Pictures from a skid steer mowing contractor

[paulsharvey]

Approx 100-150 to start?

Depending on new/used for certain items.

That’d keep me outta trouble for a few years!

If you get lucky, a municipal crew dump truck, in the f450-550 size; or medium duty, non cdl dump truck, pintle trailer, could be had for $15-25k. Look into the creative lease to own programs on the skid steer. Yeah, you can get deals on a used skid, but got to look at down time, and if you are wanting to be a half time mechanic and half time operator, and how little time that leaves to bid jobs

 

[paulsharvey]

These businesses also tend to morph based on your clients. So, a tracked skid, mulcher, and 1 ton truck might be the correct to for Mr Lineman; but your local area might call for a 8.5T hoe with mulching head, or more small material deliveries. Florida might have readily available lease truck dump trucks; but your area might require frequent 8-12t deliveries, and hard to find lease trucks.

So, I would heavily consider leasing while to start up, and figure out your niche.

 

[paulsharvey]

Also, just to be contrarian; a 75ish HP tractor, and a 72" Brown Tree Cutter, might be a smart place to start? That gets you in the door, with new equipment for probably $75,000; and then short term lease of heavier gear, as needed.

 

[Doorman63]

Our area is rural/farmland/overgrown forest areas. I see a couple guys with skidsteers-mulchers.

A lot of overgrown tree lines around me.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Been watching an auction tonight and have seen plenty of enclosed cab CTL's with less than 1000 hrs going from $29k-40k, it's getting cheaper to get in this game.

 

[Gregster613]

Some customers are like clockwork and I can count on hearing from them yearly and they recommend me to their friends which is new work for me, I also have a friend who drills wells and he meets with new people moving into our area needing a water well drilled and lot's of them want work done and he gives them one of my cards and I get a lot of new customers that way, sometimes I get busier than I want to be and then winter will come and it slows down so I can hunt and enjoy myself for a few months until it seems to start back up, I am truly blessed and a very fortunate man.

Thanks and that's very good to hear! I'm glad life is being good to a hard working man.

 

[paulsharvey]

Todays auction. Yeah, at 2800 hours I would say it's at about 66% used up, likely not a high flow machine, no forestry package, but at $14k....

 

[paulsharvey]

I recently saw a short video, discussion machine hours, and their preferred Commercial, service life. They said HPx50 hours is a good guideline on selling and replacing a machine, while it still has good resale value, but you have used about 50% of its meaningful lifespan. They did also point out, at that 50 hours/HP mark, it still had a lot of life in it, but that it was a good line to look at replacement, again, in a commercial use setting.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

Sometimes I get busier than I want to be and then winter will come and it slows down so I can hunt and enjoy myself for a few months until it seems to start back up, I am truly blessed and a very fortunate man.

Charlie, thank you for posting that. I'm trying to get better at stepping back and realizing how fortunate I am. Keep up the good work!

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Charlie, thank you for posting that. I'm trying to get better at stepping back and realizing how fortunate I am. Keep up the good work!

Yes sir, God has a plan for every one of us, sometimes we just have to slow down and listen, have a good week.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

A picture or two from a couple of different jobs this week, one forestry mowing an overgrown driveway/property line for a new customer and the other was mulching a property line in a really tight place due to customer only wanting vines and small brush removed, it's warming up down here in Florida but nothing like what it will be shortly, hope everyone is having a good week.

 

[Doorman63]

How well does your A/C keep up in the heat?

 

[Lineman North Florida]

How well does your A/C keep up in the heat?

Absolutely fine, it has had zero problems knock on wood.

 

[Doorman63]

Absolutely fine, it has had zero problems knock on wood.

Awesome

 

[Tomtint]

Most of the jobs I get for tractor bush hogging are 10 acres or less and usually have quite a few trees with low hanging branches that I need my small tractor to mow around, I use a 6' mower for those jobs with a 35 hp tractor and can mow all day on less than 10 gallons of diesel. If I get any bigger I am going to have to buy a batwing mower, but I really prefer the skid steer work and I may need to go up on my rates, I am just going to have to sit down and run all the numbers and see , but so far it is working out.

I have a smaller size skid steer.. Its a Cat 246 that I put a set of Logering VTS tracks on.. Basically a entire new undercarriage .. Tires come off and the whole track system is bolted on it their place. I did this when the machine had 400 hours on it and needed its 3rd set of tires. The tracks are now old and cracked so those will be getting replaced soon. The reason I'm telling you all this is the cost involved in operating a skid. When I got mine the Cat dealer estimated it costs 6.00 per hour in maintenance to run a skid. Wear and tear, general maintenance etc. .. Today I would bet its closer to 10.00 per hour..maybe more depending on the machine.

