New sand box toy

[Keith Outten]

Way to go John!
I like your new toy

[John K Jordan]

That angling dozer blade is nice. I don't think any of the ones I've rented had a blade that did anything but go up, and down. Operating an excavator is more complicated than flying an airplane, but once you get the hang of it, you don't even have to think about what does what.

edited to add: I rented a little T450 skid steer loader last week, with a 4-n-1 bucket for $328 per one day. That didn't include the hour to get it, and the hour to take it back (half hour each way), or time to load, and unload it. It also didn't include the one trip I had to make back to the rental place because they had hooked up the hydraulic hoses incorrectly to the new 4-n-1 bucket, and the first time I dumped the bucket, it broke both hoses.

I used the angle blade yesterday when filling in the big hole left from digging out a stump. It was close to a fence and I couldn't push the dirt straight in but a drive by with the blade angled did the trick.

I bought a used skid steer some years ago that was so helpful for clearing, cut and fill, and compacting when I build my shop. I cleared a overgrown spot by the house today with the excavator and it was so helpful, especially getting into tight places and loading the dump trailer but then got out the skid steer to shape the ground. Nothing beats the right tool for the job.

Here is one hackberry stump I pulled out when prepping for the shop. It was so heavy I couldn't lift it with anything I had so I lifted one side and repeated flipped and rolled it to get it down into the woods where it will eventually replenish the soil.

Just before putting up the shop.
big_stump_2012-08-03_10-55-.jpg Clearing_2012-08-09_19-32-4.jpg

Renting a skid steer 25 times would have just about paid for the used one. So far I've used it way more than 25 days. Don't have the fancy bucket though! If I bought any accessory it would be an auger - so many times I could have used the down force I can't get with my 3 point hitch auger.

JKJ

[Tom M King]

Just for fun, I was going through the John Deere "build your own" site last night for excavators. They don't have a grading bucket, but in the options list is a "bolt on cutting edge". You unbolt the teeth, and bolt on the cutting edge. Seems like there would be similar available for Kubota.

[John K Jordan]

Just for fun, I was going through the John Deere "build your own" site last night for excavators. They don't have a grading bucket, but in the options list is a "bolt on cutting edge". You unbolt the teeth, and bolt on the cutting edge. Seems like there would be similar available for Kubota.

I've decided to try building simple attachments at a fraction of the cost. I think I can build a grading bucket.

But for my first project I want to make a frost/stump ripper, a big tooth - pull up/break the roots starting away from the stump.

Starting at 2:30, this video shows one in action on a small stump at first: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5jzY_Vzud4

I have steel, plasma cutter, and welders and I'm not afraid to use them. The biggest decision is whether to make my own quick-connect "ears" by copying those on one of my buckets or simply spend $100 and buy some ready to weld up. A new ripper for my machine is almost $800.

JKJ

[Tony Zona]

Starting at 2:30? Really, John. I watched every second of that clip.

I wonder how many others of us here watched it all, and felt satisfied with a job well-done as he drove out of the frame?

By the way, John. Good luck with that machine. Careful!

[Tom M King]

A friend of mine has a bucket for his backhoe that's about 6" wide. It's shaped like a ripper tooth, but the sides each have two segments of cutting edges. He uses it for both trenching, and root ripping.