mini skid choice/tx1000W?

[philztoy]

I have been researching all the mini skids based on posts here. It seems mostly the choice should be between vermeer and ditchwitch.
The local ditch witch dealer had them all last February. And I was on track to buy one and then Covid happened and now there are none! I was kind of looking at a 1050 then they kind of convinced me that a 1550 would be the way to go. But they don't have any. So I looked and looked and bought a 700 hour filler toro 525W and it seems like a decent machine.

I talked to a local tree guy and he used a tx 1000 W and said he was really happy with it and put 1000 hrs on it with little trouble.

The local dingo dealers have lots of machines for sale unlike Ditch witch and 4 years 0 % which Ditch witch also has.

But I don't see a lot of talk about them on here so I thought I would ask for the dirty nitty gritty on the Toro machines.

I am mostly doing sort of medium heavy home owner use with a 70 acre yard and lots of various rocks, roads and dead wood logging tasks.

I am just wondering what the draw backs are on the Toro's. I can't find a lot on here.

Any comments, wisdom, insults, thoughts or recommendations would be appreciated!

Phil

 

[Fivepoints]

On of the other local guys bought a tx1000. It kept breaking down. I think he took it back to the shop 6 or 7 times in the first year. I remember ignition switches kept dying. I want to say the aux hydraulic connector mount fell off. A line broke or fell off the the hydraulic oil cooler.

 

[evo]

I have a Vermeer 725tx, which I bought used.
When I was shopping the new machines it was the same as you. Vermeer vs Ditchwitch. While I never got to the demo stage I feel that the ditchwitch is the better machine overall. Better track design, better controls, and more functionality.
I hired a crew who uses a ditch witch for driveway work. I hired them not because they could do what I couldn't, but they can get er done while I get er done with no lost time. I played around on their machine for a minute, and that's all it took to see it was vastly better than mine. I don't regret mine for one minute as I did buy a great machine with a crazy amount of attachments for about 5-8K less than a ditch witch without any attachments. I also have heavy equipment experience, and feel that the Vermeer is a great machine for those who don't have heavy equipment experience. I don't know if Vermeer has updated or not, but the joystick controls are freakin stupid. On any other skid steer (including ditch witch) you can do a 360 by driving one track forward and the other in reverse. The Vermeer can't do this, one track goes dead and drags as the other does all the work (likely the hydro motors are on the same control circuit). Also the boom (on my machine) doesn't have a 'float' function ( I think they updated this) but that is a serious drawback.
The track design is more serviceable on the ditch witch, also you can swap from narrow track to wide without replacing parts (other than tracks).
Both great machines, and can't imagine any less. The 1550 is a beast, and for all intents and purposes its a small full sized skid steer.. The only benefit I see of a 1550 is quick on and off the machine vs a sit on machine, so weigh price vs function and then you are in small full-size skid steers and articulated loader land.

 

[colb]

There was a high hour dw sk755 for sale on treebuzz a few weeks ago, in Wisconsin. The 755 is a sleeper - really nice machine made on a limited production run.

 

[Jehinten]

Not much experience with toro, just a couple of rental 427 that I have used. A major drawback for me is the lifting height, which is hopefully better on the 1000. I own a vermeer and other than the speed of the toro I preferred my s600 to it, which to be fair I am used to the controls of my machine and the toro controls were a little foreign to me. Not bad, but there was an adjustment period.


I'm also not a big fan of the operator's platform on the toro, I much prefer to be "in the machine" on the platform whereas the toro your out in the open with nothing to lean to on the right and left; and the operator's platform pivots and drags the ground when you start up inclines.


Last complaint (for now) on the toro, I've stacked plywood on the arms to lay out along the path as I do with my vermeer. The toro does not have an operator's presence, so if the plywood slides and hits the controls the machine can start moving on its own. My vermeer the presence switch is activated by stepping on the platform

 

[philztoy]

Thanks for the thoughts and comments.

I missed out on a couple of local used sk 750’s. One seemed overpriced at the time. One sold fast before I saw the ad.
The dingo platform I have isn’t that great. It unlatched from the stowed position while I was walking behind it. That hurt !

I keep thinking that something like an sk800 would do most everything I need. Which most recently was trying to get a path above a new beaver dam water level. But then I thing about the times I have gotten the rear wheels of a tractor light unloading a pallet or trying to pick up a rock and the 1550 or something like it might help save me from an “oh s**t” moment. But then the already chokingly high price gets higher.

I have been having issues with somehow flaring up a hip bursitis issue when I spend a day in my tractor cab and getting in and out of it. I think I would have the same issue with the sit in skid steer. I’m 6’2” and 250 and those skid steer cabs look tight.
So I think a stand on mini skid might help me extend my usefulness unless my knees give out! Lol.
So maybe the 1550 is the best way to go. A Mercedes would be cheaper! But I imagine it gets expensive moving rocks with a Mercedes.

 

[philztoy]

How hard are mini skids on Concrete driveways? My present house has a concrete driveway and I don't want to mess it up. It is on a nasty hill and the previous owner put in a heated driveway. I am guessing it would be cost prohibitive to replace.

