Looking to replace an old worn out skid loader for farm use I will not be making a living with it. Plan on using it for tree shear, dirt work, brush cleanup, pallet forks etc. Here is my question: Ihave found two machines and I'm looking for some advice. 1845C which has a cult like following, 1999 Model 2400 hours. Really nice clean condition... 40% tires cleanest used skidloader I have ever seen. and a 60xt that I have not seen in person. Dealer called it average condition (I have done business with them before reputable), steel tracks 3700 hours 2 owner. Spent a big part of the first 3,000 hours of its life driving fence post. I have no idea how hard that is on a machine. I like the simplicity of the manual controls on the 1845c the 60xt has a better flow rate and higher PSI. Lift seems to be the same. Price is the same the 60 maybe a little cheaper. Which machine will I be more happy with? Are these machines big enough to run tree shears? What shears do you guys recomend for a tuff shear with out breaking the bank? Thanks, I know I asked a lot of questions.
oh yeah the 60xt has cab and heat no a/c just windows and removable door
I have never run a tree shear, but the 1845C although a great machine I don't think is a great attachment running skid steer. The PSI was set at 2500, the flow is mid teens in gpm. Respectable for the time, but now those specs are being put out by walk behind skid steers. I have had a 70XT which was an excellent machine. The machines are similar except for the power plant. Compared to the 1845C the 60XT has a lot of safety switches which over time can get problematic, but once you know how they work, it's not hard to trouble shoot them. The lift capacity of the 60XT was 2K and the 1845C was 1750K or so. I like the control handles in the XT better than the 1800 series. The XT uses your entire arm to function the bucket functions, where the 1800 series just used your wrist. I thought the XT machines were less fatiguing, but that is me. Your mileage may be different. The cab on the 60 lifts up rather easily, the 1845 rolls forward after some disassembly. I have owned 6 1800 series skid steers, but I would rather spend all day in the XT than the 1845C. If you were just pushing dirt I think you could go either way, but if you want to run a series of attachments, I would go with the XT. Some XT machines had push button activation of the brakes (depends on how it was optioned), which is much better than the pin brake system of the 1800 machines.