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@@redoakpropertycarellc things are good. Super busy with work and projects on the farm. How are things with you? How's business?

@Hillsidelanscapemanagement things are pretty good, business is doing well, lots of rain this summer thankfully

Are you referring to the blades in the Toro or the Altoz? For the Toro, Gator blades work well on St Augustine or well maintained Bahia. Hi lift also work well on St Augustine. On the Altoz, the rough cut deck uses swing blades, similar to a bush hog. You can put straight blades on it but I've never tried. The swing blades work great on brush. On tall, thin grass, not so much. The long blades of grass tend to wrap around the spindles and cause it to not cut well.

@@Hillsidelanscapemanagement Thanks for the quick reply, the Altoz. I was hoping maybe the straight or gator blades might help with the cut a bit. I'm considering a 766 and the extension wing actually comes with that straight blade so I'm thinking of converting the rest of the deck. Just debating on using their blades or maybe something like the gators/oregon G5. Any issues with the mower and are you still happy with it?

@@MrTom9933 I'm still very happy with it. My only issue has been the plastic knob/bolts that retain the spindle covers keep backing out so I wind up mowing without the covers and, inevitably, I get a branch into the deck and lose the deck belt. I go through a deck belt every fifty hours or so. Again, some of that is on me. The belt I just replaced this morning had 33 hours on it and when I picked it up from the dealer I showed them where I expected it to come apart and it did. Altoz sent me a Kevlar replacement and it looks to be a much better piece. The only other downside would be that the front end of the TSX (the TRX seems to be better balanced) is extremely heavy. If the front end drops into a hole on muddy conditions the machine will just push itself further into the ground and backing out is not likely to happen. That's only happened three times in almost three years though. If the machine can push it over, the deck will cut it

@@Hillsidelanscapemanagement very cool yeah my current Ferris is also pretty hard on deck belts. I think some of that is also a negative of having a lot of torque in the motors. Thanks!!!

@@MrTom9933 you're welcome. Best of luck with your purchase. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask

That was from two years ago and it was a mistake to station made. They incorrectly set the price and nobody working there could get the pump price to change. It was supposed to be a dollar higher. To their credit, they honored the price and kept the pumps open. I probably called two dozen clients and friends in the area to tell them to fill up

I'm glad that you found it helpful. Best of luck on your project

Ideally, yes. It was summertime in Tampa. You mow with the morning dew or you mow around afternoon thunderstorms. The grass is never really dry that time of year

Thanks. I've enjoyed using it the last several years. It's been a money maker, for sure

Trains kick ass 🍻

Thanks. We were there for ten days and it only took a day and a half to do (counting meeting the client and then picking up the plants). It was actually really nice to do it. They were super appreciative and it was nice to have some very easy digging for a change. That machine has some good qualities but it wasn't suited for what I needed it to do. I needed either a full sized loader or, at the very least, one of the larger mini skids. There's a ton of shale just under the surface and the machine just wasn't heavy enough to not slide around on the wet clay

@Hillsidelanscapemanagement sorry it wasn't working for you, good thing you were just using it and don't own it. Looks like it would've worked on my soil well

Hope you're having a wonderful December

Thanks. Hope you are as well

You're going to love it. Any idea on the brand you'll be picking up?

@Hillsidelanscapemanagement Gravely Pro Stance 36" . Kawakaski engine on them lasts 1,500-3k hours on average. I would go wider but that will have to be once this once pays itself off a few times.

@@redoakpropertycarellc that's cool and understandable. All of the top brands are fairly equal. It really gives down to dealer support in my mind anyway

Thanks brother.

Thanks again. You were paying attention. That view is amazing

​@@Hillsidelanscapemanagement💯

Thanks brother. It's been a hectic few months. I have some video saved but haven't had the time to go through and edit it. I just slapped this together this morning while waiting for my wife to get ready

First, thanks for taking the time to comment and watch. There's many reasons. First and foremost, it's not my property. More importantly, this particular property is part of a watershed that eventually drains into the Hillsborough River. It would be illegal to spray Roundup or similar herbicides on it. The owner could have diquat or some other aquatic herbicide applied but they only provide top kill and the weeds wood be back in no time Thanks again for watching

I did not know about the watershed. @@Hillsidelanscapemanagement

@@smokeylovesfire1589 no worries. In that area, almost every bit of water connects to the green swamp and forms the headwaters of the river

Fair point. As one that pushes safety. I should have been wearing them

No sir. I preferred the stand on to the ZTR. I can see approaching obstacles better. There's no need to worry about banging the back of the mower into any obstacles because I am the back of the machine (if you've ever had employees, you know what I'm talking about) and if I ever needed to bail off of the machine, it's much easier on the strander. That said, three ZTR may be better balanced. The only times I've gotten the TSX stuck is when the front tires dropped into a really soft, mucky hole. Rather than riding up the embankment, the machine would try to push further down and it could almost never back out. That could be the same with the TRX but I never got in that situation

@@Hillsidelanscapemanagement I spend hours behind a walk-behind on our place and frankly, I'm getting too old for this!

