A Great (must have) Well Priced Machine!

[Scaper-S2k]

I bought this little New Holland LS125 about 3 yrs ago to compliment our larger unit (we call it Mini-Me). If any of you guys don't want to go with a larger unit right now, this IS the way to go! I highly recommend it. It weighs only 2000 pounds, and can even be pulled by a small pickup truck. Rated at 700 pound lift, but can do a little more.

It is a huge time saver, and because of it's size, it can get into places our bigger one can't. Or go places where weight is a concern. Or those smaller jobs where you don't want to drag the big guy with you. It's so quick to just load and go.

But this thing really does more than it looks like it can. I have even used it to dig out 10" diameter trees. And ripping out bushes is so easy. Just pull up to the base, smack it, then lift straight up. It really can do most of what the bigger one can, just smaller and handles less weight.

LS125 is diesel and costs under $12k. LS120 is gas and at least $1k lower.

Here it is next to our bigger skid steer!




Here it is ripping out shrubs, just lift straight up!




And this is how high it can dump. That is a cabover dump truck with 3' sides!

[SodBuster]

Without teeth on the bucket, can't rip 10" trees out of the ground? Not much of anything gonna happen without tooth bucket with sharpened bed knife between teeth. Maybe you are using a chain to assist in removing small shrubs? No teeth=No ripping power. The break-out force of either of the machines is small.

[Scaper-S2k]

With many bushes, you put the flat part under the lowest branch, push forward to loosen it, then lift up. The bucket will catch on the lowest branch and not slip off most of the time. You can see it with the first shot of the taxus. If it does slip, I will go about 4" under the entire bush, cut a few roots, and lift up, and push forward, it just rolls it right out. I haven't used a chain yet.

It digs okay without teeth. The bucket is only 42" (you can get bigger or smaller), so it goes in the ground pretty easy. My LS170 has a 78" bucket, and we will put teeth on it for digging. But the LS125 hasn't needed them for what we do.


The 10" tree took about 5-10 minutes, but it did get it out, and no chains. I would have brought the bigger machine, but they weren't sure they wanted it out until I told them it should go. For what it's worth, the GC didn't think the LS125 could get it out. I was even a bit suprised.

[SodBuster]

If you do any type on demolition and land clearing/tree removal, you need larger skidsteer, tooth bucket with sharp bed knife and tracks. Anything less and it's not going to happen. I run steel tracks on 180's, forked grapple bucket and it's not enough for 10" hardwood trees. That's when I bring in my excavator with 36" ripper bucket. Ole Sodbuster has cleared a bit of land in his time.

[Scaper-S2k]

I was pretty amazed that it could handle this tree, so I took pictures.

If you look close, you can see that I basically worked on the sides of the primary root, and cut through the smaller roots. Once that was done, I raised the bucket, and pushed until it leaned over, then I worked on the primary root.

Then popped it out of the hole.

Took 5-10 minutes. Pictures weren't too good because of the sun and shadows, but you get the idea. This job turned out nice.




From the other angle.

[SodBuster]

Is the tree dead, might have been a weak tree ready to fall. Even removing a strong 6" tree can be a struggle with 180 and tracks. When doing clearing work I would not even entertain the idea of showing up with a 125. On an acre of land you may have 100 trees and various size brush. 125 or 170 is not going to much if anything.

[Scaper-S2k]

If you do any type on demolition and land clearing/tree removal, you need larger skidsteer, tooth bucket with sharp bed knife and tracks. Anything less and it's not going to happen. I run steel tracks on 180's, forked grapple bucket and it's not enough for 10" hardwood trees. That's when I bring in my excavator with 36" ripper bucket. Ole Sodbuster has cleared a bit of land in his time.

That's great, but I don't think I mentioned anything about clearing land and demolition. If I was clearing land, or removing a lot of 10" trees, I too would use my larger machines. Demolition? I don't think I said that either.

