who has bought the new m series skid steer's? and how do you guys like them. I have a s300 and s250 with over 3000 hours. they both work everyday and do not break down very much. I will need to replace at least one in 2011 and am a bit skeptical over the new series. I have a 2008 s300 and love it. it has low hours and is a dream. Most of my skiddies burn 2 tanks a day and the newer one seems to be thirstier by a long stretch. i am a bobcat guy through and through but am not sure about the operations going overseas. i am looking hard at the a300's love em. but they are pricey. the market sure has held up in the compact market. i can buy a s250 2 speed- loaded with 800 hours for 22 k. have not looked for the a300's. thanks
I've only got about 14 hours now on the T870 we just got, but so far I love it compared to the T300's and T320's owned by others I've used in the past. Most of the M-series improvements Bobcat touts in their ads certainly aren't false advertising- especially when it comes to the interior. The machine is just much more tolerable to spend your hours in than some of the others- between the air ride seat and the roller suspension it just doesn't beat your brains compared to other track machines. Sounds like you might want to take a look at or perhaps go test drive either an S650 or S850 (if you are strictly wanting a skid). Its going to be a good deal more expensive than a lightly used older unit, but I can say that looking back on my purchase, I just don't regret paying the extra cash for something I enjoy more every time the extra machine goodies make me smile. I think most people who try them will feel the same.
No direct experience but I have read, on another forum, many positive replies from those who like them. I know that Bobcat is now owned by Doosan but I thought that the skids were still US built. I have heard that the new "E" series mini was made by Doosan (overseas). I have an A300. I've had quite a few problems with both of my Bobcats (way more with the 435-search my previous posts if curious) but I very much like the way the A300 works. It gets great traction. Very slow tire wear, for a skid steer (2200+hrs so far). You don't have to worry about tearing up the ground when turning, and you can grade while turning. I have heard that they are coming out with a new M series A770. I have had, IMO too many problems with both of my Bobcats to be a fan of the brand (current issue is having to rebuild the tilt cylinders-again). I am a pretty big fan of the all wheel steer platform though. If Bobcat did not offer it I would have all yellow iron. I know that you are an advocate of Bobcat, and your dealer. If I were you I would give the A300 a try. It is a very different operating technique than a skid so it may take a while to get used to though. We almost never use the skid mode on mine. Steering must be anticipated, an implemented, a litttle more in advance (like any articulated vehicle). Sorry to get so long winded and a little off topic. When you mentioned interest in the A300, in your post, I felt as though you should hear about it's advantages. Ask here or PM if you want more info.
DGODGR does have a valid point, the machines are still built in North Dakota. To my understanding, the only skids still built in the US, including Caterpillar.
I think Cat builds theirs at the plant in North Carolina.
The skid steers are US built and so are the new mini excavators except the E60 and E80. The E60 and E80 are actually Doosan machines just painted white. We have a E50 and we love it.
Terex is also building their skids here in the US over at their ASV factory. JCB is also building skids now too down in Georgia.
CASE and New Holland are built in Kansas. Actually the only CTL/SSL machines built outside the USA is Takeuchi, and IHI oh and now Kubota.
thanks yeah, i would love to have a a300, i was wondering for plowing you probably have to chain up all four. i have not had a demo on the new m series skiddies yet, so i do not know. the dealership sure has gotten tighter. we did get a demo on a 60 series hoe with a longstick. no turbo but it was a nice machine. the guys were not crying to go get back in their 435's. but back to the skids. we put a ton of hours on them and the bobcat has aways help up the best. some error codes but nothing terrible. for having 3 large frame skid and 2 435's they sure have held up. the maintenence cost is minimal. by far the HIGHEST maintenence cost per unit is the p.o.s wacker rt82 trench roller ointhead. can't live without them. thanks for the feedback everybody. i really want to hear from the m series owners
IMO you can get away without chains longer, with the A300, than a regular skiddy. You can run one set as well, or on all fours. As far as the RT 820 goes (yes I have one of those too), I had a big problem initially, but it's been pretty good ever since. I bought mine used with about 450 hours. Both exciters grenadedshortly after I purchased it. I was very bummed about it. I had traded in an older unit because I was having intermittent electrical problems. Ironically the older one has been in their rental fleet for a few years now-no problems after new remote control unit. As I said the bottom end needed rebuild (on the newer unit) after we used it for only about 60 hours (40 hours out of MFR warranty period). Dealer and I split the labor, and they also got Wacker to pony up the parts. I have had no problems since, though the unit will get new pivot bearings this winter. So far it has about 1,100 hours on the meter. Maybe there are not to many M series out there yet. My local salesman has said that they are all sold out until production starts again in February so they must be selling pretty good.
