Keeping a skid busy..

[IHI]

This topic may have alreay been bought up, so apoligies if it did in advance.

I will hopefully will have my skid within no more than 2 weeks. I know I'll be putting it to work by installing decorative rock/sod/flagstone, but would like to know what other niche/market is profitable and nice to have for the skid? Would you say that if a skid is busy 60% of the week, its busy??

[NEUSWEDE]

I am in the same position my skid is about 2 weeks out. I will mainly be putting it to use doing installs of hardscapes and landscape installs. But I found side work of sweeping for it to keep it busy and in the winter it will be used for snow removal on side walks and loading salt.

Other possibilities are brush hogging, lawn installs, grading and even brush removal, but with all things listed attachments will be needed so you spend alittle but keep it busy.

What machine are you getting?

[cddva]

By busy I assume you mean profitable. If doing the work you listed is profitable and the skid is saving you time and labor getting it done, then I would call it profitable even if the skid is only busy (in use) 60% of the week. Since you purchased a skid I assume you already weighed the owning versus renting option. If hardscaping/decorative landscaping work is not your full time niche then buying additional attachments to offer a multitude of services is the other way of keeping busy (making a profit), as Nueswede said. That's the route I use as a part-timer. I have a Harley Rake, root rake grapple, forks, 4n1 bucket and auger. Good luck with the venture (and new skid)!

[ksss]

What did you buy?

[Pave_A_Lot]

Look into a stump cutter attachment for your Machine, this is a very profitable side biz in your spare time

[mrusk]

I really could care less about keeping my skid busy. Its a peice of support equipment. It moves pallets when i need it. Digs when i need to dig. And move material when i need to move material.

I never do dedicated skid steer jobs for others.

The skid might only be used for 5 hours a week sometime. But its worth its weight in gold for those 5 hours.

[tallrick]

In my opinion as long as the money saved from renting one is equal to that spent owning one, you are ahead of the game. I keep a skid steer for home use, and although it only gets 200 hours or so of use a year, It would just cost too much to rent one every time I needed to move a tree or lift an engine or spread dirt or gravel. Spending 160.00 or so a day adds up fast, and since the skid steer was practically free ( owner owed me $$$ and it needed work) it actually costs less to let it sit and get less wear! If I had a new one, of course I would want to use it as much as possible to make the payments, and while the warranty was in effect. But an older machine does fine in a semi-retired state.

[Scag48]

Our 216 is used the same was as mrusk's, it's a support piece most of the time. Our excavator gets more hired out work, but I've done driveways and such with the skid. Why not keep them busy doing as much as you can unless you simply don't have time.