Have Locust Trees, in Abundance so track preferred, mainly looking at Good to Bad and what to expect as to service hours for from 2005 thru 2018 Units in the Class Categories around similar size 333 Deere, 239/249 series Cat for Reference to Sizing, 70hp Up and Hi Flow Tool Grade Hydraulics Thanks Dave
My Kubotas and Takeuchis all have self storing windshields (no swing out door). Takeuchi tech support exists, Kubota tech support seems invisible. The Kubotas didnt take anywhere near the love to get to 3k hours that the Takeuchis do. Kubota has the worst HVAC. But we can help you rectify it. My money would be on a Kubota. I'm just not sure they make one that small.
Not against Heavier. 8-10k machine is good, just used the previous as a Starter. Will be using Primary as Grading, secondary as Hyd Tools as Forward brush eater, eventually a Auger head and or Post Driver BILs boy, our nephew will be using as a Severe terrain brush hog.
Everyday, I drift further away from the iron scene as my days are occupied with trucks. With that said, all I see are new Kubotas. Is it the financing and marketing? Are they just good machines? Are the dealers providing good service? Do the other skid brands suck that bad? Why so many Kubota’s?
Takeuchi here is a bit distanced of Service, parts. Closest is Fenton, and not a good rep there. Kubota has a Really odd rep with users and AC is one big hitter, Closest Support, Troy MO. Cat have Fenton as well, but also Foristell and CoMO. Deere is here in town HOWEVER the Pricing for a Name, Service dealers are everywhere. Bobcat is at Wentzville and a Service Dealer at Wright City. See oddballs as JCB, ASV and a few others seem they end up in low hour auctions so skittish there. Size Classes? Rated on HP or Hydraulics? Weight?
Careful of the Kubotas, they like to play dead
Probably a better question is what do you want to spend? You want $50,000 or $30,000?
Try to stay below 32
Must be a local/regional thing. Don't see many Kubotas here. Cat and Bobcat dominate the market with some Tak's thrown in.
Based on experience here I’d go Cat, Takeuchi and Bobcat. Cat doors are a bit of a pain swinging out but that’s rarely an issue. Tech support for Cat would be better, especially with HEF as a resource. A high flow machine in your budget would concern me a bit as the hours needed to get to that price point would put it toward the end of the usable hours before hydraulic system reliability becomes an issue. There are some good brush mowers that will run on standard flow and that opens up some options for other machines. Having run 259’s vs 289/299 there’s a considerable difference in capability. Having said that, the TL12 Takeuchi is a hoss, before I left ** there were 3 purchased within a year and they’d work circles around the 289/299 Cats I’ve run. Kirby Smith is our Takeuchi dealer. Bobcat support here is meh. We have one because the guy building pads swears by his. Rest are Cat we usually buy out of rental fleet.
Gehl CTL 60, Takeuchi TL6 / 8, etc. all use similar* parts. All the guys I know that repair them complain about the Final Drive prices being more than the cats. You can tow them without a CDL though which is great. I realy like Gehls and wish my old 4625SX 's kubota wasnt trying so hard to die.
I'm interested to see where you end up. I'm still renting when I need one, which is around 3-4 times a year. I can rent one for $350, and I've got the trucks to haul it. I just can't get my head around owning a $25-30,000 machine for no more than I would use it. I guess I should say- no more than I need one. I would probably use it more often if I owned it, whereas now I only go get one when I really need it.
Great businesses have failed for trying to overextend. If you increase your overhead, your price will have to increase even if you aren’t using this tool.
We are on Farm, is ALWAYS a Use for One, have used my old Allis 180 as a Fork Truck, Grader and Loader it was not intended to do. Hydraulics Tired, 2000psi on a REALLY good Day, almost could not lift the bare block C15 in and out of Pickup. Need to do more road work, have a Creek Bank in need of erosion correction, have a Drainage path to set pipe and backfill along North Fence Line where can get a MiniEx for a few days lay pipe but hill side angles and volume of Fill requires something a bit better than AG tractor. At barn Feedlot have remains of old foundation not ever got to with 7G, was always too busy fixing it. Have some Terrace heads need regrade and a number of areas just needing grade work the Allis cannot handle. need to expand Drive at House/Shop around 8'x60' and cut out some of the Corners on Drive. Eventually need to cut grade for a 40x60-40x80 New Building, get that set and would end up selling off all but 18ac where House and Shop are, sell off 60 and Barn, move all equipment to new structure on a Concrete Floor. Nephew has around 6 Initial Acres for Brush Busting(Forward Mount Bushog), then roads to clean up as well and set drainage cuts to control erosion damage at their place. AC or Heat for Myself becoming a Must, for him saves slapped in face with brush on a tractor. He was looking to cut rough grade to situate a 20' HC Conex for Storage, possibly Two with a Roof across Gap Between. I constructed two screen for Creek Rock, he can use for the Yard area at their cabin, harvest rock from Dry Creek and transport with the old Allis and Dump Wagon I have. I have Skid Steer head on the Allis, Have the Forks, have a Post Driver to 8" Diam. for three Point, easy enough to convert to Skid Steer and do have a Load of fence needs work.
