ChoppyChoppy
Tree Freak
That sure is a desolate looking auction yard!
The Ritchie Bros auctions 2x a year here ended up being jammed packed. Can easily spend 4 or 5 hours just walking around looking at equipment.
Track loader
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The Ritchie Bros auctions 2x a year here ended up being jammed packed. Can easily spend 4 or 5 hours just walking around looking at equipment.
Those are pretty small skid steers, I would want something bigger.
The pictures don't show just how big that place is. It's huge! Maybe 300+ acres and it was full of equipment. But as for attendance I didn't see many people there looking at items. There still doing on line auctions, no live auctions where you can go in person. They have a look day where you go look then you have to bid on line.
The 2 dump trailers I was wanting to bid on got pulled because the seller didn't supply a title. That was disappointing.
When I sold my GMC 5500 there were issues with it from sitting for a year. I honestly did not know that, but wasn't surprised because it happened in the spring a few years ago. The brake caliper slides would need lubed up. A young guy looked at it, and drove it in the wood lot. No plates or insurance. He picked it up a few days later, after work after getting insurance on it. Several miles later the front brake caught on fire, which he put out with the trucks fire extinguisher.
I had it towed to my mechanic. The guy was forty miles from home. I had the front brake fixed, but the others weren't much better and the truck did not roll on a sloped drive at the shop.
The shop owner said auction it.
I talked with the buyer, who still wanted it. Parts were hard to find. The shop found both rear rotors were cracked, one very hard to see, but bad just the same. I paid to have four new calipers, front brake hose replaced, front wheel seals were bad from the fire. Rotors were not availible.
Still $2,800. worth of work, parts and labor.
The point being, "Just auction it." gives me pause as to why it's being auctioned. However, I bought my piggy back fork lift from an equipment dealer. He had three identical ones, I'm guessing he got at auction. He repainted part of it, some new decals, and there ya go. It's been a good machine. I've questioned the low hours, of 832 when I bought it and since, but no major issues.
I had it towed to my mechanic. The guy was forty miles from home. I had the front brake fixed, but the others weren't much better and the truck did not roll on a sloped drive at the shop.
The shop owner said auction it.
I talked with the buyer, who still wanted it. Parts were hard to find. The shop found both rear rotors were cracked, one very hard to see, but bad just the same. I paid to have four new calipers, front brake hose replaced, front wheel seals were bad from the fire. Rotors were not availible.
Still $2,800. worth of work, parts and labor.
The point being, "Just auction it." gives me pause as to why it's being auctioned. However, I bought my piggy back fork lift from an equipment dealer. He had three identical ones, I'm guessing he got at auction. He repainted part of it, some new decals, and there ya go. It's been a good machine. I've questioned the low hours, of 832 when I bought it and since, but no major issues.
Company's will send older stuff to auction just to get rid of it. Many have age or hour limits on there equipment. Particularly rental company's.They also send stuff to auction when a company goes out of business. Banks will do the same when they reposes equipment. They don't have time to sell things own there own so it's to the auction it goes.
This is what I pictured when I read the title.
Wow, I get a chance to contribute...... Yay.
I have a RC 30 I bought new in 06, from a dealer who was in only his second year as a ASV Dealer. I knew he had to get rid of last years floor plan as his new mandatory purchases were already showing up in his lot. I had been stalking him on the net for a few months- he in Connecticut, I in Florida. When I finally called him- he was a but suspicious I knew his situation- like maybe he was being tested by the company or maybe his Rep had told me he was going to be in distress, but I convinced him i merely am a serious "shopper". I knew he had to move the old ones out, period. I offered him 19k and with three RC-30 and I don't know how many other sizes he had leftover 05's, after conferring with his parents, he accepted. Their company was fairly large, did retail and rentals. Bought a new 6x12 dump trailer the next day and drove straight through to pick up the RC-30- 20 hours each way. When I got there, all three wanted to meet and talk, since I knew so much about their company and I convinced them I just do my homework, and had watched their ads on Equipment trader and other places, and surmised the situation accurately. They accepted my cashiers check on the previously agreed upon price and I picked one of the three. I got a set of forks in the deal.
