Anyone have experience with skid steers?

[seville009]

My nephew has a nice skid steer on the farm it is a very handy unit for what it can do.
It is not a tractor, he did end up needed to get a set of over the tire tracks for it as it was helpless in mud or snow.
They do not do tractor work well at all, they are not tractors and they can not haul any thing.

And then there is one other thing which to me is a huge issue.
For smaller framed younger individuals they are not to hard to get in or out of.
With my size 15 or 16 (brand depending) boots and large over sized carcass getting in and out of it is an extreme exercise in aggravation.
Stepping down in, it is extremely difficult to twist around and get my feet untangled and getting my knees to cooperate once I get set down in it's not bad and getting out is not quite as bad just almost.
So bigger, older, and artificial joints do not work well with conventional skid steers.
That said there has been a bit of conversation about the single arm skid steers with the conventional doors, so far just talk.

to add to this.....if you end up with an enclosed cab, make sure you can turn around inside and crawl out the back window if necessary. I’m 5’9” and about 210 lbs. I’ve had my skidsteer stall out a few times with the bucket not fully down so couldn’t open the door. had to crawl out the back (and then crawl back in), both in the summer and winter (with full winter gear and boots).

 

[pokey1416]

Unless, you get a tracked skidsteer, they are TIPPY. I can't imagine using one on steep slopes. I don't know anyone who has owned one that hasn't put it on its nose at least once. I owned a Bobcat skidsteer for a while. I loved being able to see the front bucket edge and using it for landscape work. Maintenance was easy enough, but repairs were a bear. You had to be Houdini to reach into cramped quarters, and parts can be quite expensive.

I sold it to buy a CUT and I couldn't be happier for my needs.

X2. I was amazed how comfortable the tractor is. My old bones were struggling to get in and out of skid. If you need something small though you cant beat a skid steer. Power to size is impressive.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I consider a SS to be a young mans machine. All the more (despite not liking the brand) I do like the JCB "ROBOT" with it's side entry. VOLVO is the same machine with a little better QC, from what I have been told. I just hate buying anything where you already know, if you go to sell it, it will be that much harder to sell and worth less.

Pretty Cool eh? JCB even makes telehandler like version of the tracked loader. Maybe VOLVO too.

 

[jk96]

Steep, rocky and Farming? There's a problem with that for any machine.
Each machine has its strong points and one will work circles around the other at certain jobs. I have both and there's only a very small list of tasks that they overlap on. 2 different tools entirely.

Probably the best advise on this thread so far. I have a large tracked skid steer. For digging/moving dirt, heavy brush cutting the tractor is not even in the same ballpark. If I'm tilling, maintaining my gravel road, mowing I'm on the tractor. For stability my trackloader is rock solid even on steep slopes. I can work in areas I could never work on the tractor. Here's my current thread on a pond build with my trackloader. You will not find a decent machine for 10k.
Pond Thread - https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/423100-building-lake-corona.html

 

[Smokeydog]

Kubota TLBs niche market are tough machines. Much heavier built and better design backhoes than farm tractors. Loaders are built heavier with better articulation. Mine are primarily in 3pt hitch mode with pto equipment. Commercial quality and commercial price. But like commercial equipment there are good deals on used equipment. Worked great on my hillside farm and have replaced farm tractors with M59 and B26. Rugged, reliable and easy to maintain.

 

[joeu235]

I own both tractors and a JD 317 skid steer. The only time I've come close to tipping my skid steer over was going down an incline with a #1500 round bale raised above the cab. But all I had to do was lower the bale and everything was fine.
My wheeled machine just looks at our wet clay soil and gets stuck, so I generally feed hay with a tractor in the winter. But it excels at many tasks that are difficult for a tractor: bucket work, fork lift, clearing brush, post hole digging, using a trenching attachment, etc.
If I used my skid steer for a business other than ag, I'd definitely get a tracked machine. Since my tasks, besides feeding hay, can wait until the ground dries out, a wheeled machine works just fine.