Wanted: Used Toro Dingo

[Brian M]

I'm looking for a used Toro Dingo TX425 or a TX525, I'm located in Connecticut and I'm hoping to find one somewhere in the NorthEast area, I don't want to drive cross-country to pick it up!!!
If you have one for sale, please send me a private message and a picture of it would be great too!
Thanks,
Brian
:usflag:

[AintNoFun]

heres my 2 cents... when we bought our dingo we got a killer financing deal.. you should just check out what the current finance deal might be, could be worth it to buy new...

[BIGBEN2004]

Have you tried any other brands then TORO? I have used the Ditch Witch and love it compared to the Toro Dingo. It is so much easier to run then the dingo. Just a thought.

[P.Services]

here ya go....

http://www.machinerytrader.com/listings/list.aspx?ETID=1&catid=1055&Manu=TORO&Mdltxt=DINGO+TX425&mdlx=exact&GUID=2939E4FC1DD14C688FA10F04ECCAC91E

[Brian M]

Thanks Picasso Services,
I never heard of that website, was checking equipment trader and they didn't have much.

Keystone, still waiting to hear back from you regarding the pm you sent me.

[mac1135]

Brian,
Call 203-263-5158

[Brian M]

Thanks for the replies,
I picked up my new Dingo TX525W yesterday!
I went with the standard bucket with the tooth bar, it digs better than the ASV RC30 which I've rented several times, I was very surprised!!!
On a negative note, the platform (Sulky) that Toro offers for the Dingo is terrible (in my opinion), it comes in contact with the ground way to often, and digs in when going in reverse.
I don't think I can get used to that, seems to me there is a design flaw here.
Anyone know if the Forkster StepUp platform for the Dingo has the same problem?
I'm thinking of bringing it back to the dealer for a refund!

[RockSet N' Grade]

Brian - the ditch witch platform is 10" from the ground and closer to the machine. what is the dingo's?

[RockSet N' Grade]

Looked up the dingo height from ground on their platform...it is 5" and hangs out quite a bit further than the ditch witch.........

[tnmtn]

congrats on the new machine. pics of it working are definitly in order at this point.
good luck,

[Brian M]

Here is a picture of it doing its first real job!
I cut down 3 Black Locust trees last year, and soon after that I rented a JD 32hp tractor ( I forgot the model #) which had a backhoe that I thought would be able to dig around the 3 trees which were close together and the roots were very intertwined, it couldn’t even come close to uprooting and undermining the stumps. So there they sat until today when I figured I’d test out my new Dingo
The picture tells the rest of the story…………………

BTW, I used the toothed bucket and the ripper hooks on the multipurpose tool to dig it out! It took a few hours but it’s out now!!! And this was the first time I used it, so that says a lot for this little machine!!!

[Total Landscape Solutions]

Brain sent you PM

[nosparkplugs]

Brian M, Nice TX525, I am renting a Toro dingo TX425 Kohler gas widetrack to help move some cut up tree's next tuesday. I am so impressed with the compact design & specs, I am in the process of purchasing the Toro TX525 diesel wide track with Bushog attachment & multi-purpose bucket or a Grapple bucket. A new 2008 TX525 Kubota Diesel wide track base $18,190.17 here in Memphis. How do you like the machine so far, I am going to replace a Kubota MX6800 that I am using just for Bushogging, it's to large to transport from smaller landscape jobs, and I think I can be more productive with a Compact skid steer. Here's a link to the attachment site lots of attachments for the Dingo.
http://www.buyattachmentsdirect.com/attachments/index.cfm

[kreft]

nice dingo!

[Brian M]

Brian M, Nice TX525, I am renting a Toro dingo TX425 Kohler gas widetrack to help move some cut up tree's next tuesday. I am so impressed with the compact design & specs, I am in the process of purchasing the Toro TX525 diesel wide track with Bushog attachment & multi-purpose bucket or a Grapple bucket. A new 2008 TX525 Kubota Diesel wide track base $18,190.17 here in Memphis. How do you like the machine so far, I am going to replace a Kubota MX6800 that I am using just for Bushogging, it's to large to transport from smaller landscape jobs, and I think I can be more productive with a Compact skid steer. Here's a link to the attachment site lots of attachments for the Dingo.
http://www.buyattachmentsdirect.com/attachments/index.cfm

