Hello all, I'm looking for a stand on mini skid that has better side to side stability. I'm going to be doing a lot of slow, loaded downslope work on my hills and want to minimize the risk of tipping on uneven ground. What are the most stable machines? I am thinking about the Ditch Witch SK1550 because of the width, but I am not sure if any of the 42" machines have their weight distributed well enough to be as stable. No 36" machines obviously. No Chinese machines either... I like to be sure of finding repair parts... As far as the sk1550, I'd be looking at machines in the 2000-2500hrs range to fit my budget. What major wear items are to be expected around those hours? I know slope work isn't ideal. I'm just looking to lessen my risk. I'll be running slow and careful as it is and taking a good look at each slope beforehand. A sit-in machine does not fit my situation, and we're not contracting out this work. Thank you.
My experience in renting these machines is they are pounded out in a under a 1000 hours. Granted they have been rented all their lives. I had a DW machine that was so worn out that you couldn't hold grade with it. If your looking for machine with that many hours, you will need to find one that has been owner maintained (and done very well). I think you would be money ahead to pay more for a machine with less hours.
The wide track machines are pretty stable for side hill work. But it's best to go just up or down, with the heavier side on the up-hill side. When the machine is not loaded, you go up backwards. When fully loaded, you get to follow the machine up the hill walking. I have a Toro Dingo TX425 machine that has been well taken care of with maintenance and was never a rental. I installed a new Kohler motor in it at 1,100 hours. A diesel might last longer. All the rental Toro Dingo stuff looks super beat. DW is a good brand.
Thank you both. I have no interest in buying a rental. I'll be running a disc mulcher straight up and down hills. I have a Kubota SCL1000 but that is only a 36" and I'm not going to risk tipping that mulching hills. I'd either be very, very slow or be tipping a lot. Probably would be a bit of both... It's on the sell list now. Is the 46" width of the SK1550 meaningful over something like the 42" SK1050 for side stability? I neither want to pay extra for a 1550 to find out its center of gravity is higher and negates its width nor do I want to buy a 42" machine and realize I needed the extra couple inches. I still lean toward the 1550 and have seen some listed that have had some of the major repairs done. New engines or new hydraulic drives... Thanks again.
Toro bought Ditch Witch but I don't know if the machines are the same.
To finish out my end of this thread, I ended up getting a 2018 SK1550 this month. It was at 1750hrs and had a lot of recent repair receipts from their Ditch Witch dealer. Had to drive 16hrs round trip in one day to get it but I am happy so far. The seller showed me what no-load angles they were okay with, and they were greater than I plan on running sidehill. I've put together a good face shield and now just need to get the brush guard set up before I start running my disc mulcher. Thanks everyone.