I have a 259d that i have about 45000 in it may get 8 hours a year some guys have a old car i got that!
I am surprised you don't have one already. Between gravel maintenance at your shop and satellite yard to forks for moving around all sorts of stuff I think you would find one very handy. May even be you look around and say "how did I get by without one?".
I know, its really for the bucket that I need one. I've got 4 forklifts between the shops, and there's no comparison for handiness or lifting ability, between a forklift and a skid- skids are such a pain to get in and out of. One could make the case for getting rid of a forklift and getting a skid, but that would call into question some of my past decision making. Ten years ago I wanted a $10,000 skid loader, and they were all $20,000. "I'm not giving $20,000 for any used skid loader, that some farmer or concrete guy has already trashed" etc etc. Today they are the same skid loader, 10 years older, with twice as many hours on them, and they still want $20,000 for them. So if I would have bought back then, I could have used it for 10 years for zero dollars. So who's the fool here?
Another vote for the Kubota, SVL75-2 would probably do everything you need and no DEF. I have a SVL65-2 and it's a great machine for what I need, but a little light for heavy grading/excavating (I use the dozer for that.) Kubota's have the roomiest and easiest to get in/out cabs of any skid steer I've been on which is nice when you're working by yourself getting in and out a lot. On that same note, buy yourself a set of walk through forks.100 times easier getting in/out vs standard forks with a brick gaurd. The Takeuchi machines would be next on my list, the TL8 would probably be a good fit for your needs. The Cat machines seem to be hit or miss, some guys love them, others have a lot of problems, probably wouldn't be at the top of my list. Bobcat wouldn't even make the list, I wouldn't own anything they've made in the past 20yrs.
One note on skid steer vs forklift, the one big advantage that a skid steer (or other loader) has vs a forklift is reach at truck/trailer bed height. I can often load/unload a truck or trailer from one side with the skid steer which isn't possible with a forklift. Also nice for loading stuff in the back of a pickup without having to take the tailgate off.
I was thinking more of using it on the job moving things around. We were "gifted" as set of long telehandler forks that fit the skid steer mounting plate. They were leftover on a retail job and the super said you can have them or I'm putting them in the dumpster so off to the yard they went. Those long forks are handier than a shirt pocket for all sorts of things on the job. Great for RCP and HDPE pipe as well as moving our 8x4 job boxes around. They guys rarely take the set of forks with the short tines.
Dave for 70 HP and up you'll need to start at the 279/289 Cat's not sure the model #'s on the others. 279 and 289 share the same except for the loader arms. I have had excellent service out of my 2 - 279D's. One is a 2016 and 2019.
Thanks
No DEF on either one but both have DPF's.
I’m curious why the CASE brand of equipment never seems to get mentioned in these types of discussions? I only have about 5 hours on a SR240, so I’m not qualified to recommend, but it seemed like a nice machine, had good visibility out the cab and to the sides and supplemented by a camera for the rear views. I’m not sure about the dealer network, but they seem to be in most larger centers, and the equipment is made in the USA. Are they just too expensive compared to the other brands?
We have a Case skid steer guy who posts on here a lot. I am not sure why he has not commented on this thread. Must be out making money! He is KSSS on this forum
Case makes good skid steers, probably would be top of my list for a wheeled unit. I've gotten excellent service out of my 1845C. In the CTL market however there are a lot of good options, but Case is certainly worth a look. My only gripes with them are the electric over hydraulic controls and swing out door on the cab units.
I really like the Case machines. I run the bigger units but the 75 hp machines are good as well. They don't have a DPF so that is a plus. The B series has a nicer display, camera, easy to adjust EH. I don't think you can go wrong with one.
Cab skid steer is Taco Bell on empty stomach you're trapped first time with cab was in a NH that door would get blood popin quick hitch. Case pattern is gone,Case was a great skid steer til 753/753 dump the market
Huh?
I don't like skidsteers I don't like cabs on skidsteers
Deere500a: I send this with caring and compassion, not malice. I was going to wait until Christmas to get you a "Hooked on Phonics" subscription, but brother I don't think I can wait that long. Decifering your posts is a challenge. I think you could have been a Code Talker in WWII.
Sir thank you. Grow with a Case 1816 & xxx.bobcat743/753/863 bs.new Holland xxx. Takeuchi's xxx etc crap on stick
Oh that was a Richard move, KSSS