Whats the difference between a CAT 246 and 246b skid steer? Are all the parts interchangeable?
No... not all the parts are interchangeable. Squizzy would be a good resource for this... I think he went from a 226 to a 248B. Or maybe he went from a 226B to a 248B. But the B-series got a different engine, slightly reworked hydraulics (I think), and an updated cab, mostly. From a performance standpoint, they're more or less equivalent; the upgrade was relatively minor and was mostly aimed at addressing the cab and engine.
What Tiger said. I went 226 to 246B and now 248B. The engine/hydraulic pump(s) and cab are upgraded, mainly the engine. Attachments are interchangeable of course and I don't think the frame changed too much. They actually aren't a lot different to look at but the surgery was sufficient enough that most parts will not be interchangeable.
can an ecm from one machine be used in another? Does anyone know if the ecm can be jumped?
Not sure about your first question... for the second, do you mean whether the software in one can be flashed to the ECM of another?
I'm almost 100% that the first B series ECM's could not have the PLC programming flashed...and therefore could not be changed to another engine. Later, more recent of the B series may be different. The part No's for my mates new 226B with the Perkapillar engine is different than the ECM in my 248B...but I guess that is to be expected....you need one of the Cat guys to answer this properly.
yes, can one machine's ecm be swapped to another without flashing the computer?