I've decided it's time I start looking for a skidsteer. Price range is 6-10,000. Looking for nothing older that late 80's. Diesel preferably.
I plan to use it for snow removal, minimal dirt work, I'd like to find an auger for it, and maybe a mower. I'm not sure how much GPM I can get for my budget.
Any brands that are better or worse. Years? Etc I figured someone on here has got to have experience with then.
Thanks!
I haven't seen anything decent around here in that price range. They have to be completely wore out junk to be under 10k.
With that budget you could get a pretty nice tractor with a loader, a grader blade, and a post hole digger.
That vintage I would look a Bobcats or John Deere. Back then Deere was buying New Holland loaders off of Ford and putting their own engines in them. The trick was they put more powerful engines in the same class of machine compared to what NH was offering.
Avoid any machine that has had tracks added over the tires. They tear up the internal drive sprockets and chains. If you want tracks buy a tracked machine but you won't find one in your price range.
I have a Bobcat 753 from about 1998 that I kept from my rental business. It is pretty much out to pasture compared to its early life. It has the auxiliary circuits to run attachments but the price of attachments for these machines is stupid.
gearheadmb is probably right about a tractor package for less money. A machine with a 3 point hitch and PTO will do more for you than a skidsteer.
When we built our house 8 years ago, I picked up a 33hp John Deere tractor with a cab, bucket, backhoe, front mount snow blower, belly mower and rough-cut mower. I figured it was going to be the "swiss army knife" for me and be able to do everything the property would or could throw at it. Nope, they don't work on side hills I quickly found out and sold it. Since the neighbor had a small New Holland LS170 that I had been borrowing, I decided to look for a bigger skidsteer to replace the tractor. I found a John Deere 270 thru a friend of a friend and bought it. I have never looked back and can honestly say that I cannot foresee ever being without one. There are some weeks when I use it daily. I have purchased several attachments for it as needed rather than renting a machine for a specific job. It's been 5 years and I have accumulated a smooth bucket, tooth bucket, stump bucket, forks, backhoe attachment, grapple and a power angle snowplow. Once you have one, you will find many, many uses for it.
On the other hand, if our property were flat or somewhat flat, I would still have the tractor. The selection and availability of PTO driven attachments is much less expensive than skidsteer stuff. Unless you need the heavy lift capacity of a skidsteer, they really are not better than what you can get and do with a tractor.
In reply to gearheadmb :
Interesting, I feel like it might be the opposite here. Though I haven't keeping a super close eye on loader tractor prices to know for sure.
I've definitely looked into that option as well. I do usually end up going back and forth on which one is better.
In reply to jgrewe :
Thanks for the advice. On the tracks. I've been borrowing a 753 to do some work and it seems like a good machine. Small enough to haul on my trailer, but still begin enough to get some work done.
On the tractor front, I agree that it would probably come out cheaper, and be a better everything machine. It's a difficult decision though. I like the skid steer because you can see the bucket edge. They're very maneuverable, and have a lot of implement options.
I've borrowed a neighbors 6430 with a loader, and trying to level ground with it was such a pain, because you couldn't see the bucket edge.
In reply to lotusseven7 (Forum Supporter) :
Thanks for the input. We're very flat here, so sidehills aren't an issue.
I agree that skidsteers become useful to a point you can't go back. Having used one while I have a farmall H loader tractor.
These skidsteers are on FB Marketplace and under $10k.
I went looking for tractor/loaders and there are SO MANY listed under $10k that I couldn't even begin to list them. My experience is although the orange machines are well built, there is a serious premium $$$ for them. No idea why other than maybe impressing your neighbors, but JD, Mahindra, LS, Massey, Ford, NH and Yanmar all seem readily available.
In reply to lotusseven7 (Forum Supporter) :
Why did you have to post links? I went from oh that's cool to OMG I HAVE TO HAVE ONE!
For real, I have one of those ads left open in a tab to think about. I've been idly considering a skid steer but the Craigslist sellers all want a small fortune for them. At $10k for a decent one that's a "use for a few years and sell for a profit" proposition.
Around here, at least for a while, if ya saw one for less than $15K, it was because the ad was a scam. I know where a few under $10K are, but they are all VERY rough.
Those ads did have me drooling, but I missed my window to ever get one. ( stuck with a backhoe that promptly broke!)
