Hey guys I am new to this forum so please bear with me and excuse my ignorance. I am looking for a skid steer for mainly farm use, like moving dirt piles, rocks, and some digging projects. I have been looking at bobcat loaders for the time being, but I am open for any other suggestions. I believe I am looking for something in the bocat 753-773, s175 range or something comparable in a different brand. I understand that most of the main brands are very good machines and reliability shouldn't be a problem with any of them. My main concern is the controls, I am using the machine to make motorcycle tracks, so precision an accuracy are very important in the control area. I need to be able to shape the jumps correctly and I wonder about the ease of that with bobcat foot controls. I would appreciate any comments or suggestions. Thanks for your help!
Welcome to HeavyEquipmentForums Bradley!!:drinkup How did you find us? I've got a Cat skid steer and at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I've never operated a skid steer with easier working controls! In fact, I delayed purchase of my machine until Cat brought theirs out. I can fine grade as well as any dozer, I'm very pleased with it. Bobcat has pilot controls now, but when I ran one a year ago, I didn't think they were as sensetive as the Cat's. They may have improved since then, but I thought there was a lag time between your input and the machines reaction. Case has pilot controls in the XT series, but the pattern is not similar. The Cat's use the universal one stick loader control and the same hydrostatic pattern as their dozers.
An old operator I once knew used to say, "You don't need to do nothing fancy, just make it flat." His point was, of course, that it's a whole lot harder to hide a lack of precision in a flat surface than it is on a sloped or irregular surface. I'd think most operators could do a credible job with either foot or hand controls. I'd be thinking more about what your personal preference is, or what you're most comfortable on. In another thread we discussed stability in skid loaders, and while it's been 10 years or more since I've been on one of Bobcat's machines, my feeling at the time was that they were harder to use on slopes than Case or NH. It just seemed like I couldn't get the cutting edge to stay on the ground when facing uphill or across the hill, unless I kept the bucket half full of dirt. Just another factor to consider.
I would strongly suggest talking to you local NH (New Holland) dealer and getting a demo on a machine for a week or two to get a feel for the machine. As far as rubber tired machines I feel these are the most stable in all operating conditions as well being reasonable on the wallet. I say get a demo for a week or two and run it alot because they take a day or so to get use to the low center of gravity and the controls if you dont run machines everyday but the would be awsome for track building. I dont know what kind of soil conditions you have but you may also want to look at getting a 6-n-1 dozer blade for it when you buy it. With the blade and the tooth bucket and some practice you shuold have trails and tracks good enough to be getting a fee for your friends to use LOL
i agree...try them all...dealers will bring you out a machine to demo for a couple days. i have a Bobcat 751 with hand/foot controls...great in tight places - for what your doing, i think i would go a size bigger to the 763/773. you won't have any problem with the hand/foot controls once you get a little practice. a friend has t-bar controls on a Gehl that i hate, but after 10 min. i don't have to "think" every move. also, the dealer makes a big dif. - find one you like and feel comfortable with. Bobcat has more weight to the rear empty, so you might get a "hop" once in a while...just stop and ease the forward control till you get going. and as digger said, you have to be careful dumping on an uphill slope - keep the bucket low. i think NH is the machine to have on slope. try them all & buy the one you feel comfortable with.
Thanks for all your help guys! I will definitely take your advice and go demo some different brands. My only problem is that I live in the middle of nowhere so finding some decent dealers requires a 2 hour drive to the Dallas/Fort Worth area. As far as the uphill slope functionality, thats not really a concern for me since most of my land is flat, and I wont be doing much digging on the small amount of hills that i have. Sorry i dont know much about this stuff but i'm assuming pilot controls are like joysticks? I'm looking at buying a used model, somewhere from 2000-up, so what year did bobcat incorporate the pilot controls? My only real concern is about the controls, could someone please give me a brief tutorial of how the controls function? I think it would help me better understand what i'm looking for. Thanks again for your help guys!