I have been VERY happy with it. I am at 1100 hours now, and have really not had any issues you might encounter.
To date:
One hydraulic line that was mandrel bent controlling one of the arm spontaneously ruptured as if the metal tubing was a welded tube and it didnt like the bend and split. Easy fix. Part was readily available, next day shipped.
Magnetic float switch was basically broken from day one. I don't need it for grading. Actually I don't know why anyone needs one?
I have worn out the standard low profile bucket. Absolutely wore the metal on the bottom out so thin, from grading. Low profile is nice if you are short like me 5'5". New Bradco GP bucket was $500.00- I dont miss the low profile, but I think I will be buying one in a minute anyway....
I bought a Millionzi 4' Root rake with top grapple for about 500 shipped. Curved bottom tines, single grapple. They are out of business now. Its a fine grapple. I can pick up and move a pile of brush/tops bigger than a mini-van that will block out the sun. It not a great root rake, not really enough weight in the machine itself to make use of the Horsepower or hydraulic force, and- being 4' wide, you have to engage alot of ground to get into the roots. Not a big deal. I DO clear a lot of small trails and particularly clumps of Saw Palmetto with it. See my video at www.nsbdiscgolf.com bottom of the page- (2 minutes) I use it to grab logs and put them up onto a 20' long table where I cut them into rounds, and roll them onto my splitter beam. I dont cut in the woods, and I'm not bending over to but rounds anymore.
I bought a tree boom from Titan for some stupid money like 175 or something- that fits standard quick attach. I added a 45* machine broke 5/16 steel to it to make it fit my machine. Standard quick is like 45"w by 18"h I believe. This machine is 45 w by 13"h. so any attachment you want- you CAN make fit your machine.
I replaced the tracks last March with OEM for 2k. They had great tread left on them, but all in one day, the right side lugs all came off from dry rot. The Track carcas and lugs are maybe 90 durometer, and the tread is 70 durometer. Some people will say replacing tracks at 1000 hours is a sign of weakness, but after 15 years, some of them left outside in the Florida weather, and I live on the beach- and have moved mountains of beach sand- I wasn't unhappy about it. The tread was very good, but the dry rot was obvious. They were easy, about five to six hours for me and my son to swap. In all those 1000 hours, the tracks had never been tiggghtened, and had no slack at all.
Last year I finally figured out and fixed an intermittent issue with my grapple not working all the time. I have always been able to work around when it didn't want to close- yet it would stay open or I could open it if it crept down- always. The solenoid controlling it- via thumb switch on the handle was intermittent. Just a small electromagnet- there are three of them- about 40 bucks each. YOU could have troubleshot it and fixed it in minutes I think, I am not as electrically savvy as you. Once I talked with ASV in Minny-soda, and the tech expert at TrackloaderParts.com ( a dealer and Parts distributer in Georgia I get all my parts from) I finally got tired of the intermittent issue and took the time to troubleshoot it, and fixed it. I just had to get my head wrapped around it.
Also last summer I replaced the original Alternator with a replacement from D-B Elctrical for 140 bucks compared to 300-450 for OEM. I have replaced four fan belts.
I have a small parasitic draw I believe must be the original Starter. there is much "power before the key" but as of now I i have installed a battery switch, and that has taken care of it. (I'll be buying a new starter from D-B) As much as I prefer OEM, ASV/Caterpillar and licensing agreements are no better than Harley Davidson or John Deere.....
I have the Catiperkins 403 C 3 cylinder, and never have had an issue, no hydro leaks in the pumps or system, unless I knock the hose off the grapple. I have repacked the lift arm cylinders once, and it was cheap and easy with OEM seals.
I would HIGHLY recommend this tool. The factory forks are not great, but they do work. Not enough tilt back when they are low to the ground, and the machine does have torsion axles for suspension, which is great for ride, but makes forking stuff around a bit different.
