So ive read some previous posts on the 212 s models and some are positive some are negative but i have a different set of questions for a slightly different machine. I found a 2003 su which is basically a skip loader. The guy is asking 24,000 with a rear blade, auger, hydraulic adjuatable forks, bucket, and 9' plow. It looks clean missing the a/c pump and cab door is after market. Has 1500 hours. I would be selling my 873 and replacing it with this. I like skid steers but i tend to not use it because they tear up driveways and grass and pretty much anything else you run them on. I have a kubota excavator so the three point hitch on the rear is appealing let me know your thoughts.
Anyone? Thoughts opinions? Ive heard that maintenance is expensive just wondering why.
Hi there, sorry I can't really say anything specific about the 212SU, I have a 1999 212S with 9700 hours on it. Had it a few years, been great for me. Just did the injection pump (big enough job,had to remove water pump even) but with the hours, Im not complaining. Parts from the dealership dont seem any more expensive than for any other machines, everything is expensive these days lol. I can't say about labour costs as I do my own. The machine is great on turf (other than it is heavy and can make pretty good ruts if you are not carefull). On solid turf it doesnt scuff it up at all and still turns nice and sharp with 4 wheel steer. Would you need a 3Pt weight box on the back to use the front loader to capacity? Not sure.
Hello, I know the exact machine you are looking at. I have seen it for sale. Way overpriced. Similar machines with just a box scraper, bucket and forks are selling at auction for around 12-15K. This one is missing the real Gannon box scraper with hydraulic rippers that is built like a tank. The scraper with it is built like a toy and has no hydraulics. A new door will cost $1000 and the one it has if homemade but ok. It's not glass so scratches and may not securely lock. Fixing the AC if interested will likely be a small fortune. JCB SU's are odd ducks. They have many nice features but don't really fit well with what most people expect a machine with a 3 point hitch and PTO to do. First it is a torque converter transmission so keeping pto rpm's up while changing directions is not proper as there is no real clutch like a tractor has, nor is it hydrostatic like many compacts or skid loaders. It makes it very hard to move slowly and gently up to something at PTO rated rpms while mowing or doing other pto work. The same is true of the hydraulics on the boom. You have to rev the engine to get flow but then you only have whatever speed the machine is moving at in a choice of only 4 gears. It is great for a 4 in one bucket or grapple but not so good for a snow blower or or other attachement needing a specific ground speed to be effective. The same is true for the PTO and when you change directions properly, it means you let off the throttle and shuttle the other direction and apply throttle. The 3 point hitch is another odd duck. It is not postion control (like 99.99% of tractors) which means the position of the hitch has a direct relation to the position of the control handle. It is hydraulic control like a loader and it is 2 way meaning it is locked in its postion and can have down pressure. There is a float position in the valve but that means dropping it all the way to the ground to have float. A normal 3 point hitch can rise up freely from any postion and float with the ground. Take a bush hog for example. I lower it to the height I want but if it goes over a bump it can float up. The JCB's will float only when dropped all the way. In any other position it is locked and much better for a box scraper that may benefit from down pressure to cut the hump out. The last really negative thing I can think of is the open differentials. Most 4x4 tractors have at least 3 wheel drive when you lock the differential with the pedal by your heel. JCB made limited slip optional but most dealers and buyers just were not smart enough to order what I consider a necessity. I have checked several used ones with JCB corporate and have yet to find one with that option. The real problem comes when you approach an incline off camber or a wheel drops in a hole or depression. One front wheel rises up and when the axle pivots to its limit, forward movement stops abruptly as one front and one back wheel spin freely. It happens to me all the time on tractors but I just step on the diff lock and keep going. I demoed a Manitou shoot boom lift one time and the same thing happened whenever I went at an angle up a sharp bump or incline. Manitou didn't even offer limited slip so I passed on it.