 

[Rustyiron]

I have a smaller size skid steer.. Its a Cat 246 that I put a set of Logering VTS tracks on.. Basically a entire new undercarriage .. Tires come off and the whole track system is bolted on it their place. I did this when the machine had 400 hours on it and needed its 3rd set of tires. The tracks are now old and cracked so those will be getting replaced soon. The reason I'm telling you all this is the cost involved in operating a skid. When I got mine the Cat dealer estimated it costs 6.00 per hour in maintenance to run a skid. Wear and tear, general maintenance etc. .. Today I would bet its closer to 10.00 per hour..maybe more depending on the machine.

I remember when the CTL were becoming more popular 20 +/-years ago and the stated operation costs (per an equipment trade magazine) was around you $6/hrs for a SS and in the $12/hrs for a CTL.
Now many sites the added flotation is required and let's face it, they're much cooler,
But that's something to consider not to mention the addition purchase cost for someone crunching the numbers considering starting a service based on one of these very versatile machines.

 

[paulsharvey]

I remember when the CTL were becoming more popular 20 +/-years ago and the stated operation costs (per an equipment trade magazine) was around you $6/hrs for a SS and in the $12/hrs for a CTL.
Now many sites the added flotation is required and let's face it, they're much cooler,
But that's something to consider not to mention the addition purchase cost for someone crunching the numbers considering starting a service based on one of these very versatile machines.

In certai, specific operations, tires are better; like milling around radius' with a milling head. Tires really dont have a much down side on asphalt. Don't think anyone still makes something like the Bobcat A300, which had 4 wheel steering.

Besides that, and maybe tree planting for a landscaper, I would hazard 80% of the time tracks are better.

For stuff like landscape supply yards, a compact wheel loader, is better than either...

Mulching, things like gopher turtle holes, hidden bed frames, ect, tracks all the way.

Even with tracks, there are wider, lower ground pressure ones,

 

[Lineman North Florida]

I have a smaller size skid steer.. Its a Cat 246 that I put a set of Logering VTS tracks on.. Basically a entire new undercarriage .. Tires come off and the whole track system is bolted on it their place. I did this when the machine had 400 hours on it and needed its 3rd set of tires. The tracks are now old and cracked so those will be getting replaced soon. The reason I'm telling you all this is the cost involved in operating a skid. When I got mine the Cat dealer estimated it costs 6.00 per hour in maintenance to run a skid. Wear and tear, general maintenance etc. .. Today I would bet its closer to 10.00 per hour..maybe more depending on the machine.

Thanks for the tip, mine has continued to be troublefree but I don't slack on maintenance and no telling how many cartridges of grease that I have gone through, I grease non stop, but you are correct when something goes wrong it's probably not going to be cheap to fix.

 

[4570Man]

I remember when the CTL were becoming more popular 20 +/-years ago and the stated operation costs (per an equipment trade magazine) was around you $6/hrs for a SS and in the $12/hrs for a CTL.
Now many sites the added flotation is required and let's face it, they're much cooler,
But that's something to consider not to mention the addition purchase cost for someone crunching the numbers considering starting a service based on one of these very versatile machines.

Sure it probably cost more to maintain a track machine but a track machine will work circles around a wheeled machine. I’m not convinced the cost per job is actually cheaper with wheels. Putting purchase costs aside how much is it worth for this not to happen every time you drive somewhere a little bit soft? I sold that wheeled machine a couple years ago and the only thing I miss is how fast it would drive. The track machine is better in every other aspect.

 

[Tomtint]

Sure it probably cost more to maintain a track machine but a track machine will work circles around a wheeled machine. I’m not convinced the cost per job is actually cheaper with wheels. Putting purchase costs aside how much is it worth for this not to happen every time you drive somewhere a little bit soft? I sold that wheeled machine a couple years ago and the only thing I miss is how fast it would drive. The track machine is better in every other aspect. View attachment 3650897

yeah.. I got stuck one too many times with tires in mud. Never even been close to getting stuck with the tracks. But they now need to be replaced .. Im guessing 3K for new ones. Tires would be 600 ish. .. Pay to play. .. I think I got 400 hours out of this set.. They still have tread but the splits in them are pretty bad.