Is there an equivalent of a Bobcat ? It would be super useful for cleaning buffalo/cow stalls

WileE said:
For what it's worth, the standard of living of average folks in the Surin area appears to be considerably higher than it was on my first visit in 1998.
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I agree. But there is still that stubborn bunch in the same poverty as in 1998. Lack of opportunity or lack of motivation. It becomes endemic in a family and they drag everyone down to a common denominator over and over.
 
Stargazer said:
I see your point. My idea is the naive hope that it just might be possible to free the poor farmers from being beasts of burden by using machines to do the heavy lifting and increase efficiency and hence productivity and possibly raise the standard of living. Naive. The Middle Ages, the good old days, must go on, I suppose. As Leonard Cohen wrote:

“Everybody knows that the dice are loaded
Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed
Everybody knows the war is over
Everybody knows the good guys lost
Everybody knows the fight was fixed
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich
That's how it goes
Everybody knows”

Look at America today, leading the way. Oligarchy. Somehow, the poor farmers will wind up shoveling the shit as always.
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Those 'machines' cost money and are mortgaged through bank loans, much like the nice trucks, cars and motorcycles. Some make money with the machines doing others' fields for a fee and their own land.
 
FERRET said:
Keep the Somchai's employed to give them a living---get them some decent shovels though.
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Stargazer said:
Thanks, @gotlost. The Bobcat is too big.

I pay more than the minimum wage, but you’re certainly correct by the numbers. I’d just like my brother in law to be spared such heavy labor as he gets older. It may be that plowing the rice fields with water buffalo is still cheaper, but everybody uses tractors now despite that. By your logic, the biggest extravagance I see are all the fancy cars and pickups. Not cost effective, really. All the excavating could be done by hand, too :)
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I’m still looking for an affordable 1 meter wide front end loader to ease my brother-in-law’s load. Maybe there are Chinese made units. It’s certainly possible to make and sell such for less than 2x the price of a Kubota 5018!
 
Rice said:
Sigh !!! You have no idea of Thai culture. By my logic Eh? Well no it is by Thai culture which you sadly still know nothing about.

You were not even here to see the transition from Buffalo to motor plough to tractor and what caused all that transition. You think it happened over night. Because it was a good idea?
Would you like to even guess what drove it?
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I just viewed a detailed documentary about the Thai middle class falling deeper into debt that may be what you’re referring to:
How did the Thai middle class get into so much debt?
It mentions people taking out ‘loan shark’ loans with 10% interest per month to pay off other loans. A downward spiral. Also mentions the car ownership promotion and the large number of repossessions later.
 
I’m considering buying a mini-excavator in November. Any suggestions about reliable Isaan brands/dealers? Something like a Kubota K033 or Bobcat E35? Maybe Yanmar. Something in the 3 ton range. I’m a skilled operator, and just want a reliable rig for our farm operations. I realize some on the forum consider machines poor investments, but I don’t really care, as I have work to do that they do well and quickly, and I can afford it. But I will certainly shop around for a good deal and good warranty. Any tips? (This size seems to run around 1.2M THB) My preference in the USA is Takeuchi, but they may not be cost-effective here.
 
Stargazer said:
Kubota
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Stargazer said:
I’m considering buying a mini-excavator in November. Any suggestions about reliable Isaan brands/dealers? Something like a Kubota K033 or Bobcat E35? Maybe Yanmar. Something in the 3 ton range. I’m a skilled operator, and just want a reliable rig for our farm operations. I realize some on the forum consider machines poor investments, but I don’t really care, as I have work to do that they do well and quickly, and I can afford it. But I will certainly shop around for a good deal and good warranty. Any tips? (This size seems to run around 1.2M THB) My preference in the USA is Takeuchi, but they may not be cost-effective here.
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Kubota Surin on the 214.
 
mahdam said:
I’m a big Takeuchi fan myself, but I’m sure that the Kubota would serve you well.
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I just don’t know if there is any Takeuchi dealers around here, or if import duties price them out of competitiveness. I don’t see any around
 
Pat said:
www.truck2hand.com

ค้นหา bobcat - Truck2Hand.com

ค้นหา เปรียบเทียบราคา bobcat - Truck2Hand.com
www.truck2hand.com www.truck2hand.com
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What is truck2hand? 4,000 hour machines can be OK if well maintained, but the prices seem implausibly low. I was looking at Kobelco for awhile, and most of them turned out to be for sale in Vietnam or China. I would never buy sight unseen. So I’d need something in area to check out
 
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Stargazer said:
What is truck2hand? 4,000 hour machines can be OK if well maintained, but the prices seem implausibly low. I was looking at Kobelco for awhile, and most of them turned out to be for sale in Vietnam or China. I would never buy sight unseen. So I’d need something in area to check out
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Truck2hand is one of Thailands biggest marketplaces for this kind of equipment.
 
Pat said:
Truck2hand is one of Thailands biggest marketplaces for this kind of equipment.
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I’ve bought a used Takeuchi DB235 that was one owner, turned in to dealer as a trade, with just 1800 hours on it. That turned out well. I’ve also bought a car in USA that looked perfect used, but turned out to be a totaled vehicle that a Vietnamese gang had skillfully fixed. Had to dump that on a car dealer trade in at a loss. I’m out of my element here buying used, as I have no way to verify maintenance and mechanical soundness. I may buy new because if you control maintenance, a new rig can last 20 years without major service. As they say, ‘you pays your money and you takes your chances.’
 
Stargazer said:
I’ve bought a used Takeuchi DB235 that was one owner, turned in to dealer as a trade, with just 1800 hours on it. That turned out well. I’ve also bought a car in USA that looked perfect used, but turned out to be a totaled vehicle that a Vietnamese gang had skillfully fixed. Had to dump that on a car dealer trade in at a loss. I’m out of my element here buying used, as I have no way to verify maintenance and mechanical soundness. I may buy new because if you control maintenance, a new rig can last 20 years without major service. As they say, ‘you pays your money and you takes your chances.’
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So, we can close this thread now.
 
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