@@cerberus2881 I hear ya.

I bought this one. This was the third or fourth cut with the machine. The first was an overgrown field full of thick vines. The Altoz brush cutter deck died a much better job with brush than tall this grass as in this video. The grass stands wrap around the spindles causing a lot of missed cuts.

@@Hillsidelanscapemanagement Were you happy enough with the machine?

@@cerberus2881 this video was not a demo of the machine. I had already purchased it. Yes, I have been very pleased with the machine. The only issue I've had in two years have been the deck cover bolts backing out causing the covers to come off (I ran over one, $75 mistake) and replacing the deck belt at 70 hours, also due to the deck cover coming off. Since I replaced the bolts, no issues. Regular maintenance plus checking the tension on the tracks is all that I've had to do

@@Hillsidelanscapemanagement Good deal!

After watching one of Brad's videos this morning, I wonder if the Ventrac could do it.

I prefer the stand of for a couple of reasons. First, the smaller footprint on the trailer and the better sight lines going around obstacles. There's nothing behind me so there's no risk of hitting anything with the back of the machine, as can happen with a ZTR (especially, if employees are using the machines), it's easier to get on and off of should I need to pick up debris and it's lighter. Downsides... Mowing under low hanging branches and limbs would be a little easier with a ZTR and much easier with an out front deck like the bigger grasshopper machines. Specifically for the Altoz machines, the weight distribution may be better on the ZTR (I've never owned the ZTR version). I've found that in really sloppy conditions, if the front drops into a hole, the TSX has a really difficult time backing out of the hole. If you can't go forward through the hole, you're stuck. Also, the TRX (ZTR version) has a lot more accessories than the TSX (stand on).

Flail mower would have worked on the front half of this job, which is in the video, however, flail mowers aren't meant to take down the two inch saplings towards the back of the lot. That didn't make it to the video because I did it after I rescued the machine from being stuck.

@@Hillsidelanscapemanagement rubbish, flail mowers are used to do this kind of work, i used to do contract work

​@@WB-14ok

@@Hillsidelanscapemanagement Featuring extra-heavy duty grated flails, these mowers are designed for the toughest mulching jobs typically found in environments with heavy brush and saplings such as orchards and waste ground, canal banking etc

@@WB-14 my experience with mower mounted flail mowers limited them to one inch material, maybe 1.5". I've had machines stall out on that sized material and even had to clear larger vines out of the flail head on a mini excavator using a flail mower. Either way, you use the machine you have. I wasn't going to rent a machine for this job and the client was happy with the result. That's all that matters

That's an Altoz TSX 561i The stand on version of their ZTR.

Thanks. It really makes the day go by so much nicer

Sadly, the well used bobcat machines I stuck around to see sell went for $18k+. These were machines that were really well used. Even in good shape, the one I was most interested in had almost 4000 hours on it

@@Hillsidelanscapemanagement I understand that. If you look long enough you can find a nice bobcat or something like that even with 2-3k hours I’d say you would be better off with the bobcat equivalent rather than those. They are out there for 20 probably won’t get a cab machine for that and you will have to look at multiple units I’m sure. Auctions are funny places sometimes they are more than retail idk what that’s all about either.

@@floridabrushanddirt2482 agreed. Based on the reviews I'd seen on those Chinese minis, I was willing to look at them as the equivalent of harbor freight tools, good for one year of use, at best. Based on that, I want even willing to approach the $5k mark for one. I was mainly interested in the ditch witch mini skids. They usually have some in better shape than those two and they usually sell for about the same as those two...I can wait. If I came across a deal on an excavator or wood chipper, I'd go for it. They aren't a necessity at the moment

@@Hillsidelanscapemanagement that makes sense to me buddy.

Oh believe me, I remember those zero lot line subdivisions in Tampa... Ten feet between houses in some of them. If there's a bush in the outside corner of the house, you'd have to go into the neighbor's yard with any mower larger than a 36". As much as I disliked those neighborhood personally, professionally, they were extremely profitable, especially when stacking ten or more accounts on the same street those prices were really high for a few of the mini skids. They were in 'ridden hard/put up wet' condition

Which machine's rapid tracks are you referring to? Estates sales are even more hit or miss than machinery auctions

@@Hillsidelanscapemanagement the one you were mowing with like 3 min in to the video

@@redoakpropertycarellc oh, that makes sense, sorry... Altoz claims a top speed of over ten mph but you would rattle loose your fillings if you were mowing this type of terrain at that speed. On St Augustine turf back in Tampa, I could run the machine, without the blades engaged wide open. It was definitely slower than the Toros, therefore, I'd say the actual top speed is probably 8-10. Mowing, probably no more than 8

@@Hillsidelanscapemanagement that's not too bad, I need at least 7 mph, this 5 mph is a little too slow for some properties

Me too. Thanks for watching and commenting

Thank you

Thank you!