I bought my John Deere 270 5 years ago for $9k with 4300 hours. It was in very nice condition for its age and hours and had garaged for the last 10 years of its life(prior to the unknown). It did have a few issues and even before getting it home, I had it taken to a repair shop for a once-over. The seller took care of the towing and I paid for the service. Nothing major needed to be addressed, so I had them do a fluid/filter service and tracking adjustment on one drive motor. When I got it home and compared it to my neighbors NH LS170, it was HUGE. Apparently it is a "large frame" skid steer. Who knew there were different size framed machines, I thought skidsteer is skidsteer. Nope. His is little, maneuverable, quick, easy to get in and out of. Mine is none of those! Mine weighs near 10k#, lifts 3000# and is a beast. During my ownership I've had to repair a leaking oil cooler($350), radiator repair($300), replace tires($900), replace miscellaneous hoses/fiittings(couple hundred $), replace a steering pump piece($400), water pump/belt/tensioner($500), wheel studs($50), lift arm pins/bushings($350) and lots of fluids, filters, nuts & bolts. I've kept a detailed log of all the expenditures including accessories and attachments purchased over the years. All-in to date I'm at around $25,000 which included $3400 for rubber OTT(over the tire tracks). That sounds like a lot and would have been if it wasn't spread out over 5 years. The attachments, pallet forks $718, stump bucket $659, rock bucket $949, backhoe/grapple $2603, tracks $3400 and snowplow $975.
When we were first considering buying a skidsteer, she needed to know whether it was a worthwhile investment or if I just wanted a new toy. Fair enough. She's a CPA and way over-analyzes everything and I'm the total opposite. I was able to justify it to her and she sort-of agreed that it might be a worthwhile machine to have around. Now that it's been part of our lives, she's 1000% a believer in having it around. It was funny, a few months ago while her brother was visiting, the garage doors were open and he commented on how much "stuff" was in there. He said that I should get rid of "stuff" that I don't use, like the skidsteer and Jen quickly said, "no way, he uses that all the time"! Way to go honey!!!!! That's my girl!!!!
I have saved over $100k, maybe $150k doing my own work at the property rather than hiring out to a contractor. Probably would have cost me $20k to rent machines and attachments when I need to do a project. It's worth having it here when I need it. If I come home from the shop and decide to work for a few hours it's here. I picked up a pallet of rock salt on Monday, drove home, pulled out the JD, lifted the whole pallet out of the pickup and put it in the garage. Could I have unloaded all fifty 50# bags by hand, carried them in the garage and restocked them? Yep, but at 56, it gets a bit more difficult as the years roll by. The biggest thing so far was doing all of the landscaping and hardscaping around the property. I've done so much stone and boulder work when I want and how I want that I couldn't imagine life without it. I did have an issue a few years back during a very wet spring/summer/fall where it continued to get stuck every time I was off the hard packed driveway. It took some saving, but I opted to add rubber tracks over the tires to help with "floatation". They work very well but do have some mechanical shortcomings if you abuse the machine or drive/maneuver on pavement as mentioned by jgrewe. They are also fantastic for plowing.
Anyway, that's a bit of my take on skidsteers. Oh and my machine is worth twice what I paid for it nowadays! All-in-all a fantastic investment so far.
Last summer I bought a Case 1840 sight un-seen from an auction for $7800 after fees. Internet advice is to always have it checked by competent mechanic and to avoid auction sales - that's where trashed equipment gets sold to suckers for too much money. It was 6 hours away and I wasn't going to drive there twice, nor was I going to pay for an inspection for something that might sell above my limit. I could tell from the seller's video that there was some play in the linkage, I figured some replacement pins would clear that up. Hoses were obviously due for replacement, they were cracked and parts of the outer layer missing. $7000 was my limit, and I bought it for $7100.
I've replaced all the bucket/boom hoses with premade ones from surpluscenter.com, they are quite cheap if you can make the available lengths work. Dealer hoses are expensive. I made some pins with steel rod from Grainger, because dealer prices are stupid. And bought a few misc things from the dealer for way too much money. I've spent <$1k on parts thus far, including a hydraulic fluid change.
The parking brakes don't work. There are 2 pins that are supposed to slide into the front drive sprocket, neither one slides. This is better than the alternative of brakes that stick on and rip the chaincase open. The bucket is now my parking brake. I may fix it someday.
