I think this is the right sub forum for my question, if not I apologize. I just purchased some raw land in Arizona that I plan on building on. The area isn’t remote but the roads aren’t maintained by the county whatsoever. Which is fine with me. Seems to keep people away. So I’ve decided a solid investment would be a piece of equipment and my dilemma of either a skip loader or backhoe. For digging footers, septic etc obviously says backhoe. But that’s only a small part of the project in reality. I’d still have to maintain my driveway and roadway and that’s a majority of what’d I’d do. I’m looking mainly at construction equipment due to weight alone. I also plan on lifting some steel when I build so I like the lifting capacity. A close neighbor has a decent size tractor but it still just skips over rocks and hard washboard roads. It’s really a waste of time. I’m just looking for opinions or other options I’m not aware of. Thanks.
The only SkipLoader I know of climbs an inclined track by winch and loads a blast furnace.
I think you’re referring to a skip hoist. I’m referring to heavy equipment.
No, I can read. Might want to clarify just what a "skiploader" is.....
They are kind of a california thing. Basically a backhoe, without the hoe, and a box blade with down pressure and rippers instead. I've thought about one just for maintaining my gravel yards, because they are cheaper than a tracked skid loader. To the original poster. I think a skiploader would be the bees knees for maintaining your road, or else a grader. They aren't really handy for a lot of other things.
Depends on how much road you are talking about. If it is a bunch then a grader is the ticket. You can rent when you want to dig holes.
Welcome to the HEF. Hope the land project goes well. I’m sure we can help you decide what machines to get. I think you need an older, giant excavator. Homeowners buying old giant excavators? Is this only viable for YouTubers looki ng to generate content? I have thirty acres on mountain side. My fantasy is to have giant excavator that works but is cheap. HeavyEquipmentForums
Given the choice, I'll go with the Ho everytim................oh wait...
A ho?
For what it is worth, I have a very old skip loader that I just love. It is a ** 30B, the industrial version of a ** 245. I bought it mainly to harrow the arena and rake hay, but once I started using it, I think it is about the best thing I could use for the 2 miles of gravel road I maintain. I don't have much hydraulic down pressure, but do have hyd tilt and trim and a very heavy box blade with flip over rippers. A modern skip loader like a Case 570 or Deere 210 would be great for roads, but with no PTO, it just not versatile enough to justify. A lot of the old industrial tractors like mine did have PTOs. **, Deere, and Ford all had versions, maybe others too. It's nice to be able to drop the box blade and pick up a brush hog.
Huh, interesting. If you put the letter M and the letter F next to each other, this site bleeps it out thinking it is an abbreviation for the bad word. My post above was intended as Massey Ferguson.
I found the same thing when I typed M and F together. What's wrong with abbreviations for Male and Female? Only a few tractors have down pressure on the 3pt. hitch. A 30B is a very good loader tractor. If it has instant reverse I'm not sure if it's the best machine for long pulls under load like working a field. You have to be really careful if it has a PTO because it will instantly go backwards when you go in reverse and could seriously damage the implement or the tractor.
We try to keep HEF G rated and we have members that like to get cute with abbreviations hence the auto sensor.
There were a couple posts recently that suggested different meanings for disallowed words that many would find offensive.
If it was me i would buy a backhoe. Use it till i got the construction part done then sell it and buy a skidsteer. If that was a couple years or how ever long it took . Not cutting anyone down but that would also depend on how much money time and skill you have. I am all most 60 and before long i may be building a new place . Time and work load makes me think i will have as much farmed out as i can. If i was 30 i may try to do most all of it. Good luck keep us informed .
Third option would be find one that's both. I know the Case 480E you could switch from either a 3pt hitch to a hoe and vice versa. It'd be easiest to buy the backhoe version and track down the 3pt hitch unit from a salvage yard. I have a 480E 4wd backhoe and haven't tried taking the hoe off, but by looking at it and reading in the manual it shouldn't been too hard. I think it's just two large pins/bolts and the two main hoses (which has quick couplers). Switching back and forth isn't something you'd want to do every week, but a few times a year it wouldn't be an issue. It's basically just a giant version of how the sub frame mounted hoes on Kubota compact tractors mount. The three point hitch is the one used on the 480E LL and has down pressure and top-n-tilt. No real PTO however, there was a hyd one available but I don't think it'd be good for much. Some of the older Case 580's may have been equipped this way as well as some of the older Deere's, but you'd have to look into that. Most of the skip loader versions used the identical tractor to the TLB versions.
As to the terminology, I think yall figured it out but "skip loader" is a west coast term, around here they're just called industrial loader tractors or landscape loaders. Used to be real popular with small asphalt contractors and mulch & stone yards before CTLs and skid steers got so popular.
Nothing is perfect.
It just thinks im having a bad day!
A jd 210 is the cats ass for grading you can find quite a few 210le for under 20 they are way better than a case 570 and don't get me started on cats 415 A backhoe will do everything you want as well you just have to know how to do it you will find a grade tractor cheaper in better shape in the southwest than a backhoe
Massey Ferguson and other brands had removable backhoes to use the 3pt. back in the 60's and 70's. The school I went to had one for the horticulture dept. They had a full greenhouse too. The greenhouse was rebuilt after a fire but several years later the school was changed from a trade school to a regular high school which was a big shame. Auctioned off many great machines and tools for pennies on the dollar. Now industry is struggling to find trades people.
I bought the back hoe off of a backhoe and was going to mount it on the back of a cheap short wheelbase truck but life got in the way and it may be scrap iron someday.