300cx loader an 4in1 bucket

jenkinsph · Nov 16, 2009

I know it is hard to decide sometimes but here is a picture of my 110 on the job. It would seem perfect for your intents and purposes, not the best at everything but it is extremely versatile. So far I have an R66 rock bucket, 48" rail pallet forks, 72"hd bucket, MX6 mower, BB1284 boxblade and various other implements. Topntilt, front and rear auxillary hydraulics and cab with hvac.

Steve

GreatWhitehunter · Nov 17, 2009

Steve, it is a tough decision for me. Most because I can get a skid steer with more lift capacity than a 110 for less than the 110 would cost me. I know the hoe on the 110 is a bit better than the 448 I have. That said I don't use the hoe all that often and it's been able to do everything I've asked of it. The tractor mounted hoes also don't compare to a mini ex. I could sell my tractor and get a skid and a mini ex and both will be more capable than the 110. It's tough to shell out 20k plus my trade for a 110 that's a jack of all trades/master of none. The only reason the skid makes me pause is the mowing I do. I really feel the skid will get stuck since I seem to mow alot of fields that seem to have deep hidden ruts. I've sunk my 3320's rear tires a few time and I would have high sided a skid for sure. I wish the 110 would lift a pallet of bricks/blocks or sod.Then I'd go that route for sure. I would love to see Spudland's fix for his loader mounts. I just can't visualize it.

Matt

jenkinsph · Nov 17, 2009

Matt,
If you look at the picture above those pallets are brick pavers with 13 layers per pallet. What I do is take off 3 layers per pallet off and restack on an empty pallet. Not the best solution I know, but a quick one. We needed about three pallets of pavers for a job last week so we restacked a pellet with 9 layers on it and the others were 10 layers.
This did not take near as long as having to move an additional piece of equipment in to handle this job.

For a large portion of my work moving several pieces of equipment would be alot of trouble, buying larger equipment means you need a larger truck and trailer to move and it is costing you more money. So I can understand your dilema, and remember when I was considering a Cat 902 wheel loader and a 304 excavator but the two pieces of equipment that needed to be moved for each job made me leary. I will admit I wanted these two pieces of equipment to work out for me but they just didn't make sense.

I finally settled for the 8 in 1 tool, the 110 and having had it now for almost 5 years I can tell you that for my work it was the best all around machine to buy.

The 4520 is a different kind of purchase though, I bought it because I wanted it, I could have gotten by using the 110 for 3 pt work, having it though means I can leave the backhoe on most of the time. The tractor then is not encumbered by the loader, which is a real pet peave of mine.

All I can do for you is relate the experiences I have had and tell you what has worked for me. Hope you can figure out a combination that works for you.

GreatWhitehunter · Nov 17, 2009

Steve, don't get me wrong I really appreciate all your replies and input. Your the only guy with a 110 that really participated here regularly. I here you on the hauling end. The cost of these compact machines is crazy considering how much more you get for the full size equipment. If I get a skid or mini I'll be getting cabbed units for sure. But if I go with the 110 I'll skip the cab. The other issue I see with the tractor vs skid is visibility while grading. The view is so much better with the skid at ground level but better at full height with the tlb. Can a 110 load a full size dump truck?

Matt

jenkinsph · Nov 18, 2009

I will agree that the SS will blow away a tractor mounted fel, that is the thing I like about them the most. I helped a friend with his SS and long lip bucket last week and the view from the seat is amazing.

Yes I can load a full size dump truck with the 110, in the mountains here most are tandem 10 to 12 yd dumps, takes a lot of buckets to fill one though.

For finish grading I use the boxblade, rearblade and landplane and all of these are highly visible from the 110 and 4520 and allow me to get good results. Alot of what I do is take an undeveloped lot with rocks trees stumps ditches and make it into a smooth lawn with driveways for new homes. I want the customers to be able to ride their lawn mowers across the yard at full speed without shaking their teeth out.

AKfish · Nov 19, 2009

Haven't spent much "seat" time here at TBN, lately. Kinda nice to sit down and catch up on things.

Just finished a week's work in a JD 50D mini-X. What a kick in the pants!! Made my 110 feel like a geriatric shovel pusher. Sure would be sweet to own one...

Matt -- you know this as well as any of us -- what pays the bills?? What kinds of jobs do you do the most? If a SS and a mini-X would be the most efficient way to get your work done; get a 30' goose neck and trailer both at the same time! A good, used 773 Bobcat and a JD 27zts would fit pretty nicely, I'd think.

The 110 won't keep pace with either a SS or a mini-X doing the specific chores that those machines are designed for. But... the 110 will get it done; it'll just take a bit more time. If time is money and you want to squeeze in another job or two into your work week... well, you know what's best!!

Best of luck.

AKfish