Buying Advice If you could do it all over again....

[jenkinsph]

So this is going to get interesting...2.5 miles up my road is an excavating company. I have thought about having him come down with one of his dozers and push some trees over and smoothing out the property. I figured there is 2 days work with a dozer and could have the other 20 trees in my front yard taken out and then another say 10 in my cleared area in my back yard. I agree with everyone in getting the job done; when it's a job that needs to be done fast.

So here's what happens if I get a dozer out here...I will most likely have to have a small backhoe to dig out and replace my crushed field lines for my septic tank. Yeah, that's easier than digging stumps. I will also have to have my lower half of the driveway replaced from the heavy equipment. The large dump truck that delivered 3 loads of top soil already did some damage, and I did hire someone to level that out at the time. It cost me $760 to have 3 loads of top soil hauled out and leveled. $250 of that was for the Bobcat to level it out which took about 90 minutes.

Notice I suggested getting a fullsize backhoe with an experienced operator and get some bids. The problem alot of people have is they think their experts even though they have little experience. Better to have someone who does this work all the time look at the job and give you some pointers, estimate the time and cost.

If your driveway is damaged by running a large backhoe, lowboy or dumptruck over it then it wasn't any good to start with. I should also add that as a plumber the same is true about your field lines. A dozer with about 8 psi ground pressure shouldn't hurt your pipes.

 

[jenkinsph]

I wish I had a backhoe. Could I justify one? No. Because my neighbor has an 85 hp Terex 4x4 backhoe and will come do what I need for about $60/hour. Cheap. He can dig out large 30" post oak stumps in just a few minutes.

Kyle,
I almost bought a new Terex 760B cab with extendahoe and 4x4 back in 2004 when you could buy them new for $47,000. Logistics was the problem though and decided I was better off with the 110tlb that I could pull behind my F550 service trucks. I think $60/hr for a full size backhoe is a good deal for you.

 

[lockhaven]

Kioti they are heavy and work hard

 

[Smithrr]

Notice I suggested getting a fullsize backhoe with an experienced operator and get some bids. The problem alot of people have is they think their experts even though they have little experience. Better to have someone who does this work all the time look at the job and give you some pointers, estimate the time and cost.

If your driveway is damaged by running a large backhoe, lowboy or dumptruck over it then it wasn't any good to start with. I should also add that as a plumber the same is true about your field lines. A dozer with about 8 psi ground pressure shouldn't hurt your pipes.

Yes, I noticed and chose to ignore it. Give it a rest..I'm not going to hire a backhoe. Does it bother you that bad that I want a SCUT w/backhoe?

Most experts are self acclaimed also, just because they own their own business. That is not intended to be a dig at you, just fact, and applies to all professions.

On the field lines, it may not hurt them, however you don't own the house I do and haven't seen the crap that I've had to fix here due to shoddy work from the previous owners. The 3 loads of soil I had hauled in was to burry the field lines a bit more because one was seeping to the top.

 

[jenkinsph]

Yes, I noticed and chose to ignore it. Give it a rest..I'm not going to hire a backhoe. Does it bother you that bad that I want a SCUT w/backhoe?

Most experts are self acclaimed also, just because they own their own business. That is not intended to be a dig at you, just fact, and applies to all professions.

On the field lines, it may not hurt them, however you don't own the house I do and haven't seen the crap that I've had to fix here due to shoddy work from the previous owners. The 3 loads of soil I had hauled in was to burry the field lines a bit more because one was seeping to the top.

Usually when field lines start to seep water to the surface it is because the ground surrounding the pipes has lost the ability to percolate the water through it. Over time the sediments expelled from the septic tank tend to block off the ground and in effect seal it off. Very similar to platlets (sp) in your blood. More than likely it is time for a new field with fresh gravel around the pipe (mostly below it). There may be other problems such as a low spot in the line and all the water is running to this point. There are lots of good systems out there now that work better for some locales. Some free advice from an experienced master plumber.

As for tractors buy what ever you wan't.

 

[Smithrr]

Usually when field lines start to seep water to the surface it is because the ground surrounding the pipes has lost the ability to percolate the water through it. Over time the sediments expelled from the septic tank tend to block off the ground and in effect seal it off. Very similar to platlets (sp) in your blood. More than likely it is time for a new field with fresh gravel around the pipe (mostly below it). There may be other problems such as a low spot in the line and all the water is running to this point. There are lots of good systems out there now that work better for some locales. Some free advice from an experienced master plumber.

As for tractors buy what ever you wan't.

Duly noted and I agree. We have family in the plumbing business. I also keep an eye out for how the grass grows above the lines in the draught to make sure it's flowing free and it has been. Actually, it was seeping because it was a low spot in the grade of the yard where they did more of the shoddy work and there was...ready for it...only 6" of soil on above the line in about a 8' area. Now there is about 18" above the line and it doesn't seep any more. That particular spot in the yard I'm wanting to add about the equivalent of about 7 more loads of topsoil and level it out. Anyway, this is a bit off topic. Thanks again.

 

[Kioti guy]

Check out the ck 20 in person ,I think you will find it to be a larger ,heavier more capable tractor then the other tractors on your origional list. Its not a SCUT it is a CUT. I absolutely love mine.....Craig

 

[TripleR]

Yes, I noticed and chose to ignore it. Give it a rest..I'm not going to hire a backhoe. Does it bother you that bad that I want a SCUT w/backhoe?

Most experts are self acclaimed also, just because they own their own business. That is not intended to be a dig at you, just fact, and applies to all professions.

On the field lines, it may not hurt them, however you don't own the house I do and haven't seen the crap that I've had to fix here due to shoddy work from the previous owners. The 3 loads of soil I had hauled in was to bury the field lines a bit more because one was seeping to the top.

Yikes, I don't think I have an more advice on this one.

 

[Smithrr]

Check out the ck 20 in person ,I think you will find it to be a larger ,heavier more capable tractor then the other tractors on your origional list. Its not a SCUT it is a CUT. I absolutely love mine.....Craig

I had pulled up the specs on the CK20S HST and it looked like a nice tractor. I may go look at that tractor, however once again it's a dealer that is almost 100 miles from my house. Looks like I have some traveling to do. Thanks

 

[Smithrr]

Yikes, I don't think I have an more advice on this one.

Well I appreciate the comments that have been given.

To explain myself..

I thought I hade made it pretty obvious that I wasn't interested in hiring a backhoe or getting bids from anyone to do the work I wanted to do. I'm wanting a SCUT and didn't know the pros, cons, feel, resale, etc...etc..., so I was looking for opinions on the SCUTs.

I offered up want I was intending to do with it and then instead of targeting the ? SCUT will or will not do the tasks, it became a you don't know what your doing and hire it out thread. It's my belief one should learn a bit more about the person they're commenting on before they say or write things negatively about them. I also believe everyone on this board has hired some one in the past and when the job was done, they know they could have done a better job themselves. Unfortunately I live in a area where this seems to be very prevalent.