[r schipul]

Only hypothetical but if you had $50,000 dollars lying around which had to be used to purchase some piece or pieces of equipment to reduce manual labor what would you spend it on? I'll start. I would love to purchase a new tractor in the coming years because I find I need more lifting capacity more often than not these days. I prefer TLB's over skid steers because 1. A lot of my work is renovation work and in 14 years I have never had to repair a lawn from tractor damage. And 2. I live in New England where rocks are more prevelent than soil. I would be lost if I couldn't switch between loader and backhoe 10x a day. The two biggest downfalls with my current TLB is maneuverability in tight spaces and lack of view with the bucket. I think my 50 would be spent on some type of articulating TLB like the kubota R520. Only one problem. The only available backhoe for the R520 is to small for my needs. Any suggestions? How about you? Only $50,000 and it has to increase efficiency and add to your bottom line. Happy spending.

[Stonehenge]

First, I'd buy a smaller skidsteer or a mini-skidsteer (Ramrod, Toro Dingo, etc). Probably something more like a 3000-4000 series Gehl - light, narrow and small, great for those projects where we either don't want to rut everything up, or we just don't have the same kind of access we would need for our Gehl 6635.

Next, I'd go out and pick us up a used mini-excavator. If we had one I'd use it far more often; right now we rent one about twice each season, and I wish we had one on about 10-12 other projects every year. The surgical precision of excavation for things like small water features, or even placing stones within a pond, make it a specialty tool I'd love to have.

Please make the check out to Stonehenge.

[Bill Schwab]

I would take the 50K and put 40 down on a 100-125K rental house and select financing that would generate a positive cash flow. Then I would take the remaining 10K and put it down on another roll off truck and 4 more containers.

[dan deutekom]

Bill

I love how you think outside of the box

You would get all the equipment you could ever want and create a new cash producer

[GLAN]

Bill?

There such a thing as a 100-125K Home for purchase?

I am thinking the other side of the boarder maybe.



I like questions like these those I never have a good answer. Cause first............I don't have the 50g's to do what ever with. Second.........I don't know anyone that is giving it to me.

As much as I would like to entertain the thought.........I have to keep my feet on the ground and my thoughts reasonable.....


But.........I would definitely buy a Dingo type machine with a couple attachments

[dan deutekom]

I thought Bill meant a tool rental company

[jwholden]

I let r schipul in on my answer but I'll let it go here as well.

Exchange my truck for a shiny new/used truck with a 25,999 gvw. Put a minimum 3' backpack tool box on it, make it a low pro chasis, and automatic. Put tool boxes under the bed as well. I would like this truck to have the torque to pull a decent size trailer without being a diesel guzzler and have some kind of retarder on it for going down hills with heavy load.

I'm thinking of getting the extra 18" behind the seat to store rain gear, lunch, spare parts, etc.

I want this truck to be like a plumbers truck where there are tool boxes galore so I can keep as much junk on the truck as possible and minimize tool loading and unloading.

For a body, I'm going with a 14' body with drop down sides with a two way tail gate (maximum 18" high so I can reach over it) and a coal chute for mulch and topsoil. I would look hard at roll off bodies as well, though I'm not sure how a roll off body would work with the backback toolbox blocking the view.

[PSUscaper]

I'm 100% with bill........put the money into real estate! Tools make you money...........but the thing is you have to put them to use in order to do so. Hek, you buy real estate, do nothing, and it doubles in a year around here!

[GLAN]

I just hope Bill doesn't keep the 100 - 150k secret to himself

[r schipul]

The money needs to be spent for something you desire for your landscape company and it needs to contribute to the bottom line. For you real estate buffs there is a article in money mag this month you might be interested in. FYI. My father was self employed most of his life. 1st buying houses and fixing them up, building new and eventually purchasing large tracts of land, putting in the roads and utilities and selling the lots. All the while, acting as a bank. Offering the mortages to the people buying the land. I am always looking for ways to diversify my income but the money can't be spent on anything outside the green industry. Sorry

[Bill Schwab]

Barstow, Ca. Houses in the 100's, and they are putting a 200 MPH bullet train right through there that will connect LA to Sin city.

Our properties there have gone up 4 times over the 40K we paid and they are expected to hit 400K in 5 years.

[Paul]

It would make a nice down payment on that M5 convertible!

[Nebraska]

On Tuesday I pick up my first Mini Skidsteer, a Ramrod taskmaster 1150 w/ 26 hours. $11,500. In our situation we have more of an application for this than a regular sized one. So with the remaining $38,500 I would go for a souped up ski / fish pontoon boat for the family; the memories would be priceless.

[GLAN]

Barstow

Hmm...yeah. That is an arm pit of a place.........There are a couple little towns out there I remember driving by from Palm Springs to Vegas

[Bill Schwab]

Right on Glan!

We call it Barstool....But, since we first started, houses were in the 50's. A WalMart has been built, and a Dollar Store. The train depot is brand new with beautiful red brick and ston e etched trim. The platform is larger than the one we have in San Diego.

What does this tell you? Growth on it's way. A developer bought every single unit in one tract site unseen in the 100's, they are now priced at 245-280.

There are still a few homes you can find in the ghetto side of town into the 100's That is where we focus.