I am looking at buying either the 244 or 304 for my Christmas Toy. Has anyone got some good advice on these machines? I will not be Loading Truck with them I have a Cat 980 And a JD 544 for that. I thought one of them would take over some of my Skid Steer work. How about for Snow Plowing Driveways are they worth a Hoot for that. How do they handle driving on the highway? Any thing else I need to be aware of. I see they are made by Liebherr so I figure they must be well built. Thanks, Cat 236 Alaska
Plowing snow is one of the applications where they perform best. You will also not be disappointed in highway travel, as they can go up to 18.6 mph. The excellent visibility also helps to make up for the increase in size over a skid steer.
i think the bucket size would be the deciding factor, 244J has a 1yd bucket i believe and the 304J has a 1.5.
There are multiple bucket options for each. You can get up to a 2.1 yd on the 244J. Can also use the skidsteer coupler and put on any size ssl bucket or attachment. Biggest gain is lift height on the 304 if you need more clearance. Pretty much any Deere dealer that sells skid loaders can get you a 244J, but you have to go through a construction dealer to get a 304 or bigger.
I have a 244E which is an excellent snow plow machine. I also have a 344H which does great in the snow however with the stereo steering it is less predictable for inexperienced operators. I have had to repair a couple lightpoles because of the rear steer tailswing. The plain articulated is easier to learn because the rear wheels always follow the front wheels. Hyperpack