I have had a couple of cat skid steers for use here on the farm for everything. Lots of gates to open so a lot of in and out of the machine. I like the jcb design (easier entry and exit) but what is the quality of these machines? I see the resale is not very high. My experience with jcb backhoes is excellent and poor at the same time. Had a 214 at work that was the best hoe I ever seen so they bought another one ten years later and it was an absolute piece of junk. Anyone with a lot of hours on one of these? Good points? Weak points. Does the single arm design change the way you use the machine. I am looking at a 260 or a 280. I like the volvos also but rare to find a used one in my area. Any input good or bad would be appreciated. Thanks Ward
I had a welding repair on a Jcb skid steer .The owner tried ramming a stump to get it out ,bent boom .It put the pins in a bind and ripped out the eye.I have been running and repairing equipment for 50 years,I think this is a bad design This machine has less then 500 hours on it
I have a friend with a 773 Bobcat who is rough one equipment , the arms on his machine have been broke in several place. Is that a bad design too? After running a Volvo MCT125c round my sawmill for a couple odf years I'll never be without a 1 armed, side door skid loader again, way too many advantages and it works good. Steve
This machine has an L shaped boom with support on one side only .Left side of bucket doesn't have direct support back to machine making it easier to bend boom.
The local elevator here has one (not sure what number) they use for loading granular fertilizer ingredients into the mixer and moving 265 gallon shuttles of chemicals. One day I was getting a load of fertilizer and ask about the JCB because I thought it would be easier to get in and out of. I was promptly educated on how they lack power, lifting capacity, aren't as easy to get in and out of as I thought. The guy I asked the question of and another guy went on for about 10 minutes about why I shouldn't ever own one. What I have noticed each time I go to the elevator. They have every imaginable kind and size of skid steer in their fleet. The one most frequently seen sitting out of the way is the robot.
We had, they still have it, a Robot 185 at the quarry. Yes it is a hard place on any equipment but two things that seemed to be the worst about the JCB were parts availability and price of parts. One other thing was at least in a couple cases was the fact that some parts were only sold as an assembly. So when that $15.00 part that holds the handle on the joy stick gets broke they expect you to purchase the complete control from the handle down to and including the hydraulic valve it's self! Hundreds of dollars for what should be a $15.00 repairs part. Stopped in the shop back in December and guess what was sitting on the shop floor in pieces, left side drive motor stripped a splined shaft. Now this is an older machine in a rough use application, but the 1989 Case 1845C that was to be replaced by this 1999 JCB robot is still there being used. I won't say the Case has never broke down but last I knew it still had the factory original pumps and drive motors. Chains and wheel bearings are another story, but most of those parts are reasonably priced and to add to it much easier to access than the JCB.
Wow! Thanks for the info guys. I wondered why the HP was rated at 74 for a machine that is rated at 2900 lbs. My cat 262c never lacks in HP or in reliability for that matter as well as some pretty awesome parts support. The crack in the boom does concern me as it tends to be put in some awkward situations here on the farm, wrestling with stumps and trees that are too large on occasion. They all can be broken and all have lemons but we are not hearing from anyone that has had a great experience with one. Doesn't sound like the side door is worth the headaches, especially since I tend to be very impatient with poor parts services I think I will stick with my cat unless I can score a great deal on a Volvo. Local dealer has a much better rep than jcb dealer. Thanks again for the input! By the way, I have never witnessed poorer parts support or pricing than for bobcat. Dealer did their part but hydraulic pumps and drive motors for certain models are outrageous in price and wait time. Just my two cents!
there is no denying that the jcb skid steer is a sweet machine. we used to have a new style one and man that thing was a luxury cruiser. i long for the sweet cabin and the side entry. the ease of entry was amazing; granted we had a 205 and that unit is lower to the ground with no step to get in. the bobcat cabs definitely leave a lot to be desired in comparison. in my opinion, the jcb cab is also better than cat. that being said the jcb units are not really a severe duty machine, and parts availability is hit or miss. the pilot controlled ones are more controllable than the e/h units. i found the jcb just couldn't get as much done per hour as the manual controlled bobcat. i will say the jcb used a fraction of the fuel the bobcats do because you only operated at 30% throttle compared to 80-100%. as far as the single arm changing the way you use the machine the answer is absolutely. i was constantly getting in and out of the unit when the bucket was in the air/in front of the cab; it was very handy especially working on projects by yourself. the jcb machine ideal customer is the gentleman farmer who has lots of cash in the bank and plenty of time on his hands.
As I mentioned for the same reason as above I'll never be without a side door skid loader around my sawmill. In the US 10 people are killed every year when they get out under the arms. Far as power and lifting ability my MCT125c has both, rated at 2600# I've lifted a 5500# log with it and it will push dirt right over the top of a dirt bucket easy. Parts might be expensive but most are for any machine, don't really know as I've only bought filters. There is a huge difference between the old Robot models and the newer Volvo and JCB loaders. Give me 10 minutes and I'll have the arms broke on any skid loader. A hard operator is going to break things. Steve
Good points!
I do know I have looked at one of the newer machines a couple years back while picking up parts for the 185 Robot. Two things that I saw as a major improvement were: First the vastly simplified mounting of the tilt cylinder for the bucket. This was one of the nightmares on ours trying to keep the slop out of that system. Next was what at least looked at a quick glance as vastly improved accessibility to components with the tilt cab design. Changing the starter on the Robot 185 was not a job for a guy with short muscular arms! Fortunately mine are not! One other thing I just recalled about the Robot 185 was the mounting system or would that be the lack of mounting system for the hydraulic pump. The pump on ours that ran off the end of the crankshaft was only supported by the shaft! Yes the coupling that drove the pump not only had to transmit the power to the pump but also supported the weight of the pump. There was an arm on the pump housing that only resisted the rotation of the pump but did nothing to actually support the weight of the pump. Did not really notice this till the pump shaft finally failed. Again as I have tried to be clear this opinion or information is only based on this one 1999 Robot 185 and is not intended to have any bearing on any other models or newer versions of this one.