Looking for some advice from those who know these machines. I am looking at a used 246C and a Case 430. Here are the details: Cat 246 C: 2008, 900 hrs, 72"tooth bucket, cab, AC/Heat/2speed/Ride control Case 430: 2008, 290 hrs, 72" tooth bucket, cab, AC/Heat Now here are my questions: 1. Cat pilot controls vs Case any preference? or is it operator experience 2. Long term ownership cost ie. parts prices 3. Ease of service/maintenance 4. Comfort in the cab..I am 6'tall will I hate one or the other? 5. Colde weather operation/starting is one better than the other? Both are in the 24k$ price range Thanks for any replies,
I have had a couple Case 445 they both had 2 speed, the last one has pilot controls. The pilot controls will not tire you as much as the two stick controls. I plow snow all winter and being able to travel with one hand is sure a plus. I can talk on the cell phone and travel and get by plowing, while on the phone. I would not have a skid steer without having a 2 speed. Moving dirt low is fine but if you have to travel far or plowing snow you want a 2 speed. I really like how mine is set up know for what I do. The new Case is supposed to have a roomer cab. I am 6' 2" and today I turned 62, I can plow about four to six hours then need to get out and stretch for a few minutes. Sorry no help on a Cat machine or the Case 430.
CAT and CASE both use Rexroth pilot controls, however since this CAT is a C model it is electric over hydrualic controls, not exactly an apple to apples comparision. Ownership costs will be about 6's I would guess. Nothing is cheap to work on anymore, however the E/H portion of the CAT I think has potential to be expensive down the road. Comfort will be about the same I think after running both of them. The 08 CASE will have the much improved series 3 cab. Not sure about cold weather starting of the CAT. The CASE has a larger battery than previous machines and so it will be better than the original 400 series. However that battery is not cheap so I am told. As far as ease of service, that goes to the CAT. The CASE is more difficult to change engine oil and filter on. However the recommend interval is at 500 hours so that helps. Ease of greasing will be the same. If possible run them both for as long as they will let you and see what you think.
this is my opinion. i believe if you took a tape measure to the cat it would be a larger physical machine even tho the ratings might be similar. the cat would be quite a bit sweeter for sitting in the cab all day and getting in and out. i would think you would notice that right away just by sitting in the 2. the big kicker is the electric controls on the cat. just better hope you never have a problem with them. i think if i bought a machine with electric controls i would be sure to trade it off regularly on a new one. the highest repair bill on electric controls i have ever heard was $17,000! hahaha! good times! sounds like a typical repair on the e h is 800 bucks. i would think pilots could get pricey tho too. technically the cat should have a little better resale, cuz it is the current style. have you considered a bare bones bobcat s185 for 15k with sweet manual controls? they like to give away those low hour 2006ish volvos as well...
I recently re-hired a former employee. When things were slow last winter he took a job with a larger outfit that was in town to design/build a couple miles of road in our town. They had all Cat 248b skid steers. I know it's not a direct comparison to what you are considering but it is the same as the 246 but has high flow hydraulics. Here's the point. My re-hire told me about those units. He said they brought down (3) 248s and that they each had over 10,000 hours. I was impressed by that fact. I doubt I will get close to that with my Bobcat. As others have pointed out, the Cat should bring higher resale if you dump it later on. I must be missing something in regards to the E/H issues. I thought all the new skids were going fly by wire (electric over hydraulic). Am I wrong? Are there hydraulic over hydraulic skid steers out there. If so, I would like that. I have been very displeased with the E/H of my Bobcats (mini and skid). I have run E/H Cats though and they worked great. Kudos to KSSS. Most will recognize that he is pro Case but he put that aside to state the facts as he sees them instead of plugging his favorite brand. Refreshing.
One of the things I guess I will have to do is get some seat time in each. Both are private sales so I dont think that will be more than 5 minutes. I do recall running a 248B last summer for a buddy and what I didnt like about the B series was I could not see the cutting edge from the seat. The was frustrating to get a good finish. I dont know if the C series is better or the Case. I do know I dont have a lot of seat time on skids so that is one of the problems. Plus switching from running an excavator to skid gets a bit confusing as well in the wrist action.
im not sure on my facts but e h : deere, bobcat, new holland, case, c series cat pilot : takeuchi, gehl, mustang, jcb for just this year, terex, b3 cats, not sure about kubota we got 8000 hours on our bobcat, neighbors have 12000 on their A300 bobcat. i said it before the other neighbor has 30,000 on his old gehl. im my area all you see is bobcat, deere, and new holland, but this is farm country and everyone runs what they always did, and you wont find anyone with joysticks of any kind.
I have a 2009 246C Cat with every option you can put on it. I think everything about the machine is excellent except the controls. They are a bit (a little bit) sluggish. As far as cold starting i have never really had any issues, but its inside nearly all the time. Mine has right at 1000hrs and i havent had any problems yet except for the power attach plate freezes up all the time and you have to pop the pins with a chisel. Parts are a little pricey for cat, but if you are making your living with this machine it will be worth it for the EXTREME care they take to get your parts when you need it. As far as comfort goes i am 6-2 and i have no problems getting in and out, sight lines are great and the console is easy to access. There is also a powerpoint for a phone charger which is handy. Also the seat is very comfortable. As far as the Case goes i dont have any experience on the newer machines, so i cant say for sure what they are all about. I would assume being they use the same control system the response would be about the same. I know you wont regret buying one, just demo the thing and make sure the control issue isnt a problem first.
such comments are concerning me more and more. i will demo the jcb with pilot controls, love it. then order a new one with electric controls, take delivery on it, and hate it.
The controls on the CASE and the CAT are totally different animals. The CASE pilot system is very nice. The CAT E/H depends on who you ask. I think the less experienced the operator the easier the CAT E/H is to get along with. I demoed a 256C and parked it half way through the day. Guys that really push the machine hard and fast seem to be the most displeased with the E/H response time.
I would prefer to purchase the Case but due to my isolated location I need to stay with CAT . Cat is the only dealer available with in a 1 hour drive . If you are not interested in the Cat 246C 2 speed you found for sale in the 24k range please pass on the contact info to me or call me @1-306-930-8726 in Saskatchewan Canada . Thanks Buddy
Both units were listed on KIJIJI here on the Edmonton web page. You could try to do a search and see if they are still available under heavy equipment. I ended up buying a compact utility tractor.... go figure!
Thank you for the info.