Which one??

Howdy,

I am going to rent a skid steer to remove some brush, mesquite and some cedar trees. I also need to knock down three old sheds and put them in a dumpster.

I wanted to rent a bobcat T250 but was told by the local rental place that they don't rent out tracked machines if it's going to be used for demo work because the rubber track are so fragile that a stone or small rock can tear the tracks in to.

So, now to my question, is it true that the rubber tracks are that fragile?
Will an S250 push cedar trees over? or do I really need the T250?

The cedar trees aren't that big, I think the biggest one is 5-6'' in diameter. I realize that on the bigger ones it probably wont be able to push them over and I will have to do some digging to get them out.

Looking for advice, I am 3 weeks away from starting the job.

Thanks in advance
Richard:usa

Where are you doing this work in Texas? Most of the cedars in Texas grow in areas where the limestone rock is just under the surface of the soil. No matter what size skid steer you use, the important thing is the grubber attachment that you will need to remove mesquites and cedars. A bucket alone will not do the trick!

The area I will be working in has the red sandy soil, where I live its clay and rock like you are talking about.

Do any of the rental yards have a grubber? or is this something I am going to have to call around and beg for?

Back to one of my original questions, are the rubber tracks really so fragile that a rock or a tree branch the size of your finger will ruin them?

The rental place told me that if I broke one of the rubber track it would be $5000 out of my pocket (OUCH!!)

I am sorry that I can't help you on the tracks. I do know that they are quite expensive. I recently found this website that offers a spade to fit on the end of forks for $150. I don't know if this plate would have a notch to catch the cedar or mesquite in so that you can pull up on them.

http://foryourshore.com/index.cfm?c...111&action=ViewDetails&ItemID=115&Category=33

I don't know where you can rent a grubber like mine.

I am glad to hear that you have sandy soil-should be easier digging. You didn't say how big the mesquites are. Hopefully you will have moist soil also.

Gr8ride said:

The area I will be working in has the red sandy soil, where I live its clay and rock like you are talking about.

Do any of the rental yards have a grubber? or is this something I am going to have to call around and beg for?

Back to one of my original questions, are the rubber tracks really so fragile that a rock or a tree branch the size of your finger will ruin them?

The rental place told me that if I broke one of the rubber track it would be $5000 out of my pocket (OUCH!!)

Click to expand...

the tracks on CTLs are no more fragile than a mini-ex and normal rocks and small sticks will not ruin them.

The largest mesquite is about 4'' in diameter.

So overall with what I have described do you think
a tracked machine will survive?

Gr8ride said:

The largest mesquite is about 4'' in diameter.

So overall with what I have described do you think
a tracked machine will survive?

Click to expand...

Is there a reason that you need to drive over it once you remove it, or can you go around it? if I remember correctly, mesquite doesn't grow close together.

There is plenty of room to go around.

The guy at the rental yard is afraid that
I am going to run over everything insight.

I think I may change my reason for renting to
needing to do some landscaping, its not entirely
a lie

Rubber tracks can be skewered and torn by jagged ends of stumps, tree trunks and hard rock, hence the rental company's logic on not renting rubber tracked machines. The same thing holds true for rubber tires, they're just cheaper to repair/replace.

I've pushed down a lot of cedar and mesquite in the last few weeks, all of it with a D3G dozer. I initially tried using a JD230 skid steer, and quickly gave up - a grubber is good for pulling up/uprooting individual trees, not so good when you have a lot of work to do in a short time, or for larger (>2" - 3" trees). A standard skid-steer bucket can push down some trees, depending on what the tree is rooted in, and what kind of footing you have under the machine's tires. Loose material can be a problem, as the machine will lose traction and spin the tires.

If you end up using a standard equipped rental skid steer, watch your footing, start high on the tree's trunk for leverage, and unless the cab is forestry equipped, watch for intrusion into the operator's compartment. Both cedar and large mesquite can spring back toward you during a push, and be prepared to move in reverse once the tree goes over to avoid riding up on the root ball.

For larger trees, you can use the bucket/blade to cut the tree's lateral roots on three or four sides before pushing it over. For cedar and mesquite, cut in front of the tree (the direction you want it to fall) 2" - 6" deep, then on each side at the same depth. This will make pushing the tree over a little easier.

Make sure the rental unit has good tires on it, as fresh as possible. You'll need the traction, worn tires won't cut it in sandy or loose material.

So the populous vote is for or against the T250 for this job?

Just like the government, if I don't like how you voted I am
still going to do it the way I want to do it..... Just kidding of
course, the government would never do anything like that

a track will get ripped or torn just as easy as a tire can got flat.....its 6 of one ,half dozen of another . its in how its ran if u go driving over everything ,if its tires or tracks something may get messed up or not....id go with the t250,ive spent so much time in tracked skid steers now the rubber tired ones i think are a dying breed

jimmyjack said:

id go with the t250,ive spent so much time in tracked skid steers now the rubber tired ones i think are a dying breed

Click to expand...

second that, when i have a choice its the tracked one every time (or a wheeled one twice the size as the tracked one on offer)

can't really comment on your trees, around here anything smaller than about 18" is fair game but it might take a bit of work.

i've been running my tracked machines over just about everything without great drama, the thing you want to watch out for is steel.

bricks, rocks, roots, stumps, logs - i don't bother worrying about them.

as far as i know our trees are a lot 'harder' than yours, the videos i've seen of people working timber there just aint in the same picture as here, we'd use twice the sized saws for the same sized logs.

can't remember if its here or that other site but ther was a bragging thread of skidsteers lifting which showed a t300 lifting an 80' log. i don't think you could do that with most of our hardwoods.