Bought a $4,250 Mini Skid Steer from Ritchie Bros Auction

Today we buy a $4,250 mini skid steer from a Ritchie Bros auction and give it a test on its first project. We put 7 hours on the machine and give it a review after this time.
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[@jerrylively1647]

Jees, stop whining about it being 43". If you needed a 36 then you should have bought a smaller machine. You sure have a lot of complaints for a 4k machine!

[@iamahardscaper]

😂 don't worry, I bought a 38" machine

[@jamesa9lpiopatton419]

Thanks for writing I was gonna say dame

[@kylequinn1963]

@@iamahardscaper Definitely need a review on the 38" one, I'm looking for one myself lol

[@tonyval4135]

@@iamahardscaper Some people just dont learn it's still not a 36, good news is you can start moaning for another 11 minute video.

[@iamahardscaper]

@@tonyval4135 haha 36 is just a rough estimate. we can get into 90% of backyards with a 38", the reason why i bought it. thanks for moaning in the comment 👍 imagine buying something and not being able to critique it...

[@GlossyLake]

I just bought a Kubota SCL1000 paid CAD 49k with some attachments… So for $4500 you can’t go wrong!

[@iamahardscaper]

Definitely!

[@artemauziak6722]

the only difference is you will sell your kubota in 5 years for 25K, and this chinisse thing fall apart in 1 year. with that being said your machine will cost you less per year.

[@Dronemasterkid]

That scl1000 is worth the $$$

[@spin0491]

@@artemauziak6722surprising I have had mine for about 9 months……minor crap had to repair but easier than you think on this machine…..

[@PuskwaskaOutdoors]

I know everyone seems to dislike the needle style grease zerks that come on these machines BUT they are less likely to get broken than the standard nipple style that most are used to seeing…. Keep a spare fuel filter handy, these machines always seem to need a few changed out before the junk in the tank gets filtered out

[@iamahardscaper]

I can see that for sure. Yeah it came with a fuel filter and i already ordered another 2. good advice!

[@NicholasBlazewicz]

Absolutely. I purchased a very similar machine. Slightly smaller engine- and a single rather than a twin, but other than that, they are identical. The only two needle- style grease fittings on the machine are in areas a standard zurk would get broken sooner or later. Furthermore, when you get one of these machines, it comes with a little tool box containing a few consumables, like a filter, etc, and a grease gun for greasing needle-style fittings along with some grease. And you can use that style of tip to grease both needle-style and zurk fittings. Also, that type of grease tip is great for greasing broken zurks as well, so they're handy. I removed that tip from the gun and fit a zurk to the end that went into the gun so I can use it when I need to with my normal grease gun

[@420jahlion]

you need to go and tighten all the bolts. drain out all the old gas. drain out the old oil. replace all the filters and fill it with fresh gas and oil . since you got it from china its not ready to do. if you got it from a reseller that did all that i just said it will run great the 1st day.

[@iamahardscaper]

this is great advice 👍

[@plumbobmillionaire6246]

Hey. How has the machine been working for you? There is one for sale near me for 5500 Canadian and I was thinking of getting it.

[@iamahardscaper]

I never ended up using this a whole lot. I bought a 38" AGT and it has been doing great. I'll have a video for that. This one though I've heard some good and bad. There is a comment somewhere here of someone that used theirs a lot and has had a really bad experience with it.

[@MOW-JOE]

Its prolly a single stage pump is why u can't perform multiple functions....im guessing

[@iamahardscaper]

💯👍

[@jeffreyteasley8885]

it was $5k after buyer fees, tax and hauling it home

[@iamahardscaper]

💯

[@CoulterStoneMasonry]

Now say one positive thing about it

[@iamahardscaper]

I think there was something positive on there. Can’t remember though 😂 I’d say I bought a new one that is 38” and I like it

[@mikedesilets3324]

Some users report that changing out the fuel and adding an inline filter was key to making theirs run correctly. Also, some noted better hydraulics performance after changing to quality fluids. Im hoping to win a bid on one next week. Thanks for posting.

