I have a farm in KY. My partner has plenty of tractor equipment and I have a D3G 2005 Cat Dozer. What we need is something to move stuff with and pick it up. I know there are threads on this but they do not seem to get directly to the point. If you were working a farm with hilly terrain and had to choose a brand and model of Tracked Skid steer, what would it be? Assume you were going to get a used one on a web site like Machinery Trader. Let us say one that is not more than 8 to 10 years old. Much thanks.
I can only speak from a mechanics perspective, purchase a machine that has good dealer support near you for parts, or repairs is you don't do your own repair work. All brands have strong points and weak points, but ready availablity of parts is important for any brand because they all break. I see your considering a tracked machine 8-10 years old. The only thing I could comment about that would be Cat machines. One of that vintage would probably have the ASV undercarriage. It's a good undercarriage with dang good ride, but they do require maintenance, and the tracks on those are not steel cord reinforced tracks, much more fragile compared to other CTL tracks of that vintage. Any brand you choose that is ten years old is subject to needing repair parts, so consider choosing a brand that has ready available parts near you.
Thanks. Your information about the track issues with that vintage is good food for thought!!!!
You might want to think abought running tracks over tires. You will save $,& eliminate undercarage maintanance issues. I run steel traacks over McLaeren no flat tires. The tracks extend the life of tires, the wieght of tracks and solid tires give me more stability on steep terain, and I have more versatility to run tracks on rocky tough stuff or rubber tires when I don't need them. Easy to take off & on. The 262 and 268 Cats have longer wheel base for hilly terrain.
Hilly terrain... probably a Deere or an ASV. As ATCO said, the ASVs offer a great ride and are also decent machines. Deeres have great stability and are solid lifting machines.
I have run a few different makes, and the clear winner is Bobcat. I have also used steel tracks over rubber and think that is an excellent option. My experience with Bobcat has been that they stand behind it 100% and they are the smoothest to operate.