For commercial jobs, they would crap if I came on their freshly paved lot with steel tracks. Or even on the sidewalks. And that sized machine with steel tracks would cause more turf damage than it's worth for these jobs (and many jobs for that matter). Again, these were shrubs, and one tree, not trees and one shrub.

[SodBuster]

Here are some multi-trunk holly shrubs that we removed. Had 180/w grapple bucket on site, on pavement, and would not even budge these holly's. Kubota excavator struggled with some these bad boys even on pavement.

Not a 10" tree, and nothing less than my kubota would do it.

[Scaper-S2k]

Is the tree dead, might have been a weak tree ready to fall. Even removing a strong 6" tree can be a struggle with 180 and tracks. When doing clearing work I would not even entertain the idea of showing up with a 125. On an acre of land you may have 100 trees and various size brush. 125 or 170 is not going to much if anything.

No, the tree is alive, I have pictures of it right before it went down, it was actually very full, very healthy.

I'm not doing "clearing work". You said on an acre of land there may be 100 trees. Yeh, and? No one said they would use the small LS125 to clear 100 TREES from an acre plot.

Honestly, the LS180 or even the LS190 is a waste of time for that. Rent a dozer.

We can discuss that in the thread titled:

"How to clear hundreds of trees with a dozer"



P.S. No offense, but I know for a fact that even my LS170 would have removed those hollies you just posted. Not to sound rude, but you should use a different method, or maybe your machine needs a tune up? Especially if you have a good grapple. And I really don't mean that in a bad way.

[SodBuster]

Here is one of my 180's w/grapple on the same site. I would not bring in the Kubota if I did not have to. Its expensive moving the excavator. I fiqure it costs $200.00 anytime I have to trailer the machine and move it.

[Scaper-S2k]

Its expensive moving the excavator. I fiqure it costs $200.00 anytime I have to trailer the machine and move it.

That's why I said the LS125 is great for smaller jobs. You can load it and move it in a matter of minutes, and with any size truck. I wouldn't use it for land clearing, and I doubt anyone here is dumb enough to think I said that. But for many installs and rip outs, it does an admirable job.


With that grapple on your 180, you should be able to rip a 10" right out of the ground. If the 180 struggles with some 6" trees, I'm serious, something isn't right. A buddy of mine has an 800 series Bobcat. He can hit the base of the tree, sink the bucket into the bark, and push the tree right out of the ground like nothing.

I think you should try leaving the foliage and trunk intact before ripping them out. It gives you something to push on. Normall, I don't cut anything off the thing being removed, if you do, you have nothing to grab on, and not much to push on.

[SodBuster]

The Hollies could not be removed with a 180 and hydraulic grapple. Not even close. Had to saw off and get the excavator bucket in and around the stumps. I've done alot of clearing, own acreage and performed clearing and burning operations at my nursery. If I ram a 10" tree with skidsteer I suffer one heck of a jolt. You only do that once and never again.

[Scaper-S2k]

I don't mean at full speed, and ram it. Just hit it to sink the bucket in, you could almost push into it. Might even try a 2-3 feet off the ground so that it gives a little, and the weight of the tree works for you as it sways. If you cut it to the ground, you have no leverage and nothing to push on.

I don't think I would have used a grapple for those holly, probably just a tooth bucket and dug them out. You can dig a 20' hole with a tooth bucket, you can surely get down deep enough to remove that bush.

[SodBuster]

The forked grapple stabs the trunk better than a tooth bucket. Push, ram, slam, crash, lift, dig, no go. There were hollies all the way around the man hole and we filled soil back in as we removed them. The roots were massed together. It would have been nice to rip them out w/skidsteer, but just not the case.

[Scott]

cool pics,, we need a thread titled, "let me show you how I can tear some **** up!" I especially like the grapple pic. Last huricane season FEMA was running some seriously large equipment using grapples and pushing literally a forests of tree trunks down my street.

Erich, do those 125's come with rubber tracks? trenching options? I'm asking because I don't want to fork out $20k for a stinking 400 series dingo and more for attachments? Guess I should look them up myself.