Mods- I put this here for more visibility rather than the compact loader section. If it needs to be moved I apologize in advance. I’m helping my brother with a compact loader purchase. He runs a small landscape company and is looking to use this machine for bulk material handling and palletized products. Most of the pallets are 2k-4k lbs. He’s narrowed his interest to two loaders, both reasonably local. First is a 2014 New Holland W50B TC. 1330 hrs, two owners and used by another landscape company. Seems to be well maintained with no major issues or repairs. Second is a 2009 Volvo L25B with 4300 hrs. This machine was used in an industrial environment and seems very clean. New tires but no other major repairs.
More photos of the Volvo: Any thoughts as to which is the better loader? Dealer support locally seems about the same. Which manufacturer offers better parts support as these machines age? Anything specific to check or inspect on either machine? Thanks!
More photos of the New Holland:
You forgot to mention the most important spec. in comparison between the loaders. What are the asking prices? I think the Volvo dealer might have more experience working on wheel loaders than NH. Volvo for sure has more loader experience overall but not sure how their compact loaders compare to their full size loaders. Their full size loaders are some of the best on the market. Also not sure how the NH loaders compare to the competition. I'd try to find user reviews of the 2 machines. The Volvo looks to have wider tires which would make it a little more stable and less compaction if you have to drive on lawns and finished landscaping.
@Welder Dave the Volvo is listed at $43k and the New Holland at $44k. The New Holland includes forks and a bucket at that price and the Volvo has the bucket only.
I imagine forks are a few thousand $$$.
I've owned an L25H from new and a W80BTC from 2800hrs. The Volvo had emissions issues and I sold it at 280hrs/1yr. The NH was great to operate, but parts were stoopid expensive and painfully long lead time. Traded the NH after 6 months/150 hrs on a new CAT 908M. I've run the CAT now 14 months/380hrs and it's great. Price tag was higher, but cost of ownership is lower.
I also had a Kabota R530 for a year at about 3000 hrs. Nice unit, parts were not too bad either.
He decided on the Volvo and purchased it today. Should be delivered next week some time. The New Holland looked nice in photos but closer inspection showed a lot of fresh paint over rust from plowing, etc. He had already dealt with that on a backhoe he bought so it was a no go on that loader. Thanks for the advice and opinions!
Well I'm late to the party but my suggestion would've been the Volvo for the reasons already listed and I don't care for NH.
I've looked at most brands of rodent sized wheel loaders. What always shows up are the weak center joints. They are a handy little machines for landscapers. Unfortunately, landscapers are terrible about maintenance and the use of grease. The other issue with the machines is the lack of lifting power. Lots will tip with a heavy load and steered to one side or the other.
Yeah, my brother might resemble that lack of greasing comment….
Follow up question- this loader will be used for residential snow removal in a rural area (no salt). Tire chains are almost essential since we have frequent warm-ups that can lead to an icy layer under the snow. The plan now was to remove the front fenders in the winter for clearance and run chains on only the front wheels. Would this be ok or does this load the driveline unevenly and cause issues with the transmission?
I can't tell you about snow removal. We don't get enough for that to be a thing here. I am curious though if the new machine is a hydrostatic drive?
Once you get some seat time, you'll realize that there is very little weight over the front. Chaining only one axle should be no big deal as there will be enough slippage. How's the cab heat on an air cooled deutz?
For a month I had a THC255 on rent, now that was a neat machine!
@John C. yes, it’s a hydrostatic transmission. Thanks all for the advice.
@XSKIER I had a chance to look at this loader up close yesterday. The cabin is heated by an independent diesel fired air heater, complete with a programable thermostat and scheduled preheating options. Overall the machine seems to be in very good condition. The pictures posted by the seller didn’t show the bucket, the one included in the sale is pretty worn out. He agreed to deduct $1k from the sale price due to the bucket condition so I think my brother did ok. Next test is seeing how it does pushing snow in another month or two.