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The I’m too old for this shit thread

Yotota said:
You guys have covered a lot of it...

Lifting tools are the best. Cherry Picker, long lifting/pry bars, furniture dollies, etc. Come-alongs and small jacks are great for positioning, like pulling an axle into place.

Anything to make it easier on the body. Kneeling mats, knee pads, rolling stools, shop chairs, good creepers, etc.

PPE for sure. Find ear plugs that fit well and buy a shitload of them, and muffs for louder work. I seem to tear up my hands so I wear gloves all the time - either nitrile, or cut resistant dipped, or leather. The basic 3M respirators with replaceable filters are good enough for most uses. I wear glasses so DeWalt over-the-glasses safety goggles are awesome. Invest in legit fall protection gear, it's worth it.

BUY GOOD LADDERS. Enough said.

The best purchase ever - pallet forks for my tractor. If I had unlimited space and budget I'd own a forklift (and a skid steer, and a mini-ex, and...) but since I don't I'll use my jack-of-all-trades tractor.
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Skid steer makes a better tractor than tractor makes an anything else. :flipoff2:
 
arse_sidewards said:
Skid steer makes a better tractor than tractor makes an anything else. :flipoff2:
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Skid steer definitely does many things better than a tractor at a higher cost.

Except for mowing, semi-decent grading with a box blade, towing, log skidding, and more, which is most of what I use my tractor for.
 
All of you who espouse the greatness of skid steers must have never used articulated loaders.

Skid steer on tracks is probably better if you need less ground pressure, but articulated loader is much smoother to operate. I grew up hauling hay and loading bar stock in a machine shop on a Swinger 100 and 180. My first skid steer was a Bobcat T300, while I learned to use it, I'd still pick the wheel loader 90% of the time.

I6507A.jpg
 
It's too late for most of us, but stop jumping off of equipment and out of your trucks. Your joints will thank you. I wish someone had told me that 25+ years ago.

I facilitate a state tractor skills contest for 4-H every year, and I tell everyone of the kids not to jump off the tractor. They look at me like I have two noses, while I explain.
 
Took out 5 tons last year

Phawkin raining leaves now...
 
Lee said:
It's too late for most of us, but stop jumping off of equipment and out of your trucks. Your joints will thank you. I wish someone had told me that 25+ years ago.
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Yeah, I watch the younger guys jumping around - down stairs, off docks, that sort of thing - and always straining to lift things that are way more than they should be lifting. It's a macho thing. They don't listen.

A lot of it seems to be that you don't understand "cumulative effects" when you're young. Sure, you're fine this time - and the next time. But years of such things take their toll.
 
arse_sidewards said:
You're not gonna be using that in tight spaces (same goes for a tractor). The compactness makes a skid steer infinitely more useful as a personal machine.
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This^
I use my tracked skid inside my building in places where anything else would be unreasonable or impossible.

There are a few things that a tractor is better at like running a bushhog all day, and sometimes dragging a blade; however there are attachments for skids that make them just as good, if not better than a tractor for that as well. Tractors do weigh a lot less though, and are easier to work on for the most part.
 
AlxJ64 said:
This^
I use my tracked skid inside my building in places where anything else would be unreasonable or impossible.

There are a few things that a tractor is better at like running a bushhog all day, and sometimes dragging a blade; however there are attachments for skids that make them just as good, if not better than a tractor for that as well. Tractors do weigh a lot less though, and are easier to work on for the most part.
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And...

Much cheaper. Probably the #1 factor for most people. Even a 1k hour used track loader is double the price of a new compact tractor.

Like I said, I'd own a skid/track loader in a heartbeat. Same with a Mini-ex. And a good forklift. And I'd still have a tractor too.
 
Yotota said:
And...

Much cheaper. Probably the #1 factor for most people. Even a 1k hour used track loader is double the price of a new compact tractor.
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Because the track loader is a tool that can make money and the CUT is a toy for former yuppies. Nobody who cares about cost is pissing away money on a 1k hour machine anyway.

If the CUT were actually that useful it'd be the same price or at least a lot closer (pound for pound or horsepower for horsepower, obviously)

And I wasn't talking about CTLs, I was talking about rubber tired skid steers.
 
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arse_sidewards said:
Because the track loader is a tool that can make money and the CUT is a toy for former yuppies. Nobody who cares about cost is pissing away money on a 1k hour machine anyway.

