Just wondering what people think of the new bobcat s550/s590 how do they compare to the previous s160/s185 models
I've owned/operated a couple S185 Bobcats, and love them!...with that said, the S590 we currently have, is even better. I would say the biggest features that stood out right away for us over the 185s, were --- cab comfort, increased hyd power when running attachments, & improved SJC performance. Of course, the new M series medium frame machines will lift a bit more than the models they replaced, so that's nice. As far as fuel consumption, it seems to be a bit better....but not by much. FWIW, we still have a 2009 T190 in out fleet, and in standard flow, the S590 will (noticeably) outperform the 190 when running a hyd breaker or auger.....not really noticeable though when we run a grapple/clamp.
The 590 I rented from sunbelt recently would run circles around the t190 I just sold. I sold the t-190 and kept my s-175 after not being overly impressed with the 190's performance. if had ran like the 590 I wouldn't have let it go.
we ran the 773/s185 for 15 years or so, now we have an s570. they are quite the beasty machines. the 570 is a surprisingly nice progression from the s185. it still has a few quirks but its a pretty nice machine. the visibility and lighting is most excellent. the machine is pretty much huge compared to a 185, not really noticeable unless your in real tight spaces. if you like the s185 you will like the s570, not too many surprises... everything is turned up a little bit as they say... its much easier to get in and out of.
I must say, the lighting is pretty impressive on the new M series machines. Typically, we don't utilize the lights much, until this time of the yr(snow season).