[@iamahardscaper]

Ah thank you! That makes sense

[@tindominguez1015]

Did you win?

[@iamahardscaper]

I did, bought another 😆

[@mikedesilets3324]

@@tindominguez1015 Yes

[@tindominguez1015]

@@mikedesilets3324 nice, I’m jealous , how is it?

[@GeorgeBonez]

Cheap two pump machine. Should’ve gotten a three pump so you can use your bucket while moving/turning etc. They have Chinese three pump models that don’t cost much more. Just gotta pay attention before ya buy.

[@iamahardscaper]

ah interesting, i'll be on the lookout

[@ClearWater7.62]

Can you name some Chinese 3 pump models

[@joshkuper6817]

Pop open the silver handle on the front and swing open the fan box and you can access the inside parts

[@iamahardscaper]

👍👍 figured that one 😂

[@saltyagent8630]

I bought this exact machine for my hardscape business and so far it has been incredible. When you get one make sure to change fluid and flush the gastank. Get a cone tipped grease gun. Changing oil IS a pain but put a quick drain tube on it and its good. Lots of power, tracks get stuck sometimes if they fill with debris. I paid the same price at Richie and bought a track dumper as well which is the handiest thing ever.

[@iamahardscaper]

That is great advice for sure! good to know it is doing well for you

[@mikedesilets3324]

AGT makes several models found at auctions and some are narrower than the LRT23. If you need gate access, perhaps one of those would be a better fit.

[@iamahardscaper]

Yeah I was looking at some, thanks for the heads up 👍

[@thelonewolf666]

16k in australia

[@iamahardscaper]

😮

[@CJMarco-nq1yf]

Buying blind without knowing what you are even bidding on is a recipe for a lunchbag letdown, as you well discovered. I hope you don't purchase cars in the same manner? Personally, testing a product before purchasing is the best way to ensure that the money you are putting down is value added and not wasted. For some reason people always think that they are going to find that special find only to discover that it isn't.

[@iamahardscaper]

Yeah, I know what I was getting into as mentioned. It wasn’t a lot of money to give it a go and the machine has done well so far.

[@YiweiZhou-jm4cf]

I'm in China. My factory produces mini skid loaders. My factory can provide better equipment than this. If you need anything, you can leave me a message.

[@iamahardscaper]

lets put it to the test 👍

[@Devin-pl8zi]

These Chinese Skid Steer and Excavators are becoming more and more popular at RB Auctions, you can get lucky and get one for 1-2 k

[@iamahardscaper]

definitely, the last auction had the cheapest version going for $2k

[@BoonHeavyHands]

Was this a review video? All I got outta it was how you needed a 36 inch machine & everything you didn’t like about it.

[@iamahardscaper]

Are the things I don’t like about it not a review of the machine?

[@BoonHeavyHands]

@@iamahardscaperit looked like the machine did a fairly decent job , but if I’m to purchase one I’ll have to do a lil more research. Thanks for the video though 👍

[@iamahardscaper]

decent, yes. But the main thing that I don't like about it is the tilt angle of the bucket. Makes it hard to dump all material especially if it is sticking in the bucket.

[@jtsokiehobbyandadventures6666]

Do you wount a 30,000 machine go buy it. You bought a 4,200 machine. Use it for what it is. If it dont work sell it. Do your research before you buy.

