Just wanting a second opinion thinking about buying a new ctl. i have it narrowed down to those two machines. They are basically the same price. Dealers basically the same distance from me.
What will you be primarily using the machine for? Will you be working in low overhead? Will it be an enclosed cab or open station? The Takis are noticeably taller than many other brands and this can cause problems if you're working inside buildings. Visibility on both machines is pretty good but the Cat will have a significantly better rear view camera. The Cat has a one piece pressurized cab that is virtually dust free. The Taki cab is pressurized but is a two part design. It'll stay somewhat clean until you've raised and lowered the cab for servicing several times and then you'll get dusty or wet depending on weather and site conditions. The Taki has a roll up door that allows you to open it regardless of lift arm position. The door will require regular maintenance to keep it working reliably. It'll also tend to rattle and not seal very well after the machine gets some hours. The Cat door is a typical swing out but takes very little maintenance and seals reliably. The Taki is a radial lift which is robust and works very well for moving dirt and backfilling. It doesn't have the reach to hit the center of a truck when loading. The Cat is a vertical lift which excels at truck loading and moving pallets of material but still works good for dirt moving and backfill. The Taki has a rigid undercarriage design which I prefer for grading. The Cat has a torsion bar undercarriage which gives a smoother ride but can take a little getting used to for grading since the front end tends to dip as the bucket loads up. Just some of my observations. Let us know what you decide.
Machine will have a cab. Not super worried about the extra height of the tak. I will most likely be doing dirt work. like backfilling ditchs 80% of the time. I will run a brush hog on it some for hunting trails maintenance some. I am mostly wanting a machine that is easy to run and bulletproof lol. I will mostly have someone running this machine covering while i am digging. thanks for your relys AMB
The Takis are good machines in my experience. One thing to be aware of is the aux hydraulic couplings seem to be further from the attachment than other machines. We had to have some longer hoses made to run some attachments on our Takis.
I demo both today. Just mine opinion the cat had a little more power and the controls seem smoother. but the tak controls seemed more response. the cat is quieter in the cab. It is easy to throw dirt on the cab and door with the bucket with the cat seems like the bucket is closer on the cat because of the vertical lift. Easier for me to get in and out of the cat. Still undecided so far
Bought the tak. Now i am pricing brush cutters. Are high flow cutters worth the extra money are they a lot harder on the machine.