Been shoppin' skid-loaders...

[mitch95100]

OK... let me give you an example of how I'd use the thing.

Last week I parked the work van in the yard next to the pickup and overnight it rained hard, which took the frost out'a the ground where it was parked. I get in it that morning and moved maybe 6-inches those worthless radial tires msp_sneaky spin-out and sink. Finally ended up hooking the pickup, with bias ply tires msp_sneaky, to it and pulled it out. That left two trenches about a foot deep and 20-feet long in the yard.

Well, it's finally dried up enough to fix it... so tonight I hooked the little utility trailer to the little tractor and drive out back to the field... where I manually shovel dirt into the trailer. Then I pull the trailer to the trenches and manually shovel the dirt into the trenches... and then I make another trip... and another... and another. I'm thinkin' the whole time... Damn, sure would be nice to have a little, light duty skid loader for this job. Then I grab the rake and start moving the dirt around, trying to spread it out, and I'm thinkin' the whole time... Damn, sure would be nice to have a little, light duty skid loader for this job.

White Spider-
First of all you live in NE IOWA... PRIME FARM COUNTRY. Everyone has a skidloader. We have auctions every other month in Waukon held by Sweeny Auction Service. They just had one today. There was a 35hp Gehl that sold for 3500 last auction.'
THis would be your best bet to get a good used skidloader.

 

[Rudolf73]

Just my $0.02 worth. Don't get anything to old, skid steers run 100% on hydraulics and old hydraulic parts are less efficient, slower and hard to come by and they do have an expiry date - thats just the nature of rubber. Engines are not such a big deal, you can use just about anything as long as its a similar shape and size.

 

[GeeVee]

Another thing to consider is the things can dern near get stuck on a banana peel.

Can I "like" a post ten times?

 

[GeeVee]

Now just hold on a minute here!!! This is a guy who's too cheap to buy a second saw!!!
Now we're talking a skid loader????
First off, there's NOTHING on a skid steer that's cheap.... If you can find one for the 5000 dollar range, it's gonna need a TON of "not so cheap" parts...
You'll re-tire a skid steer 3 times before replacing tires on a tractor...
Skid steers are handy rigs, but if cost is a factor, RUN!!!! RUN FAST!!!!

Heggy is spot on too. Cheep means you're gonna spend a bunch to bring it into compliance....

 

[GeeVee]

Whitey,

Last week there was a thread about "over the tire tracks" on a Skiddybopper.

It wasn't really a part of the the discussion, except for one small post about snow plowing or something, and since I live down here in the tropics, I kept my fool mouth shut about snow plowing with my recommended five man immigrant crew, I call PedroJuanCarlosDeJesusRodriguezMartinez....

However, the original developer of the the machine bought by Cat, and absorbed by Terex, the Positrack.....- was made in Canada, and plowed snow quite well.

I think you need an RC-30. LGP when you need it such as the rain and the work van, you won;t tear up the place. yet if you are needing LBR of more than 100%, you can achieve it.

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[reaperman]

Oh, boy! A tractor, really guys? Tractors are used for plowing fields or pulling a hay wagon. Yea they have pulling power. But try and turn one around, their huge. There is no way you can maneuver one thru the woods. And a tractor with a loader takes even more space to turn. And speaking of a loader on a tractor. Did someone say slow and clumsy? Compared to a skid loader, a tractor is just that, a tractor. The two machines arent in direct competition with each other. Bobcats are fast, nimble, strong, and maneuverable. If someone says they cant see out of one, its because they havent spent enough time in one. If someone says they spin out on bare ground its because they dont know how to operate one. Skid loaders are expensive, if they have been properly maintained they will last thousands of hours. They do have a lot of moving parts which makes buying a used machine a crap shoot. Each wheel has a hydraulic motor, their are squash plates that can wear, chains, sprockets, bearings, pumps, pins, just to name some moving parts. But overall, they are little work horses that cant be matched by any other piece of equipment available. Anyone who owns one will agree with me. We'd probably surrender our chainsaws before giving up the key to our skidloaders.

 

[Steve NW WI]

However, the original developer of the the machine bought by Cat, and absorbed by Terex, the Positrack.....- was made in Canada, and plowed snow quite well.

Close, but no Ceegar. ASV (now part of Terex), sold cat the running gear only, the rest of the machine was Cat.

ASV is / was out of Grand Rapids, MN - close enough to Canuckistan where a Floridah guy might get con fussed. I believe the rebranded Terex machines are still built there.

Yeah... maybe a minimalist... but it's basically gonna' be a yard & garden tool (toy?), I ain't planning to make my living in it.
I kind'a liked the one in Floyd also.
Floyd is about a 15-minute drive from my place... heck, I probably know the guy!!

OH! And HANDY is exactly what I'm lookin' for!

Floyd's almost right on my way to the IA GTG in a week and a half. Need me to stop and pick you and your saw up on my way by?

