs easy. Tipping weight is about 1900lbs. I didn't have to get a bigger trailer or truck either to carry it. Very easy on the grass,,,,one of the pluses. Caterpillar was so impressed with the company that it owns 25% of the stock and uses ASV's track system on there Skid steers. So does Vermeer. Customers are shocked on what It will move. In another couple of months I will probably get the ASV RC 60 or the Caterpillar 247B.

 

[Jhelm]

asv loader

does your rc 30 have the smooth green tracks or ribbed black ones?