Opico Skidster or sherpa mini loaders

[doobin]

8 minutes ago, josharb87 said:

 

Sounds a bargain despite the motor! Quick look on some European sites and cheapest are about 10k with 800+hours
 

Hope it’s legit 😂

100% legit. Nice guy, had it from new. Does screw piles etc. Also runs Bobcat, but much older models than me. We had a coffee and talked shop for a good hour. I actually paid £5k, but it came with a Digga PD3 which is a larger auger than my current motors which will be good on the backhoe- up to 115 litres/min. So I'm allowing a grand for that in my head and hence the loader owes me £4k.

 

That's good to know, I couldn't find a cost comparison. It's a 2011, hour clock not working. I figured even with rebuilding a pump or motor, it was the same price as a very old Opico Skidster so I couldn't really loose - @dumperis always telling me I need a tracked loader so maybe that'll keep him quiet 😆

Edited March 26, 2023 by doobin

[Mark Bolam]

I reckon you’ve got a steal there mate.

[dumper]

Too right levelling grading digging,I find them better than wheels and you don’t get punctures

[dumper]

Price wise I think you did ok, if you spend couple of thousand on motors and pump still cheap machine, will fit your premise of machines not labour 

[doobin]

1 hour ago, dumper said:

Price wise I think you did ok, if you spend couple of thousand on motors and pump still cheap machine, will fit your premise of machines not labour 

I'm hoping it's just one motor or pump, and a £300-400 rebuild!

 

Gremlins are coming out, she's starting to run rough. Bloody carbs.

[william127]

Bit of Gianting this week- augered some gateposts on a horrible clay bog of a site, would have been horrible hand digging, either stuck solid to the tongs or like picking up soup, no middle ground. Giant handled it very nicely.

I knew  my mate was killing time in the workshop so i had him weld a back plate on a cheap set of pallet forks I bought at an auction. Saved me a job but he left me a smiley surprise🙄😅😅  Just bolted on for the moment as I want them for this week, I'll get a set of brackets ordered and stuck on next week. The bottom bolts are at towball spacings and the top 2 were already in the headstock,  just needed enlarging. 

Obviously they're not quite as good as the correct off the shelf pallet forks designed for the machine, but these were a fraction of the price, and can still be used on a tractor. Used them to lift the chip box onto the trailer and move the ramps from the back corner of the yard to the trailer worked a treat👌👌👌

 

Had to fit some floor mounted lashing eyes as there's no other way to tie the machine down with the chip box on, treated myself to some new short straps,  and ratchets with swivelling hooks. Works a treat👌👌

[marne]

On 25/03/2023 at 22:44, doobin said:

Little Sherpa has a friend! Picked this up cheap at £4k- think I will

need to get a pump or motor refurbed as one track is lazy and the pump for it squeals when you push it. 
 

It’s not been looked after, so I gave it a a steam off and a service straight away. Amazingly I had the right filters for engine and hydraulic on the shelf. The pins and bushes have no, and I mean no, wear in them- it’s well built. 
 

came with one bucket, but with an hour of machining on the headstock and a dab of weld, all my Sherpa attachments will fit straight on!

 

Its a 20hp petrol Kohler- that’s gonna hurt to run, I can tell 🤣 Still, cheap enough to test the concept. It’s an animal in the dirt, really pushes compared to the Sherpa, although the lazy track means I can’t get its full potential from it yet. 

Apparently it’s got 42l/min flow, so will be a good carrier for the log splitter or maybe even the trencher. Not tested lift capacity properly yet but I’d guesstimate almost double of the Sherpa. 

 

what would one of these new cost, £20k? 

If they where available new today, I think you would face something like 30k. Ask your Ditch Witch dealer for the current price of a new R300, then you'll understand. 

DW, I think make the most rugged minis out there and you got a serious steal Sir. 

The five litres per hour appear when running something like a tiller wot, regular loader work is more like 2-3. Congrats!

 

[doobin]

17 minutes ago, marne said:

If they where available new today, I think you would face something like 30k. Ask your Ditch Witch dealer for the current price of a new R300, then you'll understand. 

DW, I think make the most rugged minis out there and you got a serious steal Sir. 

The five litres per hour appear when running something like a tiller wot, regular loader work is more like 2-3. Congrats!

 

I can live with 2-3 litres per hour.

 

I knew DW are expensive but figured it was like Kanga- stupidly expensive in the UK (check out Redband UK for prices on a Kanga that won't even lift high enough to load a Transit!) but not so much in the States or Aus where they are very common.

 

I was thinking it would be around £20k new. Either way it's a solid, rebuildable bit of kit.

[josharb87]

Through envy of doobins bargain I came across this whilst browsing for similar machines.

 

Be perfect for a lot of small jobs round the house! 

 

 

[htb]

Opico Skidster. Looking for 2 sets of seals for the lift rams for my skidster, any pointers of where to get them from.