Jarrett<br>Missed the Mid-Am this year snow came and had to remove it. I own 2 excavators the Kubota Kx71 and a Tauch TB035, the Kubota will lift more but the Tauch will dig faster. We work around a lot of water , I can run the excavator right in the rivers (as long as its not too deep 2.5' or less) and move boulders or excavate for footings or set stone with them. We really went up in size we started out with the 555 new hollands (5000 lb. machines) then bought the 783's (7000 lb. machines) The 555's grade better but the 783 lift and carry more. We use two machinces a 555 and a 783 to install the 1500 tons of outcropping at the one site on my web page along with 3 men. it took the 68 working days to install the outcropping, fabric and gravel base. I started with compact tractors and I still use them but fitted out skid steers just work out better, I rigged our trailers so all equipment stays on them. Each trailer carries forks, spade, bucket, preperator and tooth bar. For some jobs I fit out the 555's with floation tires or the 783's with either rubber tracks or metal tracks, this keeps from marking the sites up too much. Any machine will make a mess of a yard if the operator doesn't think. I can change to any attachment in less than a minute with my skid steers you can't do that with a tractor. I have yet to see a compact tractor lift a pallet of sod or pallet of brick. I also thought about the backhoe attacment for either a tractor or skid loader but with either of them they are too slow or I just couldn't get them in places that I needed them,Some of the parks that we do have limited access or places that you can't run a rubber tire machine the mini-excavators just work out faster not to mention the winter work that I get with them.$$$ Tractors have their place in landscaping I just see them being limited to larger sites for primary grading,(to be finished with the preperator),discing or tilling, slit seeding, drill seeding and bed prepartion (mixing topsoil, mushroom compost and sand). One last thing Iron is cheap, help is not. Once you have paid for your machines they will do the work of ten men and not get tired, I use to grade home sites and install sod, I would go out with ten men, grade and lay 3000-4000 yds a day, now three men can do the same and in less time. As you get older skill and cunning over come youth and muscle.<p>----------<br>paul<p>