skid steers

[swarm_trapper]

hey guys just wondering what kinda skid steers i know most use a bobcat but what model number.Im looking at getting a cheap used one, it wont be used much for unloading bees it would be more for receiving and unloading semis and if the hummer bee would ever take a dump. thanks Nick

[No_Bivy]

mini skids are nice....I have a boxer. It lift 1100 lbs. only weighs 2500. tracked not wheeled. Larger machine, I would go with Takeuchi

[Durandal]

I do not use my skidsteer for bees...yet.

I have a Bobcat 753.

Love it. Been using it HARD for about 8 years now. I maintain it and have never had a failure of any sort. I wish it had a higher reach, but there is only one skid steer that has 142" to pin to stack hay in a barn and the price tag does not justify it yet.

It is probably my most used piece of equipment.

[michael-bees]

I have Bobcat 773g and love it. The G series lifts nearly straight up for a bit before it starts to arch and that is handy. Use it for everything and would not want a smaller model.

[odfrank]

I have a Bobcat S185 and a T190, prefer the track machine, when I'm off pavement.

[No_Bivy]

the best part my Boxer is it fits through a 36" gate.....lots of power in tight spot. How much does a full hive weigh?/

[swarm_trapper]

well a full hive is about 100lbs or a little more but they are on pallets of 6, and any time i load or unload i do it with the pallets double stacked so two pallets will be getting into the 1500lbs range. Nick

[Ian]

I run a New Holland 465, good machine. Nice and tight and a good lift system on it, straight up for a few feet. I am getting weight for it, lifting two pallets of bees, in doubles is just about too much for it,

[tecumseh]

durandal writes:
I wish it had a higher reach

tecumseh:
do you use the standard front end loader or do you use a mast loader?

[dbest]

the best part my Boxer is it fits through a 36" gate.....lots of power in tight spot. How much does a full hive weigh?/

We figure a 115# hive average. That includes the pallet and all. I also ask drivers how much they're emtpy truck and trailer weighs before they get there. Its saves a lot of hassle taking bees back off a truck. My forklifts are the really really old Bobcat 610's I have 3 with 10' masts 1 with a 12' mast and 2 with regular loader arms for loading barrels and doing other odd jobs. They're cheap and I love them. But you have to be somewhat of a mechanic to own one let alone 6. (the reason for owning 6...so I'll have at least 2 forklifts and one loader going at any one time.)

[Keith Jarrett]

Funny post Dbest,

I still see alot of those 610's around with crazy wheels, some very successful keepers still use them.

[dbest]

Funny post Dbest,

I still see alot of those 610's around with crazy wheels, some very successful keepers still use them.

We have dollys on all of them. They're next to useless otherwise. You want to see something really crazy I stood at Josh Gentry's shop in Wimauma FL. and counted 6 of them and there were crew's still out working. He has another shop in Loxahatchee so who knows how many he has. I'm guessing more than a dozen.

[Durandal]

durandal writes:
I wish it had a higher reach

tecumseh:
do you use the standard front end loader or do you use a mast loader?

I use a standard set-up. When we purchased our second Bobcat we were looking at doing earth moving and round bale lifting. No big deal with a normal rig.

We got the 753 almost new so there was some money tied up in up.

Over the last half dozen years we have lost a lot of manual labor sources and our baling operation is now a 2 man show with everything automated. I never touch a bale out of the 6K we pump out , but the reach on the Bobcat is only high enough to get 7 small bales on edge high. That means I can only stack about 2/3 of our metal barn (I use our new Holland to get another 2 rows up). 142" reach means I used 4/5ths of the barn and never touch the bales. I use a closed top 5 bale and 10 bale grapple to stack.

Now for bees, I have a 16' and 25' trailers, all of which I have I would have no problems loading and loading pallets and hives with our current 753. I'd like a different type of forklift attachment though, preferably one that is like a hydraulic mast.

I have found one that may meet my needs but I'd be interested in hearing about other sources for skid steer attachments.

[Action]

I have a bobcat 610 with a mast and just bought a Cat 216b. I am still having a hard time with the Cat ( Pallet forks) The problem for me is I can't see like I can with the 610/Mast. I am building a new set of pallet forks that I think will make me happy. I will see ( I hope)
Jack

[dbest]

I've been wanting to try building a forklift out of an ASV posi track loader. Put a hummerbee or edwards mast on one. Every think of putting one on your cat?

[Action]

Yes sir, That is the way I was going. I have an edwards mast on my 610. I talked to them about my Cat and they have all the parts. The other day I got the Cat stuck in the sand (maybe wouldn't happen with a track machine) Tiped the froks down and picked up all tires-filled the holes and was off. wouldn't happen if I would of had a pallet on the forks. Couldn't do that with a mast. So I am going to try the arms and see how it goes. My only problem is I can't see as good as with a mast. I think my new forks will help.
Jack

[Trevor Mansell]

We have dollys on all of them. They're next to useless otherwise. You want to see something really crazy I stood at Josh Gentry's shop in Wimauma FL. and counted 6 of them and there were crew's still out working. He has another shop in Loxahatchee so who knows how many he has. I'm guessing more than a dozen.

He has 6 of them and only 2 work. LOL Josh is a great guy.