doobin

Just picked up a John Deere X165 for cheap. Bag kit isn't too much money- does anyone know how well they pick up with a high lift bag? Or am I best to fit a mulch kit?

Plus muckaway, plus materials, plus profit (it's not a dirty word you know) Spons outdoor works 2018 says £65/m for Marshalls single size blocks 60mm thick laid upon a proper sub base 150mm thick. Includes excavations. So that's £1170 for 18m2 Kerbs are £22/m for a header course- call it 9m? £198. £1368. Plus vat. Hope that helps.

What model bobcat is that and which grab? How do you find it?

Bugger me, I thought crofters were poor folk? ?

I wish certain people around here would get pulled for taking the piss with tractors.

Still 2500 hours and only 7-8k less than new.

£27k with hitch and buckets. Top end of the market, but with 0% that gives me 4k to play with that would otherwise go on interest.

Fully agree re ZTS- the Bobcat E27 is the CTS version of the E27z with an extra 3KW (1.3l engine compared to 1l) and huge spec- 3 and 5.1km/hr on tracking, rollers for aux lines and boom swing, 24KN breakout, 3.2m dump height, and...currently 5 years 0%!!! Watch this space...

Yes, all 2.5 tonners have either 15 or 18kw engines now due to Euro 4 or 5 and the need to keep them under the limits at which add blue is needed. The Volvo I like the build quality of, but it's now only 14.8 KW sadly...

Is yours the dx27 or the dx27z? How old? Edit- just worked it out. The dx27z is the only one they do, and it’s different from any of the new bobcat ones. Looks like the e10, e17 and e19 have doosan equivalents but then the dx27z has a yanmar engine rather than kubota, and less spec than the bobcat e27z. The bobcat e27 has a bigger engine than either and much more power.

Used a £14 carb in a TS410 for over a year with no issues.

That's worrying. What Yanmar are you comparing it to? For the money you'd think it would be the mutts nuts- the E27 is one of the more expensive machines on the market. How much did you pay? Edit- I've just checked the specs, and on paper the Bobcat E27 has more bucket force, substantially more dipperstick force for the same max reach, more dump height and slightly faster tracking. The only place it gives ground to the Yanmar is a slightly slower slew, but if that translates to slew torque then the above makes it sounds like it would make a better arb digger for handling timber and loading fires.

Can't see that it's a dedicated aux pump? Spec says your normal two variable pumps plus gear pump- same as all other machines these days. Bloody heavy too, and Kubotas are a magnet for pikeys. Still, I might call for a price for the high spec model with two lines.

What do people think is the best 2.x class machine for arb work currently? I want the ones with the larger engines, loads of aux flow and a proper counterweight. Bobcat E27? Yanmar SV26? Planning on fitting it with 2 lines and an Intermecato Tigergrip 16SR4 with rotator.

Wait for the first sign of dead tips and submit it to them as ash diesback, citing the vast swathes that are being felled roadside for that reason. Insert other media

You could make up a clamp on bracket, using dome and cup washers (which are expensive!) to allow for the fact that the two edges of the boom aren't parallel. Lot more work compared to welding though, and a risk of denting the boom material) Welding is much quicker and easier, and doesn't devalue an old machine like that in any way. Easy enough to cut off, grind flat and paint if you wanted to remove it.

^ Well he's making that look hard. Might do better if he put his blade down too.

Well I joined the club today with purchase of an 'LTS' brand 15HP machine. All these Chinese jobbies are much the same, so I went for the lowest price I could find after viewing a YouTube video for the same thing in diffent colours. At a cheeky offer of £1120 inc VAT it seemed a bargain. I was about to buy the trailed Jansen type from an Italian company, but I found this cheaper and wasn't all that keen on a wide axle and tow bar that wasn't road rated. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PETROL-GARDEN-CHIPPER-SHREDDER-ELECTRIC-START-NEW-15-HP-2-year-warranty/312567431128?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 Should be fine for landscaper type use. It didn't want to feed some old dry ash (bounced around in the hopper), but some bushy holly flew through- very impressed. Will be great for small hedge removals etc.

My micro goes down to 710 mm, but my 1.7t only to 990 IIRC. I really want a 2.7t too.

In the nicest possible way, you're being daft. Here ya go: Five years finance, five years extended warranty. Monthly payments of £233. High residuals mean that after a couple of years should you want out it shouldn't cost you anything. One digger driver job at £260-£280 a day covers the finance, so it's only got to go out once a month. Once you've got it the work will come to you. Do it mate. Bobcat of London seem OK to deal with. Thre's no money in self drive unless you have a fleet.

If you're at the stage where you're leaving guys on site, I'd be looking to get a cheap tipper truck. My 2003 LDV was £2300 with 20,000 miles on it- yes, it looks pikey but the micro digger it transports is brand new... you couldn't get a decent trailer for less than that, and it's much more versatile than a trailer.

First consideration is, would you have enough flow rate?

I used to think that. Then, as the OP is thinking, I bought one to soak up some tax. Since then it's been out twice a month at least. I've realised how many digger and driver jobs I've been turning away as access is tight. I've also realised how handy it is, you can stick it on the back of the tipper truck and run a couple of loads of muck away on a small driveway digout for example. I hated it the first month I had it- so slow and small compared to a 1.7t. Then I came to appreciate it on a tight access job, or a simple digger and driver hire where you're not pressured for time (trenching out into barrows for example). Now I really like it. Also, no reason you can't have a ripper or grapple on a micro- see my pic above! I think you need a 1.2t micro, 1.7t and a 2.7t. A 2.7t would be overkill for a lot of jobs we do, and they are a pain to drag about compared to a 1.7t. They are also around 40% more purchase price for 10% more day rate, so from the perspective of offering digger and driver hire, this is a massive consideration. For arb work though, 2.7t all the way. Having taken on another member of staff I'm going down the building/landscaping route, so the micro will be used a lot more, but a 2.7t is definately on the wish list. You can't really loose with any towable digger bought new on finance to be fair. Far cheaper than labour.

Definately gotta be servo levers, so good choice there. A micro on sticks can make a decent operator look shit. I really like my Bobcat E10, and the residuals are suppost to be bulletproof. You're looking at £13-14K+VAT. Second hand onces with 1000 hours seemed to be around 11k, so new was a no brainer. When comparing this new generation of 1.2t micros, be aware that there are a few promising (on paper) more power for the same weight. Kato's one, for example, and I think also the Yanmar. However, they are not true 'micros', and don't shrink down as much. Kato push theirs more as a machine that can be legally transported on a 3.5t wagon rather than a micro. Matt- on paper, the Tak has more slightly power than the Bobcat. I'd say it's all pretty subjective, and you should buy a micro because you need to get in tight spaces and it's easier than a shovel! Yes, they're painfully slow and lacking in reach compared to a 1.7t, but you can't have it both ways I guess.

Ah, the good ol 5 gallon refurb....