Bobcat skid steers

[Shane472]

What's a good bobcat machine for general landscape work. Something that has a big enough lift capacity for moving pallets around but not too big that it won't fit on job sites. Thanks.

[desertrat]

The skid question has been asked a gillion times and everyone has an opinion. I am looking at the ASV RC 30 or 50. I have rented them lots of times and love them. The 30 fits through more gates than the 50, but the bucket is basically a Wheel Barrow. The 50 is very fast and productive, but if it doesn't work for 50% of the jobs I do, it may not be worth it. I basically have decided to get the 50 and maybe someday get a 30. I have started tearing down parts of walls to get a bigger skid in the yard. Most of the wall around here are made of fence block and it only cost me around $100 to tear down and replace. I do the job in half the time with the big skid. It really is a toss up. I am sure I will regret the choice of 50% of the jobs, but I need one so what the heck.

[Scag48]

Do a search on here, then demo some machines.

[Randy Scott]

Pallets of fertilizer, 2400 lbs. Pallets of paver's, 2200-2400 lbs. Retaining wall block, 2200-2600 lbs.

Gonna need a machine with that kind of lift capacity. You get a smaller one and start pissing around wasting time breaking down pallets, you've just thrown efficiency out the window. Can't have it all. You want a machine to lift, you get an 8000 pound machine. You want to get through tight areas, you give up lift capacity.

[kris]

S220 .... go to bobcats website for all the specs

[Harvestman]

I have A s185 high flow. Great machine Lifts skids of fert pretty easy but you have to do it slow. I think I need to get the counter balance for the rear if want to lift pallets all the quickly. There is a bit of a balance issue.

[neversatisfiedj]

Not to mention digging hills out. Get a 4WD model with 70+ HP and Turbo. Might set you back 30k new though.

[D Felix]

Pallets of paver's, 2200-2400 lbs. Retaining wall block, 2200-2600 lbs.Don't know what kind of pavers/block you are getting, but your figures are light for around here. For pavers, you are looking at a minimum of 3k, and block will run anywhere from 2800-4000 pounds, depending on manufacturer.
Get a 4WD model with 70+ HP and Turbo.Ummmmmmm.....I don't think anyone makes anything less than a 4wd anymore. The only non-4wd I've ever seen was an original Bobcat that only had 3 wheels.....

Basically the original poster needs to do a little research on what will work best for his type of work; look at specs primarily, then figure out which to demo. Demo all that interest him and decide from there.

A good starter machine would be something along the size of a Bobcat S185 or a JD (series II) 240. I'm not endorsing either, just simply stating that that is a good size to start out with for many companies.


Dan

[mbella]

I bought an S185 about a month ago and I am pleased so far. It has the flotation tires and before things froze, I had it in the mud and it performed better than I expected. Since then I've only used it for snow. I had an 8' pusher on it and it pushed no problem. If you need a machine that is good for general landscaping then I think it is a good machine. If you want something primarily for moving block, pallets then I would suggest the S220 or bigger.

[Shane472]

My primary business is hardscaping so I probably would be best of buying a larger machine to move pallets of block etc. I've had a chance to see the old 873 in action and it looks pretty good. I think that model is a s250 now. I think I'll try to demo it. If anyone has used this model how did you find it? Was the digging power good for excavating and how did it handle large pallets?

[GreenMonster]

Don't know what kind of pavers/block you are getting, but your figures are light for around here. For pavers, you are looking at a minimum of 3k, and block will run anywhere from 2800-4000 pounds, depending on manufacturer.

Dan


Dan,

I think you've touched on the biggest compromise one must deal with when selecting a skid steer. In order to get something that will move around full pallets of hardscape material, you end up with a machine that is too damn big to fit on most landscape jobs. ;)

You end up with an empty wallet too :(

I'm not all that familiar with the S220, but that might be able to "move" but not lift full pallets, and still be somewhat compact enough for tight quarters.

[mbella]

Shane, the 873 is actually now the S220.

[kris]

Mark ... the S220 will lift pallets off the truck. Because of a stabilizer bar on the back that we use when digging trees We do have a bit of extra weight. Still, Im pretty confident in saying it would lift pallets without it.

Most times if you can get an smaller machine (s185) in you can get the 220 in. There is not a whole lot of difference in size.
If weight is a concern then yes the smaller machine may be better.

As for the original question in this thread... it sounds like a heck of a deal and if it is comparable to the S220 it should lift pallets no problem.

