I went through all of this when I was first searching for my first piece of equipment. You touched on pretty much exactly why I chose the mini. The skid steer would work great for fine grading, moving a lot of material fast, etc. I needed to dig, take trees down, move large rocks, etc. After taking trees down, you can use the mini to roll the stumps out and hold the log while cutting. They each have their place and compliment each other very nicely.
I bought a 55 hp LS tractor with a Cab and an 8 ft backhoe. It's served me well for 7 years now. Only cost 38k brand new. I also run a brush hog, auger, box blade, heavy duty road grader and a homemade 6,000 pound road roller I built for about $1,500. I've built fences for people, roads, driveways, cut fields, installed septic tanks, build horse arenas, cut down and moved trees. You name it. If I need to lift something really heavy or do some clearing, I have a Case 450 Loader Crawler I bought for $2,600 and did some minor repairs. I recently moved a horse tack room for a customer with it. That building was between 8 and 9 thousand pounds!!! Pretty impressive considering that dozer is only about 10,500 pounds. I'd love to have a tracked skid steer or a mini X. Hard to decide because I can kinda do everything with what I have. I'm leaning towards getting a KUBOTA SVL-75 skid steer new and buying a cheap very used mini X. Maybe something open cab for around 25K. I'm thinking a mini excavator around 10,000 pounds would be great for debris cleanup and moving rocks and stuff. With a thumb they sure are versatile. I welded a cheap $165 mechanical thumb on my backhoe last year. Holy crap! Should have done that 7 years ago. It was an immediate game changer. Whether you get a TLB or excavator.....get a thumb. Manual, hydraulic. Doesn't matter. If you have to weld it on and don't have a welder, order a $200 stick welder off Amazon, a $50 auto darkening welding helmet from harbor freight; watch some how-to welding videos on RUclips and get rockin!
I've watched your channel for RV stuff for a couple of years. Never knew you did heavy equipment. Good to see this content as I'm thinking of purchasing a mini-ex or CTL. Nice thought about the tractor.
I own a 2009 Takeuchi TL130 with appx. 950 hours. Bought it from a friend of ours at church who used it around his property. Got the machine in excellent condition for $10,000 with a 2021 Kaufman equipment trailer to move it. It was a deal I couldn’t turn down. I just turned 18 and look forward to using it on my future homestead, as well as to make some passive income. The skid steer works great for clearing brush, moving pallets, moving dirt, rock, sand, grading. And with the tracks it’s near impossible to get stuck. I’m currently looking at smaller excavators for the sole purpose of using it as a crane to help build barns, etc. as well as for digging trenches for wires and water lines. They’re both super handy machines and they compliment each other very well. If it’s doable for folks, a smaller skid steer and smaller excavator would probably be better than a massive excavator and no skid steer. And vice versa. But I guess everybody has their own needs and uses.
I had to comment that this was the most on point video I could have imagined searching for for my use. And I have a small compact tractor. I mean this video was perfect and solidified what I want to get next, keeping in mind side business type stuff too
They’re both great machines but I’ll stick to a backhoe. I feel like a lot of people hate on the backhoe. But if you really know how to operate one you can out do both these machines a lot of the time.
I like having a skid steer way more then a tractor. But that’s also probably because I have way more experience in a skid then a tractor. If you’re careful you can not tear up a lawn with a skid but you have to conscious of it all the time. If I had to choose a skid or excavator I would go for an excavator. An excavator can do everything a skid can do it will just take more time a skid can’t do everything an excavator can do.
Depends on the work your going after. I've been working with a friend of mine for years and our first machine and only machine is a skid steer. When needed we rent a mini. Our jobs rarely require it or we rarely require it as we can get it done without one.
Every machine is a compromise. Each machine will do one thing better than all the others. I started with a small backhoe for ranch management. I bought a large dozer, then a small dozer, then a large backhoe, then a tracked skid steer, then a track loader and finally a mid size excavator. I use each machine where it works best. My jobs are so varied, to lose any machine would negatively impact my ability to get certain things done.