[@iamahardscaper]

Thanks for the great advice!…

[@jtsokiehobbyandadventures6666]

@iamahardscaper if you have auction around your area. It helps to look at and see.first hand get better idea of what's different. Lol I always look at how easy it is to check oil. I bought the diggit 850 for my needs. Bucket a little narrow then yours but it's deeper and lifts around 6ft up. And support to lift 800 pounds

[@iamahardscaper]

yeah, as mentioned in the video this was just on a whim and for fun. It is such a small amount of money for this piece of equipment that it didnt matter whether or not it worked for me because I can just sell it for more than what I paid. I actually ended up going to the last auction and bought another one. so there will be more videos on these machines

[@timothyallen6207]

Been watching these for a while, sorry you over bid..... They were averaging $3500 CAD at auction when they first came in...( the importer's realized a profit at that price) They are being run buy seller's at every auction.... all you have to do is look at who's bidding.... it's blatantly apparent. But ppl keep bidding them up and over bidding.. I saw a couple machines ran to almost $6K.... lmao! Then they think they can sell it on Marketplace for three times that money.... I guess they think no one else see's these public auction's??....lol The hydraulics are not as refined as a quality machine. My local equipment dealer has two with blown hydraulic pumps.. they can't get replacement parts or find matching parts... Now they're coming to the auction's 43" wide, but only a 32" bucket.... absolutely useless with a bucket narrower than the track's.. but NO ONE notices... till they get it home and go to work with it..... I thought they'd be great for a couple things... I have since changed my mind about them and decided they're not worth money or the troubles.

[@iamahardscaper]

Yeah i seen some go as high as 6k. I havent seen this model go for that low, only the 13hp ones and they have gone even lower than 3500. I got another one that is a 38" machine for 3500 and that was the lowest one at the auction.

[@kylequinn1963]

I grabbed a similar one to this last week, frankly, for the price, it's a great machine. Mines 40.5" wide and here's the thing, if you're set up properly it doesn't matter. The issue you're running in to is that this is simply the wrong piece of equipment for what you're doing. I've been doing this in the same area as you roughly for around 10 years now and the single best purchase you can make aside from a dump trailer is a mini excavator. I've had Bobcat MT85s, MT100s etc but frankly, an E10 or a Kubota K008-3 paired with a gas powered track wheelbarrow is FAR superior to any mini skid you're going to find, it's just not even in the same realm. I use my Kubota mini ex on 95% of projects, big or small paired with a tracked wheelbarrow from princess auto and there's nothing that pair can't do that a mini-skid can, but it isn't the same in reverse, the mini skid can't do nearly as much as the Kubota can. Excavators are for excavating. I use the Kubota in backyards as it goes down to 28" wide, use it to load the wheelbarrow, drive that to the front dump in a pile on the road, load it into the dump trailer with the mini skid and use the mini skid to load the wheelbarrow in the front with gravel as well as offloading pallets of sod/brick etc from the trailer when needed. Currently installing a commercial retaining wall system where each block is 400 lbs, I use the mini skid with the pallet forks to bring the blocks down the hill into the backyard then use the kubota to set them into place like a crane using a block clamp I made. The skid steer wouldn't be able to get into the area where the blocks need to go safely but since the kubota can rotate 360, its perfect.

[@iamahardscaper]

That is definitely a great set up, and yes completely understand the argument for excavators vs mini skids.

[@davidmcouch7453]

WOW you knew it was 43" stop crying about it. if you do not like it go buy a 36 inch vermeer and pay 3 times the amount for it

[@iamahardscaper]

😂 before I bought it I did not know it was 43”. It was a last minute purchase. Worth the money spent, but there are still many problems with the machine

[@jcgalmiche8352]

There is a hood under the bucket. Raise the bucket all the way and open it

[@iamahardscaper]

Yeah I’m stupid and figured that one out

[@brettdaley5497]

Dude knows nothing about machines to be judging one!! seems it did a very good job with task performed..what does He have to complain about it He says after Whole video he's bitching !!

[@iamahardscaper]

oh boy, here they come

[@dadge2500]

I won’t say stop waiting like other people, but buy a smaller bucket or have that one chopped probably would be cheaper than buying another machine.

