Getting Philosophical: The paradox of the one-person business

[LarryRB]

You mean I'm not the only guy who wasn't impressed by the 110 ??

For a few hours, I ran a 110 couple of years back and wasn't impressed with it. Fiberglass panels, wide open underneath with hydraulic lines that can easily be snagged and broken. And just the "feel" of the machine didn't impress me at all, This along with New England dealers who should be melting down the yellow paint to extract the gold included in the paint as their pricing reflects this compared to other areas. Although to be fair,, this holds true for jsut about any brand name being sold here,, In the last couple of years it is possible that Deere made some changes that I am not aware of, I know before, one had to pay 500-600 or so for an outsourced skid plate to cover the bottom problems,, Maybe they have done this on their own by now I really do not know.. For an hour or so, last year I ran a local hardscape landscapers new CBL40,,, I was really impressed with this design... I have mentioned to Doug on several ocassions I think this is his best shot for (HIS SPECIFIC) needs, where he lives, the close proximity of buildingd, trees, etc, no parking of trailers in the road and a host of other requirements by the municipalities in his neighborhood. The CBL 40 would make the (best) all around machine for his one man operation.

 

[LarryRB]

Running late for a meeting however, I forgot to mention the design of the CBL 40 I really like,, THey did their home work when it was designed. Best thing I like is fuel fill up on the side, in fact the tank is part of the step up to the tractor. Tis, is the one of only two downsides I find with the L48, the other being mid range HST could be a little faster.

 

[jmfox]

How come you didn't sell me your old 60???

You really want the new ASV RC60, new artwork, more power, and 11mph top speed.

jmf

 

[Dougster]

You really want the new ASV RC60, new artwork, more power, and 11mph top speed.
jmf

I'd take one any way I could get it!

Even the "slightly used" 50's have been a little out of my reach lately. The more desirable 60's have been that much harder to reach for.

I envy all you guys here with the really big bucks. You outbid me every time.

Dougster

 

[tlbuser]

melting down the yellow paint to extract the gold included in the paint as their pricing reflects. Although to be fair,, this holds true for jsut about any brand name being sold,, For an hour or so, last year I ran a local hardscape landscapers new CBL40,,, I was really impressed with this design....

Not just in your area, lots of guys looking at long distance hauls to save a couple of bucks. Now, with diesel being $.50/gallon HIGHER than gas, it's starting to stir some more nasty problems. (local rumor that sand and gravel will be increased to $38/ton).

On the CBL40,I liked the swivel seat, control layout, general fit and feel. Felt like a bigger machine and nothing looked/felt tinker toyish about it. The sales guy removed the hoe to show me how easy it was to switch to 3 pt. and he did it in very short order. The one I looked at had QA's on both ends plus they had the 3 pt. kit on hand. Out the door for a mere $39,000.

 

[Dougster]

For an hour or so, last year I ran a local hardscape landscapers new CBL40,,, I was really impressed with this design... I have mentioned to Doug on several ocassions I think this is his best shot for (HIS SPECIFIC) needs, where he lives, the close proximity of buildings, trees, etc, no parking of trailers in the road and a host of other requirements by the municipalities in his neighborhood. The CBL 40 would make the (best) all around machine for his one man operation.

I forgot to mention the design of the CBL 40 I really like,, THey did their home work when it was designed. Best thing I like is fuel fill up on the side, in fact the tank is part of the step up to the tractor.

On the CBL40,I liked the swivel seat, control layout, general fit and feel. Felt like a bigger machine and nothing looked/felt tinker toyish about it. The sales guy removed the hoe to show me how easy it was to switch to 3 pt. and he did it in very short order. The one I looked at had QA's on both ends plus they had the 3 pt. kit on hand. Out the door for a mere $39,000.

Funny that you guys mentioned everything but digging ability!

Just kidding you guys!!! Like I said, I've not used one. I examined one in great detail for a couple hours (at an unfortunately closed "on vacation" dealership I devoted a whole day to visit ) and agree that it is a fairly slick package... albeit no more slick or powerful or cheaper than an L39.

On the other hand, it feels a little smallish overall compared to my 4110+509 and weighs no more. The engine is less powerful and the tires are half the size of those on the 4110. This concerns me because the 4110+509 was jerked around pretty good on the "rockscape" job. The 509 was plenty powerful in most cases, but the weight of the overall TLB (even with the 545 lb CAT bucket installed and full of rock) was often too low to utilize the full power of the hoe. It makes me wonder: What is the sense of a buying an even more powerful hoe if the overall machine weight is no more than what I own right now?

