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Go to the rental store and have them (any of them) give you a walk through on their machine. All the technical questions should be answered then. Maybe they would even let you test drive a machine in the yard a bit. Do wheeled skids tear up grass? Answer: not if you go in a straight line and plan your turns to be in areas that are in the work area. Make gentle curving turns instead of sharp turns and the disturbance will be somewhat less. Make sure the turf is dry and not been watered and the disturbance will be less.
 
Also don't forget about the septic tank and/or sprinkler system lines. Most locators will not mark connecting gas lines either. I have seen what happens when a skid steer hit a gas line someone had buried only 10 inches down, NICE! As for lawn that you want to save any machine can leave its mark. As suggested above make sure the lawn is not wet and soggy, but dry can be bad as well. Hard skid-steer tires can crush dry lawns and leave tracks that last for weeks. Both tracked and wheeled machines can tear up grass when making a turn. Best way to avoid this is not to make a turn when the bucket is loaded. Even a wide turn on a skid steer will do some damage when the machine is loaded. Why not practice turning on the lawn you want to dig out first? This way you get the feel for the machine before risking the areas you want to save. The main advantage of tracks is that they don't pack your soil while giving you maximum push for digging.
 
Discussion starter · #23 ·
got it narrowed down to Deere 322ctl new Holland ls160 or the bobcat 453 with a 21 horse engine hope it is diesel?

has any one drove the bobcat 453 and tell me how good it would be for this kind of lifting?

i called the cat rental store they were charging $195 skid steer $300 ctl and $75 pickup $75 delivery:nono: :nono:
i am better of renting form Sunbelt:dancing:

here are a few videos of the 453 the power looks ok on the newer diesel model
 
You guys did a very good job cutting that driveway. Only thing that I wonder about though is where they put the garage and where you had to cut the driveway because of that. I wonder if maybe the driveway will get allot of run off from the neighboring house because there lot slope right over into there's or at least it looks that way in the pics. Am I wrong?
 
leathelbuzzkill said:
if i rent a lowes rental pick up truck to tow the skid steer home and rent a trailer for 24 hours take the rental truck back to lowes get in our car drive home next day go back to lowes and rent the truck again and tow the load back wonder if i would cut the cost down?
From what I've seen, Lowe's rental trucks are not set up to tow trailers. I don't think they have receiver hitches, and even if they did you would need a ball mount ($25+). They also most certainly don't have brake controllers, and I'm pretty sure their limited rental agreements limit the truck from doing anything but hauling a load of stuff home from Lowe's. Unless you happen to own EVERYTHING you need to haul a machine- truck, trailer, chains and binders, you are way ahead money and time wise to have the machine delivered.

I know you basically want to do this for the fun of it, and I don't blame you a bit. I've been there. It's tons of fun to rent a machine and play with it if you've never run one before. So don't try to fool yourself into thinking you'll save a buck here and there by hauling it yourself. If you really wanted to get the best bang for your buck, you'd just hire the job done and get it over with. An experienced guy could get more work done in two hours then you'll get done in a day. Not trying to burst your bubble, that's just a fact. Have fun, and be sure to post pics when the project's finished. :)
 
*trucewhiteflag* Does anyone know what do they go for rental $$$?
I need one this weekend, but when I found out about the job, it was to late to call.
Also, what about trailer, how much do they weigh and would my 5x 10 hold it.
Thanks.
 
Discussion starter · #32 ·
looked at a bobcat s150-s175 it was hand/foot controls but it had a lot of buttons for turn signals and stuff like that. the new Holland ls160 it is the new one with the new yellow large grafix was stripped no horn,turn signal or any buttons on the control leavers but it looks like they could have put in a horn:hammerhead: that is stupid. come to think of it i did not even see a light switch:laugh:. still thinking about john Deere 322 i will have to test drive the machine first can't wait. if i get a bobcat or new Holland i might do a few wheelies with the bucket down! can any one comment on bobcat s150-s175? is it underpowered. the bobcat did have nice buttons to press i am curious what the turn signals lit up looks like:confused:. i need of pic of the turn signals
 
What is up with this "buttons to press" thing? Its a skid steer not the space shuttle. Turn signals are typically for the European market as the machines have to be road legal there. I can appreciate the youthful exuberance being displayed, but perhaps we can get to the part where you get the job done. Your just renting a skid steer not demoing to purchase. Make a decision and get it done, if you end up not liking the machine, next time the garden needs to be rebuilt try another brand.
 
Discussion starter · #36 ·
:clapping: good point thanks so i guess it's new holland vs john Deere i guess i will rent the deere 322 if it is available. ok i need major help on this one we have a huge tree that 5-10 stories tall and it is in our neighbors yard wich is right next to our fence. it is like 1-2 feet wide and looks thick it would cost us too much to cut the tree down. is it possible to cut the large roots out of the ground on our side and not mess up the sability of the tree? what attachment will i need?
 
I borrowed a S-175 today. It worked well.

If the tree is your neighbor's, I would talk to them about it. You can tear up the roots if you want but the neighbors may not like that. The tree might die and fall on your house.

If you want to get rid of a big tree right near houses and stuff, the best way to go is to have a real honest-to-God arborist come out and top it all the way down, then grind up the stump. You can get a brush or root grapple attachment to move all the tree parts to the curb or load them on a truck after it has been cut down.
 
Dude, a 50 foot tree is nothing to mess around with. I've done some light logging and selective thinning in ponderosa pine, a 60 foot tree is a little intimidating to fall, even when there's nothing but other trees for it to land on. Digging out the roots on your side of the house isn't smart even if your neighbor didn't mind, but I'm sure he would. If you weaken the root system on one side of a tree there's a good chance that even if the tree doesn't die it's obviously weaker on that side making it more prone to falling in that direction. Not good. My advice is to not mess with the tree at all

As far as renting a machine, just get the cheapest one and go to it, this isn't rocket science. Get a machine, enjoy the day, and pray that you get to do another job that requires the rental of a machine. This was how I got my start at 14, doing small landscape jobs with rented Bobcats and minis.

Don't stress the small stuff, score a machine, keep it simple.
 
I think Scag is telling you correct. I know at a young age we where all capable of allot of things but I would leave that tree alone.
 
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