Hi, I am trying to analyze options for purchasing a new or used mini-excavator and mower head (e.g. US Mower or RockHound) to work on my own land - about 20 acres and possibly to start a side-business to help offset the payments down the road and see how I can best make a go of this. I have already decided that I want to go this route versus hiring someone else to do it because of several reasons - capital investment, future income options, learning experience, cause it looks like a lot of fun compared to what I am doing now. I was weighing options between a skid-steer and a mini-ex and I know it would be best if I had both but I need to start some where and the application of the mini-ex combined with a mower seems like it would help me the most on my own land to start off with. The problem is that I have looked at so many minis and cutting head options that I have frankly entered analysis-paralysis :Banghead so I figured I would ask here and see if I can get someone with more experience to help guide me. I am in metro-Atlanta and would like to keep total expenses down under $30K as I do not expect to receive any income from this for quite a while as I get some experience under my belt. I was thinking about using a mini with mower to take down the brush on the land I have - if I could take out up to 4 or 5 inches that would be ideal that seems to take me over my $30,000 goal to get a mini and head with enough hydraulic power to do 4 or 5 inches. I also need to take down some larger trees in the 10 inch range and dig up stumps for what I can't push over and need to chainsaw out of the way. There are a number of large stumps on the land already. Its been suggested that I could dig up a hole and bury the stumps easier with the mini-ex. Anyway - I'm just trying to do as much research as I can right now before I commit to anything and try to avoid a costly mistake - so any advice on what brand/model excavator and mower has worked for you that I could get in to for under $30K total would be appreciated. If I cannot tow it on a If you are in the Atlanta-metro area - any recommendations on dealers and who is good to work with would be helpful.
Welcome to the Forums dawg!:drinkup Here's an older thread I started about the same topic- I never purchased a mower for my mini for a couple reasons, the biggest being the downturn in the economy. However I do have a brushcat for my T250 and do contract mowing from time to time. I have probably mowed enough in the last 2 years to pay for the attachment so there's not a lot of money in it for my area, your area may be different. Point being don't base your final decision on outside work paying for the machine and attachment. The best avenue for work with a brush mower is residential HOA's and developments that aren't built out but the owner/developer still has to maintain it. That is where the bulk of my mowing has come from. A mini-ex with a mower would really shine in this type of project because there are all sorts of areas that a skid with bushhog can't get to or cut sufficiently. However I don't have enough of that kind of work come across my plate to warrant purchasing a mower for my 334 mini. Cutting a 4-5" tree is going to take a good sized mower and mini-ex. I can cut pine in the 4-5" range with the brushcat but it doesn't like it at all. It's most efficient with pines less than 3" and hardwoods less than 2". I don't know if there is a cutter out there for a mini that would handle that size tree, you may have to go up to the midi range.
Thank CM1995, I think I read that thread earlier. There is an old JD 35C with 3500+ hours for sale very close to where I live for around 10K which is what minimax uses and has 17.5 gpm flow. The RockHound 40EX seems to be under $9200 new - I am not seeing prices for the US Mower EX40. That could get me in to what seems to work for minimax for ~20K. The hours/age of the mini-ex might create some problems for me - but would the repairs run me $10K relatively quickly? If you think that works then I'd like to try to improve on it - is there a more suited mini-ex / more suited mower/mulcher head?
I just found the Compact Excavator forum - if this belongs in there feel free to move it. Sorry.
LOL. No I should've caught that. ointhead Done, moved to the proper forum.
I bought a Rockhound 30HD for a 53 sized machine. I think a 40 size cutter head on a 35 sized machine would be too much. The more flow and hyd. hp per cutting tooth, the better. A 30 might be smaller but you can take on bigger material more effeciently, that was my thought anyway and given type of terrain I will be on .
Thanks for the advice. I've seen minimax suggest he wouldn't buy a RockHound over a US Mower. What has been your experience with the RockHound?
I have a rock hound 30ex hd on my cat 305.5d (machine weights 14k) the head weight and power wise is balanced perfectly for what I do. It really depends on the terrain your working in, on semi flat ground a bigger head would be no problem but I'm usually up on pretty steep stuff would not want a heavier head boomed all the way out. Depending on what your land looks like a skidsteer with a deck mower might be a better choice production wise. If your doing work in wooded area want to delimb take out saplings ec it will be great but if you have large acreage to clear a mini ex mower combo IMO is not the right tool for the job. My rock hound will take 6" material no problem. Good luck let me know if you have any other questions!
I looked it at both. I picked the Rockhound, although I have yet to use it. Rockhound offered a 30" cutter head that was offered in a HD configuration. Rockhound was easier to deal with, US Mower considerably less so. Comparing the two, there is not a lot of difference.