m series yeah, the a300 is a sweetie. have you had problems with the 4 wheel steer pivots. last year the guys working on the highway had one and it was about 15 below and all the wheels were going in differnet directions. i am hoping to get a demo on a m650 we will see. i hear the 50 size digger is bad to the bone. but need to do some research. i hear the cab is nicer on the m series. i dunno , as long as they don't break, they have heat, air and a q/c it's all good. i run the demo tires on my machines and could never quite get the chains figured out apart from logging chains that are super expensive. so i scrounged up all my old new hooland rims and tires, tubed em and looking forward to running the old school logging pattern.
My wheels went all squirelly before. I think I had one or two sensors replaced under warranty (not 100% sure) but I do remember one time at the end of snow removal season. If I remember correctly it had done it a couple of times before, but it would correct itself after I would shut it down and re-start it. I was transporting it off of the job when it did it so I left it running (on the trailer) all the way to the dealer. I was thinking that it was an intermittent problem, and I wanted to make sure it was acting up in front of the dealer and his mechanics. After arriving at the dealer, and unloading, the mechanic got in the machine, played with the steering controller some, and turned the machine off and restarted it. Wheels were nice and straight, all in sync. The mechanic said that I just neede to reset them (by turning the machine off, and restarting). I was not too happy about that. I thought it was going to continue to be a problem, and that the mechanic had wasted a good opportunity to find the problem. When I asked him why this may be happening his response was that there may be water getting in to the connections. I called B.S. on that. I would think that the sealed connectors would prevent that, and if it was a problem Bobcat should have corrected it by then (many thousands of AWS units sold by '06). The machine had not left any codes either. Funny thing is that it has been years since that happened, and that was the last time it did that (to my knowledge). As far as the chains go, I have seen several A300, with the severe duty tires (is that what you mean by demo tires?), they are using Pewag square links (as am I). If you are running solid tires, than I have no suggestions as I have no experience. Tire/rim swapp may be your best answer but you must use A300 rims. They are the same as the S300 on the outside but they have a larger hub hole. The A300 has planetaries, so the rim has to have a bigger hole in the center. Lastly, don't forget that you can use as a skid steer, if you so choose, with the flip of a switch, and thay are supposed to be coming out with them in the "M" series too.
yaeh, severe duties by bobcat. i saw a guy that had michelins his , some special tire. ran them at 30 lbs
I wasn't going to respond to this message due to the fact that I am a little biased when it comes to brand, but one thing really jumped out at me and I just thought I would put it out there. You mentioned fuel consumption on the new M series Bobcats. If that is a concern for you (who doesn't like to save money on fuel!?), I would be worth your time to at least take a look at the Next Generation JCB Skid Steers and Track Loaders. In actual field tests (running at full RPM), the JCB machine (equivalent to the new M650) used .6 gal/hr less than the Bobcat, which was the next closest, followed by Cat then Deere. The JCB will run over 9 hours on a single tank, where the Bobcat was around 7.5 hrs. One of the main pushes for Bobcat's new cab forward design was to make room for future Tier 4a emissions compliance. They will be adding the necessary componentry for EGR very soon, as will all other manufacturers. JCB has actually developed technology to meet Tier 4b (not just a in 2011) emissions WITHOUT the use of any aftertreatment on their Dieselmax engine. Ok, now I'll take my "professional" hat off and give you my personal opinions. Bobcat obviously makes a great machine. They didn't become the market leader by doing otherwise. Before JCB developed this new Next Gen machine, I would not have even tried to compete or tell you that their skid would hang with a new Bobcat M-series. To be truthful, I was always a Case skid man, but these new JCB units are quite nice, and hands-down have the most impressive and comfortable cab I have ever seen. Go to www.jcbvision.com if you want to see the machines. At the bare minimum, it is worth 5 minutes of your time to check 'em out online. Oh, also, JCB actually purchased a Bobcat, Cat, and Deere machine to benchmark when developing their new skid (I have operated all three units side by side). I'll get off my soap box now!! Not trying to start a holy war, just my humble opinion.
i assume everyone here knows cat owns terex.
i have been impressed with jcb these days. so let me get this straight, jcbs dieselmax meets the final tier 4 2015 emmission standards right now? cuz that would be impressive. i fail to see how everyone would not want a jcb engine if thats the case.
