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[Robbie Hegwood]

With your excavator background this route would right up your alley. It has really opened up some good business opertunities. Think, you can now mulch where you couldn't/shouldn't mulch previously. I like my 161, it's a good size and power and is all I can pull right now. Plus it's good on fuel and the visibility is unbeatable. Do you have any pricing on either the bronto otr the torro?

 

[Robbie Hegwood]

Never mind, you posted before me. If I get the time I might find out the prices on both. The bronto might be the better choice for a little more locally made. I might call FAE also for there based here in Atlanta and have plan B,C,D, etc.

 

[QwikDraw]

I assume you are charging by the hour and not the acre for the excavator...I just missed a small job that the excavator would have worked perfect. I had to bid it high because of the slope and the rocks but with your machine you could have reached it from above and go around the rocks..
It's all in th future...I hope.

brownbronto

The skid steer model was @ $25,000, I assume the excavator is around that? maybe a little less???

 

[Robbie Hegwood]

Yes by the hour. Its tons safer than our skids. You mulch your way down from the top so you see everything. Not like "bulldozing" your way through with the skid. I just did an embankment with alot of rock, very controllable. Id compare it to using an exacto knife verses a steak knife on a model. It's a very good package. I also did a back side of a dam and drainage ditch that was extremely wet and was easy. Just stop about 10' short and reach right out.

 

[QwikDraw]

Robbie,

What size does the flail take down? 4 inch? I just came across a possible opportunity and that excavator and head would be the solution. Of course I also found someone in need of a low ground pressure field mower and I was thinking the 84" Brush Hound might be the ticket for that... looking to expand but not sure which way to go. It does seem the excavator would have more use but the bigger price tag??

What do you think?

 

[Robbie Hegwood]

Hey Ted. The head will mulch up to a 5" tree as it sits. While ordering a bolt to replace one a screwed up form the manu. he suggested a switch to a slightly different knife configuration that should increase cut cap to 6" material.
I love my excavator for the places it will go. It will go where our skid could only dream. But back to the original problem of price. The head is very reasonable...the tractor to run it isn't!!! But it's doubled our area we can now cover. We had a very specific use for the excavator and nothing else would do. I am eyeballing the new 080 if the demand for the excavator increases.
Now I have had a few times where a rotary cutter would be usful but you can pickup one of those for 5k or under to complement your 100.
I almost think if I had it to do over I would opt for the excavator only and let the others fight for the skid grinding business and/or sub that portion. With the excvator route being new and us having the only one in Ga. I like my odds for it. I also saw where supertrak has a medium sized excavator now with a smaller head. So that appears to be the new direction for mulching. Lets see if I can stay ahead of the game.
Robbie

 

[QwikDraw]

That sounds very impressive. I'd love to see it in action to get a better idea what it can do. Sounds like it has opened you up to a new market....a very good thing.
Today I met a guy with a 30K excavator and older (96) Brown's Bronto head, the flail type. I really wasn't too impressed with the speed but he has a new fixed tooth on order with a 140hp power pack that should be a beast. He eats up 65+ gallons of fuel per day, ouch.

Are you still thinking of a mulch head for the mini or are you happy with the flail?

Of course as soon as you buy something you always want the bigger one...or at least I do.

 

[Robbie Hegwood]

I talked at length with my head manu and even mentioned the fixed tooth for the 080. It just so happens he'd seen the 080 with the fixed tooth run and came up with the new knife sets and he said he could match the cap of the fixed tooth for half the money. With limited flow even on the 080 he feels and I agree the flail is best suited for them. The fixed tooth sucks up H.P. and would be hard on the smaller excavators. I've looked several times and can't find the actual speed my head runs, I'd say about 3000 rpm. On video you can't see the blades while it's running.
I like where we are right now and feel we can cover a pretty broad span of work with what we have now. If something comes up to big I have several contacts for those.
I have some video where trying to get burned to a cd and I'll send you a copy.
Another good thing about the excavators is the much better access in the engine compartment and related items. It's actually not a pain to work on. I've had a recent problem with water in my fuel drums and the fuel seperator is the first thing you see when you open up the engine hatch.
Oh ya. It will run about 8 hrs on 10-12 gal of fuel. That's a nice change...