REVIEWS ON VERMEER S600TX MINI SKID STEER WITH KUBOTA DIESEL

[jaystihl]

trying to decide if the vermeer s600tx is the mini loader for me, and wanted to get some experienced opinions . the machine is a 2005 with 780 hrs on a kubota 25hp diesel. it has multiple owners which is kind of a red flag for me but the machine seems to be in decent condition from pics and owners description( seemed like a honest guy but you never know). I dont own anything with a diesel engine which can be a down fall for repairs in the future since i dont know a lot about them. Apparently they have more longevity and torque on the plus side. the machine is roughly 29oo lbs and wondering if this will be ok on finished lawns that we work on( i understand it depends on the operator ). I am in an area where these loaders are far and few between, and this one is somewhat close to drive to and inspect( about a 2 hour drive ) which is very hard to come by for me. please give any constructive criticism and pros and cons that you know of with hard proof and experience, thanks in advance.

 

[marne]

Can't comment on the vermeer but my micro digger and tracked barrow, less than 1600lb, always leave marks in the lawn, no matter how careful I use them.

If used busy, they literally tear the ground.

It seems like a general issue with tracked units. Making me happy with my wheeled stumpers.

 

[CalTreeEquip]

I had a wheeled S600 with a gas engine a few year back. I liked it very much. You stand inside of the machine which makes operating it feel like an extension of your body.
They do tend to be more expensive than other machines. I also like the Boxers which is pretty similar. I'v also had a Bobcat MT52 which is heavier, longer and didn't feel as good to use.

 

[jaystihl]

Thanks for the reply guys. anyone else have any input on ground ruts or tearing up finished lawns with this machine?

 

[climbhightree]

Thanks for the reply guys. anyone else have any input on ground ruts or tearing up finished lawns with this machine?

I have a Vermeer 650tx.

On soft ground the tracks will cause a washboard effect...the lugs sink in. So if the ground is soft, I try to put down a plywood highway. Next time I go to change the tracks I plan on trying Prowler diamondbacks tracks, supposedly they are better.

Even on solid turf, if you plan on doing hard turns you should put down a sheet of plywood...you can spin 360 on one sheet. So I do that at times too, having a couple sheets over the lawn where I need to turn.

I have a bunch of picky customers, and I've haven't had any major issues yet, but I'm careful. Most time you can just hard rake stuff up...or if it does damage the lawn it mostly just rubs off the blades of grass (roots still intact).

Videos on my youtube channels (in signature) showing the mini and BMG.

 

[climbhightree]

Pics from a old job

Plywood highway (both pine and oak were removed )

You can see a couple areas where I went off the highway some

How wet the area was

 

[climbhightree]

A example from my yard on Vermeer's tracks on soft ground. ...washboard affect.

So there is no real rutt, just the lugs push in. This will happen some even if the grass is thick. But I feel most of the washboarding would be removed during freeze/thawing of the ground.

 

[jaystihl]

Thanks climb high. Is it worth it to get a diesel? can't really see much performace difference in specs between gas and diesel. same horse power but diesel is a little heavier and liquid cooled instead of air cooled. since im in florida i presume liquid cooled is better? since it gets so hot. but on the other hand seems like a lot more to break down. My problem is all mini skids for sale are usually a long ways away and this one im looking at with a diesel is only about 2 hours away. so its either this one or keep waiting for another one to pop up

 

[climbhightree]

Thanks climb high. Is it worth it to get a diesel? can't really see much performace difference in specs between gas and diesel. same horse power but diesel is a little heavier and liquid cooled instead of air cooled. since im in florida i presume liquid cooled is better? since it gets so hot. but on the other hand seems like a lot more to break down. My problem is all mini skids for sale are usually a long ways away and this one im looking at with a diesel is only about 2 hours away. so its either this one or keep waiting for another one to pop up

As to deisel or gas I'm not knowledgeable enough on what would be best for you.

When I got mine I wanted diesel because my truck and chipper are both diesel...so makes it easier to fill up if all is the same.

 

[expy]

I don't know anything about the Vermeer Mini but I do own a mini track hoe and I can say that we have found an easy way to keep tracks in the turf at a minimum. As long as it is not too wet we just skid our materials on a 4'x8' sheet of plywood at 3/4" thick pulling with the track hoe. We can pull a 3,000 lb tree into a yard and the weight of the tree pushing down on the plywood helps flush out the tracking of the mini hoe. The only other way would be to use our larger skid steer which would destroy a yard in damp conditions. My point is, if you get the mini just remember to try the skidding method if conditions are right and you have something heavier than the mini can pick up.

 

[expy]

Of course we use the same method to skid the dirt out after we plant the tree. The 1,000 lb rated debris bags from Lowes are $10.00 each and very handy.

 

[expy]

This area was very wet so we placed plywood then skidded across that.

 

[Geoff Shaw]

I bought a Vermeer s800tx about 6 months ago, I did 2 jobs with it and was really pissed off with how it tore up the turf. I spent days researching tracks trying to find a better option. Finally I started wondering if anyone retreads tracks. I found there is one mob in Oz that does it. So I had all the tread taken off and built up with a purely smooth tread. Now I love it, it has all the traction I need still for moving logs around peoples yards with little destruction. It still works well on damp slopes. May not work well if you have really steep slopes and wet grass, but where I live we don't. you gotta go for a diesel machine. They are far superior in every aspect. I'm now working on the perfect grapple. I have downloaded numerous images and they all have their faults. I used a Bradco for one day and ditched it. Norm engineering make a much better product but too heavy. So it is now my mission to come up with the ultimate design.