VenasNursery
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Michigan
A SK 1550 is not in the same class as the others almost twice the machine you can get a SK 800 - SK 900 - SK 1050 a lot cheaper
Kubota SCL1000
- Thread starter Boomslang
- Start date
VenasNursery
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Michigan
Imo DW is the best machine but your best local dealer service is wisest decision because they all break down
I know. It's just an incredibly clean machine. Private sale I saw on Facebook.
Once I get all my other quotes in I'm going to reach out to Brandt about a 1050. Figure if I have a bunch of competition quotes it'll be easier to negotiate.
VenasNursery
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Michigan
A 800 or 900 is a lot cheaper than a 1050 and more dependable due to the electronics on the 1050
Just what I’ve been told
I do own a 1550 and a 900 and are both great machines
I had no idea some mini's don't float. I agree, very important feature for versatility. I also agree about the mess of grease track tensioning, can be a real mess in the field. I started carrying an extensive amount of tools to every job last year for the unexpected with my machines, but I leave the grease gun in the shop. Neat and tidy.
I'm not seeing the $10k+ advantage to Vermeer/DW vs Bobcat. That's a lot of cash for lifting and shifting brush and wood (main purpose)
Dealer support is definitely a real important consideration. My only local dealers (1 hour or less drive) were Bobcat, Vermeer, or Toro. I was already put off by the company that sells Vermeer in our region, Toro dealer wouldn't give me the time of day, Bobcat ended up impressing me more than the others with their customer service. I had reached out to a DW dealer since they were 2 hours away for comparison sake. They got back to me about a year after our initial chat lol.
Serf Life
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Maine Island
I had the opposite! Each region will be different, and continue to change with their employees and overlords. DW salesman drove up an SK800 from 3hrs away, let us demo for more than a week (free), and when I order parts through JESCO in Mass the ship it that same day and always answer the phone. Hope it stays this way but not banking on it…
Lumberjack
Branched out member
I'm probably an oddity, but a couple years ago I was wanting a small forwarder, ran the gamut of machines vs what I wanted functionality wise... ended up deciding on an ASV RT40 with cab/ac. 2 years later I'm still very happy with it and would replace it with the same if this one died.
Travel speed is great, ~7mph
Lifting capacity is decent, ~1klb at 35% tipping capacity, it can tote the mail down near the ground.
Lift height is decent, it can just get over the side of my 30 yard 16' dumpster with 7' sides on the ground.
Cab/ac is fantastic for comfort.
Suspension is generally great, although it can get herky jerky/bouncy on clean dry pavement
It goes to basically every tree job and handles most of the day to day forwarding.
Caveats:
If we're doing a bigger or specialized job we'll bring the larger track loader or excavator to help with efficiency or lifting heavy. The excavator can lift considerably more than the grapple truck.
I generally just have to get the material to the grapple truck (it normally just forwards material, it doesn't load it)
It's 4' wide which fits beside my stump grinder on the trailer in front of the lift... I don't work through 3' gates.
It could barely get this off the ground, storm work, minimal yard damage after we got back to the grass, especially compared to other options (or the ~$180k in damage to the home).
Travel speed is great, ~7mph
Lifting capacity is decent, ~1klb at 35% tipping capacity, it can tote the mail down near the ground.
Lift height is decent, it can just get over the side of my 30 yard 16' dumpster with 7' sides on the ground.
Cab/ac is fantastic for comfort.
Suspension is generally great, although it can get herky jerky/bouncy on clean dry pavement
It goes to basically every tree job and handles most of the day to day forwarding.
Caveats:
If we're doing a bigger or specialized job we'll bring the larger track loader or excavator to help with efficiency or lifting heavy. The excavator can lift considerably more than the grapple truck.
I generally just have to get the material to the grapple truck (it normally just forwards material, it doesn't load it)
It's 4' wide which fits beside my stump grinder on the trailer in front of the lift... I don't work through 3' gates.