@ Dave That's what they tell us. I know for sure Tier 4a, and at a recent training session on the Next Gen Skids, I asked Tier 4b in 2014 and they said yes as well, but time will only tell on that... Obviously this is an easier task on a 70-130 HP Dieselmax engine than, say, an 18L Cat, but every other manufacturer in the lower HP is using cooled EGR, but will probably have to go to SCR in '14.
No offense, but I think you really need to qualify your source who provided you with this tidbit because he/she is on crack ops Both Terex and CAT are two entirely different companies traded publicly on the stock market.
Cat does NOT, nor have they ever owned Terex. They had an agreement with ASV (who Terex bought) to provide undercarriage on their tracked skid steers. They did not own them.
ah i looked into it more and cat only owns the mining division of terex. my bad. http://www.bucyrus.com/news/article/20091220_21247.aspx http://www.bucyrus.com/news/article/20101115_71755.aspx
jcb??it's on Ok, for one i mentioned the fuel consumption based a s300 not a m series. i will look at the link you have provided, but i have to say while i chuckle....what??? if a guy wanted me to demo a jcb a would try it. put it this way. everybody else has given up trying to sell me other machines. cat, case, deere, and all the other ones. ,my dealer is awesome my bobcats take some major abuse, i can have parts the next day and they take care of me. i am not fond of waiting weeks for parts. knew a guy that had a jcb excavator and he blew a hose, i think by the time he got it the mice had moved in . thanks again
i have heard a lot of complaints about how long the tail is on the 650 m series. i do not understand y ppl have a problem with the tail swing if the machine is the same length as the machine it replaces. the 650 most certainly replaces the 873 by the way, which hasn't been made for a few years.
my dealer said the 750 is the machine i need. it still has the 12- 16.5's on it. bit i don't know
bobcat does not yet make a 750
750s & 770s should begin production in January, so my dealer says.
Ummmm...nope, wrong again. :beatsme Terex sold their mining division last year some time to Bucyrus(for about $1.3 billion)...Bucyrus was a very large mining equipment company...and then CAT bought ALL of Bucyrus this year. CAT never owned a part of Terex.
dgodgr-- my dealer traded in a 2008 a 300 for $25k. cab, heat, air. 108" hd snowplow.:Banghead he already sold it. that is a deal though!
Hey new guy here. Just ordered a A770 from my dealer here in Dgo. Not sure when it will be here. Dealer hopes for Jan. 17 but can't get answers from Bobcat on build date yet. Lame if you ask me. Spec sheet shows it with a 92hp kubota / V3800-DI-TE3 tier 3 which I was told will be changed out to a Tier 4 which could be the delay in bobcat giving my dealer a build / ship date. Ordered a 84" HF snowblower, 72" brush cat, and 80" heavy duty bucket. I have the spec sheets if you have questions. Can't wait to put it to work. First piece of equipment and I'm stoked!
I'll do it all in one post, please disregard this.
Hahaha, actually, Bucyrus owns the Terex mining division that they bought early this year. Cat doen't own them yet, they are in the process of trying to buy Bucyrus, but that still has a few hurdles to make it over before it's all a go.
I guess I got the cart ahead of the horse. Assuming the deal passes all the regulatory mumbo jumbo CAT will own Bucyrus.
Some of the rumblings I hear are that the BI employees may try lobbying the government or the shareholders to block the deal to try and save their jobs. I guess we'll know what's going to happen in a little while.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-...er-caterpillar-takeover-offer.html?cmpid=yhoo
First, let me say that I think the new JCBs look sweet. I've been waiting for a machine to really remake the industry -- I thought recent Deeres have been good, but the new JCBs are it. Reliability aside (no one really knows yet), they look great. What where the machines doing? In what material where they digging? Did all units have AC on? Same tire pressures? Same bucket? Were the operators comfortable with their machine? As for running on a single tank, I could make a machine that could run five days if it has a 50 gallon tank. (Note: I haven't looked at the specs, but some large frames in the past had 21 gallons while others had 26 or 28 -- this last comment is based on that.) Will be interesting to see the new technology. The issue isn't necessarily whether the JCB unit can hang with the competition in demos -- it's also the dealer that brings the machine to the demo. Is there going to be a JCB dealer? Cat's C-series strategy has shown that customers still value a basic machine with good dealer access and a good price, so no matter how good JCB's machine is, the support is going to have to deliver, too. JCB is a leader (if not the leader) in the UK, but fresh product isn't the only thing that's necessary here in the States. Nevertheless, it's refreshing to see this machine. I'm really hoping that Cat can match (that's my brand bias. ).
