Commercial Use?

[Tennsawdust]

Just curious if anyone on the board is using their RK tractor for commercial use? I have a friend who is a residential contractor that is looking at the RK37 for jobsite use. He needs something to move materials around the jobsites, dig the occasional footer or open up foundations for re-sealing. A mini-ex would be perfect for the digging, but it can't move a pallet of brick, level a backfill or spread gravel. The payment on a fully loaded RK37 is less than he is paying in repositioning fees to have equipment on site for those types of jobs. Is anyone out there using an RK in daily commercial use?

 

[jeff9366]

I have a friend who is a residential contractor that is looking at the RK37 for jobsite use.

He needs something to move materials around the jobsites, dig the occasional footer or open up foundations for re-sealing, move a pallet of brick, level a backfill or spread gravel.

This general topic, light tractor for construction work, is posted once a month on T-B-N.

RK37 is 3,100 pounds, bare tractor weight.

To accomplish the specified tasks, of which lifting heavy pallets is the most hazardous, a tractor with a bare weight of 5,000 pounds is needed. Job sites usually have uneven, often muddy ground, often slopes. 5,000 pounds bare tractor weight is needed for stability with circa 1,800 - 2,000 pound FEL loads otherwise a rollover accident is just a matter of time. Even with 5,000 pounds bare tractor weight 1,200 pounds counterbalance on the Three Point Hitch is necessary. This creates a long equipment combination to maneuver and trailer.

A tracked skid steer, AKA Compact Track Loader (CTL) should be considered in lieu of a tractor. CTL Rear engine and tracks make a CTL much more stable than a tractor with front engine, small front wheels and large rear wheels. CTL is much more maneuverable than a tractor in job site conditions. There are more hydraulically powered construction implements marketed for CTLs than for tractors.

Tractors are fundamentally designed to PULL from the Three Point Hitch. Handling FEL tasks is distinctly secondary in tractor capability.

Pound for pound, CTLs have much greater FEL capacity than tractors.

 

[Tennsawdust]

RK37 is 3,100 pounds, bare tractor weight.

To accomplish the specified tasks, of which lifting heavy pallets is the most hazardous, a tractor with a bare weight of 5,000 pounds is needed. Job sites usually have uneven ground, often slopes. 5,000 pounds bare tractor weight is needed for stability with FEL loads otherwise an accident is just a matter of time.

A tracked skid steer, AKA Compact Track Loader (CTL) should be consider in lieu of a tractor. Rear engine and tracks make a CTL much more stable than a tractor with small front wheels and large rear wheels.

Tractors are fundamentally designed to PULL from the Three Point Hitch. Handling FEL tasks is distinctly lower in tractor capability.

The RK37 is just a shade under 5,000 lbs in TLB configuration. It should have no problem with a 900 lb lift of bricks. One of his subs is currently using a similar sized Kubota for the same tasks.

The other Huge issue is that, while the combination of a skid steer and mini-ex would be the ideal solution the skid steer alone is more than three times the cost of a fully loaded RK37. (A Deere 333G is just over $100,000 plus attachments while a full tilt RK37 with attachments is $33,000 or about $650/month with insurance) Even buying used it would be out of the realm of possibility. He has no desire to take on a full time excavation business, which is what would be required to pay for that type of equipment.

The point is that there a number of tasks around the jobsite that a compact TLB could do. Larger jobs would still be done by sub-contractors, but there are more than enough small jobs that the RK37 can do that it would easily pay for itself and then some, not to mention not having to wait for a sub to show up to do a 30 minute job. He does a lot of remodeling work so there are many times he is calling in a sub to do less than two hours work and with the economy improving it is becoming harder and harder to get them to show up for anything much less a small job. That significantly impacts his ability to service his customers. As mentioned before, it is $250 minimum just to get equipment on site, before they do anything. With multiple jobsites going at once those fees add up. If only 3 of them per month are eliminated that more than pays for the tractor.

 

[TractorNH]

The RK37 is just a shade under 5,000 lbs in TLB configuration. It should have no problem with a 900 lb lift of bricks. One of his subs is currently using a similar sized Kubota for the same tasks.

The other Huge issue is that, while the combination of a skid steer and mini-ex would be the ideal solution the skid steer alone is more than three times the cost of a fully loaded RK37. (A Deere 333G is just over $100,000 plus attachments while a full tilt RK37 with attachments is $33,000 or about $650/month with insurance) Even buying used it would be out of the realm of possibility. He has no desire to take on a full time excavation business, which is what would be required to pay for that type of equipment.

