Recommendations for a skid steer for around the house and farm

I am new to this forum and Google brought me to how to choose a skid steer...and I would like to ask the same question. In summary, I live on a farm, have cats and dogs...

(going to dealers Monday to check them out)



Uses by me:

• Large garden (Troybilt always hard to start, pull start, even though I Love it...contemplating a different way, ie rototiller)


• Trees to move or plant, moving trimmed branches


• Fences to put up


• Pallets of food or wood pellets to transfer from pickup truck


• Brush to clear on old barn concrete.


• Concrete to move


• SNOW TO PLOW, two driveways...(warm cab a must!)


• Presently have a 1976 Ford 6700 with no cab and a bucket and no forks


• Sidewalk from the old house we transferred, would like to move and place them around


• Large tree parts to use for landscaping as well as MANY field rocks


• Sold my Leon Rock picker due to the complexity of using it (never got to even though I finally got tractor for it)--so I would love to pick up rocks with it, or use bucket to gather rocks and transfer


• Have Ford mower but that, too is too hard for me to connect


• Bucket to move trash to dumpster or burnpile


• Bucket probably, to keep large gravel driveways in shape.


• Main driveway is concrete and would like to keep all snow plowed instead of just some of it (hired)

Any and all thoughts would be much appreciated! 8-)



My friend suggests:

Gehl 4840e

Easy to maneuver and steer (I find a zero turn, for example extremely troubling to steer, 56.5 years of age and so forth)

Safer than my tractor

Hydraulic actuated power quick attach (adds about $1400.00)

I don't care for the loud backup warning bell (my dogs would probably ignore)

Bucket with teeth but no edge (he had reasons for this, mostly maneuverability I think)

Fork attachment (ceattachments)

Heat and cab a must, A/C not necessary

Recommendations for a skid steer for around the house and farm