 

[evo]

How hard are mini skids on Concrete driveways? My present house has a concrete driveway and I don't want to mess it up. It is on a nasty hill and the previous owner put in a heated driveway. I am guessing it would be cost prohibitive to replace.

Never had a problem other than some black stuff from the tracks

 

[philztoy]

thanks that is good to know. The 1550 has low ground pressure so it should be concrete friendly even though it is heavier? The last tracked tractor I had was an old deere 450 track hoe and it wasn't concrete friendly. But it also weighed a few tons more and had steel tracks.

 

[philztoy]

Test road a toro 2000 telescoping today. Seemed like a nice machine. The telescoping bucket seemed pretty neat. Full size skid steer QD plate on the front of that one. Toro keeps coming up with their own "special' control sticks but I guess it would work. I couldn't tell if one skid locked up on a 360 turn. It wasn't as big as I thought it would be but was big.

 

[colb]

Thanks for the thoughts and comments.

I missed out on a couple of local used sk 750’s. One seemed overpriced at the time. One sold fast before I saw the ad.
The dingo platform I have isn’t that great. It unlatched from the stowed position while I was walking behind it. That hurt !

I keep thinking that something like an sk800 would do most everything I need. Which most recently was trying to get a path above a new beaver dam water level. But then I thing about the times I have gotten the rear wheels of a tractor light unloading a pallet or trying to pick up a rock and the 1550 or something like it might help save me from an “oh s**t” moment. But then the already chokingly high price gets higher.

I have been having issues with somehow flaring up a hip bursitis issue when I spend a day in my tractor cab and getting in and out of it. I think I would have the same issue with the sit in skid steer. I’m 6’2” and 250 and those skid steer cabs look tight.
So I think a stand on mini skid might help me extend my usefulness unless my knees give out! Lol.
So maybe the 1550 is the best way to go. A Mercedes would be cheaper! But I imagine it gets expensive moving rocks with a Mercedes.

The SK750 is not a great version - I think it is gas, or 25hp diesel. The SK650 is better.

 

[deevo]

Buy an Avant and thank me later

 

[philztoy]

Avant... hmmm. I have lots of tractors but not a mini articulated one! Do those take the mini skid attachments. It might make it accross my stream better.

Right now the Ditch witch dealer has gotten sk 800's and 1050's in stock. There are used toro TX1000's (from rental places) available with 200 ish hours on them probably for a lot cheaper. The tx2000T's are around used for a little more than the 1550's. Might end up with the 1050 machine, but I hate to buy a new one. I hate being the first guy to put scratches on things which I know I will do! Other than the Toro's there aren't any other used machines close by right now.

Just wondering if characteristically there will be more used ones on the market come winter?

 

[BTS]

I have a 2016 toro dingo Tx1000 wide track, have had it for about 3 years and it has 700 hours now, couple minor issues and I put all new bearings in the track rollers at about 600 hours I thought they should last longer than that. So a disappointment there. I think the newer ones have a little bit better bearings. I also recently demoed a ditch witch sk800 because of all the good things I have heard about them I wasn't real impressed with it. Part of it was because we weren't used to it but if I was to buy a new one it would be a tx1000 again. My crew also prefered the Tx1000

 

[philztoy]

Thanks BTS that is good to know. I had another local tree man tell me he really liked his tx1000W

 

[BTS]

It's also a little shorter so it works good to load on the truck sideways with the bmg on.

 

[philztoy]

Nice setup!

 

[OasisTree]

Dont buy Toro unless you are prepared to buy lots of tracks! They are still using rubber lugs, and that simply does not work. expect only 2-300 hours per set in medium use tree work. We had 2 of the Toro 1000W, they are nice machines but simply were not built as well as the Ditch Witches. The 1050 is a better machine, hands down. The 1550 is double what the Toro 1000W is as far as capacity, and Toro never fixed their track issues when the come out with the TX2000.

This is just a fair warning from someone who has had both, and had good dealer support with both brands. FYI, Toro actually bought back our second one because we were having so many problems with it.

 

[philztoy]

Thanks for the information, Oasis!The 1050 is going to run 40K I think the 1550 is around 45K.

Used toro tx1000W with around 200-300 hours... seem to be in the 20-26K range but sounds like they might be ready for tracks. The tracks on my 525 W are pretty beat up in the lugs so that kind of explains that.

No used ditch witches around close by.

 

[OasisTree]

There is a reason there is not very many used ditch witches.

And you are comparing 2 different size machines when you compare the Tx 1000 with the 1050. If you are wanting an accurate comparrison compare the tx 1000 with the SK800. Adding a weight kit to the 800 will give you more capacity than the Toro, with a better track design.

The Ditch Witch sk800 is a nice machine, and you can get a new one for under 30K.

If you are set on a used one contact your dealer, they trade for them and that is your best option. But you wont be sorry if you buy new of either size, we have the 1050 and are demoing the 1550. If you are doing many removals the 1550 is probably the better option. I started with the 800 with a weight kit, but they simply don,t have the hydraulic flow that the 1050 has. If you are working hills that really makes a difference.