It could barely get this off the ground, storm work, minimal yard damage after we got back to the grass, especially compared to other options (or the ~$180k in damage to the home).
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Serf Life
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Maine Island
Mini be nimble, mini be quick, and in back of truck will fit. ‘20
Colin1234567
Participating member
A similar size DW is similar in price to your mt100. Don’t know about Vermeer
https://seattle.craigslist.org/kit/hvo/d/poulsbo-ditch-witch-sk1550-mini-skid/7820207987.html one of ya'll should pick up this one. It looks cherry and the price is right. Long live Craigslist!
Generic comment skid v articulated having spent hours with both. I wouldn’t trade my mini articulated for any skid because it’s so easy on lawns. Unless it’s damn near a bog I never need mats. I wrench on my own equipment so went used and turned out to be the best decision
That's another decision I have to make. Most places around here have a good amount of space, so maybe an articulated loader would be better
Treetopflyer
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Coastal N.J
Same I’ve spent many hours and was an avid ditch witch fan with bmg until I demoed an Avant for a month and realized how much more profitable I was with it!
Could you share the pros/cons of the Avant vs DW or just tracked minis vs compact loaders in general.
Jehinten
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Evansville
I could likely get efficient with an articulating loader if I put in the time, but as of now I am faster on a mini skid than my buddies vermeer ATX850 which has 3X lifting capacity and 3X the speed of mine. Another advantage of the articulating loader is the height. It can grab trees off of low roofs and load over the sides of trailers with higher sides.
When we really want debris moved fast we both run our equipment at the same time. Which works well for storm work, felling trees or when debris will be hauled with a grapple truck. Basically when the debris is all down at once or doesn't need to be chipped as you go.
When we really want debris moved fast we both run our equipment at the same time. Which works well for storm work, felling trees or when debris will be hauled with a grapple truck. Basically when the debris is all down at once or doesn't need to be chipped as you go.
Treetopflyer
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Coastal N.J
Avant has Speed and power increases with less fuel consumption. Open cab is almost just as fast on and off as a stand on skid.
Rarely rarely need ground protection as I used to always lay mats out for dw and lots more reach for loading/unloading moving things with Avant . Just going from say your working a back yard to the street to chip and your able to run 7.5mile per hour vs 3.5 or 4 mph or whatever mini skid runs you can out work the mini almost 2:1
I had new dw 1050 in my sights until I had it and Avant 528 on same job it was very telling .. oh yes
No more popping tracks off or replacing seized rollers..
Can swap tires to go skinny if needed through tight gate and leave wide for floating over soft ground in 20 minutes
400 hour service intervals if you want and all panels come off quick to work on. I hate working on the minis they’re so frustrating and tight!
I’ve had my Avant since August ‘23 now zero issues knock on wood.
my ditch witch was used when I bought new to me in 2018 it was 2013 model , so I’ve never owned a new one but I had a lot of minor problems often with mine that led me to go another direction after I was done sinking money into it . Still have my dw755 after I dropped 6k or whatever for the main drive pump to the drive motors and if I need have a little dw sk350 for really tight stuff but they just don’t go out to play since the green machine came here. They are not cheap but the upfront cost for what you get in the duration or operations I make more with it than I did with my 2 ditch witches!
Treetopflyer
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Coastal N.J
It took us awhile to feel more confident on Avant I was like you more capable on my mini but after some time on art loader the tides turned
Serf Life
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Maine Island
I’d wager for residential, lawn/backyard and suburban/development settings the avant wins hands down. For uneven woods work, tight trails, wet ground, and 360 the mini is great. We went a spell of matting lawns where a art-loader would have saved hrs (and schlepping toil) over the course of a week, then add the better mph that was mentioned... But then had a couple very lucrative jobs shortly thereafter that the mini had inches to spare in width for access. Other markets I could see the full sized skidsteer or cable skidder reign supreme. How are avants in the snow/ice? After a few trips the mini packs snow and starts to slip on any incline.