The 1816s are a REAL NARROW machine. Good for skinny gates/old barn doors. Bad on side slopes, real easy to flop em over. If you get one, remember straight up/down the hills, never across em. Personally, I'd look for a little bigger machine. Case 1838 or Bobcat 642 both come in a gasser if you don't want to deal with a diesel, and are decent sized machines that will do what you want, and a bit more when you decide to do more than you're thinking of now - AND YOU WILL.

 

[Whitespider]

First of all you live in NE IOWA... PRIME FARM COUNTRY. ..
We have auctions every other month…

You’re absolutely right, and I know it!
But I hate auctions… Ya’ spend near the whole day standing around kickin’ dirt clods waiting for ‘em get around to what ya’ came for… and then some ol’ boy in bib overalls (with tobacco stains on the front), cowboy boots, and a Chicago Cubs cap blows you out by paying near new price for it. I always feel like I’ve wasted a day after one of those.

But I do have an option. A friend of mine, who was once a co-worker, thinks they’re a social event and goes to all of ‘em (he has three skid loaders, three sizes, all from auctions… and I’ve run all three of them). I should just tell him what I’m lookin’ for, how much I’m willing to spend, and tell him to jump in on a decent buy… heck, he’d love it! And I ain’t in a big hurry, he could take 3-4 months lookin’ for the “right” one and I’d be OK with that.

Oh, boy! A tractor, really guys? …try and turn one around, their huge. There is no way you can maneuver one thru the woods. And a tractor with a loader takes even more space… Did someone say slow and clumsy? … Bobcats are fast, nimble, strong, and maneuverable…

The neighbor around the corner (a transplanted city guy, but he’s OK) has a little Ford N with a loader. It’s 2½-times as long and 1½-times as wide as a little skid loader, fills-up a single-stall garage when he parks it, and he can’t turn it around in his drive… and when the blade is mounted on the rear he can’t get the doors closed on the shed. The neighbor next to him has a little skid loader and over 4-times more drive and parking area… Guess which one clears the snow faster?? I see that little skid loader running around doing all sorts of odd jobs year round (because it’s small, handy and maneuverable)… I see the other neighbor with shovels, rakes and whatnot in his hands all the time. His wife is a huge flower bed gardener and he buys mulch in wagon loads from a mill… and he shovels it into a little wagon behind his lawn tractor because he can’t maneuver the “N” with loader around the flower beds.

Both of those guys have had me look at their machines because of running problems (it’s always been something minor)… I’ve used both machines, I’d much rather have the skid loader. Yeah, I have uses for a tractor… but I have a whole bunch more uses for a little skid loader… a whole bunch more!

 

[Streblerm]

I have a little bobcat 310. It is simple, sturdy little machine. It has a 16hp Kohler and the drive system is chain and clutch using the same components as the 600 series which is quite a bit bigger. It has a small hydraulic pump that runs the lift and bucket hydraulics. It is a machine from the late 70's and pretty much any part I have ever needed is still available from bobcat.

Small machines like these aren't ideally suited for digging as they just don't have the weight. You can do it but you have to take small bites. It is great at moving loose material and plowing/moving snow. It will easily lift 1000# but #500 is the stated working load. Larger loads make it pretty tippy.

As far as getting stuck on wet grass, that isn't my experience with any skid steer although it is fairly flat around me. They do tear up the yard.

Just go get one, you won't be sorry you did. I have about $3k in mine which included rebuilding the drive clutches and sprockets. I am fond of Bobcat machines because parts availability on older machines is very good. I don't have much experience with any of the others. I have a friend with a little case 1816 and he likes it.

 

[Preston]

Folks........when a man has his mind set on the skid steer loader, forget all the other stuff. It's just like he found the perfect girl for a wife. Forget trying to sway him. The dude's mind is made up. He wants what he wants and that's just what he wants. The fact I find no use for one, doesn't matter to him. I want a FEL on the Kubota and I'll be set. Plus I can use every implement I have, about 12. When I bought my tractor my neighbor couldn't figure out why. He bought a Zero turn mower. Why all I needed was a Zero turn mower. When came to borrow my hole digger I ask why didn't he use the mower to do it. But he loves his mower. I mow with the 6' finishing mower.

So the man's heart is set of the special girl and you ain't gonna change it. :msp_w00t:

 

[Cheesecutter]

The biggest bonus of all- my wife likes to play with the SS, so she does her own yardwork. Another bonus is the small 16-20hp SS don't get overly abused like the bigger ones.

I have a Bobcat and a 25 hp Nuefield tractor(like a 8n ford) with a FEL and I rarely pull the tracor out of the shed. It's flat out not nearly as handy. No matter what size SS you get, it makes playtime more fun.. oops, I meant worktime.
If your land is flat a 16-20hp machine should be ok, if not, I would opt a litttle bigger/wider myself. The older 30 hp size range is in the same price range and much more stable. I'm figuring most 20hp ish units are 3 feet wide and 30hp are 4 feet wide. It doesn't take much to tip them on their side. My neighbor has done it twice to his baby bobcat. Both time the arms were raised pretty high.
Another option regarding auctions is if can't make it or don't want to wait all day, I tell the auctioneer my maximum bid. It's called proxy bidding or order buying. Most auctioneers know the local market and often tell me a ballpark price range. I don't bid top dollar, I bid what I feel is fair. If I get it I get it, if not, oh well.

