spindlewood
Bronze Member
I sold my house and my Kioti DK40SE along with it. Moved to a smaller property (sloping 2 acres) and got older along the way. I'm planning landscaping and an orchard. I'd like advice on what the Avant 528 can and can't (or shouldn't) do. I would get a 4 in 1 bucket, forks, auger, and flail mower. These seem like the basics. I need to cut paths into the rocky hillside, dig holes for trees, remove "islands" of grass to be replaced with good soil for landscaping, put in a metal stake fence, move lots of dirt (bark, compost, etc), mow the orchard, and remove felled trees.
I know I may need to rent equipment for things the Avant doesn't do well. I'd just like to know what that is up front.
The first question is around leveling paths on the hill. Currently, the ground is a mixture of rocky volcanic soil and shredded bark. I want to level 6-7 foot wide paths that are a foot or so sloped from upper to lower point. Is doing this with the Avant 4-in-1 bucket advisable, or should I hire someone to come in with the "right" equipment?
Part of the property is covered in thick grass with hard packed rocky soil underneath. We need to remove sections of it, bring in new soil and get it ready for trees and shrubs. Can the Avant 4-in-1 bucket cut through the grass and soil - either as a bucket or with its jaws?
Both the above tasks seem more like a dozer or excavator type task. On my Kioti, I had a backhoe for digging tasks. Can a 4-in-1 bucket handle anything like this?
About 1/2 acre that is currently grass will end up as orchard. Will a flail mower "mow" the rough grass and be appropriate on the Avant for the task of weaving around trees? Right now we hire guys with zero turn mowers to mow the mostly empty lawn area.
I'm hoping the Avant is stable enough and has the traction to get around the hills. I'm curious how it compares to the stability of my old Kioti with filled tires. Are they similar? After we get the paths in, it shouldn't have any issues.
It's a $70k investment with implements - which includes a premium for my remote location. It's not quite equivalent to what I paid for the Kioti with all its implements ($55k in 2014). The Avant is far less powerful and the implements are far less capable as well, but its nimbleness will (hopefully) allow me to get around the whole property where a tractor couldn't. Plus it won't destroy the existing grass. I need something to handle the tasks of rural living, and am hoping this has the right combination of capabilities instead of the wrong set of compromises.
Thoughts?
I know I may need to rent equipment for things the Avant doesn't do well. I'd just like to know what that is up front.
The first question is around leveling paths on the hill. Currently, the ground is a mixture of rocky volcanic soil and shredded bark. I want to level 6-7 foot wide paths that are a foot or so sloped from upper to lower point. Is doing this with the Avant 4-in-1 bucket advisable, or should I hire someone to come in with the "right" equipment?
Part of the property is covered in thick grass with hard packed rocky soil underneath. We need to remove sections of it, bring in new soil and get it ready for trees and shrubs. Can the Avant 4-in-1 bucket cut through the grass and soil - either as a bucket or with its jaws?
Both the above tasks seem more like a dozer or excavator type task. On my Kioti, I had a backhoe for digging tasks. Can a 4-in-1 bucket handle anything like this?
About 1/2 acre that is currently grass will end up as orchard. Will a flail mower "mow" the rough grass and be appropriate on the Avant for the task of weaving around trees? Right now we hire guys with zero turn mowers to mow the mostly empty lawn area.
I'm hoping the Avant is stable enough and has the traction to get around the hills. I'm curious how it compares to the stability of my old Kioti with filled tires. Are they similar? After we get the paths in, it shouldn't have any issues.
It's a $70k investment with implements - which includes a premium for my remote location. It's not quite equivalent to what I paid for the Kioti with all its implements ($55k in 2014). The Avant is far less powerful and the implements are far less capable as well, but its nimbleness will (hopefully) allow me to get around the whole property where a tractor couldn't. Plus it won't destroy the existing grass. I need something to handle the tasks of rural living, and am hoping this has the right combination of capabilities instead of the wrong set of compromises.
Thoughts?
