All, I have been looking for a used class 8 size excavator for quite some time (saving up) now. My focus has been on Takeuchi TB290 (or 285), but lately my neighbor has been talking up his brand new Bobcat excavator, and the place he got it. The dealership is very close to my property, closer that the Takeuchi, but neither are crazy far. With that in mind, I began looking into a used Bobcat. I have noticed that they seem very available and are listed for less money than many of the Takeuchi's I have seen. The machine will be staying only on my property, so I am not looking to make a living with this machine. I have found the class 80 excavator comparison document that Stump Wally put out back in 2015. He did not include the Bobcat E85 in the comparison because he stated that bobcat was not very forthcoming with specs. I did some research on Bobcat and it says that Bobcat is owned by Doosan. It also appears that at least the vintage I am looking at (2013-2019) is USA made. That seems good, but then there is that Doosan piece?? The engines seem to be the same Yanmar that others use, so no real difference there, I would think. So, I guess this is where I ask some questions: First, are these Doosan or a different animal? Were they really made in the USA (remember 2013-2019 era) Are they a do not buy, and if yes, why? (I am kinda looking for specifics, for example they have junk travel motors...) Would I be better served with the Takeuchi, even though it is a bit more, and why? In Stump Wally's document, the Takeuchi scored very high. I would love to hear from current owners here too. Would you buy an E85 again? What kind of problems have you had, etc.. Thanks in advance!
We have a Bobcat 80 and a Bobcat 85 at work. They are Doosan machines painted Bobcat colors. They get used by several different operators (we have about 8 operators) ,they are set up with Geith pin grabber couplers, we also often run a 1500lb Indeco hammer on them. They each have around 3500 hours or so. They are treated with some attention as far as greasing,but it often depends who is operating them. They get serviced regularly according to the manufacturers maintenance schedule. We have had no major issues with them besides some broken hydraulic lines here and there, they are still fairly tight, and I think they tend to operate a little jerky but not so much that you can’t adapt to it. How many hours and how much are they looking to get for the one you are looking at?
Not looking at a particular one at this point, just looking at what is available local. I would really like to get a machine that is 3000 hours or less. Have you had any issues with the emissions equipment in that ~3500 hours? Here is an example of a machine that is not too far away. The same machine in Takeuchi would be much more from the prices I have seen. https://www.machinerytrader.com/listing/for-sale/217574861/2017-bobcat-e85-crawler-excavators Thanks for your reply!
No emissions issues at all. Not sure it has anything more than a dpf filter, if that even. I’ll take a look today though. We have two Tak TB260s and have had no emissions issues with those either and they are newer units in the last few years. Actually, we just got one of the 260s a couple of months ago. Paid 82k brand new with a hydraulic coupler, thumb and a 24” digging bucket, the 260 performs very close to the 80/85s in my opinion.
Thank you!
Since you mentioned that, I did a little looking. It seams that the Doosan model is even less $$ than the Bobcat. This one caught my eye, low hours, and comes with 2 buckets. I would have to get a coupler though. 2017 DOOSAN DX85R-3 For Sale in South Plainfield, New Jersey 2017 DOOSAN DX85R-3 For Sale in South Plainfield, New Jersey at www.peakequipment.com www.peakequipment.com
As a mechanic here is my oppion. E80 are hard to get parts through bobcat on some items. With a food a serial number a dealer you can get your parts. E85 and really all e series bobcat excavators the swing motors come loose and can cause minor to major issues. The dossan engines can have fuel system issues if not serviced properly and if you go to your dealer prepare to grab your ankles. Counter weight comes off for a lot of repairs. I’ve owned true doosan machine and they are a hell of a machine
I have a 2009 Bobcat E60 so it's a bit older and smaller than what you are looking at but I will give a little input. It now has 5100 hours. I've had this machine for 2500 hours (bought it with 2600 hours 6 years ago). It is a Doosan manufactured machine with a Yanmar engine. The engine has needed nothing other than oil changes. It starts easily in any temps we have here in New England (assuming good battery). The steel tracks needed to be replaced at about 4500 hours, and I have had to replace some pins and bushings in the boom/arm etc. I also had to replace the radiator because the aluminum cracked from vibration I assume. Other than that it's just needed a few minor things like an A/C hose that got rubbed through and wear items like hydraulic hoses. I think parts are a bit cheaper than for my previous machine that was a Kubota. Over all it seems well designed and easy to work on. I'm not sure how much of that carries over to the newer E85.
That is good info, thank you! The E85 has the Yanmar engine. The Doosan Dx85R-3 version is showing the same Yanmar on Richie Specs
Thanks for chiming in here. No one has said run away, so I guess that is good .
You are correct. I was thinking of the smaller machines
Hey Tags, Does your e85 have a pattern changer? If yes, where is it located? I may (time providing) go look at the Doosan that I posted, and want to be able to check it out if it has one. I found a document that is peaty informative, but it is not mentioned.
Not sure if it does have a pattern changer. I will give a look this morning
Thank you!
So I was running our E80 today and I looked most places you find a pattern changer didn’t see one. I will be around the 85 tomorrow and will give that a look as well.
On my E60 it's under the floor mat where your left foot goes.
Checked there too. Nothing but solid floor plates.
Thank you!
Ok, so a plastic plug outside and in the front of the cab door. Sweet, thanks! Tags, can you verify on your E85, please.
Looks promising from what the manual called out
Further research shows that this is not exactly correct. It seems that until 2017 the Bobcat E85 was an exact clone of the Doosan DX85. In 2018, Bobcat brought the design and build in-house, and manufactured an all new E85R series. Again this was built in the USA by Bobcat not Doosan. I have read conflicting articles regarding the diesel engine, but all say it is a USA made engine. Some references say that the engine was designed by Doosan, others say it is Bobcat. I guess that point is just semantics as Bobcat is owned by Doosan. One of the intriguing parts of this engine is that it was certified tier 4 final with only a DOC, no regen or DPF to worry about. It does have a an EGR valve in addition to the cat. I have watched a bunch of Youtube videos that a Bobcat tech produced, as well as talking to a Bobcat tech. Consensus seems to be that the engine is well maid, and failures of the engine are uncommon. That said, it seems Bobcat went with a Delphi hi pressure common rail system, which is prone to fuel problems, most notable injector failure. I have also learned that Bobcat has updated to a much larger fuel filter to try to combat some of these issues. Another fun fact is that upon the Bobcat design/build, the critical capacities all increased, including engine horsepower (Engine also is not turbocharged). The house was also upgraded in size visibility and comfort (Pattern changer is now located near the floor on the right side of the operator). All the above stated, somewhere around 2022, the unit was upgraded again, and is now an R2 machine. They also changed the E85 designation to E88. I spoke with a salesmen at Bobcat, and he told me they are very similar machines to the R1 designs with several tweaks, and additional creature comforts. I did notice the the monitor in the E88 is much larger in the new machine. I am also told that the new R2 E88 still does not have a DPF or need regen. I figured I would post this so that it may possibly help someone wading through the process of buying a used excavator, like I am.