Thanks for the kind words. It is black diamond and I do love it. It's thick enough to hold up to trimming around stone and concrete edging and chain link and also aggressive enough to take down larger weeds easily. I use the .095

@@Hillsidelanscapemanagement nice I like 0.95 a lot as well because just a good quality width.

Hope you're enjoying the holiday weekend 🍻

@@redoakpropertycarellc likewise, sir

@@Hillsidelanscapemanagement busy doing a few things, those videos to come 🍻

Thanks. Yeah, I bid an installation job on a mountain overlooking the lake the other day. It's a small one but it should lead to more work in the neighborhood. I remember the zero lot lines of the Tampa area. I was cutting new subdivisions in Pasco county last year with ten feet between the houses. I couldn't use the 60" grandstand on them because if I had to go around an ac unit I'd actually be on the neighboring property.

Thanks, I appreciate that. I'm still learning the video thing. I did an installation job this week and didn't do any video

@@Hillsidelanscapemanagement sometimes you just need to get the job done. I just film a little because if I'm going to be out and about lonely it feels better to talk to the camera and feel like I'm talking to y'all, helps a bit at least also the GoPro makes it pretty simple to throw up quick and easy vids that get the point across

@@redoakpropertycarellc I get that

Thanks. I think it's such a niche machine that it gets overlooked. It was great in Florida on overgrown vacant lots, detention ponds, fields, etc.. I'm still trying to see how it will truly hold hills. So far, is done really well on a few, and slid on a few. I think the later was user error though. I'm excited for their new multi tool version.

In this video, the Toros could have done most of this work just fine. I don't like tearing up the blades/decks on those when I know I'm dealing with fallen limbs, berms, rocks, etc...

@@Hillsidelanscapemanagement It definitely is an interesting machine 💯

Very true and thanks. I shouldn't have let it get to me but I did. That was a rough day from start to finish Have you all gotten any rain?

@@Hillsidelanscapemanagement No!! keeps saying 50% but nadda

@@CityScapesLawnCare that's not good. Has SWFTMUD put any additional water restrictions in place?

@@Hillsidelanscapemanagement no just the normal 2x weekly

@@CityScapesLawnCare that's good

Thanks sir. Unfortunately, it has failed to keep me young. 😂

That wasn't maintenance. That was a roadside repair. Right in front of a new client's home.

And, I did have a few frosty beverages that night

Yeah you're right that sucks sorry about it

Five acres for the hillside and another 1/4 acre where the house was located. Yeah, I probably didn't want her, you're correct. Funny, your price is what she agreed to with me

@@Hillsidelanscapemanagement It's a pay to play world if you want better quality you got to pay a higher price

I suppose it would seriously depend on your build. If you have a short torso and long limbs, you might be ok, otherwise, I think it would be uncomfortable, especially on side hills

I forgot just how far north you are. That's a very short season. I hope y'all had some snow this winter to get some extra income

Thanks again for taking the time to watch and comment

@@Hillsidelanscapemanagement oh yeah, had plenty of snow. Thankfully I just use mowing to keep the wheels moving and offer a wide range of services 🍻

​@@redoakpropertycarellc smart man

Thanks, I appreciate it

Thanks. If you ever watched Looney tunes as a child, you may remember Charlie dog. That is the little black dogs personality to a T.

Thanks. It's surprisingly more difficult to do here than it was in Tampa

@@Hillsidelanscapemanagement what made you move to TN?

@@redoakpropertycarellc a story, my wife and I started looking at land here to eventually build our retirement home in 2020. We were both raised in there northeast part of the country in rural areas and we both moved to Florida at the age of 13. We missed seasons, we missed all that rural life offers, including a bit of self sufficiency. Florida has become way too crowded, the people (for the most part) are not nice, traffic is insane and it's darn near impossible to find, let alone afford, a decent sized piece of land. Anyway, in September of 2020, I brought my wife to an area of Tennessee that I did Suge research on, thinking that she would possibly be open to the idea of one day settling down in. When I showed her the town (Rogersville), she loved it. In three months, the Lord bright us from looking to buy land for the future to a home that needed very little. I'll have to make a video about what led to the decision and timing at some point Thanks for asking and for taking the time to watch the video

@@Hillsidelanscapemanagement can't blame you at all. I went to highschool in Miami & Fort Lauderdale and now that I have a kid I would never let him go to a public school in FL. You're not wrong about there being a lot of people/traffic everywhere. It's a simpler life in the flyover states but it's a better life.

@@redoakpropertycarellc agreed. 100%

Thank you sir