[@iamahardscaper]

That doesn’t change the width of the machine

[@costarica6536]

The machine looks like it’s decently built, and for the price you can’t go wrong. If I may suggest that you slow way down with the camera movements when you are doing hand-held shots. I was trying to look at the instrument cluster and the VIN tag, but you flashed by it so fast I had to keep trying to pause the video. It tends to be nausea-inducing to have the camera moving so fast and erratically. Just a slow steady sweep would be great!

[@iamahardscaper]

i appreciate the feedback!

[@Kingsoupturbo]

I recently got an AGT mini Ex from Ritchie, honestly most of the bolts were properly tight, motor oil seemed fine and clean, and the hydraulic oil that it came with has worked fine thus far. Might be a bigger bucket out there for you, there is for the mini-ex, 36" is magic number, but it does limit your options.

[@iamahardscaper]

ah that is great to hear. I plan to pick one up in September

[@Kingsoupturbo]

@@iamahardscaper I got mine in Lethbridge a month ago, winning bid was 2750$, lots of them went for that, Edmonton it was more expensive. Its a fine unit, really powerful, slow track speed but again a lot of power. The hydraulics have no restrictors, so if you're light on the touch, not problem, but if she'll buck if you add too much, I ran the thing at minimum engine speed for my whole excavation of a retaining wall, other then adding some throttle to use the front plow to move dirt\gravel around.

[@ralphblanda661]

You contradict yourself, bucket is small , then say you need a 36 inch bucket

[@iamahardscaper]

Yes, the bucket is small for a 43” machine. Should be deeper with more capacity. A 36” machine doesn’t mean a smaller bucket. Just means it is it has less width

[@tomd864]

The hood in the front lifts up and the hydraulic oil cooler lifts up from the right side to access the battery and hydraulic tank etc.

[@iamahardscaper]

I'll have to take a look at it again, but from what i remember the radiator would have to come out to access the battery and the sides don't lift up.

[@tomd864]

@@iamahardscaper I don't have your exact model but i'm betting if you raise the hood and while facing the hydraulic radiator grab the right edge and lift it will rise up and you can pivot it to the left out of the way.

[@iamahardscaper]

ahh gotchya, i will check it out. thanks for the heads up!

[@rogermellon1922]

The front hood comes up for that access for maintenance..I don't think this guy needs to be buying equipment for his business

[@iamahardscaper]

I’ll sell it and hand dig everything

[@lawrencecarlson2425]

Better grease the track idlers right away. They come with little grease from factory.

[@iamahardscaper]

For sure! great advice 👍

[@wildtrees952]

Beautiful work you do man. Are you in Ontario?

[@iamahardscaper]

Thank you. Yup 👍

[@wildtrees952]

@@iamahardscaper same here. Im also running the same line of business. Usually im extremely busy right now but this year has been tuff to get clients. Any advice brother?

[@iamahardscaper]

Definitely most people are feeling the same. Door to door when you are on a project because you can literally point to the project you are working on. Google and Facebook ads have worked well for me but that takes capital. We did a 3 part marketing series on the How to Hardscape Podcast: open.spotify.com/episode/3qADobD2qS1Jc7z1ChVCep?si=Oik4KXQLThO-akiiWt13YA

[@AndrePelletier-h8i]

Thx you much for ur help , if ur company would be up North you'd be crazy busy

[@iamahardscaper]

I’m pretty up north 😄. Depends how up north you are talking

[@AndrePelletier-h8i]

What is the total length , would it fit in a 6.5ft pick up truck

[@iamahardscaper]

80” with the bucket on

[@AndrePelletier-h8i]

Comment here with the length , as in 3 day I'm picking one up. Want to know if I have to haul a trailer up or 9hr drive

[@AndrePelletier-h8i]

@@iamahardscaper thx 😊

[@AndrePelletier-h8i]

Sorry me again.. truck box is 6.6ft , you said the total length is 80" that's 6.666inch if I curl up the bucket maybe it would fit.. and how wide is it

[@iamahardscaper]

you could take the bucket off, but you still need to put it somewhere. best to just google the AGT LRT23, there is a page with all dimensions and especially the weight

[@VFio689]

Did you start popping tracks off yet. You'll start to hate it when you stretch the tracks a bit, and they pop every 100 feet. Ask me how i know... this is the worst model of chinese mini skid you can get. I think literally ever other one is better.

