# General purpose machine



## Vermaraj (Mar 6, 2007)

Question for the machinery experts:

I am a GC of SFH in the NY-CT-NJ area. We generally build 10 homes a year, approx 8-10k sqft on 2-3 acres. I am thinking of buying a machine to leave on site for general use only to avoid delays that we have been experiencing. 

Basically we need this machine to:
unload palletized containers (approx 1k#s max)
Move concrete or steel pipe
Lift sheets of plywood 8-10' 
Move a few tons of crushed stone or sand
Dig small trench 

We sub all site prep, excavation and grading. Additionally electrical/plumbing contractors provide there own excavation & backfill. Any digging or backfilling by this machine would be misc retaining wall or daylight drain etc. 

Any recommendations? 

I've been to a few machinery dealers and received some wild assed suggestions. I'll share some of them later. Just one for starters: mini rubber tracked excavator with custom made forks fitted to the bucket!


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## jmic (Dec 10, 2005)

I'd look into a nice size tracked skid steer with a set of forks and a back hoe attach. if you really think you'll be trenching some. This combo should do everything you think you'll need to do and more.


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## tgeb (Feb 9, 2006)

I would tend to agree w/Joe except maybe skip the tracked machine and just get a skid loader w/tires. 
Quite a bit cheaper on the initial purchase and less maintenance cost in the future.

My first thought was a backhoe but the skid steer w/attachments is the better option.


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## fhdesign (Jan 17, 2007)

My opinion would be a used, in good shape, 4wd rubber tired backhoe with a good set of pallet forks. 
If you use the same excavator on all of your jobs, consider talking to them, they may be interested in buying a machine just for your jobs and leaving it there for your use, compensated accordingly.
Definitely find another equipment dealer or salesman, you're getting some bad advise.
Jon


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## Big Chris (Dec 3, 2006)

fhdesign said:


> My opinion would be a used, in good shape, 4wd rubber tired backhoe with a good set of pallet forks.
> If you use the same excavator on all of your jobs, consider talking to them, they may be interested in buying a machine just for your jobs and leaving it there for your use, compensated accordingly.
> Definitely find another equipment dealer or salesman, you're getting some bad advise.
> Jon


 
I agree. With a good operator and enough time there isn't much you can't do with a 4x4 rubber tire backhoe and a set of forks.


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## denick (Feb 13, 2006)

Ver,

If you do 10 homes!

How would you be moving this piece of equipment? 
And how often? 
Whose going to operate the equipment?
The most weight to be lifted? a pallet of 8" block is 4000+
The highest the weight would be lifted?
How far away from the machine will the weight be lifted?
What condition are the sites in when lifting? Soft, uneven ground cuts the ability to lift up to 50%
Deepest trench to be dug?
Is this any developement work where you would go from one job to another? less than 1 mile?


Is where I would start.


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## Vermaraj (Mar 6, 2007)

Denick,

We do 4 at a time. Generally, one project a year is a 4-5 house development. The machine would remain on one project from beginning to end. Then we would tow it to next site. Depending on how things work out, I would buy additional machines for other concurrent work. No shuttling between jobs. 

We do icf construction. Weight of a pallet is <500#s, but they arrive as a full truck load. We also have composite decking in 1000# packs, rebar, crated finishing materials, etc... These are the things I want to move regularly. 2000# capacity would be ideal. Unloading will be done in a prepared area with crushed stone base. Figure 1 truck every other day. Renting is not practical and subcontracting is difficult. 

Ideally I would like to lift between 500-1000# up to a second floor deck. Say 14' from packed stone base to the deck using a standard or double width pallet. No long forks or boom lifting.

Deepest trench: 60" +/-

I have one telescoping forklift that is coming off lease soon. Great for unloading and staging material to the second floor or the roof. Pretty much useless otherwise. Everyday we need a few buckets of stone moved, some sand moved around or a 4' trench dug, etc... I would like to find a machine that is decent at unloading and can do the other things we need. For the price of a telescoping forklift I could get a few decent used skidsteers and rent a crane for the placing trusses and roofing matls.


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## denick (Feb 13, 2006)

Vermaraj said:


> Ideally I would like to lift between 500-1000# up to a second floor deck. Say 14' from packed stone base to the deck using a standard or double width pallet. No long forks or boom lifting.
> 
> There's no skidsteer or small machine or even Backhoe loader that will lift anywhere near 14' with the loader. If it came close you would need to be touching the building with the machine.
> 
> Deepest trench: 60" +/-???


You might want to consider one of the small telescopeing forklifts like a bobcat that you can get a loader bucket for. They are small and stable. And they take a bunch of other attachments. The trenching you could go many ways. A mini excavator of 8000 lbs or bigger would be sufficient 

A full size Loader backhoe with a quickfit on the front would be the machine I think will come the closest to what you want in one machine.


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## rino1494 (Jan 31, 2006)

IMO, the best overall machine is a TLB. A skid steer would be nicer to move materials around and the backhoe would be nicer to dig the trenches. If you need to lift materials that high, then I suggest the TLB.


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## Vermaraj (Mar 6, 2007)

Going to take a look at a Bobcat V638 next week. anybody know if this can be fitted with the skidsteer type backhoe?


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## Vermaraj (Mar 6, 2007)

Wanted to thank all of you for your helpful suggestions. In the end we are going with a combination of the suggestions. 

We will be getting two GEHL CT-6s for unloading, lifting to higher decks and in some cases placing trusses. They will be outfitted with forks and a general purpose bucket. They are off lease models with low hours and a maintenance package.

Now we are looking for a light (mini) excavator that can be pulled behind f-650. That way it can be moved between sites approx 20 miles each way when necessary. Any suggestions? 

Price for the two used telescoping tool carriers was basically the same as the single rough terrain telescoping fork truck that we were leasing new. This setup should provide us with quite a bit more flexibility.

Once again. Thanks for the help!


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