KilroyJC
Elite Member
- Joined
- Mar 30, 2022
- Messages
- 2,873
- Location
- Appalachia
- Tractor
- 1962 Case 430, 1995 Craftsman Yard Tractor/mower, 1949 South Bend 9A Lathe, WoodMizer Lx55 sawmill, Kubota KX033-4 Mini-Excavator
I learned a lot about the overhead lift with out or little Bobcat 610.For contractors these two machines make a lot of sense since the mini-ex can do a lot of digging quickly and the two machines can often be hauled on the same trailer or on alone on smaller trailers pulled by 250s or maybe 350s versus large trucks. They are very powerful, compact machines that when used in the right applications cannot be beat in their quickness and ability to get the job done.
Personally I would not have a skid steer because whenever it turns it is tearing things up. In a contractors world this is not a problem because they are usually in a compelte tear-up, but as a homeowner it is a mess. I had a guy that baled hay and picked up his bales with a skid steer. After a couple of years of piled up sod where he turned very sharp I changed to a different guy who uses an FEL. The other issue is tipping forward - there have been a lot of deaths on a skidsteer from people trying to lift just a little to much and once it gets up high it tips forward - sometimes it waits until you start to dump ad the load in the bucket shifts a little forward, i.e. inadequate warning. I much prefer my Versatile 150 in that it is a better loader, can move much faster, and does not tear things up. For instance, this fall I moved 80 ton of rock across my lawn to put around my my lake edge with my 150 and you would never know it by the look of the lawn. Now I did it at a dry time of year for minimal damage but when you have a ton of rock on your bucket you need decent size tires to not leave tracks and when turning skid-steer or tracked skid steer does a lot of tearing. My son, who works construction helped me with this project and uses a skid steer daily, never even thought about the difference until I pointed it out after we were done and he said no way could we have done it as fast or as nicely with a skidsteer.
Eddie laid out the mini-ex negatives very well which are similar very good at what they do well but limited in versatility. And yes I would love to have one which is why I rent one sometimes when I have the right job - they are fun to play with.
the first time it happened, I was dumping into a dump truck so I caught on the sides and caused no damage or injury. But I rather quickly installed a 4-pt racing harness and wore it religiously.
I also learned the value of tarping materials to keep out water - an overfill bucket of dry soil is not as heavy as an just-under-full bucket of wet soil - and it also empties much better!