Hey yall, We are a group of designers researching and designing attachments for the skidsteer. Our client is a major producer of skidsteers worldwide. Any input that you could give us would be greatly appreciated and could help to develop the next generation of skidsteer attachments. Do you rent or own your equipment? What attachments do you use most often, and what specifically do you use them for?
That is a difficult question, b/c there are so many attachments already out there. I'll give it some thought.
How about a sissor lift attachment. Masons & Painters might find this useful on say a two story home
How about telescopic arms that extend out when the skid steer loader arms are in the up right position to be able to dump into dump trucks easier. Make them so they are able to extend up the arms are fully raised, 2 feet extension would be great you could load just about any truck with easy.
one of the brands already does this, looks to me liked it solved a problem you didn't have - if the truck is that big then you are possibly using the wrong thing to load it as to the original question yeah i've a few ideas about attachments but i'm not divulging here...
How about an auger that cleans the hole out perfectly so no shoveling loose material is needed.
What about a moving ballast system? Something where you could move weight over the front for using blades, or other applications where you need downforce. At a flip of a switch you could move the weight back to the rear for loading and transporting material. Could be a weight on some sort of weight sled, or could be something simple like twin hydraulic tanks where you could move the 15 or so gallons of fluid on the fly from the front to the rear tank.
they already exist in the market place re the moving ballast - are you sure you want to introduce another degree of complexity esp in an area that is critical to operation?
better rear visability. Make enclosed cabs standard, with an easy way to remove the cage of the ROPS to clean the outside of windows easier. AC and Heat standard. More room for your coat or lunch.
Who makes that auger?
i'd guess anyone who makes augers if you ask for the right thing. the one i saw was pretty much a round disc with a wedge of the circle cut out of it and a bent down cutting edge. the disc had an edge around it about 3 inches high and featured a stub suitable for whatever extension you use ie round, square, hex drive. dig as you normally do then fit this thing, run it down the hole, lift out and empty. as to how it works? the guy who showed it to me said yeah ok, emptying it on an excavator is a bit difficult, at least with a bobcat hitch you can just tilt and empty.
I'm guessing you haven't used an auger then mouse. I've never used one where I didn't have to clean the hole before pouring concrete. To empty the auger, you simply activate it outside the hole and centrifugal force does the job.
Guess I have never seen one of the those before. I can see how it might work. Wouldnt be too hard to fab one up.
over 6 years rural contract fencing experience here steve and more auger work than i care to remember... and my opinion of bobcat or excavator mounted augers is that they are just ok compared to a decent drill rig like a proline (which is possibly an australian item) And I'm guessing you didn't really understand what i described is the short answer. the thing for cleaning the hole is not a digging auger, it is a hole cleaning auger. as for how well it works I have no idea, i have always used a post hole shovel which is quick and easy once you learn how to use one properly - the technique is in the shake to load the shovel up.
Yea, my apologies Mouse. I got about 2 hours sleep last night and first time reading I thought you were talking about a screw auger. You've got my gears turning now, I wonder if just the lower section of a screw auger had side plates welded to it if that would leave a cleaner hole?
That may help, but I think as long as the bottom of the auger isn't flat you are going to have excess dirt in the hole. It would be worth experimenting with if you had an old auger laying around. Anything to reduce the amount of shoveling would be great. For some of the pier footings we do with a 30" auger require a lot of shoveling!
I think ground clearance would defineately help all mfg's skid or ctl(Except ASV of course).