nosparkplugs,
I love it, although it does have its limitations.
The low ground clearance could be a problem if you’re working it rocky areas.
Today I took it up to the property I hunt to clear a trail of some boulders in the middle of the trail that I drive my truck down. I was able to remove some 4’x4’ boulders that were sticking out of the ground about a foot (the ones the meatball on my truck always hits) it took some time but I was able to remove several of them with the toothed bucket. But in the process I had to watch out for any rocks 4” or more above the surface, otherwise the dingo got hung up on them!
I had to use the bucket a few times to help push me off because the tracks lost partial contact with the ground!
It didn’t take much for that to happen in that particular situation!
Also, the tracks did spin a lot when trying to dig up some dirt to fill the holes left behind from the boulders, but the ground I was trying to dig in was loaded with lots of rocks and small roots. All in all for what it is, it did a great job. I didn’t buy it for that type of work though. I was really just testing it to see if it could handle the tough stuff, and it did!!!

[BIGBEN2004]

What do you charge an hour for that machine? I would say it could be pretty high sense it replaces about 10 men all with a labor hour charge of at least $35.00.

[Brian M]

What do you charge an hour for that machine? I would say it could be pretty high sense it replaces about 10 men all with a labor hour charge of at least $35.00.

Bigben2004,

If I’m doing work by the square foot like tilling, grading, or using the soil cultivator, I plan on charging by the square foot, for anything else I don’t know if I would add a separate charge to the bill for the dingo, if so I guess somewhere in the $60 -$90 hr range plus my normal hourly rate.

That is a dilemma though, if you had a large job to do that you used to do with hand tools, and it took you 10hrs to do it and you where getting $45 hr, you would charge $450.

Now with the Dingo, that same job should only take about 3 hrs, so I would be charging $150 hr. That seems high to me and I’m sure to the customer too, for only being there for 3 hrs.
But if I give a price of $450 for the job and they accept it, who cares how long it takes!
The problem is when the customer asks what the hourly rate is, or how long will it take to complete the job!
Realistically, you should break down everything on the bill, so I’m not sure how much I should charge for the dingo to be honest with you.
I think I’ll start a new thread on this subject in the Heavy Equipment section.

[pj550v12]

Nice, good luck with the machine. Where in CT are you??

[Mr. Vern]

Congratulations on your new investment Brian. You will soon wonder how you survived this long without one. We now have 3 Dingos and want to buy another one. I have been very tempted to get the 525 but it just doesn't pencil out yet. We have a 420 and 2 320D's, one of which we have the over the wheel tracks on. Everyone strongly prefers the 420 with the exception of loving the torque of the diesel on the wheeled units. Hence our desire for a new diesel tracked unit.
As far as the billing goes, you have to ask the question of why you bought the Dingo. If you bought it as a favor to your potential customers then you should lower your price and let them enjoy the fruits of your sacrifice. If you bought it to allow yourself to lower your costs of operation in order to be able to land more work, then by all means lower your rates as necessary. But if you bought it as an investment in productivity and it allows you to do the job in half the time of manual labor but the value of the job is still the same, just charge what the job is worth and enjoy the boost in productivity.
A couple things to remind the 10% of the customers who will complain about your hourly rate. First off, you bid the job based on balancing the risk of what could possibly go wrong and what it would take if all went well, if it had taken you 10 extra hours that they did not get billed for, would they have complained about that. Also, unlike an employee, that Dingo payment has to be made whether you are working on a job or not - this includes winter months when there may be no income. Bottom line, if the job is worth $450 and you can do it in half the time as a Dingoless competitor, congratulations on a good investment decision.
Another perspective to consider is what if you did not own the Dingo and had to rent it. Around here they rent for $320/day. As a minimum you should be charging an extra $40/hour in order to cover the rental price(don't forget the fuel). I always view the purchase of equipment as if I am getting into the rental business and am just renting the unit from myself. If I believe that the annual rental bill would have been equal to or more than the cost of ownership for the year, I will usually make the purchase. Otherwise I am not getting a return on my investment but rather I am paying a premium for the convenience of owning and maintaining another piece of equipment.
I hope all of this rambling helps in some way. Enjoy the Dingo, as long as you have work you will not regret the decision to purchase it!