Willis bought the Bobcat and attachments used from his local dealer for about $11,000. Money well spent, he says. He uses it to move pallets of feed, move calf huts, and clean the barn. The green box shown in the photo above is actually a hog hauler Willis picked up at a local auction. It will hold four calves on the front of the skid steer when it comes time to move them from huts to the barn for weaning and processing. His older barn has been remodeled, and the skid steer slides perfectly down the aisles and into the pens for cleaning. Anything bigger wouldn''t fit, says Willis.Some producers cite purchase of a skid steer as their best recent management change.

Feedstuffs fixProducers putting up hay and handling feedstuffs often cite a particular machine as a key to their success.Bob Minner, Fallon, Nevada, depends on quality baling equipment for commercial hay operation. "You have to keep up with changes in the machinery," Minner says. And quality equipment is key to producing dairy-quality hay for his customers, he says. Good dairy test chainlinkfencingdesigntool hay will bring $110 to $115, and he has received up to $117 a ton for some.Minner shifted from small squares to big square bales eight years ago to meet the demand of local dairy operations. He operates a Hesston 8450 self-propelled windrower and a Hesston 4910 baler to cover about 6,000 acres a season. He double-rakes with a rotary machine for bigger windrows and to better dry the hay. The bales, measuring 8 feet long and weighing 1,750 to 2,300 pounds, are then picked up with a tractor-pulled bale wagon that hauls four bales at a time.

Blitzer solar fence controllers are made by Zareba Systems. Solar electric fence controllers retail for $150 to $280, depending on voltage and other accessories. chainlinkfencingdesigntool Temporary electric fence (14-gauge, two-strand) costs about $400 per mile or 8[Cents] per foot.RELATED ARTICLE: Six picks: Skid steersHere are the survey respondents'' chainlinkfencingdesigntool favorite skid steer makers, and specs far some heavy-duty models:Bobcat. The $300 has a 3,000-pound rated operating chainlinkfencingdesigntool capacity 10.5-foot lift height, and 12.5mph travel speed with 2-speed option. $31,000.Case IH. The 85XT gets a grass 80 hp. at 2,500 rpm, can lift up to 2,860 pounds, and has a dump height of up to 92.3 inches. $30,000 - $35,000.