Who else on here has a Skid Steer?

   / Who else on here has a Skid Steer? #1  

Johndeere3720

Padawan Tractor Learner, Advertiser
Joined
Mar 14, 2009
Messages
6,526
Location
NW Oregon
Tractor
Bobcat T62, MT55, E42R, E10, John Deere 4100
I have had my skid steer for close to a year now (1 year @ end of January 2013) and absolutely love it! Who else on TBN has a skid steer? What do you use it for? How many hours does it have on it. I'll start.
I have a 2004 John Deere 317 skid steer currently with a 66" bucket and a 3 point quick-hitch adapter. Custom pallet forks are on order.
I have used my skid steer for numerous chores it has been used to move logs, push up burn piles, clear brush, move firewood debris, snow removal, driveway/gravel road maintenance, dirt work, grading, spreading mass quantities of gravel, stirring up manure piles, cleaning horse paddocks, moving palletized materials, prepping backyards for sod, stump removal, ripping up packed ground, trash removal, and many more things that I can't think of. :thumbsup:
I purchased it with 1050 hours on it and it now has close to 1200 on it now.
Being a former compact tractor owner I have seen a huge difference in power but I can admit to missing the little Yanmar for getting into tight places. The biggest difference I have noticed is the power, it has no much more tractive effort, it lifts far more, and it can run many more attachments. However it isn't fair comparing it to a 16 hp Yanmar. ;):eek:
Anyways, let's see your machine! :thumbsup:

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   / Who else on here has a Skid Steer? #2  
A tractor & SS are 2 different machines, each having their own strong points with many overlapping abilities.
I find many short chores much better suited for the tractor with (IMHO) ease of getting on and off. For loader work, it's hard to beat a SS. It is designed for this and with complete attachment visibility, superior to the tractor. Add the manueuverability and the story's over until you need to worry about ripping the holy he!! out of the ground....... back to the tractor!:cool2:
Got a tooth bucket, smooth bucket, auger, road grader, snow plow, bucket broom, mower, attachment tilt, forks and a jib pole that will extend to almost 30'
 

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   / Who else on here has a Skid Steer? #3  
I've got an old Bobcat 700 that I bought from work when they were going to send it to the auction. Has a lot of wear and had some problems, but for just a plaything around the house it's fine. Got the big hydraulic leak fixed and got it running right, tires are wore down, great for running on the grass without tearing it up but not so good in the slick. They're quite handy to have around, I use mine to rake up hedge trimmings in and dump in the pickup, among other things. Leveling out gravel and moving the occasional bit of dirt, the usual stuff. I've got a forklift to do the heavy lifting, but I've been known to pick things up with the cat if it's right there. Here it is the day I brought it home on a borrowed trailer from work, think it was November then, as well.
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   / Who else on here has a Skid Steer? #4  
I've got a 2007 NH L190 that I traded for a few months ago. It had 1074 hrs on it. I have owned a LX565 and a LS170 in the past.

I use the L190 for grubbing mesquite trees, pushing brush, pushing roads (with a 6 way dozer blade) and general demolition and clean-up work. This is in addition to my day job as a sports lighting installation contractor. On the sports lighting projects I use it as a fork lift, to close ditches, drill pier holes and with a jib attached to the pallet forks as a small crane.

The L190 is great, much more power and lifting capacity than the 565 or the 170. Also it has a cab with heat and AC (great for those hot West Texas summers).

SS attachments that I own are a dirt bucket with a Rezloh edge, 6 way dozer blade, pallet forks with side shift, pallet forks with a grapple, 10' jib to mount on pallet forks and a auger drive with 12" and 36" augers.

I recently filled the tires with foam to prevent flats when doing mesquite grubbing or demolition projects. It made the machine quite a bit heavier, but more stable (and no flats:D).

SS attachments that I am coveting: I am looking for a set of steel OTT Tracks. I also want to purchase or build a rotary mower for the skid steer. I have rented mowers a few times and they are awesome on some mowing jobs (normally I use my NH TN70D and Rhino SE7 mower for mowing). I am also wanting to build a new jib with a hydraulic extension and a hydraulic winch.

All the best,

Tim
 
   / Who else on here has a Skid Steer? #5  
I recently got rid my Kubota B3030 cab and went to a Bobcat S185 skid steer. It's already been pointed out here about each machine having their place.
In my case the extra lifting capacity, superior visibility when looking at whatever is on the end of the loader arms and the potential to have more rental attachments available drove my decision to switch. I have to be careful not to make turns too tight when in my yard, but it's a trade off I was willing to make.
I already had a set of Bradco SSQA pallet forks and a boom pole with quick attach plate welded to it. Power Bob-Tach should be nice too, although i don't see switching attachments too much once the snow starts. Maybe now & then to go from blower to bucket.
One feature that I didn't lose when switching from one machine to the other was heat and A/C. Hard to do without after a couple of seasons of snow removal. :snowflake::snowflake::windy::windy: I posted a couple of pics in the snow removal forum.
 
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   / Who else on here has a Skid Steer? #6  
I have been running skid steers for a few years now for my own use. I have two Bobcats, a 743 and a 773. I use them mostly for logging work - it lets me take logs in 12-16' lengths from the cutting site all the way to the furnace where it gets bucked so I end up spending a LOT less time handling firewood (I burn about 10 cords per year).

I keep finding things to use them for that I would simply have had to skip - demolished a friends barn after a storm, installed a road on the property, excavated for a pole barn, excavated for a pool, installed generators, installed wood stove - the list goes on forever.

I also ended up using mine to plow our private road - get paid $70/hour by the HOA.

I have the following attachments:
- forks
- smooth edge 60" dirt bucket
- 72" 4-in-1 bucket with smooth edge
- grapple
- snow plow
- box grader
- stump bucket with teeth

I run steel over the tire tracks on the 773 which make it a freaking MONSTER at uprooting even large trees and lets it skate over soft forest floor to extract selective falling work.
 
   / Who else on here has a Skid Steer? #7  
I've had a Bobcat for 25 years now. Started with a used 643, then bought a new 743 in '89. Would like to add a track machine (T140) but the cashflow just hasn't been there.

Seems like theres always a use for the machine with 180 acres to try to keep ahead of. Its great for moving logs and piling brush.

I still do a little side work with it, lately its been postholes so the horse people can put up fencing, easy money, even if it is boring (pun intended). Few years ago I did a really nerve-racking job digging footings under a barn for a new front wall. It also included demo of the old wall.

Ed
 

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   / Who else on here has a Skid Steer? #8  
I wonder if the moderators would be willing to add a skid steer forum to the general forums area? I realize that the Bobcat area has it's own skid steer forum but there are a lot of other brands out there.

Tim
 
   / Who else on here has a Skid Steer? #9  
I have a small 450 Bobcat. Perfect for what I intended for it to do. Clean the horse paddock, load manure on my small 80 bu. spreader, stack hay in the barn, and set those 500 lb. round bales in the feeder. Just real handy to get in tight places. I call it my motorized scoop shovel/pitchfork.

I built a manure bin that will hold approx. 6 months worth of manure from 4 horses. I did spread it on a neighbors farm field. I would spread in late fall after crops were off, or in the spring. I have spread as many as 32 loads in one day, thanks to my little helper. Sure would hate to think of doing that by hand..!!
 
   / Who else on here has a Skid Steer? #10  
I have a Cat 246. That machine gets the lionshare of the use around my place. I have to maintain about 2200 feet of gravel road/ driveway and even with a land plane that goes behind the tractor...the Cat with a tooth bucket makes for quick work. It is however brutal on the lawn
 
 
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