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Experience with a mini-skid steer?

special tool

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2008
Messages
878
Location
Bethel, Ct.
I own a Bobcat 463, the smallest machine they make that you sit in.
I wouldn't trade it for anything.
It hasn't had one single problem.

Its only 3 feet wide, so you can go ANYWHERE.
I put a lifting ring on it from Mcmaster-Carr and I lower it into the hole with one of my larger shovels.
Everyone laughs at me when I run it because I weigh 235 and I barely fit in there, but they stop laughing when I spread the crushed stone for a 2000 square foot basement floor 1/2 an hour.;)

Anyway, a small machine with the SMALL loader bucket and teeth will dig clay easily.
You don't want to use some big GP bucket for this.

Also, a 463 can drive through doorways at 5 MPH with a load of clay and turn around in 8 feet dead.:p
 

bgirls

Member
Joined
Dec 14, 2008
Messages
11
Location
Flint Hill, VA
Occupation
IT director, Transportation director
I own a Bobcat 463, the smallest machine they make that you sit in.
I wouldn't trade it for anything.
It hasn't had one single problem.

Its only 3 feet wide, so you can go ANYWHERE.
I put a lifting ring on it from Mcmaster-Carr and I lower it into the hole with one of my larger shovels.
Everyone laughs at me when I run it because I weigh 235 and I barely fit in there, but they stop laughing when I spread the crushed stone for a 2000 square foot basement floor 1/2 an hour.;)

Anyway, a small machine with the SMALL loader bucket and teeth will dig clay easily.
You don't want to use some big GP bucket for this.

Also, a 463 can drive through doorways at 5 MPH with a load of clay and turn around in 8 feet dead.:p

The first skid steer i owned was a used M371 Bobcat with bucket and forks. Bought it for 500 in 1996 and sold it for 2000 4 years later. 3 feet wide and nimble for its size.
 

NoRespect

Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2008
Messages
6
Location
SE
The Kanga has a lifting eye built in just in front of the controls. The first time that I saw one it was being lowered in to a 250'x40' barge on the Tennessee River.
The barge was nearly empty of the load of corn and they used the Kanga to push the rest of the corn to the loading auger. They pulled the Kanga out after 10 minutes.
 

RubberDuck

New Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2010
Messages
1
Location
California, US
Komatsu mini excavator PC138USLC-8

Hi there,
was wondering if anyone has ever worked with Komatsu mini excavators, to be exact PC138USLC-8 model. I'm interested in buying a used one and actually found the offer that may be acceptable: the model was manufactured in 2008, has 230 wrk hours and they want to sell it for $89.000. Would you say the price is fair? Or perhaps you could suggest some other brands of mini excavators?
Thanks.
 

shooterm

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2010
Messages
93
Location
Midwest
Occupation
Operator
I own a Bobcat 463, the smallest machine they make that you sit in.
I wouldn't trade it for anything.
It hasn't had one single problem.

Its only 3 feet wide, so you can go ANYWHERE.
I put a lifting ring on it from Mcmaster-Carr and I lower it into the hole with one of my larger shovels.
Everyone laughs at me when I run it because I weigh 235 and I barely fit in there, but they stop laughing when I spread the crushed stone for a 2000 square foot basement floor 1/2 an hour.;)

Anyway, a small machine with the SMALL loader bucket and teeth will dig clay easily.
You don't want to use some big GP bucket for this.

Also, a 463 can drive through doorways at 5 MPH with a load of clay and turn around in 8 feet dead.***

Yah for inside structure work the size problem is pretty huge when going around plumbing/doorways. I took out gym brick doorway when doing some flatwork last year for a school in my area. I had 2" leeway for the bucket and got cocky on the 2nd day barely clipping it but fractured the mortar all 20ft to the ceiling. Wasn't to bad after we shored it ourselves and brick guys reworked the whole section but it slowed things pretty dramatically. If we'd of rented a proper mini/smaller skid we'd of avoided ALOT of wheelbarrow and shovel work.
 

T GRIMM

Active Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2010
Messages
40
Location
Northeast, KS
ditch witch

ive gota ditch witch sk650 payed 24k for it brand new with now attachments, for us its been a great investment, use it every day and it saves a lot of backbreaking work. it has a 31hp kubota desial engine and can lift appx 800lbs if u get a big enough guy behind it! very expensive to maintain though, we spend about 5k a year on just the undercarage.
 

