00:12Hi there. Today we're going to talk about mini skid steers. These small machines have kind of
00:17taken over for the landscaping area where you want to do some digging in a smaller job rather
00:27than getting into a sit-in skid steer, a regular machine or a track machine. This is a good machine
00:33for around the homes these days because the homes are being built closer and closer together.
00:40They're about 36 inches wide. So a lot of these jobs where you want to dig out a patio, you
00:48want
00:48to landscape your yard in the back or the front. Maybe you want to do a small driveway dig out
00:54or
00:54an extension to your driveway. These smaller machines maybe can fit the bill. Now they all
01:01come usually on tracks which is with less pressure per inch on the ground. They're able to be used in
01:12a little more softer situations or muddy situations and not be so intrusive on the ground when you're
01:19trying to transport them from front to back. Now your grass won't take quite as much of a beating.
01:27Now these are called a stand-on and for a very good reason. Obviously you do stand on these machines.
01:33They come in different sizes. The weight of the machine is important because that gives you the
01:40push to be able to do digging. A lighter machine is not going to be able to dig as effectively,
01:45especially when you start getting into summers where the ground becomes very hard or clay. So fit the
01:52machine to the job. If these machines here are too small for a heavy dig out then you're going to
01:59have
01:59to go into a larger skid steer that you sit in and maybe about a five or six inch wide
02:04bucket.
02:05The buckets are all interchangeable. This one here is a 42 inch bucket. You could get them a little narrower,
02:11a 36. You can go a little wider, a little bigger if you're here transporting mulch,
02:17which is a light load. So a bigger bucket can be handled easily on this machine.
02:23Also as far as attachments, you can get into augers for digging fence posts.
02:31When you hook up the hydraulics onto these different fittings that you see here,
02:35they're all for different attachments. There's breakers as well as augers. And because the machines
02:43are so compact, you're able to transport them easily. And also if you have a smaller trailer,
02:50say a dual axle trailer, you'd be able to transport them. But remember, have a decent ramp and a mesh
02:59soft ramp. This machine can still make it look like a banana after it loads it and unloads it.
03:04So make sure your ramps are adequate for the weight. So this, this is something you might want to
03:11consider to do your work. But again, have a good idea what you're going to do, what the soil is
03:17like.
03:17See your application before you make a choice on the size of the machine you want to use.
03:23On this particular machine, you don't need a license, but you do have to be shown how to use it
03:30by the
03:31rental operators. And the only time that you get into licensing and tickets is when you're using
03:38them on construction jobs, where your company you're working for may request that you have
03:43good training on the job because you're dealing in an area possibly where there's a lot of people
03:48or different applications or very tight situations. And in those cases, you're going to need some training
03:55to be able to use this piece of equipment. Otherwise, a homeowner with some basic training
04:02can learn to use this machine safely and get the job done.
04:11And I'll see you next time.
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