compact articulated loaders

[Scooby074]

The problem with any skid for your father, even the Robot, is the seating position requires you to sit "down" inside the machine. While the Robot lacks one arm, and has side entry, the seating position still requires you to step inside the machine. Getting in may not be a problem, but getting off the machine might be more difficult. Probably the best thing would be to have him try out both machines for ease of entry and exit. Also dont forget that a skid will ride rougher than a artic loader. Something to consider if the machine will be run outside the barn.

 

[Renze]

Scooby074, i agree on the stability thing, because the Robot probably doesnt have a rear axle center pivot. Also the short wheelbase is a disadvantage.

Used Schaffer or Weidemann loaders are quite expensive, running into the 15.000 euro... You can buy a pretty nice used loader tractor for that money, but it just wont have the agility..

 

[Brokermike]

you need something SMALL, you might look at a DINGO or similar. Super easy to use, you stand not sit, nice and small, but it might be limited regarding lift capacity

 

[Scooby074]

Renze, I understand you dismissed the Avant. Price wise though it might be worth a look as they're only about 10000 Euro new. I dont know if you'd find a skid steer at that price?

It turns out that there was a thread on TBN about them a couple years ago discussing pricing etc.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/all-other-brands/69948-made-finland-avant-tractor-skid.html

 

[Robert_in_NY]

you need something SMALL, you might look at a DINGO or similar. Super easy to use, you stand not sit, nice and small, but it might be limited regarding lift capacity

With his main concern being his dad using the machine I think he is wanting something is dad can use comfortably and standing on a machine doing farm work every day for hours at a time doesn't sound very comfortable. The Dingo is great for landscapers and such that don't need a big machine or only need the machine for short periods of time and most of the landscapers have young guys to run them anyway (same with the lawnmowers you stand up on)

 

[Renze]

Renze, I understand you dismissed the Avant. Price wise though it might be worth a look as they're only about 10000 Euro new. I dont know if you'd find a skid steer at that price?

I just had an MSN conversation with a friend who lives in Finland: He has a friend who had a skid steer Avant, and now an articulated Avant. This guy was very statisfied with them. They look cheaper, they ARE cheaper, but just as good as a Schaeffer he says.
Schaeffer only sells the medium models in Finland, anything above the Avant size.

He only had problems with the muck grab, not the machine itself. I would probably make my own implements anyways.
I guess Avant is o.k. then, and worth a serious look.

Another plus for the Avant is its rear axle pivot (instead of a double hinged articulation joint so the whole rear end tilts when driving over uneven terrain) which makes it a lot more stable when lifting heavy things at full articulation.

 

[DUSTMAKER]

Hi Renze, have you seen the small loaders sold by Wacker Neuson? The WL 25 is only 1.21 wide and has a tipping load of 1339kg. They look like nice machines, don't now if they are available in your area though.

Regards
Paul R

 

[Renze]

I've been thinking it over:

A loader that easily fits into a standard 1.20 meter horse barn door, will just about manage to handle a bale.
A loader of 3 foot wide to enter many of our older stables, will not have enough capacity to clean a free stable with 3 groups of 4 to 6 horses within reasonable time, and will not handle a bale.

So, the bigger one can handle bales but its width is a limiting factor so we still have to do half the stables by hand. The smaller ones can do those individual stables, but not handle bales nor handle tramped muck in a free stable.

Either size, i think the machine will have not enough deployment to make it a wise buy.

I can narrow down the trackwidth of my 3011 to 1.35 meter so it will measure 1.65 meter over the tires. thats small enough to clean out the free stables, which is already half of our horses. The 3011 has plenty of other uses on the farm so we need to keep it anyways.

To load muck into spreaders, or pick up bales from the field, i still need to keep my frontloader on the 5245 so a 10 to 15.000 euro miniloader will be a very expensive thing, because it cant do all material handling jobs: the small machine cant handle the bigger jobs and the bigger machine cant get into the old narrow stable doors. Even though all machines will get a little less used, we would still need to keep both tractors, the frontloader and the kid who cleans stables on saturday.

I think we're better off cleaning the stables with narrow doors by hand, and the yet-to-build freestalls with the 3011

 

[Taylortractornut]

Renze if age isnt a concern a Waldon articulated machine is nice, a good one can be had for 5000 here. I just sold one for a friend for 5500. It was narrower than my 1840 Case uniloader. Has Zbar linkage and hydrostaic drive. It still has the standard driveline. Ive used his a bunch and it works great even has a solid arm like a big loader. Very stable machine to. I loaded 2000 yards of packed feedlot with it and a manure tine bucket without any problems. Swinger is also another Compact artic loader. Ive also used the Swinger on a cattle operation and its a good machine to. The Waldon the loader you sit on the back and the steering wheel is on the front. but it sits in the cab with yo uand doenst seem to be a problem it varied on some models the laters ones had the wheel mound in front of the seat on the rear half to. These were built to handle scrap and other tough jobs.