Skid steer has waaaay more utility but the mini ex has the cool factor. Honestly, the most important factor should be what can I get parts for easier. We all know the shelves are getting bare for machinery.
coming from a construction background i will take a skid steer any day of the week and twice on Sunday , the sheer number of attachments that are now available that you rent , lease or buy has turn that skid steer into Swiss army knife of tractors they are no longer your Grandpa's skid steer but the track ho is your Grandpa's track ho from the day it only dose a couple of thing's well and that's it , you don't know what you don't know
Tough call. But I'd probably say skid then, but tbh a small tractor is so versatile for property with a pto etc. Attachments I think on average are cheaper. Coming from a guy that has only ever owned a small tractor. I want a mini x, property management and maybe side work.
If you dont know what to purchase first you shouldn't be looking at either. For landscaping skid steer would be first. Excavation you purchase excavator first . Eventually any company moving dirt purchase both . You have no experience with this equipment sir. Stick to the truck suspension upgrades. Rent a machine if you need one short term.
Lol. Or just get what I want/need and go from there. It's like me telling you that you shouldn't get a bigger TV because you wouldn't know what to do with it. Cheers
Why don't you just watch the truck and RV stuff then? I post A LOT of content on both still.. just skip the videos you don't like. For me, it's not bragging, it's creating content about things that interest me AND many other, just not you.
@@BigTruckBigRV Trying to think through whether I should rent, buy, or hire grading work. While I don't plan to exclusively use your thoughts, I do think it was a useful video for me. Thanks for making it.
I went through all of this when I was first searching for my first piece of equipment. You touched on pretty much exactly why I chose the mini. The skid steer would work great for fine grading, moving a lot of material fast, etc. I needed to dig, take trees down, move large rocks, etc. After taking trees down, you can use the mini to roll the stumps out and hold the log while cutting. They each have their place and compliment each other very nicely.
I bought a 55 hp LS tractor with a Cab and an 8 ft backhoe. It's served me well for 7 years now. Only cost 38k brand new. I also run a brush hog, auger, box blade, heavy duty road grader and a homemade 6,000 pound road roller I built for about $1,500. I've built fences for people, roads, driveways, cut fields, installed septic tanks, build horse arenas, cut down and moved trees. You name it. If I need to lift something really heavy or do some clearing, I have a Case 450 Loader Crawler I bought for $2,600 and did some minor repairs. I recently moved a horse tack room for a customer with it. That building was between 8 and 9 thousand pounds!!! Pretty impressive considering that dozer is only about 10,500 pounds. I'd love to have a tracked skid steer or a mini X. Hard to decide because I can kinda do everything with what I have. I'm leaning towards getting a KUBOTA SVL-75 skid steer new and buying a cheap very used mini X. Maybe something open cab for around 25K. I'm thinking a mini excavator around 10,000 pounds would be great for debris cleanup and moving rocks and stuff. With a thumb they sure are versatile. I welded a cheap $165 mechanical thumb on my backhoe last year. Holy crap! Should have done that 7 years ago. It was an immediate game changer. Whether you get a TLB or excavator.....get a thumb. Manual, hydraulic. Doesn't matter. If you have to weld it on and don't have a welder, order a $200 stick welder off Amazon, a $50 auto darkening welding helmet from harbor freight; watch some how-to welding videos on RUclips and get rockin!
the most comprehensive, explanatory and yet simple video ive seen. Thank You
Thanks!
I've watched your channel for RV stuff for a couple of years. Never knew you did heavy equipment. Good to see this content as I'm thinking of purchasing a mini-ex or CTL. Nice thought about the tractor.
I own a 2009 Takeuchi TL130 with appx. 950 hours. Bought it from a friend of ours at church who used it around his property. Got the machine in excellent condition for $10,000 with a 2021 Kaufman equipment trailer to move it. It was a deal I couldn’t turn down. I just turned 18 and look forward to using it on my future homestead, as well as to make some passive income. The skid steer works great for clearing brush, moving pallets, moving dirt, rock, sand, grading. And with the tracks it’s near impossible to get stuck. I’m currently looking at smaller excavators for the sole purpose of using it as a crane to help build barns, etc. as well as for digging trenches for wires and water lines. They’re both super handy machines and they compliment each other very well. If it’s doable for folks, a smaller skid steer and smaller excavator would probably be better than a massive excavator and no skid steer. And vice versa. But I guess everybody has their own needs and uses.
