I am looking at two different machines to purchase and am looking for pros and cons of each. The John Deere is a 2005 160 clc with under 4000 hrs and the Cat is a 2005 315 clc with 3500 hrs. Im looking for someone who has run both and can compare the two as far as fuel consumption, Breakout force, speed of machine and any other info you may have. Thanks!
I can't give you any input on the 160 but we have a 315c and it has been a great machine. It is strong, fast and smooth. It does good in fuel also. We also have a 320d and if the two are side by side I would take the 315. Chris
Ok thanks, you remember how much fuel you were feeding her in a 8 hr day? I cant find any literature from cat on fuel consumption for this model
It has been a long time since I did gallons per hour on that machine but we have always been happy with it. You might be able to find out from your Cat dealer. Chris
I have just been looking around and reading different posts here and yours caught my eye, and I feel, having ran both and not having any vested interest in either machine, the Deere in my opinion is hands down the better hunk of iron. The important clue for me is that the 160 is a CLC, after merge with Hitachi. To further help you out I called a friend that was an instructor at one of the larger unions out west and after catching up for a while I read your question to him and he said if he was "spending his money he would with out question purchase the Deere." Now I know you don't know me from Adam but my buddy Tom is one of the best Hoe Hands I have ever seen and knows how to get the most out of the equipment he is running and I have heard many foreman and superintendents say that so take that for what you think its worth and good luck with your purchase! Kevin
Thanks for the info Kevin, I am leaning towards the Deere. They both seem to be great machines. I already have a fleet of older deere equipment and am familiar with the way they do things. So, I will most likely stick with mr John. We will see what the prices come in at. Doosan is trying to make a run at my money as well with a tempting lease to purchase option but I am hesitant to jump onboard with that because its a Doosan! Leasing to own does seem to have substantial tax benifits though. decisions decisions
I imagine it's still pretty cold where you are …… Here's the test I'd like to see you do ! …….. Make sure both machine hadn't been started in 24hrs or over a long night with the mega sub Zero's ……. Go and start them up …. see which one starts easier !!! ……. My first (owned ) hoe was a Deere …… It could be 60F+ above open the frigg'n door and say cold and it wouldn't Start ! …… this wasn't just mine, when I was low-bedding machines i'd have to pick-up machines in the bush to relocate to the next logging block …. and sure as hell the Deere's always fought me when it came to firing up ……. The Cat's …. if you've got a Bank of battery's that will turn the engine over "It'll Start" most of the time with out pre-heat too ! ……. I've got a '94 312 & an '06 320CLRR and they can both have sat for weeks or months, turn the night switch on, and if theres batteries, they Start 1st time everytime ……… Another thing if both machine were to be sitting side by side start comparing the structures of both …. Like the Boom cyl's, bet the Cat's are bigger ….. the Stick & Boom's, bet the Cat's are structurally built heavier, etc. ….. I had my 320 sitting next to a Deere 200, theoretically they should be the same class machine, Right ! …….. Man oh Man what a difference how much beefier the Cat was built ……. My 312 same thing, had it sitting next to a 120 Hitachi (same as the Deere 120) oh Wow! no comparison, amazing enough I had the same 312 sitting next to a 150 Hitachi and they almost had the same physical mass …… Think it's BS ??? …. Weigh the 2 machines ….. see if it's the same ??? …. My 312, is supposed to be a 12 metric tonne machine ….. Why does it weigh 14.3 tonnes/ 31,526 lbs ???? …. the same class Deere/ Hitachi 120 weighed in at 12.2T/26,895 lbs (both machines were guarded c/w hyd thumbs) …… over the years of Trucking these machines around this was a repetitive story. Does that make one machine better than the other …. ?????? …… If you've been happy with your Deere products then I too would stick with it ….. I know I would prob be looking at the parts side of things too ….. here in Central BC, Cat parts are over night just about anywhere Free shipping (Cat/Finning has their own fleet of Trucks & drop Box's) ….. when I owned the Deere it was 2-3 days if not more plus Freight everytime …… Location, location, location…… is what it's about … Anyways, it's JMHO ! …… No diff of the Dodge, Ford, Gm thing …. it's what has treated you the best …….Cheers
Its here, its here!! I went for a 30 day "try & buy" with the Deere. its a '05 with 3200 hrs It just arrived today....dirty Holy Smokes it is not even comparable to my 490. The speed and power difference are just amazing I was ripping stumps out of ground like nothin, my other one I had to dig out around them and use a special technique to pop them out. Anyway, I'm looking over it to find anything wrong. When I'm operating it I smell a faint hydraulic oil smell, I remember hearing something awhile back about pilot lines or something leaking in the cab? and it being a total pain in the A cleaning the oil out and replacing some cheap o-rings. Does anyone remember, or had this problem?
It's most likely the seals in the pilot controls. It's not a huge job to change the seals, much easier on the C/Zaxis models than on the older ones.