I suggest you rent one with a set of forks, and try it out for your primary purpose. Even if you put 200 pounds on the back off the receiver hitch ( which I don't but could) I think you could get closer to 2k lift out of it. I regularly grab 1000 pound bags of limestone gravel wet as can be, in and out of the trailer, and carry it around. If I rig the handles on the grapple and rake or on the forks just so, I can play it out of the bag like I want. otherwise I can lift it up and open the bottom chute.
I can move as much dirt as fast as the next guy with a 72" 80 hp machine, but I am also very good, and I can do it without tearing up the ground. I have Hammock land, not swamp, but not pine upland. It does not pump up water with repeated trips because of the low ground pressure, but if I want to grip a fallen Oak or Hickory from out back, and have to traverse a mud puddle, it will turn it into a plastic mud. Very much clayey-sand that gets very slick and sticky at the same time. I drive through it threatening to come in the front of the cab onto my feet, but nothing stops it, with a wet stick of Oak 30" on the butt end and 8' long. I can do 2 -8' at 24" butts in the grapple.
I have a RC 30 I bought new in 06, from a dealer who was in only his second year as a ASV Dealer. I knew he had to get rid of last years floor plan as his new mandatory purchases were already showing up in his lot. I had been stalking him on the net for a few months- he in Connecticut, I in Florida. When I finally called him- he was a but suspicious I knew his situation- like maybe he was being tested by the company or maybe his Rep had told me he was going to be in distress, but I convinced him i merely am a serious "shopper". I knew he had to move the old ones out, period. I offered him 19k and with three RC-30 and I don't know how many other sizes he had leftover 05's, after conferring with his parents, he accepted. Their company was fairly large, did retail and rentals. Bought a new 6x12 dump trailer the next day and drove straight through to pick up the RC-30- 20 hours each way. When I got there, all three wanted to meet and talk, since I knew so much about their company and I convinced them I just do my homework, and had watched their ads on Equipment trader and other places, and surmised the situation accurately. They accepted my cashiers check on the previously agreed upon price and I picked one of the three. I got a set of forks in the deal.
I have been VERY happy with it. I am at 1100 hours now, and have really not had any issues you might encounter.
To date:
One hydraulic line that was mandrel bent controlling one of the arm spontaneously ruptured as if the metal tubing was a welded tube and it didnt like the bend and split. Easy fix. Part was readily available, next day shipped.
Magnetic float switch was basically broken from day one. I don't need it for grading. Actually I don't know why anyone needs one?
I have worn out the standard low profile bucket. Absolutely wore the metal on the bottom out so thin, from grading. Low profile is nice if you are short like me 5'5". New Bradco GP bucket was $500.00- I dont miss the low profile, but I think I will be buying one in a minute anyway....
I bought a Millionzi 4' Root rake with top grapple for about 500 shipped. Curved bottom tines, single grapple. They are out of business now. Its a fine grapple. I can pick up and move a pile of brush/tops bigger than a mini-van that will block out the sun. It not a great root rake, not really enough weight in the machine itself to make use of the Horsepower or hydraulic force, and- being 4' wide, you have to engage alot of ground to get into the roots. Not a big deal. I DO clear a lot of small trails and particularly clumps of Saw Palmetto with it. See my video at www.nsbdiscgolf.com bottom of the page- (2 minutes) I use it to grab logs and put them up onto a 20' long table where I cut them into rounds, and roll them onto my splitter beam. I dont cut in the woods, and I'm not bending over to but rounds anymore.
I bought a tree boom from Titan for some stupid money like 175 or something- that fits standard quick attach. I added a 45* machine broke 5/16 steel to it to make it fit my machine. Standard quick is like 45"w by 18"h I believe. This machine is 45 w by 13"h. so any attachment you want- you CAN make fit your machine.