Great comparison. Definitely a tough decision. Looks like I need one of everything lol.
I had to comment that this was the most on point video I could have imagined searching for for my use. And I have a small compact tractor. I mean this video was perfect and solidified what I want to get next, keeping in mind side business type stuff too
Both are great machines. I use them often. My requirements steer me towards a 4x4 backhoe for the ranch and hillside work
They’re both great machines but I’ll stick to a backhoe. I feel like a lot of people hate on the backhoe. But if you really know how to operate one you can out do both these machines a lot of the time.
I want a 4x4 backhoe.
truth! but having a 555b is great till you cant fit or turn anywhere
Great info and I would take the excavator over the skid steer.
I like having a skid steer way more then a tractor. But that’s also probably because I have way more experience in a skid then a tractor. If you’re careful you can not tear up a lawn with a skid but you have to conscious of it all the time. If I had to choose a skid or excavator I would go for an excavator. An excavator can do everything a skid can do it will just take more time a skid can’t do everything an excavator can do.
Depends on the work your going after. I've been working with a friend of mine for years and our first machine and only machine is a skid steer. When needed we rent a mini. Our jobs rarely require it or we rarely require it as we can get it done without one.
Thanks for posting!
I will go for a Skid Steer for snow plowing, also a wheeled version because I live in Chicago suburb
I would get the skid steer. Much more attachments for it along with a excavator attachments.
Every machine is a compromise. Each machine will do one thing better than all the others. I started with a small backhoe for ranch management. I bought a large dozer, then a small dozer, then a large backhoe, then a tracked skid steer, then a track loader and finally a mid size excavator. I use each machine where it works best. My jobs are so varied, to lose any machine would negatively impact my ability to get certain things done.
I say rent one when needed as it’s probably cheaper.
St fu bum
@@blackranch7883 ???
Skid steer has waaaay more utility but the mini ex has the cool factor. Honestly, the most important factor should be what can I get parts for easier. We all know the shelves are getting bare for machinery.
I think a homestead shouldn't have such an expensive machine.
Wheel barrow and round point shovel would work :)
Lol yeah they would, not for my back though.
Which should I get first? A couple of good friends that live close by that already own one or both.
U need one of each way better this way than a combo backhoe faster
coming from a construction background i will take a skid steer any day of the week and twice on Sunday , the sheer number of attachments that are now available that you rent , lease or buy has turn that skid steer into Swiss army knife of tractors they are no longer your Grandpa's skid steer but the track ho is your Grandpa's track ho from the day it only dose a couple of thing's well and that's it , you don't know what you don't know
What if you did not have a tractor with a bucket already?
Tough call. But I'd probably say skid then, but tbh a small tractor is so versatile for property with a pto etc. Attachments I think on average are cheaper. Coming from a guy that has only ever owned a small tractor. I want a mini x, property management and maybe side work.
Mini
Mini EX
If you dont know what to purchase first you shouldn't be looking at either. For landscaping skid steer would be first. Excavation you purchase excavator first . Eventually any company moving dirt purchase both . You have no experience with this equipment sir. Stick to the truck suspension upgrades. Rent a machine if you need one short term.
Lol. Or just get what I want/need and go from there. It's like me telling you that you shouldn't get a bigger TV because you wouldn't know what to do with it. Cheers
Mini X
Yes for plumbing of course it would be first . Lol
don’t they make a hoe for the skid steer?🤔
You don't say !
I left the video because you took too long to get to the point
Dude your just repeating yourself over and over
I liked your truck n rv reviews, but this constant parade of your expensive “toys” has me leaving your channel .
Why don't you just watch the truck and RV stuff then? I post A LOT of content on both still.. just skip the videos you don't like. For me, it's not bragging, it's creating content about things that interest me AND many other, just not you.
As a rancher, I have a fleet of ranch trucks. I enjoy the equipment videos.
@@BigTruckBigRV Trying to think through whether I should rent, buy, or hire grading work. While I don't plan to exclusively use your thoughts, I do think it was a useful video for me. Thanks for making it.