I think the new Case and New Holland machines have a certain M series look to them.
does anyone know where pics of new case and nh pics r? it seems like nothing to do with farming is on the internet until after the new machines r at the dealership. does anyone know when bobcat is releasing the smaller than s650 skids?
I have copies of the PDF files for them, but they're too big to post here.
The machines were doing similar work with the same size tires @ mfg. recommended settings. It was 90 degrees in Savannah, GA, so I assume that all units had A/C running. They were doing "Endurance Testing" in which the machines never shut off....just changed operators. They hand enough operators that they were able to rotate between the different brands and also rest (obviously!). The truth about the operator comfort actually surprised me. They rated the Cat the lowest out of all of them (I think Cat has a pretty nice cab, but haven't ran one for 10 hours a day), Deere next, then Bobcat. That is obviously un-quantifiable data and only opinion based, but still interesting. I agree with you 100% on your statement about the dealer. I don't care what brand you buy/sell, if your dealer doesn't know sh*t from shinola, it doesn't matter how well the product performs. Someone else earlier in this thread mentioned something about waiting for parts....I don't care what brand you are selling (I have experience with multiple manufacturers), there are always going to be situations where parts availability is an issue. I believe the example he gave was a hose for an excavator. If that were me, I would have ordered the fittings and crimped the hose for the customer rather than waiting, but maybe the dealer hadn't invested in a sufficient hose crimper suitable to handle high pressure excavator hoses???? Again, a lot of issues come down to the dealer, both good and bad. Anyway, like you said, should be interesting to see.
It sounds like you have a great relationship with your dealer, good for you. I commend and respect a guy who values that relationship more than the decals on the machine, no matter the brand. So many people these days only care about what something is going to cost them and don't see the whole picture.
bobcats and the competition thanks for all the great feedback . this has been a great thread. please keep the info coming
looks fecking cold
yeah the weather has been a bit rough. not super cold. lot's of snow.
We have 9 Bobcats mostly all 2008-9 250s and 300s. We bought a M series S650 and it's operation is impressive. The foot controls are very touchy and quick...alot quicker than the older models. The rear of the machine seems alot longer as the operator position seems to be a bit more up front. Just have to watch reverse turning near walls thats all. A few hours on the machine will fix that. Apart from that the interior is very functional...it seems to be a tad louder than the last models.....we have the door on this one which seems to be a bit easier to see as it's a constant round piece of glass. All in All we have 16 BOBCAT machines. Including 9 bobcats, 2 323 Excavators, and 5 435's. All get worked very hard in the heat and the cool. I've been looking after them for 2.5 years now. Few run-of-the-mill problems but basically Trouble free operation.
any of the skids have joysticks? 2 speed? how many hours do you put on a machine a year?
None of our machines have 2 speed purely because we dont do alot of long distance traveling with them. No joysticks either, Just to keep everything pretty well standard. The boys dont really like anything different. Each machine i would say would have 850-1200 hours a year put on them. Not a great deal really. We get rid of our machines around 3500-4000hours. The last S300 we got rid of had 3700hours and operated no different than a new one.
So... S250 vs. S650 -- which is better?
My personal opinion....The S650 is excellent. It's a refreshment that bobcats needed and they didn't go rediculous. It's slightly different than what were all used to but i think it's something we're willing to buy. It's the New S250-300 that im sure will have the same amount of success. HOWEVER, when we go back for a couple more machines mid this year, if they have any S250-S300 left in stock we'll be taking them off their hands first.
bobcats :usayeah, i am in the same boat. i would love an a300. but a s300 is my choice. i have three. and they all run like champs. they do not break down. always start. don't leak. love em:usa:usa:usa
yup my local dealer is sending me to north carolina at the end of feb to tour the skidsteer plant we havent bought any cat skid steers due to the control setub all of my guys run foot controls not that goofy joystick crap lol
they flew me up to gwinner a few years ago and it was awesome. i love seeing the stuff made in the good ole u.s.a
You must have flown into Gwinner International Airport! I grew up about 60 miles north of there. Still cant bring myself to own a Bobcat but its an important part of the North Dakota economy especially in that part of the State.