Hendrik

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2009
Messages
1,232
Location
Adelaide South Australia
ive gota ditch witch sk650 payed 24k for it brand new with now attachments, for us its been a great investment, use it every day and it saves a lot of backbreaking work. it has a 31hp kubota desial engine and can lift appx 800lbs if u get a big enough guy behind it! very expensive to maintain though, we spend about 5k a year on just the undercarage.
How many hours are you getting out of the undercarriage components and which ones need replacing?
Also why do you think they are wearing out? Poor design, rough conditions or operators not looking after the undercarriage?
 

T GRIMM

Active Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2010
Messages
40
Location
Northeast, KS
How many hours are you getting out of the undercarriage components and which ones need replacing?
Also why do you think they are wearing out? Poor design, rough conditions or operators not looking after the undercarriage?



400, all the roller bearings, and every 500 hrs we put a new set of tracks on, ive also repaced both wheel motors and the hydro pump which are both very expencive. the tracks are obviously from running on to much concreate and the bearings are just to small for the job they have but the motors are just a poor design, they ride on the ground and take a beating.
 

Hendrik

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2009
Messages
1,232
Location
Adelaide South Australia
400, all the roller bearings, and every 500 hrs we put a new set of tracks on, ive also repaced both wheel motors and the hydro pump which are both very expencive. the tracks are obviously from running on to much concreate and the bearings are just to small for the job they have but the motors are just a poor design, they ride on the ground and take a beating.
Well tracks are a wear item and will need replacing, guess if you're operating in abrasive conditions, 500hrs is about right.
Roller bearings should last more than 400hrs I feel but they all seem to be same size on comparable models from Vermeer (S800TX) and Bobbypuss and operate in dusty conditions but given the speed at which they work at:beatsme
Far as the wheel motors go, it seems that the design from Vermeer and Bobcat is superior in that the motors are set high and not absorbing the shock loads.
Hydraulic motors don't really have anything to do with the undercarriage, unless a failing wheel motor send shrapnel through it and I recently had to get a new one for my Dingo after 2000Hrs.
 

T GRIMM

Active Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2010
Messages
40
Location
Northeast, KS
totaly agree that they have a better desgn, but have you every ran one, compared to the ditch witch they are slow and have controls that i dont care for, also not a huge fan of my dingo exept its great aux hydos, that thing can put a 36'' auger in the ground way better than the anything else ive ever ran.
 

Hendrik

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2009
Messages
1,232
Location
Adelaide South Australia
totaly agree that they have a better desgn, but have you every ran one, compared to the ditch witch they are slow and have controls that i dont care for, also not a huge fan of my dingo exept its great aux hydos, that thing can put a 36'' auger in the ground way better than the anything else ive ever ran.
No I have only ever used a Dingo in the mini skid department, the local Vermeer dealer is wanting to lend me a S800 for a couple of days but I said to him that I am not ready to upgrade yet. However I have half an eye out for what is on the market but I don't use the Dingo enough to warrant an upgrade really and if I was to trade it in, I would want a good step forward in performance, not a shuffle.
I think that Dingo has just released the K9-5 with both wheel and track option, http://www.dingo.com.au/forum/topic59-k95-press-release.html
 

Orgnoi1

Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2012
Messages
19
Location
Upstate NY
Occupation
Telecommunications
I have been using one of the Bobcat 463s for a few years now... initially we used it for our driveway to distribute crusher... and it has evolved into double duty to also work on the RC (Radio Controlled) offroad track we host on our property... while the machine definately is NOT a full sized and you have to remember that every time you get a load of material in its exceptional... and can easily be parked in any garage when not in use without worry about hitting the door or ceiling...
 

NCPIPELINE

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2012
Messages
444
Location
Raleigh, NC
Occupation
The Fixer
We have 2 dingos, lots of BIG skid steers and all kinds of toys around here, the Bobcat MT55 has tons of rocks in the pocket as you stated, I think it might be one of my favorite machines around! We work in North Carolina and know all about CLAY it definitely gets the job done!
 

verano

Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2012
Messages
17
Location
xiamen china
the mini skid steer is very small,but it's very smart,it could be used for easy and light job,maintenance and clean ,or even could make a trench.

The tiny machines have lots of multi attachment,you could do lots of jobs,of course,comparing to normal skid steer,the price is very cheap.

if you would like to know more,you could visit my homepage.
 
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