If the CUT were actually that useful it'd be the same price or at least a lot closer (pound for pound or horsepower for horsepower, obviously)

And I wasn't talking about CTLs, I was talking about rubber tired skid steers.
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Dude I'm with you 100%, any skid steer or track loader is twice the machine from a durability and build quality perspective.

But my viewpoint on this is as a property owner who isn't using the machine for making money - the goal is to save money by doing property work myself instead of paying someone else to do it. So for getting that work done, I could either spend $20-25k on a new Kubota CUT, or on a 3k hour used Kubota wheeled skid steer. And the new CUT can be had with 0% financing.

Horses for courses, and that horse is almost always limited by budget.
 
Yotota said:
And...

Much cheaper. Probably the #1 factor for most people. Even a 1k hour used track loader is double the price of a new compact tractor.

Like I said, I'd own a skid/track loader in a heartbeat. Same with a Mini-ex. And a good forklift. And I'd still have a tractor too.
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Cost is a huge factor, which is why my skid has 4500 hrs on it, was cheap, and needs perpetual maintenance but at a reasonable cost now that I've been through it and addressed the big concern items. However, it only averages about 200 hrs of use a year, max. Lately not even that much.

arse_sidewards said:
Because the track loader is a tool that can make money and the CUT is a toy for former yuppies. Nobody who cares about cost is pissing away money on a 1k hour machine anyway.

If the CUT were actually that useful it'd be the same price or at least a lot closer (pound for pound or horsepower for horsepower, obviously)

And I wasn't talking about CTLs, I was talking about rubber tired skid steers.
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Rubber tire machines are cheaper too. I have a CTL for ground pressure and stability sake since mine sees a lot of unimproved soft surfaces and odd slope scenarios. To each their own based on use. I wanted the CTL because the things I own and move fell in line with its capacity (except for the Cincinnati, and I can shove that around with it which is better than nothing). A compact tractor in the same price range as my T190 wouldn't do the things my T190 does... but again, at the cost of hours and maintenance.

Edit:

We are all saying the same thing. Cost vs capacity... similar ratio but final desire of effective use of that dollar per lb of capacity. How does each want to spread it.
 
Getting old sucks. I use an old pair of electronic shooting muffs as shop ear pro. I have safety glasses with the + 1.5, +2.0 and +2.5 reader bits on the bottom part of the lens. They are fucking awesome for the mill and lathe. A lift, cherry picker, pallet jack, hand cart, lift table and an over head for lifting duties. I usually wear knee pads of one sort or another. I have some canvas covered ones and some with a hard plastic cap.

I almost grabbed a milwaukee foam kneeling pad I saw on sale at homodepot over the weekend but I have some of the foam hunting seat pads from wally world so I didnt. I also buy just about every type of clamp I see at auctions or garage sales to use as third hands. Some get chopped up and hot glued to make them more useful.

I also keep a stack of cardboard for those times I have to lay on the ground for some reason or another. Cushions the bod and also makes it easier to slide around on.
 
Lee said:
All of you who espouse the greatness of skid steers must have never used articulated loaders.

Skid steer on tracks is probably better if you need less ground pressure, but articulated loader is much smoother to operate. I grew up hauling hay and loading bar stock in a machine shop on a Swinger 100 and 180. My first skid steer was a Bobcat T300, while I learned to use it, I'd still pick the wheel loader 90% of the time.

I6507A.jpg
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The only people that really like skid steers are people that have never had a loader at their disposal.
 
Lee said:
All of you who espouse the greatness of skid steers must have never used articulated loaders.

Skid steer on tracks is probably better if you need less ground pressure, but articulated loader is much smoother to operate. I grew up hauling hay and loading bar stock in a machine shop on a Swinger 100 and 180. My first skid steer was a Bobcat T300, while I learned to use it, I'd still pick the wheel loader 90% of the time.

I6507A.jpg
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They are $$$$$.

Place I work has a Swinger. Not sure the model, it has a cab, powered by a Deere engine.

It's near impossible to see the forks on it. Even a bucket is almost working blind.
I've got a ton of seat time in bigger loaders and none are bad like that!
It's also tall compared to a skid steer. Over 8ft.
 
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WESTOF7 said:
The only people that really like skid steers are people that have never had a loader at their disposal.
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If the little loaders had diff lock, wouldn't be too bad.
The couple I've used didn't.
 
WESTOF7 said:
The only people that really like skid steers are people that have never had a loader at their disposal.
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The only people who say shit like that live in places without basements that need excavating or tight workspaces that need to be maneuvered in and are ignorant enough to think the whole world is like that.