The available instantaneous hydraulic flow is another point of debate and confusion. Don't wish to get into the details here, but I went so far as to speak with Yanmar's corporate engineers for a clarification of what certain dealers are claiming. They told me the dealers were wrong in their inflated claims. Still, the debate continues... with the dealers swearing the American and Japanese engineers I spoke with are simply misinformed and/or not understanding my question. Was something "lost in translation"? I can't really say.

This doesn't mean that the CBL40 isn't the ultimate answer for my current situation (as Larry has often suggested)... but I can't help but think that the more powerful (and plentiful in "slightly used") JD110 or an L48 (if I could ever afford one) wouldn't be a much safer bet.

A 2002 JD110 w/1,000 hours in PA just went yesterday for a mere $19K on a certain large unmentionable auction website from an established, well-known PA seller. You must admit: In a compact trailerable machine, that's a lot of TLB for relatively short money.

Dougster

 

[rtdiggr]

I don't think you will ever find one machine to do all the jobs.
I am in the same place you are 1man 1machine, i have a MF1433v. I do everything from stumpgrinding[good money] to ponds, trenching, grading and postholes. i make very little money at postholes but i am offering a service and hope it will let to other things.

My point is you should concentrate on what your machine will do instead of what i doesn't do, there is a ton of implements for the machine you have now. Again a stumpgrinder is a good money maker and a box blade is great for refreashing driveways, and there is no materials needed you go and do the job and go home [stumpgrinding is really quick]

If you can't do a job because it is to big/small that is okay do what you can do. Try as you might you can't do every job, and that is probably a good thing.

Shane

 

[Dougster]

I don't think you will ever find one machine to do all the jobs. I am in the same place you are 1man 1machine, i have a MF1433v. I do everything from stumpgrinding[good money] to ponds, trenching, grading and postholes. i make very little money at postholes but i am offering a service and hope it will let to other things. My point is you should concentrate on what your machine will do instead of what i doesn't do, there is a ton of implements for the machine you have now. Again a stumpgrinder is a good money maker and a box blade is great for refreashing driveways, and there is no materials needed you go and do the job and go home [stumpgrinding is really quick] If you can't do a job because it is to big/small that is okay do what you can do. Try as you might you can't do every job, and that is probably a good thing.
Shane

Thanks for the reply Shane. I especially appreciate and value replies from folks like you who are pretty much in the same boat as me. I will put you down for a vote of "no second machine"... albeit with a caveat that you might encourage me to add a few more specialty attachments and services to my repertoire.

In particular, I have thought hard about stump grinding since fewer people than expected have wanted to pay for stump pulling services... especially "a la carte" with no other follow-up work involved! My tree removal partner already offers stump grinding and actually does an amazingly good job of it for relatively short money. I think he goes deeper and wider than any other stump grinding service I have ever seen... quite impressive really! Buying a stump grinder of my own would put me in direct competition with him on some jobs (i.e., those requiring his large tree removal services)... and I'm not sure that would be a really smart business move for me at this time.

Dougster

 

[jim_wilson]

My response is based on what little experience I have - and from being in a somewhat similar situation during my own tractor buying experience a few years back - everybody has their own factors to weigh - and yours obviously includes your storage problems - your transportation problems - and your money problems.

After reading thru a bunch of the posts - it seems to me that your best avenue would be to try and target the lower end of the business at the moment - since a machine purchased to target this area would have the least impact on your transportation, storage, and financial issues.

You say your tractor is a 4110 with a bradco 509 - that is hard to detach. That 45 minutes you spend detaching the backhoe is something that should also be factored in. Getting a TLB of some sort - with a backhoe that is more easily detachable - might in and of itself open up more jobs for you. This may be a bad example - but on my BX23 for instance I can remove the backhoe ( or reinstall it) - in approximately 5 minutes. I know other Kubota products with the similar 4 pt mounting system for the backhoe remove/install just as easily. I would assume a JD110 would have a similar - more efficient backhoe mount system than your current 4110/509 setup.

Seems like one of the things you ought to be looking at is getting a TLB combo that is more easily adaptable to different setups - and removing the backhoe is a big part of that. Having a heavier tractor to make the backhoe work better would make for more efficient work too.

If you work your way thru that - concentrating on the lower end work (where you mentioned needing a smaller piece of machinery to do it ) would seem to be your next best bet - smaller means less expensive - easier to store - wont require a new truck/trailer, etc. If I was thinking of smaller equipment to cover the "too small for my 4110/509 setup" the big question would be - do I get something like a BX24 - or do I get a truly mini excavator - something along the lines of the Kubota K-008 or say a U-15? ( I am only being brand specific because those are the ones I know)