gwinner ksss- i think i would own a cat or even better a deere before a case skid steer. l.o.l. just playing- i love my 850h- works every day . always starts. there is not much of a presence from the case dealer in my area so i haven't really ever run their skiddies. i do know they make a good machine.:usa:usa:usa
We may not agree on skid steers, but we agree on Sumitomo excavators.:cool2
As far as new models are concerned ..... the new M series version of the A-300 was just released ....they call it the A-770 .... it has 92 hp v/s the old 81hp and has a higher rated lift capacity, with all of the usual M stuff added as well .... will be checking into that one when it hits the dealers One thing I do know is that the extra Hp will be a great asset .....I had my A-300 bumped up another 10-15 hp last year and WOW what an improvement ... esp whem running the hi-flo attachments ..... seen the diff in my stump grinder it doesn't stall anymore ...... on my mulcher it maintains the rpm a lot better ..... on my commercial snowblower it just chuggs away at them heavy snow banks now with out stalling ...... when I told my BC rep what I did , he thought I was on Crack .... Hmmmm now look what they did .....92hp ...... I am totally HAPPY with the all wheel steer and would never own another that didn't have it .... gonna check out the A-770 soon
I personally love the look and specs of the new S850 bit big but heaps of power and lift hight mm i want one. But i must say had a look at the new case loaders and they look pretty awesome.
the new skid steers i guess we will get to see all the new stuff in a month. i would like to see the case. not much interested in a cat, deere.. or anything else for that matter. just my personal opinion.
I see CASE released their C series excavator, is Link Belt following suit with their version of the C series as well?
diggin up an old thread i don't know on the new link belt hoes. i will be at my dealers on friday for an open house and will see what is happening. what does everyone think of the 2011 skid steers and who likes what and why?
Ive got 90 hours on my 2011 Bobcat T-870 and I love it more every hour. Unless I have the forestry cutter hooked up it will dig and/or push at not much more than an idle.
I have 20 hours in a 2011 A770. The M-Series is very nice. I am totally happy with my bobcat. Air-Ride seat, AC makes for a much more enjoyable day.
Check out the new Kubota track loaders. Look great to me. But we love our Bobcats. [old style, have not tried the M series].
I am presently working a deal on a new 2012 T770.....I really liked the machine. The biggest difference I noticed right alway was that compared to my John Deere "D" series tracked machine was that I had much better visibility. I could see that full length of the tracks on either side and the view out the back was fantastic. The cab was bigger. The cab forward design is nice. The machine was just an all around better unit in my opinion. Hopefully I can make it happen. I am slowly converting all of my John Deere's construction Equipment over to Bobcat , and thats something I thought I would never say.....My two boys who work the Pa. Gas fields are too very impressed with the Bobcat "M" series machines. :usa
The M770 is a very nice machine but there is a couple of things that drive me nuts with the way the engineers designed the front end. The first thing is the tilt cylinders on the M770. They have run the hydraulic steel pipes along the side of the tilt cylinders towards the front allowing debris like concrete, logs etc that come over the top of the bucket to easily be pinched on these pipes. I'm not sure why they did not use the same design as the older T series machines where the pipeing runs along the back side of the tilt cyclinder eliminating this type of issue. All of my T320's and T300s have the pipeing protected by running to the back but not the M series machines. Another thing that bothers me is the way they have run the Bobtach hose. In the T series machines the bobtach hoseing runs down the side of the arms and comes up to the bobtach where the bottom tilt pin is keeping the hoses close to the side of the machine. Now on the M series machines they run the hoses directly in the middle between the two pins so now whenever a peice of mud or concrete falls over the bucket it always gets snagged on that hose where as before the debris would just fall through. The last pet peeve is the greasing nipple for the bobtach. For as long as I remember they have always been on the side of the tach. You could always get to them with a bucket on but you had to clean the mud but no bug deal. Now they have put the nipple on the back of the bobtach between the loader arm and the bobtach in a small little hole. This hole piles up with mud ect and turns to concrete because the mud ect is constantly being pinched into this little hole between the arm and the tach and you have to take the bucket off and lean the tach forward to get at the nipple. I have seen that bobcat on the newer M series machines just coming off the line have changed the greasing nipple back to the old style from the side. Now if they would just look at their tilt cylinders and bobtach hose. The rest of the machine is pretty nice a little worried about the large window that comes so low in the front and I have heard of an increase in window breakage. Not a huge fan of where they have placed the radio just ahead of the control arms next to your right knee. A little difficult to access the functions and keeps getting mud on the radio from your boots getting in and out of the machine. The rest of the machine seems to be real nice. The last complaint seems to me the idle is set fast on the machines at nearly 1500 rpms. I turned it down a bit and it seems fine.