[@iamahardscaper]

That bad eh??

[@VFio689]

@iamahardscaper I was 100 percent for these machines when they started coming into the u.s. after having mine about 6 months and using it for about 60 hours, I wish I never bought it. It's ok if you work on hard pack smooth dirt or smooth floor. Anything with ruts or rocks or in the woods i literally can not use it So when I first bought it new, I had carb and fuel issues, this was common among them. I did multiple carb cleanings, changed fuel filters, drained the fuel tank, and put an electronic fuel pump on it as I found the vacuum pump wasn't strong enough to pull fuel from the tank. This isn't too big of a deal to me for a 5k machine, I could deal with that. After putting some hours on it, i noticed the sprocket would hit the metal in front of it, the piece (undercarriage) that holds the middle idler wheels and has the slack adjustment in it for the tracks. I found out it was a common issue that the bolts holding this undercarriage to the machine work loose. When this happens, it doesn't matter how much you tension the tracks with grease. They will not tighten enough, and you will have issues with the sprocket hitting and binding. You need to pull the track off, pry the u dercarriage to slide it forward, and re torque the bolts. I've done this already, but i think i need to do it again. Its like they oblonged the bolt holes, so no matter how tight you put them, they will finally work their way back. This would have been another issue i would have been ok with on a 5k machine. The tracks keep stretching. It's making the track issues worse. One of the steel sections in the track has finally broken. It's hanging in there, but it's broke. It really needs new tracks, I think the oem are super thin. I'm not okay with this on a 5k machine or not. Tracks shouldn't be junk in 50 hours. It's not even a matter of tread depth. They are just thin junk. Another thing I'm not okay with is the undercarriage itself. They have the rear drive sprocket to center idler wheels and the main idler up front. It's not enough to keep the tracks on. If you hit a bump or rock on, let's say, the right side of the tracks, the sprocket wants to walk out of the tracks. Sometimes, you are lucky, and it just binds. Sometimes, the track pops off, and you don't even feel it. The rear center idler wheel is also not close enough to the rear sprocket to help align the track to the sprocket. This would have helped with this issue. I was debating adding another idler wheel in there myself, but I don't want to throw the money I to this machine as it seems one idler cost 200 bucks. I know this doesn't affect all of them, but mine came with bad paint prep, and I have 1/5 of my paint flaking off the machine at 50 hours. The thing that makes me dislike the machine the most is that they don't come with triple gear hydrualic pumps. The entire hydraulic design is dumb. Pump 1 powers left, drive motor, and lift arms up and down. Pump 2 powers right drive motor, bucket curl in and out, and quxillary hydraulics. This makes the machine worthless for anything other than stationary attachments. It works fine for a grapple, 4in1 bucket, or augur. But you can not use a brush hog or trencher on it. I mean, you could, but it's terrible. You don't have enough hydrualic flow on pump 2 to power the right drive motor at the same time as your auxillary attachment. So you dog the right drive motor, you can barely move the right drive motor. It probably would kf cost them another 100 bucks to put a triple gear pump at the factory, and I would have gladly paid for it I debated fixing the issues. The track fix would cost about 500 for a new set of tracks. 400 for 2 center idler wheels on the undercarriage plus my fab to make that even work. And a triple gear pump with plumbing would cost another 8 to 900 easily. For 1,800 more to fix a 5k machine, I'd rather sell it and spend 8k on a machine that already has high tracks with more center idler wheels. And a triple gear pump from the factory. Even if they have the crappy thin trqcks with the extra wheels and high sprocket, you shouldn't need to tension it as tight to keep it on, so they should last longer. Imo these should stop being sold in the u.s as they are unusable after some hours are put on them. I don't think all Chinese mini skids are bad, I think they make some good ones, but these are garbage. If I were you, I'd sell it while it's still in good shape and invest in something slightly better.

