My Dad is looking at moving up from a 650G to a 700j anybody here have any experiance with them?? Balance, power, serviceability?
I never ran a J series 700 but it is a world of a different machine than a 650H. There too, I never ran the G series. One of the big differences are the leveling capability. The 650 with its short non oscilating tracks needs constant babysitting to keep grade. With the 700 you just put the blade down and put it in gear and go for a nap. The 700 never felt any less maneuverable but it had felt like it had much more power and simply was easier to operate.
We have two 700Js and a 700H and they are all around good machines. They have power, they're fairly easy to operate and get a nice flat grade with. It seems like the rails wear kinda fast, but we limited the reverse speeds on all of them since then and it seemed to help. The one thing with the JDs is they don't have a fuel return system, so they tend to go through a few fuel filters in the winter but I'm sure you wont need to worry about that in Oklahoma
As far as performance and balance goes I think the 700J is pound for pound the best dozer I have ever used, large or small. The only real complaint I have is with the back up from the dealer, waiting a month for a part has not been uncommon, but that's here in Argentina, though I have heard the same from guys in the States.
We've waited quite a while for some minor parts too. It's only happened a couple of times though. Everything else has been very good.