 

[cmsmoke]

OK... let me give you an example of how I'd use the thing.

Last week I parked the work van in the yard next to the pickup and overnight it rained hard, which took the frost out'a the ground where it was parked. I get in it that morning and moved maybe 6-inches those worthless radial tires msp_sneaky spin-out and sink. Finally ended up hooking the pickup, with bias ply tires msp_sneaky, to it and pulled it out. That left two trenches about a foot deep and 20-feet long in the yard.

Well, it's finally dried up enough to fix it... so tonight I hooked the little utility trailer to the little tractor and drive out back to the field... where I manually shovel dirt into the trailer. Then I pull the trailer to the trenches and manually shovel the dirt into the trenches... and then I make another trip... and another... and another. I'm thinkin' the whole time... Damn, sure would be nice to have a little, light duty skid loader for this job. Then I grab the rake and start moving the dirt around, trying to spread it out, and I'm thinkin' the whole time... Damn, sure would be nice to have a little, light duty skid loader for this job.

Justification to owning a skid loader can only be determined by you. If you truly believe that it will help...then get one.:snicker:

 

[jddodge]

Tractor vs skidsteer

Hello

I'm a lucky man...

I have a Kubota 3010 4WD (32 HP with loader and cab). John Deere 6675 Skidsteer (45 HP diesel).

Kubota:
What I like about it: Twice as fast as the 6675, easy on my back and knees!! PTO for tilling, brush cutting. Very easy on fuel!! Hydro (HST) transmission is great!! great for viewing when backing up and driving (kids, cows, goats, cats...) Can cut the grass with a 3 point finish mower.

What I don't like about the Kubota: I can't lift large round bales, if I'm plowing snow the front end can get pushed around in heavy snow. Can't get in the barn to clean to tall and I can't spin around inside the barn..

6675 SkidSteer:
Like: Great power, I can get in the barn, I can spin around on a dime. I can lift anything, great front view when lifting. I can lift a large round bale.

Don't like: Noisy machine, pounds on your body, can really only see forward.

On the farm (farming and cutting wood) I truly need both. I'm a lucky man.. my wife encourged me to buy both!!

 

[Gavman]

If your land is flat a 16-20hp machine should be ok, if not, I would opt a litttle bigger/wider myself. .

Careful there, your starting to get into needing pedals territory:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[wndwlkr]

... and the more I look, the more confused I get. I guess that's because I really don't know a lot about them... I've run a few, but that's the extent of my expertise. Just to be 100% honest, I flat don't have the cash to buy "new" anything, and I ain't gonna' go the credit line way for one (I want to avoid any new monthly). I have no livestock, I don't grow crops, I'm just a guy living out in the county and a skid loader isn't something I "need"... more like something I could use. I could use it for clearing snow, moving a little dirt and rock now and then, moving firewood, pushing brush into piles, hauling the burn barrel into the woodlot for dumping, moving objects too heavy to lift (or I don't care to lift) and various other "light" duty jobs... and it wouldn't be used every day, probably not even every week. I don't believe I need to list all the possible jobs related to firewood... most anyone here can pictures those. The thing is, I have no "loader" of any sort, and my back ain't getting any younger.

So I'm lookin' at used and I see 'em priced everywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand... different brands... different models (which mean nothing to me)... different sizes... etc. So I'm askin' you guys that own and use 'em...

The small(ish) ones look like they'd be handier for me... but how small is too small ??
Is there certain brands/models that should be avoided ??
And what "problems" should I be looking for ?? I mean, I know about engines and what to look for, and I understand the hydraulics and what to look for, and yeah, I know tires ain't cheap. But what "unique" maintenance/wear items/possible expense/often neglected/problems should I be lookin' at ??

I guess I'm just askin' for a little general direction towards shopping used skid loaders. I have no delusions, I realize I'll probably spend some money on one after the purchase... I'm just hoping to avoid getting stung with an expense costing half, or equal to, the purchase price.

Thanks guys.

You maybe should stay with your lawn tractors & such. Skidsteers are for those of us who don't need public opinion to puchase one. Just buy it if you like it,& let yourself decide.

 

[Rudolf73]

Before you go out and buy something, how about you hire one of similar size for a weekend and see how you like it...

 

[rancher2]

I had skid loaders for years. Several brands most were in that 70 to 90 hp range. Then we sold our cattle so we sold our skid loader and used a tractor and loader for about 6 years. I hated being with out a skid loader so I bit the bullet and bought a new M series bobcat 750 and I just love it. I wouldn't be without a skid loader again.

 

[Incomplete]

I think what you really want, is a miniskid:

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[Arbonaut]

The biggest bonus of all- my wife likes to play with the SS

Stihl Sawing? The dog.

 

[hunterbuild]

I have my 240 John Deere from my contracting days. I can't do with out it. Always thinking of something else to use it for. I really love it. I live in the Black Hills of SD and it been places that scared me. Haven't tipped it yet. Chain it up for snow and mud it's hard to stop.View attachment 290975View attachment 290976