Was wondering if anyone has ran (or owns) a bobcat 324 mini x. I currently own a 323 and was wondering about the improvements they have made over it, with the newer 324 model. Thanks.
Nobody even has an opinion of this machine? Kinda surprising.
I looked at one a little while back they look to have more reach than other machines in the same size class. But I don't think a lot of contractors buy that size class of machine in Canada or the U.S. mostly rental places. How do you like your 323?
Your right....its a niche machine I suppose. I dont know many people that own a mini x that size, but do see the occasional rental store with one. I love mine....and use it for things you'd never think of until you actually own one. I have a hyd thumb (i cant imagine owning an x without this)..9,12,& 20 in trenching buckets, a 39in smooth lip grading bucket, & auger. We do a lot of work in back yards where a machine much bigger just wont fit(demo,room additions, patios, walks, drainage, etc). Also, I get a fair amount of work through the yr hiring out to a couple local landscapers doing digs for demo,drainage, wall bases, etc. I was looking at the specs of the 324 and it appears the lift cap. is about 450lbs more, w/ about 1ft of extra dig & reach. Hyd flow is the same, but the system psi is significantly higher. These differences alone, would be very nice.
Yeah I've been thinking about getting something in that size range for some time now mostly for side jobs and just to get a foot in the door. I can live without a thumb but I'd get a few different buckets an auger and a breaker. One thing I noted about the 324 was that they changed the boom design so the boom cylinder is on the back and protected better now. Plus Bobcat and Terex are the only ones who will sell one with a heated cab...no a.c. but living where I do having some protection from the freezing wind is a big plus.
IMO, the thumb is cheap when considering how versatile it makes the machine($1000-$1200 option...i think??). The cylinder flip is an improved feature that I really like, but I've never had any serious problems with the way the 323's is....but I guess its 1 of those things I would appreciate more once I had it???.??...The heated cab is great, and not having ac wouldnt be such a big deal because the door/windows open up so much that it would be like an open cab anyway(not like a SS/CTL with heat only cab). I wish my 323 had a cab w/heat. Also, the telescoping blade extensions are another nice improvement over the pin-on/removable style I have. I've rented a Bobcat HB680 breaker before, and it works very well on the 323.
After nearly thirteen years of operating I can easily do without a thumb, I priced out a tilt bucket last year for a small machine I think it was about 30" wide which would be perfect for backyard ponds and pools where the bigger guys can't go.
After nearly thirteen years of operating I can easily do without a thumb, I priced out a tilt bucket last year for a small machine I think it was about 30" wide which would be perfect for backyard ponds and pools where the bigger guys can't go. What does a breaker like that go for?
I've seen prices around $4500 for nice used hb680 breakers(or similar)....to around $7500 new. I've never seen tilt buckets for these size machines(323 or similar)??? Got a link, or more info? I've been operating for about 20yrs...and yrs of experience dont change the fact that a hyd thumb will allow the machine to do things it cannot without 1....just sayin.
These guys quoted me I think around $2,000 cad for a tilt bucket not much of a webpage but their tilt buckets are very popular locally....they also charge for them accordingly unfortunately. I also got a quote from AMI for a tilt bucket that was around the same price. http://rwdattachments.com/ http://www.amiattachments.com/attachments.php?link=mini_excavator-buckets As for thumbs I'd much rather opt for something that I can remove for when I don't need it so my first choice would be a 360 degree rotating grab sorta like this one. http://www.valbygrapples.com/index....g15dg&catid=67:demolition-grapples&Itemid=122 Or a 4 in 1 bucket like the jaw bone made by AMI. http://www.amiattachments.com/attachments.php?link=mini_excavator-buckets
Thanks for the links:thumbsup. That jaw bone is cool, I've never seen one before....while I think it definitely would have its place, it seems the jaw opening would be much smaller(with less range of motion) than if you had just a standard bucket & hyd thumb..?..?....but I do like the fact of having a tooth bucket & smooth all in one. Very cool. I'm going to inquire about a price on a tilt bucket from the first link you posted....I'm afraid of what I may find though, lol. Rotating grapples are cool also, but my situation/work dosent really call for that....the thumb and bucket work better.
Well we were talking about 4 in 1 buckets on another forum and one of the big advantages is that you can always keep the bucket clamped onto something no matter what angle the bucket is at. Another thing is when doing demolition work it makes it much easier to pick stuff out like copper pipe and wire. I demo'd a 120 year old building a few years back and found it to be a real pain to pick out the smaller pipes and sometimes because of the angle I was at I couldn't grab onto it at all. I liked the rotating grapples a lot more for similar reasons plus they make it much simpler to manipulate items in tight places or when loading trucks.
I think this may be something more appreciated on larger machines....when talking 323 size machines, I dont think you'll find this same advantage.?.?..considering you can only pickup such a big item. On top of that, about the biggest truck your going to "efficiently" load is a C7500 single axle w/ bedsides similar in size to this -------------.........and even then your glad to have a bucket & thumb to push things around in the bed without having to go to the other side of the truck. I can see the rotating grapple being nice for bolder placement, or some other apps like that....again though, your limited with lift cap/reach/etc.
sorry, pic didnt get posted. This is similar to the largest trucks I've loaded with the 323....and felt that I was still being "efficient". Not that I couldnt load higher sided trucks, but once much bigger than this your better off feeding to a skid or something...or using a bigger mini x. I would imagine the rotating grapple is also going to take away from clearance of lift height???
Well I think a lot of the jobs I'll be doing will require loading into a dumper or a Bobcat bucket as I'll likely be working in people's backyards where there is no access for trucks. Not a bad looking truck if that's yours by the way.
Nope...just an example.
We have 3 x 323 Bobcat excavators and we are very impressed with them. I am also interested in what the 324's are like. Good to see someone else is enjoying their performance.