Even my forklift based loader has a turning circle that often requires a 3-pt turn when you've got a load hanging off one end and are trying to maneuver it in a driveway or on a 2-lane road without hitting shit on the sides of the road.

I don't think you understand how useful being able to spin in place actually is but I guess ignorance is kind of your thing so that's unsurprising. :flipoff2:
 
I’ve had a hard on for either a forklift or crane in the bed of something ever since my buddy got both. I know I’d get a forklift stuck in my yard and don’t want a crane on my only truck. Moving axles and motors around with a two wheeler on dirt gets old
 
arse_sidewards said:
The only people who say shit like that live in places without basements that need excavating or tight workspaces that need to be maneuvered in and are ignorant enough to think the whole world is like that.

Even my forklift based loader has a turning circle that often requires a 3-pt turn when you've got a load hanging off one end and are trying to maneuver it in a driveway or on a 2-lane road without hitting shit on the sides of the road.

I don't think you understand how useful being able to spin in place actually is but I guess ignorance is kind of your thing so that's unsurprising. :flipoff2:
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Must suck to not be able to run real machinery :flipoff2:

A skidsteer is like a children's toy to me
 
Along these same lines, has anyone found a good set of sockets that are easy to read? My eyes are getting worse and I can hardly read the sizes. I've got a set of the Craftsman laser etched sockets, but they aren't much better, the etch is scratched up and the glare washes the sizes out. The only ones I can find that look easy to read are impact. As for the color coded ones, I don't think I'll use them enough to remember.
 
Stuck said:
lift table
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I forgot about that one...

I have one of the HF carts (mine's yellow):
Cart.jpg


That thing comes in handy. I even put it up on top of the mini ex to get a beam up into place at one point:
IMG_1978edit.JPG


I lifted it up with the ratchet straps connected to the top plate at the corners of the opening, but that got less functional for the last foot and a half or so. So the lift cart came out and did what it needed to do.

The joys of working by yourself...

I swear HF used to offer the cart with a double scissors. They probably discontinued it due to liability from people getting something heavy too high and having it fall on them. But I've long been meaning to fabricate an extra scissors for mine to get some extra reach out of it. Something like this:

BTTXL350D_300x300.jpg
 
Xiled1 said:
Along these same lines, has anyone found a good set of sockets that are easy to read? My eyes are getting worse and I can hardly read the sizes. I've got a set of the Craftsman laser etched sockets, but they aren't much better, the etch is scratched up and the glare washes the sizes out. The only ones I can find that look easy to read are impact. As for the color coded ones, I don't think I'll use them enough to remember.
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Milwaukee chrome sockets are engraved deeply and the impact sockets are embossed and the numbers painted white. Real easy to identify what's what.
 
WESTOF7 said:
The only people that really like skid steers are people that have never had a loader at their disposal.
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Well, since this is turning into the skid-steer vs everything else thread....

Seems to me that a big fuckin plus about skid steers is their lack of components when compared to tractors and loaders.

Things skid steers don't have (less parts=less maintenance/cost/shit to wear out):

Diffs and diff oil
transmissions (with/without clutches) and the oils/filters/coolers that accompany
steering boxes and linkages OR midship pivots and steering cylinders
axle knuckles
driveshafts and u-joints
service brakes
axle pivots

and probably some other stuff I'm forgetting.


Obviously the trade off is increased tire wear, but tires are easy to replace and can last a good long time with the right operator. They've also got huge, simple wheel bearings and huge simple chain drives in oil baths. Brakes only come on after the machine has stopped moving, so should rarely if ever required maintenance.

I'm not arguing that loaders and tractors are better at some things than skid steers. There's never a one answer solution to everything, just thought I'd add my opinion.
 
I'll be 60 next year. Yesterday I almost blew out my shoulder trying to prop up my transfer case skid plate while I started the bolts. I used to be able to shove it into place with one arm and start the bolts with the other, and I'm talking just a few years ago. Used a transmission jack to get it into place and a 1/4" impact to run in the bolts. I use that Ridgid impact more than I use a wrench nowadays. All that just to change the Atlas fluid. I keep thinking I need a doubler, but the main reason I don't pull the trigger is the install. I enjoy the fab work, but not the heavy lifting as I feel it for days afterwords. It used to be the cost of things, now it's the sore muscles.

And, the combination of skin that was exposed to the outdoors since birth, and my blood pressure meds made me into a bleeder. Scratch easier, bleed more. Oh what fun.
 
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