Recently a leak has developed on one of the wheel bearing/seals. So far it's a slow leak and I'll fix it once the weather warms up. The bearings and seals are reasonably priced but it's going to be a hassle getting everything apart.
It burns oil. A fair amount. Probably around 1qt/8 hours, but I've not really kept track.
For me, it is 100% an unnecessary expense and has thus far saved $0. It has drastically improved and built new trails on the property though. And it is also a lot of fun. Few weeks ago I bought a toothed bucket for it ($1500), what a difference teeth make. It's a whole new machine now.
I passed on several Bobcat's while shopping, they were equipped with a Duetz engine that has a timing belt. I do not want to replace a timing belt on an engine wedged sideways between big steel uprights. I believe Bobcat is the only manufacturer who insists on a transverse mounted engine. Regardless of engine orientation, working on a skid steer sucks. Everything is tightly packaged.
The older Case models use a Cummins 4b which was a huge benefit for me. Should I need to work on the engine, there is all sorts of relevant info online from Ram owners.
I would avoid any machine used to haul salt or fertilizer, the front and sides will be covered in rust. And anything with new paint - I want to know what damage you're covering up.
A really good source if info is heavyequipmentforums.com
In reply to lotusseven7 (Forum Supporter) :
I appreciate you going through the cost of ownership. I certainly don't forsee them getting any cheaper, especially the non emission machines. I hate the headache of having to rent the machine. It's much nicer being able to do something when you find the time.
In reply to moltar :
Thanks for the input! I'll take a look at that other forum and see what I can find. I didn't know bobcat engines were transverse. That would certainly make it a pain to do anything.
I have strict buying "rules" and one of those is never buying a used co-op machine. I worked at a co-op that spread fertilizer and 2-3 year old machines would be covered in rust already.
There is nothing you need to reach on the back side of the Bobcat engine.
I've been seriously jonesing about that Deere skid steer that lotusseven linked to
how bad would this small format skid steer be in slopes? One of the big jobs I want to do involves some serious slopes. I could put in a temporary dirt ramp for some of it but in the end I'm working on a hillside. Any ideas?
Up and down the slope or across the side hill? I don't mind going down hills because if something happens, I can drop the bucket to stop. Going uphill I don't care for because mine is @$$-heavy, especially if I have the weights on it. There is one spot in the back yard that I back up instead, it's too steep to drive up. I've already "turtled" mine on its back and it's not fun to do(BIG PUCKER TIME)!
I think I could do the work up and down the slope.
My aversion to Bobcats is limited to those with a Deutz 1011. The timing belt replacement process is very specific and requires special tools, and you get to work in a tight space between the engine and rear upright. A transverse engine pushes weight further rear to counter balance more weight in the bucket so it's not all bad. Filters on a Bobcat look easier to replace than my Case since they are all easily accessible once the rear door is open.
The only brands I ruled out were Mustang/Gehl. They don't have online parts diagrams and there isn't a convenient dealer nearby.
I agree with lotusseven7 about hills. Mine gets used in the MO ozarks, there are hills I won't even drive down never mind drive up. A load in the bucket while going uphill does make a huge difference though.
This is why I won't buy anything with a Deutz
I don't like foot control skid steers very much. If you can get a machine with all the controls handled by the joystics, do that.
Other than that, good operators make skidsteer work look easy and effortless. It's harder than it looks to do a nice job, but skid steers are definitely easier to get a handle on than excavators.
In reply to daeman :
I'm the opposite. Bucket foot controls work better for me. Hand controls were too sensitive resting in slower movements on the sticks, especially pivoting, or over correcting with the buckets. I would recommend trying both. You'll quickly figure out what feels best to you
In reply to Appleseed :
Fair enough, I guess it really is a personal preference thing.
My feet are too big to have anywhere other than resting on the pedals, which means it's far to easy for me to accidentally dig the bucket in etc. I'm slowly getting used to it though. I'll get a bit more practice in today haha
In reply to daeman :
Best advice Dad ever gave me as far as skidsteers go, was to make your path of travel smooth. Fill, back drag, whatever you have to. The only suspension is tires...and your spine. Bouncing around looks cool, but cowboys (as Dad called them) don't do that for long. It will beat you to death.
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