Skid Steer Adventures

I bought a Gehl 5635 SXT Series II skid steer needing an engine rebuild. The plan: use it for moving slabs, loading the solar kiln, hauling propane tanks, tearing down old fifth-wheel trailers, land clearing, and whatever else comes up — including hired work for others.

This is that story. It's not over yet.

Picking It Up

Found it at a shop in town. Engine wouldn't start, which is why I could afford it. A forklift loaded it onto my trailer — it wasn't driving anywhere on its own.

Strapped it down with the spare parts and headed home.

Skid steer strapped on the flatbed with extra parts

The crew was excited about the new arrival.

All three kids claimed the cab immediately

Sitting on the Trailer

This thing sat on my trailer for months. No engine, no way to drive it off. The kids treated it like a jungle gym.

Quality control manager inspecting from the cab

Getting It Down

Eventually I had to get it off the trailer and onto the ground. The engine still wasn't running, so this involved air tools, some creative problem solving, and a lot of stubbornness.

Working on the tires while it was still on the trailer

Climbing into the engine bay on the trailer

And then we unloaded it. "Gently" is a strong word for what happened here.

Victory

Current Status

It's home. Engine rebuild is ongoing — learning heavy equipment maintenance through pure stubbornness. The hydraulics work, the frame is solid, and the Gehl name is still legible under the rust.

Gehl 5635 SXT — still wearing the old construction company decal

Parked at home with pallet forks, ready for the next chapter

Work in progress. More updates as things happen.