I am looking for someone with some experience with the Cat 414E skiploader. I am looking at possibly getting a used 2007 model with less than 1,000 hours. I have over 10,000 hours on skiploaders, mostly John Deere 210LE, but have never been on a Cat 414E. If anyone has any experience with one I would like to hear the good and bad about them and if you also have experience with the John Deere 210LE, how would you compare them? I have used Case skiploaders before and didn't particularly care for them. I found the John Deere to be much smoother and easier to finish grade with. The primary uses for the skiploader would be fine grading, road repair on dirt and gravel driveways, maintaining motocross tracks, and loading my dump truck. The Cat 414 is about 4,000 lbs. heavier than the Deere 210LE, which also makes it heavier than the Case 570, so it seems to be the brute of the skiploaders. I won't be able to try it out before I buy it except for just making sure all the functions work properly etc. There aren't any around here I can rent for a day to see how I like them either. So I would appreciate any info any of you guys can give me.
i have run both and the Cat is basically a 416E with a box on it. Feels a little top heavy. Controls are odd especially the float. The Deere was built from the ground up better balance and built specifically for use with he gannon box. When Holt of CA buys 210's and put them into their rental fleet bc that is what their customers prefer... I think that says it all. Buy a 210LJ with Cab and AC. Look into a Asphalt Float as well, very handy for finish work especially stone. http://www.thomaswelding.com/products/index.htm
HAve you ever tried a Domor? These things are incredibly versatile. When it comes to skiploaders it is my opinion they are the top. The paving / excavating company I worked for a 7 or 8 or them. Call Bob Eipperle at 231-889-3530, he know a ton about them. www.westcoastfarmservice.com
For fine grading you cant beat one of those domors, but I havent really heard of any out west or outside of michigan for that matter. Richie bros has 2 real nice ones with joystick controls in chicago coming up. On a another note JCB built some AWS 214's a few years back with an identical backblade as the domors and those were real beast's with a modern cab. http://www.rbauction.com/equipment_...&class_cd=LLS&vc_make=DOMOR&Search_type=Other
Domor Pictures I found a few pictures of a Domor. It is really a pretty handy rig. We sent them ahead to prep drives and small parking lots. They could set grade and clean up ready for black top. Lots of horsepower to pull and dig just about anything. For what its worth we loved them....
9420pullpan, you are right on the money. I went to Ritchie Bros. auction preview in LA today where they had 3 low hour Cat 414s. While there I met a guy who has a asphalt company and over 20 skiploaders (2 Cats, 2 Newholland, 2 Terex and the rest John Deere). He said the John Deere were the best for fine grading and the Cats were the worst. He bought the Cats new and was having a problem when it rains with the pilot control for the box scraper malfunctioning. Cat keeps telling him they have a fix coming but he hasn't got it yet. When it dries out it works OK. Even when working OK he said they are miserable to fine grade with and none of his guys want to get stuck on them. He did say they were great for front end loader work. I'm going to stick with what I have used for years - John Deere. I just didn't want to pass up on something I haven't tried yet in case it might be better. I have seen those asphalt floats before and they look like they would work pretty well. In addition to the box scraper, I use a Roadrunner which is a little like an asphalt float. I like it real well. JAK5 & pwrstroke6john, the Domor is an interesting looking machine, but I doubt there has ever been one out here in the west coast. Thanks for the replys.
Does anyone know if cat has came up with a fix for their pilot controls yet
The new skip loader cat is available. They replaced the three point hitch controls with standard ones. I think we might see some more on sites now that they changed it. Has been Deere country for a while here in the southwest. They have some vids on you tube see if this link works https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCmpgjFzaJY&sns=em
I was referring to the issues with electronics getting wet and not working, as mentioned earlier in this thread.