Good afternoon guys, Posting on this thread, seems more active than the actual CTL thread, but mods please move if needed. I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on a new CTL. Personal use only, here on the farm with chores and property maintenance. Currently own a 2002 Bobcat 753G, foamed tires with 3k hrs, ROPS with hand / foot controls. 3rd owner, great little machine. Made me realize I needed a skid steer 10 years ago. However, I realize the need for a heavier machine with more lift capacity. Currently got the motor out of the 753, fixed some leaks and getting years of crud steamed out of it. Plan on selling it later this year. Wanting something around 8k lbs, about 2k lbs or more of lift. I own a NH tractor, the 753 and a Kubota excavator so I'm all over the place with brand loyalty. I have both a NH and Kubota dealer in my town (separate). Bobcat is 45 mins away. Looking over the specs and pricing, I'm considering a Kubota SVL65, NH C227 or a Bobcat 590 or 595. Will be going with a cab, hyd coupler, might as well do high flow and wide tracks while I'm at it. With my usage, it should be the last one I buy. NH - Haven't operated one yet. Hardly ever see them around here, except for an occasional older model. Fiat engine, couple cubic inches smaller than my tractor. Old school hand and foot levers or electronic pilot joysticks. Water cooled EGR. 0% for 60, 2 year warranty. Bobcat - Old school hand and foot levers or electronic pilot joysticks. Water cooled EGR. Doosan engine, never worked on one, don't know much about them. Engines are still mounted sideways and pumps are belt driven. Seems to have the most electronics on it. 0% for 60, 2 year warranty. Kubota - Hydraulic pilot joystick. Water cooled EGR with DPF and regen. Ran an SVL75, cab was nice and roomy. Thought the radio and cupholders were in odd places, located behind you (real world problems!). I'd been reading all the hype about the door opening overhead. That was nice but even at 6'2", I have to lean back to slide the door open. 0% for 48, 2 year warranty. I have very little on NH other than the Fiat engine in my tractor has been great. I like the sideways mounted engine on the Bobcat . I don't plan on working on them often hopefully, but if this is the only one I'm buying, I'll be working on something at some point. I like the Kubota engine but don't own anything Tier 4 final yet, so I'm not sure on how big of a deal the DPF / regen is on that one. Haven't made my mind up on the sliding door yet. I'll also be purchasing a rotary cutter so if I go with BC or Kub, I'll probably add that to the package. But, there's many aftermarket cutters out there for less money also. I'm sure there's folks on here that own these makes of CTL. Any thoughts, suggestions, advice....?? Much appreciated!
Kubota has had a lot of problems with their larger CTL's, such as the new 95 models. It is well documented here on this forum, that the DEF systems are problematic, and the A/C units are poorly designed. Now having said that, I am not sure about the smaller CTL, like the 75. I had a rented Kubota with a mulcher on it and was not impressed. Three machines in three weeks and we got nothing done due to downtime for door problems, DEF system problems, and lack of a good A/C unit. My son-in-law has several CTL's. He switched from Bobcat to Caterpillar last year. He said the Bobcat were getting kind of "plasticy" inside, and he had some electrical problems. His new Cats have not been problem free, but at least they have a good supply of loaners. I had a lot of experience with the NH machine way back about 10 years ago. I liked them, and at that time, they had a good dealer here. I do not know anything about there current models. I would buy the brand that seems to work for you, and the brand that has the absolute best dealer for service and parts. you will need that good dealer before long, no matter what brand you buy.
I’ve got a 2018 Bobcat T595 loaded with most options, including cab, wide tracks and hi-flo. Very satisfied and impressed with capability. I’m a hobbiest...use my machine exclusively on my hunting and personal properties. I regularly use my 74” bucket, bobcat grapple, Eterra Typhoon brush mower, bobcat pallet forks. For its size, it’s a heck of a machine. I’m close to 200 trouble free hours. Highly recommend a look.
Happy with a CAT 259D unit here. I researched long and hard before buying this unit and my overall takeaway is that all the current brands have great offerings. In addition to dealer proximity, it seems that on the resale/trade-in side, CAT is the most desired. I routinely checked on equipment trader, auctiontime, and eBay and noticed that the CAT products were more prevalent and consistently had more bids/interest (by a factor of 3) than other brands (Bobcat being a close tie).