Want a Skid next summer....

[RedWingsDet]

Next summer I want to purchase a skid steer... I need help guiding me in the right direction. I want to get a Bobcat, cat or Gehl, im leaning towards bobcat.

I will be using it for the following:
1. load trucks with dirt, gravel, and mostly mulch.
2. Move pallets of bricks and salt around and SOD (we do ALOT of sod installs so it is a must that it can pick up pallets).
3. Do tearouts like sod and rocks and 4-6" of dirt to prep for base.
4. Load garbage/grass/brush into container.
5. Grading

I dont plan on plowing snow with it, but it'd be a nice option to have.
I want to buy a good used one and spend in the range of 10-15k.

Anyone have ideas on what would suit me best?

[Scag48]

Bobcat 873. About the only machine you'd ever be able to get for 15K in that kind of capacity range. Keep in mind an 873 in that price range is going to be beat to hell and have a ton of hours. You might get lucky and find a lower hour Gehl, but I think I'd take a Bobcat over Gehl, especially the older ones.

[BobcatBoy06]

I don't if you will be able to get a Bobcat for that price range you might have to up your bump up the amount you want to spend a few thousand and you should be in business with a nice S250

[zedosix]

A thomas 245 model would also fit the bill. Tough as hell and not to pricey. Run forever.

[Lawnworks]

I think the deals are out there. and I think now is the time to buy. You can buy a nice cat off of ironplanet for 15k-20k. I have seen a 700 hour 242 go for 15k. I should have bought a 1200 hour nh ls180 for 10.5k on ebay, but somebody else hit buy-it-now before I did. I tried to purchase this cat today, but it sold locally for $16,800 today before I could get him a deposit.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&sspagename=ADME%3AL%3ARTQ%3AUS%3A1&viewitem=&item=270074078905&rd=1

[RHayden]

We've ran Gehl for many years. Never a complaint. You should be able to pick up a decent used one between 12-15k. Bobcat and Cat are both excellent machines as well but we've stuck with Gehl due to their performance history with us. Don't forget the importance of having a dealer close by no matter which brand you choose.

[ksss]

I would try and find an 1845C. Great machines, great value.

[Fieldman12]

I think a Deere 260 or 270 would be great for what your doing. Maybe even a 250 would be fine. They have reliable motors and are built heavy and have the vertical lift. All of the Deeres seem to have some boom sway but that is normal for the Deeres. I would go for the Series II version but the early ones should be okay if you take the serial to the Dealer to find out what updates have been done. A New Holland also would be good especially for the money. The old Case machines are good machines also.

[Scag48]

If you must go Deere, it definately has to be a series II, or it'll be in the shop every other week.

[Tigerotor77W]

I'd have to second the Deere idea. I think New Hollands will fit the bill, but for heavier digging, meh, you may need an Ls190 or Lx985, both of which are pretty long machines (51" wheelbase). For the price, NH will probably be your easiest find, but I suspect you'd like the Deeres a bit better for your job. They're heavier-built.

As for whether it needs to be a 200 Series II, it's possible to find the original series that are in good shape -- but I have no idea how to tell dud from fine apart. (Perhaps some of the Deere guys would.)

[jd270]

i use my 270 to load my twinscrew dump truck its been a good machine and will lift awsome i also had a 873 before the deere and i had a 246 both were junk the deere is a 2000 and has been in the shop once to install a engine heater

[chuckers]

1845 c wont lift a pallet of sod. Sorry if i'm wrong but that is what i was told from the Case dealer.

[dozerman21]

Chuckers you beat me to it. 1845C's will lift a full pallet of sod, but only a couple of feet. They will not unload a pallet off of a flatbed truck. Ours has been a very good machine and I highly recommend them, but not for consistently moving around heavy pallets of sod or stone.

[YellowDogSVC]

for loading trucks or trailers any of the major manufacturers would be fine if you go with the vertical lift and a large framed loader. I would test all three units and see who has the best (and distance to) service shop in your area. I personal think an S300 or S250 load trucks well but visibility isn't that great on a tandem dump. They are heavy machines but do not excel at grading out sod, dirt, rock unless you have a sharp cutting edge due to the physics of how their arms work. You can pick up a good machine through a dealer. Talk to them about trades they may take where they will just be a broker so the other guy can get his new machine. It would work like a "pass" through and you will pay a bit more than the guy would have gotten on trade but he won't have to go through the private sales process and you can probably get a good machine and know something about it that way. I have done this a number of times as I was the guy upgrading and they found me a buyer who paid more than I would have gotten on trade but not enough to make it worth while for me to have used machinery trader or fielded phone calls for a month.