Mini skid steers

[doobin]

I want one. Is the Sherpa definitely the one to have or is it worth keeping an eye out for the Kanga, Opico etc.?

Bugger. A guy near me just sold his Sherpa 100 with forks and bucket for £7750 plus vat, 1000 hours.

As regards alternatives- the Sherpa was based upon the Opico Skidster- however more refined, narrower and has a third service which most Opico don't have. Skidsters will also be at least twenty years old!

Kanga are useless- won't lift high enough to load even a Transit tipper.

Cast mini loaders get good reviews- I tried both and preferred the Sherpa but they are very similar in capacity etc. I've seen a few of both Sherpa and Cast come onto the market recently as firms try to bring some money in. More fool them, should cut the staff first! The lowest a basic but recent 13hp Cast or Sherpa seems to go is around 8k with a bucket.

 

[Storrsy]

Bugger. A guy near me just sold his Sherpa 100 with forks and bucket for £7750 plus vat, 1000 hours.

As regards alternatives- the Sherpa was based upon the Opico Skidster- however more refined, narrower and has a third service which most Opico don't have. Skidsters will also be at least twenty years old!

Kanga are useless- won't lift high enough to load even a Transit tipper.

Cast mini loaders get good reviews- I tried both and preferred the Sherpa but they are very similar in capacity etc. I've seen a few of both Sherpa and Cast come onto the market recently as firms try to bring some money in. More fool them, should cut the staff first! The lowest a basic but recent 13hp Cast or Sherpa seems to go is around 8k with a bucket.

If you have a 12t pile of 803 on the ground- does your Sherpa have the grunt to shift it? Self load etc

 

[doobin]

If you have a 12t pile of 803 on the ground- does your Sherpa have the grunt to shift it? Self load etc

Yes if fresh tipped. I regularly use it to move a 20t load of type 1 into a driveway job for instance. Very quick.

 

[groundworker]

Bugger. A guy near me just sold his Sherpa 100 with forks and bucket for £7750 plus vat, 1000 hours.

As regards alternatives- the Sherpa was based upon the Opico Skidster- however more refined, narrower and has a third service which most Opico don't have. Skidsters will also be at least twenty years old!

Kanga are useless- won't lift high enough to load even a Transit tipper.

Cast mini loaders get good reviews- I tried both and preferred the Sherpa but they are very similar in capacity etc. I've seen a few of both Sherpa and Cast come onto the market recently as firms try to bring some money in. More fool them, should cut the staff first! The lowest a basic but recent 13hp Cast or Sherpa seems to go is around 8k with a bucket.

Thanks.

I haven't seen any of the Cast loaders for sale, will keep an eye out.

There's a couple of nearly new Sherpas up on FB marketplace at the moment which are tempting but not sure whether to wait and see if prices drop a bit further.

 

[6feetdown]

The Cast look good machines

 

[doobin]

Thanks.

I haven't seen any of the Cast loaders for sale, will keep an eye out.

There's a couple of nearly new Sherpas up on FB marketplace at the moment which are tempting but not sure whether to wait and see if prices drop a bit further.

The 15k one has been up for months. Make him an offer, he must be getting hungry by now. The wide wheels and levelling beam are worth having.

 

[kato512]

The 15k one has been up for months. Make him an offer, he must be getting hungry by now. The wide wheels and levelling beam are worth having.

Any cheap avants/multiones about that aren't scams

 

[6feetdown]

Any cheap avants/multiones about that aren't scams

Avant 860 600 hrs you can have it for £50000-00 + vat, bargain

 

[6feetdown]

Cormidi C85 Mini Loader Skid Steer — DJB Machinery Ltd

Our fantastic Cormidi C85 Mini Loader can be used in different industries and take on different jobs, They have reduced vibrations, a relaxed and natural driving position.

www.djbmachinery.co.uk

 

[kato512]

Avant 860 600 hrs you can have it for £50000-00 + vat, bargain

I'm looking a 6 series avant or equivalent to have some payload spare on a trailer. Do you not use your Avant as much now?

 

[6feetdown]

I'm looking a 6 series avant or equivalent to have some payload spare on a trailer. Do you not use your Avant as much now?

