Hello there, I have a small landscaping business and the labor cost is killing me, I want to incorporate more skid steer machinery in my operation. The place we rent it from they charge us $300-$400 per day (including delivery and pickup). There is a promotion of a new Kubota SSV65 skid steer that sells for 34k. When you finance it for 7 years it comes down to $452 + $50 insurance. I can definitely do $500 a month, but will need to buy a beefy trailer + a truck that can support both, so the cost really adds up fast. Problems/questions: * I have a v8 Tundra truck. Most dealers told me my truck is not strong enough to tow a skid steer + a trailer to support it. Is that correct? If so, does toyota makes any truck models that can haul this thing? *Should I look for a used skid steer? Do those things age well? *Will 65 horse power be sufficient to my needs? Mostly need to spread many yards of soil and gravel. *Does Kubota has decent skid steers? *What kind of trailer should I look for? *Any other un-intended costs of owning a skid steer? *How maintenance heavy those things are? Frankly, I know almost zero about mechanics so won't be able to tinker/fix it myself. I *f you had to buy a no frills truck that will haul it, which one will you choose? f250 will work? I really like toyota, because its so reliable and that's a huge advantage for a non mechanic person like myself. I heard that american trucks have a poor reliability reputation? Thanks again, construction folk!
If you don't have the knowledge to work on the skid loader go to your local bobcat, mustang, case or cat dealer. and tell them what you need and how much you can spend and what you are going to use it for. I would suspect they can fill your needs. Tell them you can buy used but want a service agreement and warrenty of some kind. Usually the machine new or used if it has problems wll show up within 30 days of use. Preventive maintenance will help the machine last along time as long as it is operated correctly and a service agreement will full fill that. I have a friend that pulls a 26 foot enclosed trailer with 6 to 8000 lbs with know problem. Your truck has a rating on the hitch. Your dealer can help you with that. Due to your knowledge and its a tax right off the dealer would probably be the best way for you to go but ask around about the dealers in your area first. Some are good and some not so good. Good luck
The above advice is good. The Kubota seems like a decent deal for a brand new unit. I guess if you are comfortable with the payment, not sure I'd go used, unless it's really (new) used, because you are more likely to have maintenance issues. As for trucks, you might consider a used stake-bed truck, and a short trailer big enough for the skid steer, but not overdoing it. It could also be used for hauling heavier landscaping materials that you can't haul with your current truck. But as far as maintenance and reliability goes, it's hard to say, everyone has different experiences. My old Toyota truck, BTW, always seemed like 'something' needed to be fixed (they're not all super reliable). Used SS trailers are plentiful for pretty cheap. Just check Craigslist. As for the 60 hp, yeah, that's a pretty popular size for landscapers, farmers, etc. You get much bigger, then you're looking at a larger trailer and truck too.
Welcome to the Forums adama9! I would lean towards new on the skid if you have the work for it. Financing for 7 years is a long time for a skid steer though. If you go 7 years make sure there are no penalties for early payoff or doubling up on payments. It's nice to have a low monthly payment for the slow months and be able to double up on payments when work is good. The SSV65 weighs in around 7K plus trailer weight is too much for your Tundra IMO. It will do it but it's pushing it's capacity. As Jeepwalker said I would also look at a one ton stake or flat dump, preferably a flat dump. One ton dumps are handy as a shirt pocket and goes along well with a skid in the landscape business. How much do you want to spend on a truck?
Couple other thoughts on some of your other questions: There can be some great deals on used skid loaders. If they've been well-maintained and not abused too bad. Even some that have had a hard life can operate great with little trouble for years. But there's risk there, and when they don't run great, not only are you at risk delaying a project, there's nothing cheap about repairing skid loaders. Maintenance-wise, it's mostly a matter of changing oils, filters, belts and fluids on a regular basis, inspecting things and fixing small things before they become large and expensive repairs ...and keeping the joints greased. Sounds easy, but you'd be surprised a lot of guy don't do it enough or skip certain joints or lube that are hard to get to and suddenly a major ($$) repair is needed. Then there are unexpected things like water pumps, seals, and so on that can fail and again, if caught right away usually are manageable repairs, but if continued to operate with failing parts, then a much more expensive failure is more likely to occur. On a new unit, you would hope and expect not to have as much of those unexpected things crap out. That's why it would be good if you considered dealer service contracts so you could just let the dealer handle the maintenance and inspections. Also, newer skid loaders should be safer and easier to operate for you and your guys. If you paired the new skid with a light dually dump or steak truck, it should give you additional capabilities and hopefully help you grow your business in new ways on jobs you don't do now. You might try to find ways to have that unit out on paid jobs as much as you possibly can (daily if possible) and pay for itself. For landscaping, you should probably consider buying a tooth bucket and set of forks when you buy the loader Both are almost indispensable in your field as I'm sure you already know. You can probably swing a much better deal during the bargaining process of the whole package than you will buying them separately. You can rent them but the cost of running back/fourth to the rental yard adds up. Don't forget about Insurance, shedding, security and so on.
As far as the newer skid steers anything under 74.5 hp will only likely have a DOC which is good. DOC is not a maintenance issue. The best thing you can do is demo the units from the dealers in your area and see what you like. I would take notes, seriously write down the pluses and minuses of each machine. Study the machines, learn the difference between radial and vertical lift. Decide if high flow hydraulics would be a something you would use/need or not. Compare the specs of the machine, bucket breakout, wheel torque, lift height and so forth. If you want to make an educated decision there is a fair amount of information to take in. Especially if your buying new or nearly new, make sure your getting what will suit you best. As far as using a Toyota, engine power is not typically a problem for these little pickups, but they don't have a lot of payload capacity. Using a half ton anything to pull machines in the 6-8k range is nothing you want to expose your pickup to on a regular basis. It is fine for intermediate use but you will quickly wear your pickup out if you expose it to a steady diet of this type work it will cost you a lot of money in upkeep and may be dangerous depending how heavy you end up being. A 3/4 or 1 ton would be more appropriate for a commercial application.