So I am looking at buying a new loader, the 928 loader is around $151,000 and the CAT 938 is $182,000 I will be keeping this loader 10 year or more, it will be used to load mulch, salt and plow snow with a push box. A 928 will work for us for sure but we will be pushing its limits at time, on the other hand a 938 might be a little bigger then what we really need. I really dont want to spend the $30,000 more but is the 938 really that much more of a machine? How are the 938H?
Have you shopped for other brands! Take your spec sheet and hit "Black Friday"
if your going to spend the money, go volvo. an equivalent machine is probably an l 90
Like others are saying, I'd go shopping and see what's out there in other brands, Hill-Martin in Montpelier, VT is a Kawasaki dealer and they always treated us well when I was running machines. Deere would be my follow up brand, there's plenty of other machines out there that do the job as well if not better then a cat. Personally, I'd also do Cat before a Volvo, they never impressed me.
I was saying do volvo before cat. I know of a junkyard here that has 6 volvos, 3 of which are well over 35k hrs on the original tranny and engine, and they still start right down to zero without a block heater. That says something for the brand.
we used to run 924Gs IT28Gs and 930Hs their not the best loaders we used to run, everyone seems to get good value from the smallish volvos but if your going to run it for 10years the CAT might offer better overall value
If you are still looking at cat. Go 938 no contest. It may be a touch more but over all it is a better machine. Our 938's don't have neer as many calls as the 928's . You get more hp and more capacity. That said, I would still shop around. Caterpillar is a good company but, I am not stupid. There are other machines that may do the job as well or better. May be you can find one somebody wants to get off the books before the first if the year.