Mini Excavator?

[finn1]

Snowmobilers seem to do quite well with tracks and low ground pressure, though.

Just a thought. Maybe we shouldn’t over analyze this in the extreme.

 

[4570Man]

Snowmobilers seem to do quite well with tracks and low ground pressure, though.

Just a thought. Maybe we shouldn’t over analyze this in the extreme.

A snow mobile has a lot of track on that ground for such a light vehicle and it’s a very aggressive track and they’re a high hp vehicle. Completely different from a mini x. A mini x is good at self recovery though. I’ve had the counter weight rubbing the mud with my mini x and got it out on its own.

 

[m7040]

Having a minix when you feel like using it is priceless and you will find many uses for it. Having AC and heat is great for comfort and extends the times to use it.
At 80 years old I find it to be a great help for many other tasks other that digging and with attachments I can lift, grab, scrape, level, move rocks and logs and do it even when the weather is bad.

 

[DieselBound]

Snowmobilers seem to do quite well with tracks and low ground pressure, though.

Just a thought. Maybe we shouldn’t over analyze this in the extreme.

But analyzing apples to oranges?

As 4570man noted, they're really light. And then there's the issue of ice, which seems to be the real gotcha- I suspect that snowmobiles are not icemobiles (unless outfitted with studded tracks?).

 

[Jstpssng]

But analyzing apples to oranges?

As 4570man noted, they're really light. And then there's the issue of ice, which seems to be the real gotcha- I suspect that snowmobiles are not icemobiles (unless outfitted with studded tracks?).

They go better than you might think. The problem is that it gives no lubrication to the nylon sliders, making it easy to burn them up.
Nevertheless it's better to have the track "picked" if you spend a lot of time on icy roads-er, trails.

 

[MHarryE]

I think of the blade on my mini being for stuff like backfilling, smoothing, pushing stuff around in areas where I might puncture a tractor tire (but now I have a CTL which is much faster for that). On mine, its also needed for stability when digging. It doesn't have the final drive capability of a dozer. I haven't put but 500 hours on mine in the 11 years I've owned it but I probably have put 25% of its purchase price in undercarriage repairs. When I got it, I only had a tractor along with the mini so its blade got a lot of use. Never been out in the snow except to move trees and stuff like that. No excavating in my area from December through April because of hard ground.

 

[Popisin]

If you have 1000 ft of gravel to housekeep and plow and want to log out and stump for yourself and keep warm while doing it take a look at

M415XT - Mauldin Paving Products

10' Moldboard, 3/4 yd3 Bucket, 84" Scarifier 118 HP Turbo-Charged and After-cooled Diesel Engine All-Wheel Hydrostatic, Two-Speed Drive Front and Rear Universal

www.4amauldin.com

They are out there on the used side too. Like all combo machines they have drawbacks but consider that any implement that you can hang off a skid steer will work on these and they are better at loading trucks than skid steers. I thought about one but my driveway is only 500 feet.

 

[nyone]

I own two tractors with front loader and a micro mini ex. If I'm removing the stumps (and I usualy do) I use the mini ex, dig out the stump and push it over. My mini is under 40in wide so can get in areas that are very tight. But it's slow yet more nimble. We get snow, it's nearly useless in snow. A walk behind snow blower may be quicker and a hell of alot cheaper.

Tractor is good for longer log pulls but pulling the logs on the ground make them fill with dirt.

 

[bkibler]

I've cleared miles of mountain roads in NH using a mini ex and farm tractor. The mini cuts the initial grade (30-45 degree slopes on my hills), removes stumps and boulders, and does a first rough pass at leveling with the 4-way blade. The I come back with the tractor with a FEL, box blade and top-n-tilt for spreading gravel and the finish grade. It's the perfect combo.

I also have a 75hp CTL. It doesn't get used much for new road construction, but it's the best for clearing snow, beats the heck out of driving my tractor backwards. I have separate studded winter tracks for it. A mini ex is too slow to be useful for snow clearing, and the blade is too small for anything but a dusting.

 

[panamaguy]

I've got 20 acres of timbered property on a mountain in Northern Idaho. I also have 1,000 feet of steep road that I have to maintain. I've been using a Mahindra 2015 for the past several years to log and maintain the road among other things. I've always felt this tractor was about 15hp shy of what I needed for size, power and options for what I'm doing. My long term plan was to get a 30hp tractor with a cab for the winter months.. Lately I've been talking to friends who suggested I consider a mini excavator and keep my old tractor. Thoughts? How well can a 6-way blade on a mini move snow and maintain a road? How well can a mini do at pulling logs off a hill?

Wrong machine. I own a IHI 15NX here in panama and with the thumb I put on it it is great machine. I can pick up a 24 inch dia rock and also great for trees but it would suck as a plow.