[cutntrim]

Yet another attempt to pick the brains of those of you who have 'been there, done that'.

Once again with regard to small residential landscape installs under $10,000.00 - What equipment do you feel a one/two man show should purchase vs. rent?

I've been a maintenance contractor for 11yrs. now, so I've already got quite a chunk of dough tied-up in equipment. Right off-the-bat I can't see myself purchasing excavating or compacting equipment, since I could rent those big money items.

However, I am a snow contractor, and I can tell you that a skid-steer would be awfully nice this time of year with the kind of winter we've had...

I have been thinking of trading one of my 6' x 14' landscape trailers for a 6' x 12' dump trailer, that could still haul mowing equipment, or carry a Bobcat, or aggregate materials.

Appreciate your opinions/replies,

Dave

[diginahole]

For pavers and walls you can't go without a tamper and saw. I rented both for the first month when I started up last year. I had no choice. Not enough dough to buy them but I had a charge account set up at the rental shop. I could have bought the saw for the rent I paid. Dump trailer or dump truck is also a must have. Nothing worse than loading a truck full of dirt by hand only to have to unload it by hand.

[cutntrim]

Yeah, no fun unloading without a dump. For years we've had to unload our pickups of leaves/grass by hand. The EZ Loader does not measure up to its name...believe me! We just put one tarp under and one over, then drag the crap out. That won't cut it with stone though!

12" or 14" saw? Partner? Stihl? Plate compactor or jumping jack type to purchase? Size? Make?

Thanks.

[Stonehenge]

There'll be personal preferences on saw brands - get what feels good to you. I like Partner. Get a saw that's powerful with a larger blade 14"-16". You can always put a smaller blade on it if you like.

Plate compactor - just get something with a Honda power plant, 5hp minimum. Too bad you aren't in Wisconsin - we have too many and would like to get rid of one. Look for a compressive force of over 3,200# - 3 of ours hover around the 3-4000# range, and one tops out at 9,600#. Don't get a jumping jack as your first compaction eqpt. For reference we have a Stone, Wacker and 2 Bomags.

Don't be afraid to buy a used compactor - the only thing that ever goes bad is the engine - remove 4 bolts, take out the old engine, put in the new, replace the 4 bolts, >voila< new compactor.

We've never had a dumping trailer, but those that have them give them rave reviews.

[HRLand]

Jeff,

Between the three brands of compactors you own, is any better than others? I've been thinking about replacing the wacker that borrow (full time) from my brother and it seems that in the same price range the Bomag puts out more force than the wacker.

Cutntrim,

I converted an old meyer plow for my skid steer and it's a huge time saver for plowing condos. If you buy one, spend the extra $2k for cab and heat. I bought the cheap vinyl enclosure and it's ok but no heat sucks.

[Stonehenge]

They each have their pros and cons.

The Stone is slow and heavy, but provides good compaction.

The Wacker is faster and lighter, and also gives good compaction.

The Bomag (the smaller of the 2) provides decent compaction for smaller jobs, and is fast as lightning.

The larger Bomag is slow as molasses, weighs about 700#, but will shake the pictures off my client's walls.

So long as they have a Honda powerplant, the only other thing I'd compare is compressive force/weight ratio, and price. If you can, demo the ones you're considering to get a feel how each of them maneuvers - they are each a little different.

[diginahole]

I have a Wacker 1540. Wacker has a cheaper model without the protective cage and pretty yellow plastic nametag on it. I think it hits just as hard as the 1540 too. I wish I had bought that one for one simple reason, the handle is at the back of the plate. The 1540 has the handle attached in the middle of the plate. I find rear mounted handle MUCH easier to maneuver.

[Paul]

I'm a bit different on the equipment choices. For saws I like the Partner 12" saws. Until you get installing lots of wall units a 12" saw will do every thing you want and at a cheaper price. We use just the Partner 650's and have two in every hardscape trailer. This makes it cheaper for use on parts, maintenance and blades. As for cutting wall units, we use a splitter, and they can be rented much cheaper than saws until you can afford to buy one.

The real question I have to ask is how much work do you think your going to do this year? A smaller skid steer (LS170 size) runs about $20K and a three year note on one means a monthly payment of $500 with a good down stroke. Rentals will cost you about $250 to $300 per day, so if your renting it more than three times a month then buy it. If your snow plowing accounts add to this then you can figure that in.

On your plate tamper I would check out some of the rental yards around and find out who in your area service them. We have moved from the larger hand units to skid steer mounted units but that a whole other thread. A unit in the 4000 lb range is the smallest I would look for. As you do more of this work I would buy good quality hand tools that help speed up production, sand screeds or pulls, 90 degree lasers or a paver square, a marking tool, like the Pavetech marker. these will help you more in the short run, but carry over when you really get big time.

[Pelican]

The way I figure it for any piece of equipment is if the monthly rental fee meets or exceeds the monthly purchase price, it's added to my inventory.

A good source for used equipment is rental yards. Just be sure to select one that services their equipment well, there's one in my area that I don't even rent from, let alone purchase from. I bought my wet saw this way, it was less than 1/2 the cost of new and came with a nearly new blade. I've got 6 seasons on it now, it's paid off well.

[HRLand]

I think I will go with the bomag but have one more question. How important do you think the width of the plate is? The Wackers are all about 19.5 and the Bomag is 17.7. Also center mounted handles on the wacker and rear mounted on the bomag, any difference? I've only used center mounted.

[diginahole]

I find the rear mounted handle much more maneuverable than the centre mount. I may modify mine to a rear mount before the season gets underway.

The wacker I bought last year came in 2 widths that both hit with the same force. I chose the narrower for two reasons, weight (albeit a negligable difference) and the ability to get into tighter areas. When we need to cover very large areas I rent a large reversable plate.

[Stonehenge]

I'm not certain, but I think the narrower plate, given the same horsepower, is part of what gives you the faster speeds with the Bomag.

If I had to choose another compactor right now based on the 3 - 5 horse models we own, I'd buy another Wacker.

And to tell the truth I've never even realized there was a difference in mounting position of handle.