Future for mulching equipment

[Robbie Hegwood]

See what ya'll think of this. With the decline of the economy and the impact it has had on mulching equipment do you forsee skid steer manuf. starting to return there marketing plans to dirt. The reason I ask is with no one really crossing the 100 h.p. barrier on skid steers and the introduction of the Rayco C-100 the line is getting very blurred. I still see interest in skid steers for mulchers but with more at stake than ever for new people getting into mulching they are doing more homework and looking into dedicated tractors. I also see skid steer owners ready to upgrade much quicker than ever. I know this is partly due to me being so involved with only mulchers but still. The line is still drawn at the price tags right now. But if the skid steers get any more expensive and if the dedicated machines came down any that would be interesting.

 

[ClearViewGroup]

this is a very good point and could well be the future of the market...the OEMs are having trouble moving machines with Forestry in mind...just look at the market price for the PT-100 Forestry which is the most mulching oriented while still multi-purpose machine out there....interesting thoughts we will have to discuss more in Raliegh, see you there!

 

[yellowdogsvc]

Here's my thoughts. If someone is getting into skid steer mulching only and doesn't have another skill set to fall back on, he or she may be disappointed. Sure, you can grind just about anything but a skid steer mulcher is slow on the big wood. I have been doing this for a long time and started mulching back in the days when I could only get 30 gpm on high flow. I have owned the new CAT C series and currently run a Bobcat s330 with some modifications. I tried to get away from my chipper but find that big wood is so much easier to dispose of with a big chipper. I complement the chipping (I use a BC2000 Vermeer with loader) with the CAT mulcher on my S330. I just don't see how guys tackle the big wood with a skid steer and like the way the job turns out.

I think we will see more focus on machines that can do it all but I still think that will be a small market compared to the dirt machines that can run most attachments. I don't think mulching will die off anytime soon but I think that the cost of entry and the ongoing costs of supporting a mulching machine may be a barrier to some people staying in business.

Let's hope technology keeps moving forward!