I want a skid

[Lawnworks]

Well I want a skid steer. I already have a Dingo tracked mini skid, so I want something w/ some balls. I am considering 1800-3000 ROC skid. I guess I just don't want to buy a 1800 ROC skid and wish I had bought a bigger one. What are the downfalls of a bigger machine? bigger footprint? Will a S185 pick-up a pallet of sod? How much better are the bigger machines (s250,s300) at grading?

I have pretty much decided I want a wheeled-unit. I really don't want to spend more than 20k on a skid. I would love a tracked unit, but it sounds like undercarriages and tracks can cost you a small fortune after 1500 hours or so.

I almost bought a s250 w/ 200hrs on ebay for 20k the other day, but it sold for 20,100.

[AWJ Services]

You already have a mini skid so there is no reason too get a small skid steer.

I would recomend at least an S 220 size or bigger.

ROC has nothing to do with grading.
It in my opinion is worthless in reference too a machines ability.

[Lawnworks]

You already have a mini skid so there is no reason too get a small skid steer.

I would recomend at least an S 220 size or bigger.

ROC has nothing to do with grading.
It in my opinion is worthless in reference too a machines ability.

Weight and hp are the determining factors? I wish I could afford an A300... they look like a great machine.

[AWJ Services]

Weight and hp are the determining factors?

Somewhat.

You will find that machines tend too excel in different areas.

You need too decide what your needs are.

Big machines really have no down fall in my opinion except for weight.

[RockSet N' Grade]

Lawnworks, I read an interesting article at equipmentworld.com....the Nov issue entitled "compact focus"(4th heading down on the left side of the page) which will give you alot of information about skids in general and stats on the difference in productivity and costs of owning a wheel vs. tracked machine. They talk in generic terms and don't push one brand or another. I believe a real key to skids is determining very specifically what your jobs have been and what they may be tomorrow and then, no matter what brand you choose.....purchase price and operating cost. I see alot of guys buying a new piece of iron for 30-40 and they could have got a great used one for 10. For your first machine, you have got to really protect your pocket book and bottom line.

[Lawnworks]

I will check out that article. How many hours is too many hours? 3000? From what I hear these things are expensive to repair.

I am not in a hurry to buy... I cruise ebay every day... somebody is going to give one away one of these days.

[AWJ Services]

How many hours is too many hours? 3000? From what I hear these things are expensive to repair.

If you are buying one too keep for an extended time I would shoot for less than 1000 hours.

If it has some hours on it I would give a hands on inspection before purchasing it no matter how cheap.

Iron Planet is a really good online auction because of the much more thorough inspection they give on the machine.

Every area in the USA seems to be particular strong in a certain brand.

They are all represented well in Atlanta for instance.
Parts and service for any brand is available.

[yamadooski]

We just went through what you are going through right now. We didnt know which one to get.
For me a s250 works great but for my buddy, we split the cost of one, it wasnt big enough to carry a pallet of pavers.

S we ended getting a used 873 for 11k. It needed some repairs to be perfect.
We sunk 3k into it and its like brand new.

The next cheapest 873 we could find anywhere that was in good working condition was 18k. So feel we did ok. It only needs a paint job and a new seat. It has 2300 hours.
I have seen some with over 4000 hours for much more than we paid for.

It seems as if Florida's Bobcats hold value a little better than other parts of the country.
I found a few in Indiana that were cheaper but factor in gas and time it wasnt worth it, plus get all the way up there and it could be in crappy condition.

Do beware on ebay there is some guy that says buy it now and the price is way low on the "S" models. Either they are stolen or its a scam.
Just be careful.

[Lawnworks]

What is ROC of an 873? ECS is on my wish list. I checked out ironplanet and it looks like I should be able to find a decent deal on there. That oil sample report is just crazy.

Yeah there is so many scams on ebay it is unreal. The first sign to me is the "pre-approved bidder auctions"... what a bunch of horse crap. The second chance offers are ridiculous also. I bid on about 1 skid a day, and I will probably get 100 second chance offers in a week. Bunch of scammers for sure, but at the same time you can find smokin deals on ebay... I mean smokin. It is all about patience and persistence.

[dozerman21]

Yeah, I saw a T-300 recently on ebay and you could only "Buy It Now" for something like $6,000. It was a scam. Make sure the person has a legitimate address, or that he's not overseas.

If you're buying used, you should be able to find a nice late model bigger machine under 1,000 hours for $20K or less. If the jobs you do don't require you to have a smaller machine due to weight issues or width, I would get the biggest machine you can. That way you don't regret it later on. I would stay with a wheeled machine if possible. It's a lot harder to find a good used CTL in the same price range, and unless your jobs require you to have one, the wheeled skid will hold up longer if you're running on pavement a lot. I have a CTL and they're great, but 95% of my work is in the dirt.

[RockSet N' Grade]

Lawnworks: I've mentioned this before, but it bears mentioning again. In our area a local tv station is KSL Channel 5. They have a website, and among other things, they allow the public to place for free, services and items for sale. Maybe in your area they have the same thing goin' on....talk about smokin deals, there are all sorts of machines for sale around here. The season has ended and it is winter time, and some guys havent put enough money away to hold them through the dry time.....so they are sellin' their equipment to lighten the load. Come January when it is real cold and there is no work, I expect there to be some awesome deals to be had. That is when I am going to start to browse the for sale ads to see what I can find.....For me, its just like buying a boat......you don't go shopping in prime season, you look for one in the dead of winter. At least, that's how I have found the best deals....

