Originally Posted by Big John

What's a Telehandler?

I got to get some pictures of mine, I had dead batteries in the camera this morning.

But this is one that is the same model



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YRVMhYnqqw

What was the former owner charging?

That way you know the going rates and he probably figured in the moving costs.

Good luck in your new venture.

Originally Posted by passingthru69

What was the former owner charging?

That way you know the going rates and he probably figured in the moving costs.

Good luck in your new venture.

Well it isn't really a new venture, but thanks for the luck, I'll take all I can get

I have 3 other machines, a 3,000 solid tire Yale, A 5,000 Baker with large cushion tires (works ok in the dirt if it isn't too soft) and a diesel Hyster H200 20,000 pound machine with planetary hubs and 20 inch pneumatic tires.

I needed something to handle rough terrain, mud, and sand. The big Hyster is a brute and does pretty good in the dirt, but when it gets stuck, it really gets stuck. It weighs over 30,000 and when there is nothing on the forks, most of it is on the steering axle and not the drives.

So I was thinking about a skid steer with forks, but they can dig pretty bad holes if the jobsite is tight and the ground is soft. So along came this Lull, the price was right, I know it's history for at least 3 years including a brand new Duetz put in it a couple of years ago. Not somebody's rebuild, but a brand new fully dressed engine. It is a pretty dry machine and not some leak pig, and the tires are good.

The bad thing is it is fairly heavy 20,000+ and it eats up a lot of deck space on my trailer. My tractor and landoll weigh in at like 39,500 empty, so that doesn't leave much for those jobs where I am hauling the machine and the load. But everything in this business is a compromise. I have to deal with the size and weight in order to get the ability to handle rough terrain and to get that much lifting height.

The former owner was a masonry contractor, so he never really had an hourly rate for the machine, it was just part of his jobs.

Last time I needed one, my customer rented one from United. It cost $2,500 a month, It was a nice looking newer machine, but it would only run for like a half hour and shut off and usually at the worst possible moment. United was out about 5 times to try and fix it before they decided to give me another machine.