I replaced the tracks last March with OEM for 2k. They had great tread left on them, but all in one day, the right side lugs all came off from dry rot. The Track carcas and lugs are maybe 90 durometer, and the tread is 70 durometer. Some people will say replacing tracks at 1000 hours is a sign of weakness, but after 15 years, some of them left outside in the Florida weather, and I live on the beach- and have moved mountains of beach sand- I wasn't unhappy about it. The tread was very good, but the dry rot was obvious. They were easy, about five to six hours for me and my son to swap. In all those 1000 hours, the tracks had never been tiggghtened, and had no slack at all.
Last year I finally figured out and fixed an intermittent issue with my grapple not working all the time. I have always been able to work around when it didn't want to close- yet it would stay open or I could open it if it crept down- always. The solenoid controlling it- via thumb switch on the handle was intermittent. Just a small electromagnet- there are three of them- about 40 bucks each. YOU could have troubleshot it and fixed it in minutes I think, I am not as electrically savvy as you. Once I talked with ASV in Minny-soda, and the tech expert at TrackloaderParts.com ( a dealer and Parts distributer in Georgia I get all my parts from) I finally got tired of the intermittent issue and took the time to troubleshoot it, and fixed it. I just had to get my head wrapped around it.
Also last summer I replaced the original Alternator with a replacement from D-B Elctrical for 140 bucks compared to 300-450 for OEM. I have replaced four fan belts.
I have a small parasitic draw I believe must be the original Starter. there is much "power before the key" but as of now I i have installed a battery switch, and that has taken care of it. (I'll be buying a new starter from D-B) As much as I prefer OEM, ASV/Caterpillar and licensing agreements are no better than Harley Davidson or John Deere.....
I have the Catiperkins 403 C 3 cylinder, and never have had an issue, no hydro leaks in the pumps or system, unless I knock the hose off the grapple. I have repacked the lift arm cylinders once, and it was cheap and easy with OEM seals.
I would HIGHLY recommend this tool. The factory forks are not great, but they do work. Not enough tilt back when they are low to the ground, and the machine does have torsion axles for suspension, which is great for ride, but makes forking stuff around a bit different.
I suggest you rent one with a set of forks, and try it out for your primary purpose. Even if you put 200 pounds on the back off the receiver hitch ( which I don't but could) I think you could get closer to 2k lift out of it. I regularly grab 1000 pound bags of limestone gravel wet as can be, in and out of the trailer, and carry it around. If I rig the handles on the grapple and rake or on the forks just so, I can play it out of the bag like I want. otherwise I can lift it up and open the bottom chute.
I can move as much dirt as fast as the next guy with a 72" 80 hp machine, but I am also very good, and I can do it without tearing up the ground. I have Hammock land, not swamp, but not pine upland. It does not pump up water with repeated trips because of the low ground pressure, but if I want to grip a fallen Oak or Hickory from out back, and have to traverse a mud puddle, it will turn it into a plastic mud. Very much clayey-sand that gets very slick and sticky at the same time. I drive through it threatening to come in the front of the cab onto my feet, but nothing stops it, with a wet stick of Oak 30" on the butt end and 8' long. I can do 2 -8' at 24" butts in the grapple.
I've moved everything with it. Made a pallet platform and trimmed hedges or painted from it. Driven into an old grocery store through the front doors to grab concrete and take it to the roll offs in the parking lot. Drove into an old wood frame house (jacked up and gutted) and filled the entire 2.5' of crawl space so the owners could plumb and pour a concrete slab 1200 square feet. I move totes with 125 gallons of water around my place because I want to pressure wash something. I made a concrete dispenser out of a plastic 55 gallon drum to get 6-7 cubic feet of truck mixed 2000 feet or more into the woods to pour 30- 5x10 pads. (THIS was a SUPER USEFULL tool). I've dug up and built 5 new Septic systems in small backyards (on a Sunday ) My kids had their own dirt bike track, and have been hired to build one for someone else. I am now borrowing dirt from 10 acres away, and drop two buckets full into my JD Gator and wifey hauls it to the pole barn area for fill. I've dug drainage, and trenches 150 long 5' wide and 10' deep for a french drain. I've built ramps with 4x6x12' PT and plywood to climb up a 5'h retaining wall, just to regrade the yard and carry 6 - 8'ct Sabal Palms. I can drive 50 round trips over Bermuda grass and you couldn't see the tracks the next day.
