Yes I've seen them. I worked for a company a while back that had one and we never used it. I think rollers give a lot better result than a large plate because the contact area at the bottom of the drum is so small and puts more pressure down. I've considered a roller for the skid as well but renting is pretty easy. Just need to make sure the costs are covered in the bid!
For stripping the grass off? It's pretty similar. I've timed myself both ways and calculated square foot per hour. To me the mini ex is a little less jerky and you can make nice clean edges and control depth easier. With a skid sometimes while pushing you can dig too deep on accident.
Haha I get what the yard sends sometimes. I think he did a good job with what he had. The dense grade around here is really sticky when it's wet and doesn't like to spread at all. The good things about it being wet though is it compacts better and is less dusty. Thanks for the comment!