[MidAtlantic]

We use lx865/ls180 with counter weights and foam fill haulk tires. We have lifted 4000lb concrete blocks off of flatbed and stacked them 2 high. We lift 3000lbs+ pallets every day with it. It doesnt have all the bells and whistles like the other machines but hey if your aren't an owner operator and your guys are going to use it then you want something simple that will take a beating. Great reliable machine that is built like a tank. Plus can't beat the reliability and the the price. I have seen high flow ls185B unit for $24,500 in the equipment trader. We find that we need strong lifting compacity more often than we need access to small openings. We use a modified Bobcat MT-50 to get threw those gate on those small jobs.....If the job is big enough we just open the chainlink or take a section of wood fence down. Its takes 15min when you know the tricks of the trade.

[MidAtlantic]

We use lx865/ls180 with counter weights and foam fill haulk tires. We have lifted 4000lb concrete blocks off of flatbed and stacked them 2 high. We lift 3000lbs+ pallets every day with it. It doesnt have all the bells and whistles like the other machines but hey if your aren't an owner operator and your guys are going to use it then you want something simple that will take a beating. Great reliable machine that is built like a tank. Plus can't beat the reliability and the the price. I have seen high flow ls185B unit for $24,500 in the equipment trader. We find that we need strong lifting compacity more often than we need access to small openings. We use a modified Bobcat MT-50 to get threw those gate on those small jobs.....If the job is big enough we just open the chainlink or take a section of wood fence down. Its takes 15min when you know the tricks of the trade.

Oh the LX and LS are NewHollands if you didnt know already

[Shane472]

Shane, the 873 is actually now the S220.

I didn't think so because the s220 is radial lift while the 873 was vertical, so I checked and the 873 is the s250 now.

[bigviclbi]

I have read alot of your guys posts thanks alot for the info. I found a 2003 new holland ls170 with only 350 hours for $17000. This seems like a pretty good price, i do hardscape/landscape work but where i work is ususally in tight areas and the digging is soft ground. i do break concrete with the bobcat i rent its a 743 i think. this machine is midlevel in size from what i comprehend i won't be able to lift pallets with it but it should be ok for what i do? what is the difference between operating capacity(1700), operating weight(5540), and tipping load?

[MidAtlantic]

I have read alot of your guys posts thanks alot for the info. I found a 2003 new holland ls170 with only 350 hours for $17000. This seems like a pretty good price, i do hardscape/landscape work but where i work is ususally in tight areas and the digging is soft ground. i do break concrete with the bobcat i rent its a 743 i think. this machine is midlevel in size from what i comprehend i won't be able to lift pallets with it but it should be ok for what i do? what is the difference between operating capacity(1700), operating weight(5540), and tipping load?


Vic,

Operating capacity is usually the lifting capacity to the full height, operating weight is the actual weight of the machine and tipping is the weight it will take to tip the machine forward. You will find out that the ls170 will lift and move a lot of palleted materials but you wont be able to lift them up.

New Holland has some good low interest finance programs which will allow you to buy a new machine for about the same monthly payment as a used finance program.

[kris]

As for the original question in this thread... it sounds like a heck of a deal and if it is comparable to the S220 it should lift pallets no problem.

Sorry ... I had the thread on the 873 and this one mixed up.

[YardPro]

The skid question has been asked a gillion times and everyone has an opinion. I am looking at the ASV RC 30 or 50. I have rented them lots of times and love them. The 30 fits through more gates than the 50, but the bucket is basically a Wheel Barrow. The 50 is very fast and productive, but if it doesn't work for 50% of the jobs I do, it may not be worth it. I basically have decided to get the 50 and maybe someday get a 30. I have started tearing down parts of walls to get a bigger skid in the yard. Most of the wall around here are made of fence block and it only cost me around $100 to tear down and replace. I do the job in half the time with the big skid. It really is a toss up. I am sure I will regret the choice of 50% of the jobs, but I need one so what the heck.


if you're going for the 50 it's worth the extra few K to get the 60.

a friend has one and it is awesome.

[D Felix]

Operating capacity is usually the lifting capacity to the full heightThat's actually not the case. SAE defines operating capacity to be 50% of tip capacity for wheeled machines. Tracked machines are rated at 35% of tip. Rated operating capacity (ROC) is just a measure of what is supposed to be safe to use the machine to lift, as I understand it. Exceeding the ROC puts more stress on the machine, even though it's routinely done with just about every machine out there.:)

Just FYI, Vic, that 743 you rent will probably move around full pallets (36 blocks) of Keystone Compacs, but it won't actually pick them up. We used a *really* old one on a job about a year and a half ago, and I was able to slide the pallets around. Do some comparing of specs to see how the two machines compare. http://www.bobcat.com will have the specs for the 743, just find the "Historical Specs" link.

HTH.


Dan