I get the sod company to pre position the pallets on delivery. 1200 ft of sod is 2.5 pallets here. Two guys will lay that in a morning . You shouldn't have to take more than 4 steps from the pallet if it's in the right place. Wheelbarrow into back yards is biggest pita.

 

we have a cat 287 MTL it's about the best thing since sliced bread for sod. the mtl has a very light footprint and if you're not doing doughnuts you can move around the site with little damage. we've used it to install the big rolls as well with much luck.

 

Agree just doing 1200sq have the sod farm deliver and set where you need. If it was us we would just pick up on the truck or trailer and toss four rolls on wheelbarrow and repeat. I couldn't justify buying anything but a wheelbarrow for1200 sq. ft sod job every two weeks, but just me and my opinion. Tree cart the trees in.

 

Thanks for the responses so far. I especially lke the idea of having the delivery guy position the pallets around the yard.

All of our sod jobs won't be 1200sqft. As we move along they will be giving me more houses at once. Next job is going to be plantings/mulch/sod for 2 townhomes. Then we will have a 1/3 acre soon after. The townhomes have garages in the rear so there is a narrow alley to each back yard. Hence why I wanna stay with the mini skid.

I am going to keep using my dingo 322 for now and see how it goes. I just want to be ready for when they say I have 5 townhomes to do all at the same time. They have me come in the day before settlement so they don't have to spend a lot of time watering the sod.

 

you could always rent a skid loader for a day or two each time you need. Also wonder if you could have the sod farm maybe do half pallets instead of full pallets to help the dingo.

 

Even the smaller full size skids have difficulty lifting a full wet pallet of sod. Those big Moffett wide track truck mounted skids is what the sod farms use around here. The wheelbarrow method is what I use after the delivery truck stages the pallets, a driver tip usually gets it just where you need it. I bought a LiftAll, and this is what I use. IT can pick up a pallet. Don't ask, I've looked for others and there is no mfg info on it anywhere.

 

You need a wmi big roll sod installer

 

Not for 1200ft residential yard you don't use big rolls.

 

Sti2.5ldohc- I feel your pain. I too have a Dingo wheel model 322, and while it is a great tool, compared to the newer/faster/stronger machines, it leaves a lot to be desired.
(An aside- you of course know by now that it's all about how you load the weight on the machine. I once picked up a verified 2,050 lbs. boulder with my machine and 2 guys as counterweights. the rock was a big rectangle (shaped like a suitcase), and we stood it up on edge and strapped to the pallet forks, got a running go while keeping it barely off the ground, and timed it perfectly for loading it onto the back of the trailer. Exchanged it at my supply yard, who weighed it.)

I too move sod exactly in the manner you describe- dividing each 450 sp ft pallet into thirds, loaded on our land leveler attachment or a mini pallet. It is frustrating and feels unproductive to unstack & then have to triple stack sod to shuffle it around, but I figured it was better than doing it by hand. FYI something that has helped me is we get little wooden mini pallets from one of our customers who is a pool supply store. It makes the logistics of restacking and moving easier than stacking directly onto the attachment, thereby allowing your employees to keep restacking while you're moving it around.

To actually respond to your initial question, I would recommend you sell your current machine and upgrade to a new(er) stronger machine. I only have experience with a few Dingo's and a friend's diesel track Boxer, but the money would be well-spent IMHO. The new Dingo TX1000s are pretty beastly machines, and (from running one for a few minutes at the dealership) feel like they are 2x larger, 2x heavier, 2x more nimble, and 2x stronger, while not having too much more measurable ground pressure PSI.

Edit- sorry for the long reply, just have been there and done that. Let us know what you decide.