[@iamahardscaper]

wow thank you for the well thought out message! I appreciate that a lot.

[@jo_nathan_nation6544]

I have the same machine and I did a bunch of research prior to buying mine. I ended up getting mine for $2600. Mine is a 23hp tho and I am almost certain his is the 2024 model with the 13hp B&S or Rato. I replaced all fluids, complete oil change, and removed the tracks and went through the whole under carriage. Greased everything and TIG welded the grease zerts to the pressure nut. That way the grease would not leak out of the tensioners. I actually read the manual and have completed the start up check and assessed any issues like adjusting the tensioners. First 100 hours I had to do that a lot bit I am at 170 hours and the last 60ish hours all I needed to do is ad fuel and I did another oil change.

[@VFio689]

@jo_nathan_nation6544 if your talking about mine, it has the 23hp* rato

[@toddkellerman7406]

Beats a shovel 🎉

[@iamahardscaper]

💯💯

[@brddukaty7460]

Good for snow removal

[@iamahardscaper]

💯💯

[@hartlife7795]

Selling it?

[@iamahardscaper]

yes, bought another one

[@hartlife7795]

@@iamahardscaper Location price?

[@AlexanderTheGreat-q8p]

You wanna sell it?

[@iamahardscaper]

Not right now

[@AlexanderTheGreat-q8p]

@@iamahardscaper Does it have 3 value 3 pump? I'm starting to educate myself of these skid steers lol

[@iamahardscaper]

Haha I don’t know. Asking that tells me you know more than I do. But I think 2 pump

[@Another0neTime]

Dope man, thanks.

[@iamahardscaper]

🙏

[@haydeneverett1990]

Thanks for the review Mike! I feel you regarding access, here in the east end of Toronto sometimes a wheelbarrow doesn’t fit between the houses to access the backyard!

[@iamahardscaper]

Definitely! I need a 36” machine for my projects

[@mp-xt2rg]

It's a mini skid shaped object. They kind of work. Looks like you got lucky with soft ground.

[@iamahardscaper]

Haha a mini skid shaped object I like that. Yeah, but it was too soft

[@michaelbowman3360]

Can you give me a link to obtain a owners manual or maintenance manual for these skid steer.?

[@iamahardscaper]

If you search AGT LRT23 you should get the page with at least some details on the machine

[@mikedesilets3324]

Look at the AGT KTT23. Tracks sit under the machine a bit. They appear to be 32" wide, like their bucket.

[@iamahardscaper]

I went to the Ritchie bros open house for the upcoming auction and there was one machine that had a small bucket like that but the machine was still 40+” wide. There were a few that were 38 or 39”. But most are 43”

[@iamahardscaper]

Oh looking at the KTT23 online, I didn’t see those at the open house. But definitely looks to be a 32” machine along with the bucket. Description tag says 39” though

[@iamahardscaper]

how are you liking the KTT23? I need to go pick mine up next week and I am thinking of selling this one so that I have a narrower machine

[@TimJoiner-e7s]

Hey, where are you located, I'll buy it off of you if it has 3 pumps (but guessing it's only 2).

[@AlexanderTheGreat-q8p]

It most likely has 2.

[@iamahardscaper]

2

[@TimJoiner-e7s]

@@iamahardscaper Pulled the trigger on a Derette 430T, looks like a solid machine. Got the Honda engine upgrade 1/2 price. :O)

[@iamahardscaper]

congrats!

[@crockett84sonny]

Where did you purchase Derette from? Directly from China? Or someone here in the states? .​@@TimJoiner-e7s