The point is that there a number of tasks around the jobsite that a compact TLB could do. Larger jobs would still be done by sub-contractors, but there are more than enough small jobs that the RK37 can do that it would easily pay for itself and then some, not to mention not having to wait for a sub to show up to do a 30 minute job. He does a lot of remodeling work so there are many times he is calling in a sub to do less than two hours work and with the economy improving it is becoming harder and harder to get them to show up for anything much less a small job. That significantly impacts his ability to service his customers. As mentioned before, it is $250 minimum just to get equipment on site, before they do anything. With multiple jobsites going at once those fees add up. If only 3 of them per month are eliminated that more than pays for the tractor.

Does he already have a trailer to move it? What is his max towing capacity and trailer capacity? The RK37 would work but I'd step up to the RK55 if the extra weight to haul it isn't an issue.

 

[jeff9366]

The other Huge issue is that, while the combination of a skid steer and mini-ex would be the ideal solution the skid steer alone is more than three times the cost of a fully loaded RK37. (A Deere 333G is just over $100,000 plus attachments while a full tilt RK37 with attachments is $33,000 or about $650/month with insurance) Even buying used it would be out of the realm of possibility. He has no desire to take on a full time excavation business, which is what would be required to pay for that type of equipment.

Equipment acquisition cost is relatively low relative to repair and employee injury cost over time.

The point is that there a number of tasks around the jobsite that a compact TLB could do. Larger jobs would still be done by sub-contractors, but there are more than enough small jobs that the RK37 can do that it would easily pay for itself and then some, not to mention not having to wait f or a sub to show up to do a 30 minute job. He does a lot of remodeling work so there are many times he is calling in a sub to do less than two hours work and with the economy improving it is becoming harder and harder to get them to show up for anything much less a small job. That significantly impacts his ability to service his customers. As mentioned before, it is $250 minimum just to get equipment on site, before they do anything. With multiple jobsites going at once those fees add up. If only 3 of them per month are eliminated that more than pays for the tractor.

My tractor is 3,700 pounds bare tractor weight. In my opinion a 3,100 pound tractor, nor a 3,700 pound bare tractor is stable enough on a construction site. Backhoe is excellent rear ballast.

I have worked construction as a plumber. Machinery is always overworked in practice.

 

[MossRoad]

Another question would be is the unit's warranty covered for commercial work? Good thing to find out ahead of time.

 

[MossRoad]

I guess, read this. Particularly the very last * at the bottom of the last page....

http://rktractors.com/manuals/Limited Warranty Handout New.pdf

 

[jeff9366]

RK understands tractor limitations:

* Definition of Non-Institutional Use: RK Tractors Equipment and associated products that is purchased and exclusivily used for personal, consumer type of homeowner usage, non-institutional farming or other small business use which does not include demolition, paving, bulldozing, mining, quarry operations, commercial construction, gravel yard or commercial forestry operations.




I have worked construction as a plumber. Machinery is always overworked in practice.

 

[RK Tractor Guy]

RK understands tractor limitations:

* Definition of Non-Institutional Use: RK Tractors Equipment and associated products that is purchased and exclusivily used for personal, consumer type of homeowner usage, non-institutional farming or other small business use which does not include demolition, paving, bulldozing, mining, quarry operations, commercial construction, gravel yard or commercial forestry operations.




I have worked construction as a plumber. Machinery is always overworked in practice.

Astute observation. Tractors can do a lot of things around a construction site but it is a tractor, not an excavator, wheeler loader, true TLB, etc. We have to address this in our warranty policy as all other brands do.

 

[Tennsawdust]

I guess, read this. Particularly the very last * at the bottom of the last page....

http://rktractors.com/manuals/Limited Warranty Handout New.pdf

He is aware that commercial use could limit the warranty (although he should inquire as to their meaning of "commercial construction" as residential construction may be considered a small business use). That is somewhat typical. This isn't something that would be turned loose to "the crew" as his is only a 3 person operation. He is very particular about his equipment, which is why he wants something new instead of taking a chance on a used tractor. He will know the history of it and be able to keep it up to his standards.

Obviously there are real limits to what a compact tractor can be expected to do and that is considered a given. At the same time it is a versatile tool that can be transported to a job site relatively easily and can be called on to do those various small jobs without having to rent or subcontract equipment. The cost is such that it can be offset by only a small reduction in the use of outside services. It is very likely to provide real cost savings and, most importantly, will allow for improved customer satisfaction.

What I was really looking for from this post was whether anyone out there has actual experience racking up hours on a TYM or RK tractor and if they have found any weak points.