Scooping up a gravel driveway...

[KFC911]

What's the best tool to rent...besides a shovel ? i just had two trucks worth of gravel (8 yds) delivered a few months back...topping an existent base....want to scoop the top layer off. I can dump it on a trailer, or it's destination is....the other side of the horseshoe shaped drive.

I KNOW Cabman would sell me sumthin' ...he's a B$'er

Thanks!

[cabmandone]

Come on man! You know the answer is a skid steer loader. Rent a track machine because they tend to stay on a true path without the bucket dipping due to the flex in the tires as you load the bucket. There's a feature a lot of people don't know about called "float". This allows the boom to travel with the contour. Set the boom in float and tilt or curl the bucket to increase or decrease the cut if necessary.

[KFC911]

I've never used anything like that...I figured that was the answer...I'll see who rents them locally. How efficient....with a noob...can I scoop up say 50' of driveway in a few hours....or daze....if I'm lazee? I'd have to rent a trailer too...

[ginot912]

Skid Steers are very easy to operate, especially Bobcats. I have a "79" model that still works strong.

[Sooner or later]

Bobcat. Plus they are fun to operate.

[Seahawk]

Listen to Cab - he knows!

Very easy learning curve if you don't hurry. Learn to use the bucket backwards to level and smooth.

https://www.skidsteersolutions.com/video/



https://duckduckgo.com/?q=skid+steer+videos&t=ffsb&atb=v110-1&ia=videos&iax=videos&iai=6crRApG1RAo

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by KC911

I've never used anything like that...I figured that was the answer...I'll see who rents them locally. How efficient....with a noob...can I scoop up say 50' of driveway in a few hours....or daze....if I'm lazee? I'd have to rent a trailer too...

They aren't bad to get the hang of. A lot of track machines have joystick controls today so if you haven't spent much time on any one particular machine, the learning curve isn't bad. Left hand does all the steering, right hand does all the boom and bucket functions. Bobcat standard controls are lever steer, left foot boom up/down, right foot bucket tilt/curl. Case has hand controls. Levers move you forward/back, left/right, left hand does boom up/down. right hand does bucket tilt/curl. None are hard to figure out once you start operating them.

With the T750 I have here, I could do 50 feet in about 30 minutes if all I'm doing is cutting and dumping into a trailer or different location. But I also have an eight foot wide bucket on the machine. You'll probably rent something in the 60 hp range and that'll still get the job done quickly once you get the hang of it. Ask the rental person to show you how to use float. It'll keep you from cutting too deep as if the driveway has any dips in it.

[KFC911]

I hate this place...I ask a simple question, and I'll end up owning a Bobcat ....LOL!

Now I ain't sayin' I won't, but for this task....mebbe I should just hire someone? They'd be done in the time it took me to transport, etc.

[Sooner or later]

You can rent one for a day for a couple hundred bucks. Simple to operate. A blast to drive.

[cabmandone]

Something else float is nice for, back dragging once you've done a cut. On most joystick machines there is a float button (unless it's a Takeuchi or a Kubota they have hydraulic joystick controls) all you do is push the right handle full forward then press the float button to lock the boom in float. As long as you don't pull back on the right joystick, the boom will stay in float. So when you're back dragging, you put the boom in float, roll the tip of the bucket down as though you're trying to raise the front of the machine then start backing up. This allows the boom to move with the contour of the driveway and you're just using your right wrist to dump or curl the bucket to level the stone. I know it sounds hard but once you're in the machine you'll get the feel for it.

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by KC911

I hate this place...I ask a simple question, and I'll end up owning a Bobcat ....LOL!

Now I ain't sayin' I won't, but for this task....mebbe I should just hire someone? They'd be done in the time it took me to transport, etc.

Depends on the going rate in your area. Normally a track machine will cost you about 200-250 per day. A tire machine will cost about $150 per day. Most operators will charge 100-150 per hour but they'll get it done faster than someone with no experience operating a machine.

If you're not in a hurry and just want to play around, rent one and do it yourself. They're fun to run. Just make sure to tell anyone that might approach you to do so from the front of the machine. Rear visibility it terrible on just about every machine out there. Just be careful. You don't want anyone getting hurt.

[pavulon]

Since we're all here to help, I would recommend the Cat 257D. Just say'n!

Originally Posted by KC911

I hate this place...I ask a simple question, and I'll end up owning a Bobcat ....LOL!

Now I ain't sayin' I won't, but for this task....mebbe I should just hire someone? They'd be done in the time it took me to transport, etc.

[Crowbob]

Originally Posted by KC911

I hate this place...I ask a simple question, and I'll end up owning a Bobcat ....LOL!

Now I ain't sayin' I won't, but for this task....mebbe I should just hire someone? They'd be done in the time it took me to transport, etc.

Best thing to do is pickup a Toolcat!

You’ll be amazed at how you survived so long without one. Lots of neat attachments!

Cheap, too!

[KFC911]

Thank you all...Ima gonna call "the guy" for this one. I'm going to get rid of that section...gravel going all the way to a busy, dangerous, street....no place to learn. But on my other property...well, a John Deere tractor has that covered....dayum. I'll find an excuse...

[Sooner or later]

Sissy

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by Sooner or later

Sissy

You misspeeled Lazee .

Nope...I pass by a "Bobcat work" sign....good ol' county boy rates I'm sure....might be a Franklin...no schit. If I can rent one (& trailer) for a day at no hassle, and reasonable...I'd do that. Flat smooth drive, tires, I can do near the road ahead of time....and as good of an excuse as any

Thanks all!

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by Crowbob

Best thing to do is pickup a Toolcat!

You’ll be amazed at how you survived so long without one. Lots of neat attachments!

Cheap, too!

$ammiche$...so what duz a SO run these daze...sounds pricey ?

[Tim Hancock]

While not the ideal tool, I was able to use my JD 2305 compact tractor with loader bucket to dig out sod and then replace with 40 ton of stone when I added to my shop drive a couple months ago. The sod was difficult to dig out and I had about a 50 yard trip to my dirt pile out back to get rid of each small bucket load of sod. Took forever to remove the sod (a whole day digging) but got the job done.

B4




After

[rfuerst911sc]

KC around here " the guy " generally charges a 4 hour minimum for most heavy equipment , may be different by you . I've never run a Bobcat in my life but a few months ago had a chance to use one . I had the basics down in 10 minutes . In the fall I am going to attempt to clear a 24 ' x 28 ' piece of grassy area on my property for another garage . I'm going to do it with a John Deere 332 diesel garden tractor with a loader and tooth bar . I know it will be slow but all I have to do is cut/drag/scoop the existing grass and then back fill with gravel . Good luck

[javadog]

Most people would use a tractor equipped with a box blade for this task, a bobcat is nowhere near the the top of the list for road grading.

A bobcat is may be something that seems like fun, if you’ve never run any equipment in your entire life, but it’s about the last piece of equipment that some of us would buy. Hell, even a backhoe could knock this out in half the time it would take a bobcat.