I have a landscaper who calls me 3-4 times per year to do some regrading for him and he pays more than I ask every time. I also have a GC who calls me often to re-grade projects and clean up scattered demo or construction debris, or move building materials around that delivery providers can't get to. Both are old friends so I don't mind, and it pays for diesel and oil- or so I tell my wife.
In my opinion, I follow you as a very handy person, and are not shy about equipment purchases. Besides renting one with forks just to see if it can lift your totes, (fab a reciever hitch and some barbell weights) you can't beat the small compact size. You are not going to see a difference comparing it to a larger machine, until you can't get the larger machine into a constrained space. Definitely NOT a toy, not one of the stand on machines, and will absolutely destroy anything you hit with it, that you shouldn't have hit, like a car or trailer or building.
Late models with 1000 hours for 20 k is not out of line. I can suggest RentalEx is a rental company here in FL, but I think they are probably regional now, and they like many larger companies, have internal limits on hours before surplussing, on top of limits placed on them by the manufacturers. (SunBelt) The manufacturer will give a price break on quantity purchases for rental fleets, but require them to surplus them after Age, and/or hours, so they latest and greatest version is in the renters hands. They wont give a better price to a Mom and Pop rental company when they know that company is going to keep it forever and let it get beat to hell- it doesn't look good for a manufacturer to have one of their product be a breakdown on a jobsite. If you have Sunbelt or RentalEx near enough, and you can dig it up- you could try and suggest you would be interested in buying one going to surplus, and it be one less unit they have to take a beating on trying their luck with Auctions.
You can try the boys at heavy equipment .com a similar message board to this, there are lots of topics. To note: ASV is now back in the hands of the original manufacturer after being bought by Cat, then Cat being absorbed by Terex, and Terex deciding they needed ASV to take back their line, and white label their (Terex) model line. So in my opinion- the original owners in Minn. are going to be upping their QAQC moreso than when they were merely working for Cat/Terex.
The last thought I can offer is you could keep searching for the estate owner with a low hours machine who has died or needs to downsize, and try and find one. Once you have one for your own needs, you would be surprised how much work might come to you, because you have the right tool for the job. I get calls from guys that have the bigger machine and they NEED me and my small machine. I have had people follow me home, to ask me to quote some work for them, because they see it on the trailer and know its small. We don't have large city markets here, that Home Depot rents these kind of machines, and the two rental companies in town don't have this small of a machine- but they do have a toro dingo, and they just plain suck.
Like I said- 20k for 1000 hours is not out of line, but you might want to do some sidework to help you with the purchase. Or not. But for sure- if it will do your primary of lifting totes, then its a no brainer for me, you don't NEED anything bigger, because the machine CAN do anything a larger one can-, but not consume as much fuel or maintenance, or hassle with bigger trailer/truck to haul it around.
I have a landscaper who calls me 3-4 times per year to do some regrading for him and he pays more than I ask every time. I also have a GC who calls me often to re-grade projects and clean up scattered demo or construction debris, or move building materials around that delivery providers can't get to. Both are old friends so I don't mind, and it pays for diesel and oil- or so I tell my wife.
In my opinion, I follow you as a very handy person, and are not shy about equipment purchases. Besides renting one with forks just to see if it can lift your totes, (fab a reciever hitch and some barbell weights) you can't beat the small compact size. You are not going to see a difference comparing it to a larger machine, until you can't get the larger machine into a constrained space. Definitely NOT a toy, not one of the stand on machines, and will absolutely destroy anything you hit with it, that you shouldn't have hit, like a car or trailer or building.
