BobCats

[Ed in S. AL]

Anyone ever rented one of the little Bobcats for small land clearing? Wondering how well they worked, and what your rental fee was for it.

[Jena]

i have a small skidsteer, similar to a bobcat. they are tippy. if you plan to work on slopes you would be better off with a different machine.

they also don't have a lot of strength....compared to a larger tractot loader. if you are wanting to clear any major brush or trees you might be disappointed.

i use mine to feed silage from a bag and to clean out barns, etc.

jena

[james dilley]

You might want to think about a front end loader tractor they rent for about the same $150.00 for 8 hrs. I thought this was going to be about a live Bobcat not a machine.

[pointer_hunter]

They just opened a Bobcat rental place just up the expressway from me. I've been meaning to stop in and check it out. They'll even drop it off. They have about thirty of them and every single one of them has a different attachment. Some are used for trenching, loading, digging, jack hammer....it's like a swiss army knife on wheels!

[Torch]

Where would one rent bobcats? The zoo? Besides, once they cleared your land (do they eat that much?) there's a chance you won't be able to catch them again and you'll loose your deposit.

$150 per 8 hours? Youza! That's gonna add up.

Go with goats, much easier!

[fordson major]

as jena says the bobcats do tend to be tipy . after mastering one we got a new holland . this has been a far stabiler and more powerful machine . most attachments can switch from one brand to another but the new holland has its very own system!buddy has a tracked case with a four way bucket that does very good in swampy areas.still apro may be able to get more done cheaper

[SteveD(TX)]

I rented one once, years ago, so I can't speak about price. Used it to dredge out a beach area and fill in the back of a lakefront retaining wall. Took me the first hour to get used to the controls, then it was a dirt moving machine! I don't think I would use one to clear trees, brush, etc. But short of a track loader, you won't find a better or more efficient machine at loading dirt, IMHO.

[mightybooboo]

Unless you are proficient at running equipment you are better off just hiring an operator with tractor to do the work,they will get it done much faster and in the long run maybe cheaper,more per hour but less total hours and they do the work.IMHO
BooBoo

[gobug]

I checked 3 places here in the Denver and Canon City areas in the last 3 months.

The basic machine rents for $210 for 8 clock hours. That means time on the machine. If I pick it up Thursday at closing I can return it Monday at opening and pay for 8 hours of machine use as long as I just use 8 hours. This cost does not include a trailer or attachments. 40 hours of clock time is $650.

I used this high price as incentive to buy a small tractor with a front end loader and scraper blade for $3500. I have used it for nearly 20 hours now. It's way too small for serious work, but it is great for everthing else. I can't believe how much use I have already gotten out of this tool. And, its still worth every penny I paid for it.

I called 6 guys that do site preparation. I need a 75 foot trench 2 foot deep. My little tractor won't handle this task. All the prices for the work done were in the $250 range. That's cheaper than I could rent the equipment to do the work.

[BamaSuzy]

My husband says these are easy to turn over if you're not used to them, but they can do a lot of work.

[SteveD(TX)]

Originally Posted by gobug

...
I called 6 guys that do site preparation. I need a 75 foot trench 2 foot deep. My little tractor won't handle this task. All the prices for the work done were in the $250 range. That's cheaper than I could rent the equipment to do the work.

For some reason, renting trenchers is expensive. I guess they tend to get abused more than other stuff with people trying to dig through heavy mud, large roots, rocks, etc. I need a 18" deep 600' trench a couple of months ago to bury a new electrical conduit, and the quoted price to rent a riding trencher for a day was $245.00 plus tax. I called a sprinkler co. and they dug it with their big deisel unit for $250.00. In one hour.

[big rockpile]

To tell the truth I think I would hire someone with a Dozer.They can clear land so much faster and safer.

big rockpile

I rented one a couple years ago to clear some trees up to six or 7 inches, for to make some pasture. If I recall it ran about 270.00 for an all day rental plus alittle more to refill the tank. It did a pretty good job for me grubbing out cherry, locust and sassafras stumps (I cut off all the sizable trees first and left 2 or 3 feet sized stumps). Make sure to get the tracks over the wheels or you won't be moving under load very well. Also make sure the bucket has teeth. It was also kind of fun, doing the job myself. I found a "feel" for the bobcat after a little while and learned what It would take; I had never driven one before. I found if I loosened the stump up a bit first by rocking it or pushing against it, things went a lot faster. I went thru a local rental outfit, not an equipment dealer. I didn't quite get everything in the one day but concentrated on the bigger stumps and cleaned up afterwards by pulling the leftovers with my tractor and a chain.