[Dirty Water]

Lawnworks: I've mentioned this before, but it bears mentioning again. In our area a local tv station is KSL Channel 5. They have a website, and among other things, they allow the public to place for free, services and items for sale. Maybe in your area they have the same thing goin' on....talk about smokin deals, there are all sorts of machines for sale around here. The season has ended and it is winter time, and some guys havent put enough money away to hold them through the dry time.....so they are sellin' their equipment to lighten the load. Come January when it is real cold and there is no work, I expect there to be some awesome deals to be had. That is when I am going to start to browse the for sale ads to see what I can find.....For me, its just like buying a boat......you don't go shopping in prime season, you look for one in the dead of winter. At least, that's how I have found the best deals....

We have a local AM radio station that runs classifieds as well. I got a good laugh this morning, the announcer was reading an ad for a Yanmar B6:

"Excavator for Sale, 95' yanmar B6 with Thumb, $14k"

He read it as "95 foot" instead of '95 model year :)

He then paused after reading the ad, and said "I don't know what that means, but I figured if you want an excavator you probably understand".

:laugh:

[dozerman21]

Lawnworks: I've mentioned this before, but it bears mentioning again. In our area a local tv station is KSL Channel 5. They have a website, and among other things, they allow the public to place for free, services and items for sale. Maybe in your area they have the same thing goin' on....talk about smokin deals, there are all sorts of machines for sale around here. The season has ended and it is winter time, and some guys havent put enough money away to hold them through the dry time.....so they are sellin' their equipment to lighten the load. Come January when it is real cold and there is no work, I expect there to be some awesome deals to be had. That is when I am going to start to browse the for sale ads to see what I can find.....For me, its just like buying a boat......you don't go shopping in prime season, you look for one in the dead of winter. At least, that's how I have found the best deals....


That's a good point. I'll also add that it may be worth a shot to check around at a couple of different dealers in the area. This is they're slow time too, so you might catch a good deal on something that they've had sitting around for a while with no bites. Maybe they would come down on the price and throw in a warranty or something.

[Scag48]

Now is the time to buy if you can afford to make the push through winter. Equipment prices are down across the US. Dealers are going to be willing to sell, sell, sell. Like I said, if you can survive through the winter with the payment, you will probably get a smokin' deal, but better than you would by waiting until spring when everyone and their mother is looking to buy a skid.

[ksss]

I don't really believe that the ROC rating has no meaning as to a machines ability. A machine with a 1500 ROC will not have the same ability that a 3000 ROC machine will have. The physical size of the machine matters to some guys, depending on what your doing. A lot of machines in the 2000 ROC range can be speced narrow. I have a 2200 ROC machine that I ordered at 66" wide (that is usually notihng more than the rims flipped around). That allows me more room in tight areas and have never noticed a stability issue that I felt was revelent. I believe in buying a little bigger than you need but if you don't NEED a 3000 ROC machine, I would get something smaller. The larger machines drink fuel and extra weight is no small matter when it comes to trailering, depending on your set up. Most are in the 9000 pound range give or take.

[AWJ Services]

I don't really believe that the ROC rating has no meaning as to a machines ability.

If you compare like lift arms too like they do.

Radial lift machines are lacking in ROC over vertical machines in general yet just because the machine has a higher roc does not mean it will evcavate better or that it is bigger in size.

Take my Takeuchi and the JD CTL.My machine has a larger footprintand more weight yet a smaller roc.

In a sense it does matter but it easily can confuse a new buyer as it did me.

[Lawnworks]

I plan on paying cash for a skid, so I am not worried about payments. I have been saving for a few months for the "buy the idiots who didn't plan for winter" sale-a-thon. Last winter, I bought my 425 dingo for 5k when it was easily worth 8-10k. So I am hoping somebody will let a skid go for cheap.

It seems like the downsides for the bigger machines are fuel and weight. I am thinking I am going to buy the biggest one I can afford. I have a 3500 that can pull the thing, and I really want something that can push some earth if I ever do any rough grading.

[ksss]

I see your point. A machines ROC should be taken for what it is. A lift capacity rating and nothing more. A great example is the 90XT/450. The machine weighs 9000 pounds has 85 plus hp but with a ROC of only 2450 and a radial lift pattern. The 95XT/465 with a vertical lift linkage, hp is the same the body is just a bit bigger, has ROC up to 3600. So I guess when your shopping for a machine one needs to take everything into account, and most importantly weigh a machines strong points againt what you want to do with it. A high flow system that generates 40 gpm isn't a big deal if your not going to need that kind of flow. A 3600 pound ROC machine maybe overkill if your just grading and excavating with it. If your not sure what certain size machines can do I would demo a few of them. You maybe surprised, especially with the new models how productive they are. The 440 I bought this Spring continues to impress. Same hp as the 450/465 only better economy and with a ROC of 2200, and a weight of around 7500 pounds (I think)it will handle the types of jobs that we do with it. Its a lot of machine in a small package.

[cddva]

Good point on the ROC. I'm not really familiar with vertical lift machines but I'm guessing they do just that, lift vertically versus a radial (arc) pattern. The arc pattern would move the load further from the machine at some point and that point would be your load limiting point (greatest moment arm) whereas a vertical lift machine would normally have a shorter (constant) moment arm and be able to lift more weight for the same applied cylinder force (comparing comparable machines). I'm sure there's a few more factors involved but I'm guessing thats the general principal. If not...........:walking:

[Lawnworks]

It seems like iron planet would be a good place to buy skids. They had an auction today, and some skids went for pretty fair prices. Cat 252 - 800hours - no leaks - no problem - oil report was pretty clean - $15000. They also had a 242 - 800hours ac/heat - harley rake (needed electrical work) - trencher - forks - skid wasn't immaculate but went for 19,500. These prices look a little lower than ebay, but w/ a really thorough inspection.