Late models with 1000 hours for 20 k is not out of line. I can suggest RentalEx is a rental company here in FL, but I think they are probably regional now, and they like many larger companies, have internal limits on hours before surplussing, on top of limits placed on them by the manufacturers. (SunBelt) The manufacturer will give a price break on quantity purchases for rental fleets, but require them to surplus them after Age, and/or hours, so they latest and greatest version is in the renters hands. They wont give a better price to a Mom and Pop rental company when they know that company is going to keep it forever and let it get beat to hell- it doesn't look good for a manufacturer to have one of their product be a breakdown on a jobsite. If you have Sunbelt or RentalEx near enough, and you can dig it up- you could try and suggest you would be interested in buying one going to surplus, and it be one less unit they have to take a beating on trying their luck with Auctions.
You can try the boys at heavy equipment .com a similar message board to this, there are lots of topics. To note: ASV is now back in the hands of the original manufacturer after being bought by Cat, then Cat being absorbed by Terex, and Terex deciding they needed ASV to take back their line, and white label their (Terex) model line. So in my opinion- the original owners in Minn. are going to be upping their QAQC moreso than when they were merely working for Cat/Terex.
The last thought I can offer is you could keep searching for the estate owner with a low hours machine who has died or needs to downsize, and try and find one. Once you have one for your own needs, you would be surprised how much work might come to you, because you have the right tool for the job. I get calls from guys that have the bigger machine and they NEED me and my small machine. I have had people follow me home, to ask me to quote some work for them, because they see it on the trailer and know its small. We don't have large city markets here, that Home Depot rents these kind of machines, and the two rental companies in town don't have this small of a machine- but they do have a toro dingo, and they just plain suck.
Like I said- 20k for 1000 hours is not out of line, but you might want to do some sidework to help you with the purchase. Or not. But for sure- if it will do your primary of lifting totes, then its a no brainer for me, you don't NEED anything bigger, because the machine CAN do anything a larger one can-, but not consume as much fuel or maintenance, or hassle with bigger trailer/truck to haul it around.
I re-read your post. This is the machine for you. I absolutely handle firewood as little as anyone could. I cut the deadfallen or problem tree, and pick up nothing by hand. I cut the trunk and what I want from the limbs/tops, No trunks, WYEs, or crotches (I'm picky, and I don't use wood for heat) I move logs to my splitting table, buck them into rounds on the table, and roll the round off the table onto the beam and the splits get tossed five feet into the shed. I only have to bend down to cut the trunk off the rootball. and if I want, I can pick the tree off the ground so I dont have to bend over to do that.... or cut the crotch off the stem.....
Choppy has a point- I have had to move some of my 5x10x4" (2500#) thick concrete pads as far as 500'. I get it "unstuck" from the ground by stabbing the forks under it in a couple of places, then get one end off the ground from the end. My utility man runs a nylon sling under it as far forward as he can get it, then I run a chain from that choker to the top of the fork "rack". I don't get it all the way off the ground, but I can back it up with my tracks off the ground in the rear. Changing angles, I can "rock" it in forward, and essentially push it forward, and with good fork angle control, I can push it forward across the pasture grass. No counterweight. I don't make it a habit, but I have done it more than once.
I do have a tractor I use to bushhog, and would never have a FEL on one, since I have my RC-30. Too slow and takes too much space to use it.
I was in a similar position not long ago and did a lot of research before making a decision. I stumbled upon the ASV RT 30s at a Richy Brothers auction and was impressed by their smooth controls and good working condition.
ASV's are one of the smoothest out there. I bid on several at a Richy Brothers auction but got out bid as all of them went above my budget.
I have proved that you should always buy a little bigger machine than you think you need because you alway seem to grow into it.......
It's great that you're considering ASV track loaders for your wood lot! Based on the reviews you've mentioned, the ASV RT 30 might be a good fit for you. With the 750 lbs lift capacity, it should be able to handle a full tote of green splits without any trouble. The smooth controls and better traction you've noticed are great features to have, especially when working with heavy loads.As for the value of a used ASV RT 30 with 1000 hours, it's tricky to say without seeing it in person. However, you can use websites like <link deleted>to get an idea of the average market value for similar models.
