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.