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Renting a Skid Steer Loader - Followup
QUESTION:First, we had a lot of rain recently and the ground was still fairly damp.
The tires on the skid loader simply couldn't get traction in the wet dirt,
and I spent much of my time spinning the tires too much to dig efficiently.
I also got the loader stuck twice in softer dirt because the tires did not
have enough traction. Had to do an "inch worm" maneuver with the bucket to
pull myself out of the mud.
Second, the skid loader I rented had a smooth blade on the front and
wouldn't dig into the ground very well. Next time I would rent a loader
with a toothed blade.
And, as other's mentioned, it's difficult to dig level with the loader. But
I was still able to get our 40'x40' area level to within an inch or two. It
would be a little rough for a yard, but for rough excavation it is
certainly adequate.
Still, despite these problems, I was able to excavate our building site
adequately, at about half the cost of the estimates I had been receiving.
This was especially important considering none of the excavators I had
called never called back or scheduled an appointment.
I was also able to push out a few small stumps, though a few more would not
come out. Again, I'm sure the poor traction had a lot to do with this.
When it comes time to backfill, I will probably rent the skid loader again.
I would certainly wait till the soil is mostly dry and get a toothed blade,
but I don't know how well it would really work for leveling out the yard.
I'm sure the wet conditions made my situation worse than it normally would
be.
Finally, as other's mentioned, the skid loader was just plain "fun" to use.
I would probably rent one again just for the fun of it..
ANSWER: You really need a dry yard. Leveling should be done with a smooth blade.
Put the blade so that the bottom of the blade when the machine is at rest is
almost vertical then back up with very little down pressure. Just back up
straight in rows N-S then E-W
Tractor with a box scraper will work pretty well if you have a second person
one could do the tractor and the other the skidsteer.
You can have the Box float in that the tires going over small bumps will not
cause the box to bump. It takes a little practice but can be done. I used
to have a ford 601 tractor with a box and a JD 4475 skidsteer!
I'll more than likely stick with the skid loader when it comes time to
backfill. For one, I gained a little experience with it while excavating,
and it's small enough to fit in some of the tighter spots, like between the
house and garage.
It also has a larger bucket, and I'll have a lot of dirt to relocate. A
traditional dozer would be too large to fit in many of the tighter areas.
As long as I can get the ground level "close" to level, I can come back and
make it smooth by hand. Regardless of what machine I use to backfill I'll
take the tiller to the yard and rake it out by hand like I always do around
here. I have PLENTY of experience doing that... Ha. Ha.
If I get the dirt where I need it with the skid steer but just can't get it
level, I can always rent the tractor later to smooth things out.
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