No I was joking used most days at the moment, currently batching mortar for laying Indian Sandstone slabs with the pan mixer

 

[V8Druid]

No I was joking used most days at the moment, currently batching mortar for laying Indian Sandstone slabs with the pan mixer ...........

.... but for £50k you could be the proud new owner (and I'll go buy a new one )

 

[6feetdown]

.... but for £50k you could be the proud new owner (and I'll go buy a new one )

I bet the new 1 is 50k now

 

[Grahams]

Any cheap avants/multiones about that aren't scams

There are second hand ex demonstrators on eBay, but they are not cheap. But I don’t know anyone who owns a mini loader who doesn’t rave about it. They are such time and effort saving tools. I don’t know how I would cope now.
last job I ran 10t of sand in with the bucket, moved a bag of waste plus moved attachments about with the forks.
This weeks job, moved 8 bulk bags of waste, fuelled up machines with bowser on forks, shunted trailers about and moved attachments.

 

[doobin]

There are second hand ex demonstrators on eBay, but they are not cheap. But I don’t know anyone who owns a mini loader who doesn’t rave about it. They are such time and effort saving tools. I don’t know how I would cope now.
last job I ran 10t of sand in with the bucket, moved a bag of waste plus moved attachments about with the forks.
This weeks job, moved 8 bulk bags of waste, fuelled up machines with bowser on forks, shunted trailers about and moved attachments.

Yup, either a pivot loader or a mini skid is worth every penny.

 

[William127]

The 15k one has been up for months. Make him an offer, he must be getting hungry by now. The wide wheels and levelling beam

Been up nearly a year now, first advertised just before I got my Giant! Maybe he doesn't actually want to sell it but his other half/head of finance has told him to....

Yup, either a pivot loader or a mini skid is worth every penny.

As long as you get the jobs with the access!
Just got a text confirming I've a job taking out some stumps where I'll actually be able to use my Giant. Only be the 2nd or 3rd new customers job I'll have used it on, although its had a fair amount of use at regular customers places. Once they see the work it can do compared to a gardener with a barrow!!!
Did a job a few weeks ago, cleaning out a ditch with the micro digger, pushed and piled all the debris with the giant, so much quicker than handling the waste with the digger! Quicker than a dumper in that location as well I reckon

 

[6feetdown]

 

[Lancs Lad]

View attachment 52109

I know how handy and productive they are but it still seems like that's tidy s/hand 1.5t machine money in my head 🫣🫣 note to self get a grip

 

[Russell]

Indeed, I can see them being useful but I personally would rather get a good quality tracked dumper or a bigger digger first.
I'm sure they are better for cleaning up or dragging branches across a lawns .
The bendy ditch witch (zahn maybe?) looks best of all but I don't know if we get that over here.

 

[doobin]

I know how handy and productive they are but it still seems like that's tidy s/hand 1.5t machine money in my head 🫣🫣 note to self get a grip

Yeah but thats new price near on.

Second hand they don't hang around long at 8-9k. Yes, expensive. But worth it.

For value for money.... how about this? 2004, 3.5k cash secondhand, 1600 working hours. Looks fairly well maintained. You'd barely get a decent ride on mower for that, and look at all the pumps and motors on this thing! 2.9l engine, very clean with only a hint of rust bubbles.

I bought it to keep the yard clean, use as a mobile 30/l min pressure washer/bowser, clear up leaves and s**t on an industrial scale and also- it'll make a great sawdust extractor for the firewood processor and make it child's play to clean up around the mill with a wander hose! I was all set to pay £1400 plus vat fo ra single phase sawdust extractor suitable for a firewood processor, and then I started wondering...

For hire work it's gotta be at least £600 plus vat a day and I've messaged it around a few people and already got a job for it. A long private drive that's just had all the moss killed. We're coming in to leaf fall season, and it'll be grand for silage clamps in spring. At 2.5t it can go on a trailer for self drive hire too. With a message around all the farmers and yard owners I know, I expect to get my money back in under a year. Plus being so handy around the yard.

Serious value for money. Quite nippy- tempted to insure it for road use!

@Russell - this is the one I was telling you about