I won't be around for a while, but the other folks here sure have enough experience to more than make up for it... in the meantime, 1) Pilot controls are, for the most part, joysticks. Rather than manipulate the hydraulic pump directly, pilot controls control a pilot system that controls the pumps. It's almost like having a secondary hydraulic system -- one to control the pump, and another that the pumps controls. And just reread your second post... Bobcat's "pilot controls" didn't come out until 2003 or 2004. They are known as "Selectable Joystick Controls," and you can use them either in the Case pattern or in the Cat pattern. I have heard nasty stories about the electronics in those controls, but it may be that Bobcat has addressed those issues. 2) I personally think that for relatively light chores, a Bobcat S175 or S185 (these are the 773 and 773 Turbo, respectively) is a good choice. However, I am not fond of Bobcat's wheelbase in this size class, and for that reason, would urge you also to take a look at the Deere 317, NH Ls160 or Ls 170, Cat 232B, and above all, the Case 420 or 430. The Deere and NH will offer comparable side-visibility. They both have low-profile loader arms; they are both very stable machines. As you said you work on a relatively flat farm area, their drawbacks of not having any visibility to the tires isn't such a big deal. While there isn't anything wrong with any of the choices, I think that you would find the Case 430 a good machine for the jobs you've described. The Case machines are well-built, and for the novice skid-steer mechanic, they make their machine pretty easy to get to. Furthermore, access to most components is simple. The machines are balanced pretty well, visibility is decent, power is ample, and the controls are the second-best I've used. (Cat's are, as Steve mentioned, far, far smoother.) 3) The most important thing to take note of here is that you should try out the machines. There are no longer huge differences between manufacturers' machines anymore; a great deal of a purchase decision (especially for someone who has never run a SSL before) is demoing the units. As it will be difficult to demo each brand (as you said they are atwo hours' drive away), it's good to get opinions, but before you buy, at least try to demo the one machine you want to buy. Ask the dealer's customers how the dealer has supported them over the years. Best of luck to you, and enjoy the purchase!
Well as far as controls go I have hand ones in my Gehl and I like them have used foot control too I think it's all what you get used to. as far as the type of machine I think if you go on the machine brands that you wnt web sites you can compare one to another if you will be buying a new one.
Considering what your doing with them, I think just about any of them would do what you want to do but much would depend on how your building them. I think the S175 is way underpowered The S185 is only marginally better IMHO. If your creating the tracks from the ground up and having to excavate the jumps from existing soil you'll want power. I would imagine that the Texas clay is much like concrete about midsummer. If the material is all hauled in then power isn't as much of an issue. However, a two speed system might be as the tracks can get to be rather large, and you will spend much time moving dirt 1/4 to 1/2 yard at a time. You may want to consider the Ride Control option if your frequently moving full buckets of dirt around the track. This system cushions the loader lift arms via accumulators and the loader arms act as shock absorbers. Keeps material from bouncing out of the bucket and makes the ride much more enjoyable. If your buying used and need to excavate the material I would search for a 90XT with ride control (2 speed is standard). Hard to beat this machine for this type of application. As others have said I don't know that the control system itself will matter as much as your preference of a certain style. This will have more of an impact on doing a good job. If your not excavating the material I would try and find a larger capacity skid steer over 2000K ROC ( this will allow for a larger bucket and more likely to get a two speed in these machines). Only CASE and GEHL offer ride control in the older units. Good Luck
Newbie saying Hello.... Hi Guys... Just purchased new NH L175 (with Cab 4into1 Bucket) ....Great little machine Still fairly new at it all..... Any tips on my new Machine......anything to be aware off....:update
Sorry ..thought I was starting a new thread.......:Banghead
Built these with me mates NH L170 with foot controls. All good. See thread 'NH v's JD- uphill stability' for another photo. Heard longer wheelbase= better climbing/stability. Is this true?
Those are very cool. What are they, some sort of a moto cross jump or something?
Yes. 15m gap. 30m long jump to the flat.That all i got the balls for at moment.
In general, yes, at the risk of a longer machine, poorer turning performance, and more ground disturbance when turning. (These aren't guaranteed, necessarily, but there are potential downsides to just throwing a longer wheelbase on there.)
Thanks for help.
if you are building tracks, you've got to buy a tracked machine. bobcat now has a steel tracked machine that is sweet and makes a ton of power. I am a bobcat guy, but also would look at cat, and case. have been through a few nh's and deere's. if you hace the money buy a big tracked machine. with a 6 way blade and a bucket and maybe some forks.
:drinkup Colorado Digger The price has sort of got me. How much more for running tracked machine? Heard some wild stories. :drinkup It,s for me own track for me the missus and a few mates. But i still want to go steep, big. :drinkup Do you build tracks? Ride? Feel free too rant. How steep can you go, 45 degree ?
ya if you are not going to work the machine during the week, get a machine with steel grouser tracks that go over the tires. other wise a bobcat t300 with 2000 hrs will cost you 18-25 k u.s yes i ride, mostly singletrack and woods and yes i ave built quite a few tracks. so it helps having a dozer, loader, water truck and many track hoes. cheers.
Thanks. Do you finish the steep ramps with t300? How do those steel grouser go at compacting ramp? Better than rubber grouser tracks? Got some awesome single track here. Hook you if up u get down under. I am not an alcoholic:drinkup.
I am brand new to the forum and have the same problem. I have wanted a skid steer to use on some land my father left to me andd have been looking for a year or two. I am familar with Bobcat, but that is it. I have a chance to look at a Mustang on Friday and know nothing about it but that it has AC and tracks. What do any of you know about Mustang and their reliability?