im looking for a mid size regular tail swing machine im thinking either the cat 313f, a john deere 130, volvo 140, that's my final 3 for choices ive demoed all of them but cat stands alone for the dealer and the deere and volvo dealer aint to far away from each other but anyone have any feedback on those machines ? mostly the cat 313f not the GC
I think you would be happy with a Volvo, imho they are very smooth. No jerky operation makes for easier grading. The only thing I can say that puts Cat ahead is parts support. You won't likely have to wait for parts to ship in from all over the world. Volvo has made improvements, still not quite there yet. Komatsu not an option? No dealer, or just not in the running?
the dealer was not interested in me john deere wasn't really that interested either but they did give me a demo machine. yeah the volvo I did like little more then the cat because for some reason it felt a little slow to me
I would share also that the 140 is a shade on the light side. The 160 seems to be the all around mid size machine. At least up here they are. With the introduction of zero swing, it's hard to consider the larger conventional machines when the zero swings are so nimble and stable. I was amazed the first time I hopped in a 235. Incredible stability. Just my 2 cents, for free even. Good luck in whatever you choose.
are the zero tail swings stable like the regular swing machine ?
Very stable. You would think that they would be tippy. Through the magic of engineering and mathematics they are all but glued down. My only complaint is that everything is so tightly packed in, there's very little room to work on anything. The biggest issue is engine repair. Step 1 remove counterweight. Aside from that ugly bit, they are unbelievable.
Could you emphasize this a bit more please! LOL
well I looked and call volvo im get to demo the 145 little more weight then the 140 but beyond that be a good demo just gotta to find a job good enough to demo it on now
I have the larger 325FL and 321DLCR which are both 50K reduced radius hoes - love them. Very stable, strong machines that perform well in the tight spaces we work in. Personally I don't want a conventional swing hoe on any machine less than 80K lbs. However the reduced swing radius machines are more expensive to purchase so that is something to take into consideration. If a conventional hoe will perform the majority of your work then a reduced radius machine might be money wasted. What kind of work do you do?
And on top of it all, you have the option of a dozer blade also, on some models. If that something that might be useful, maybe ask about that as well.
I ran a 313 Gc quite a bit the relief valves had issues when you demand a lot of multi function on the 3 different ones I ran the normal 313 I ran for a half hour still seemed to be a bit clunky at times I have ran a 135 deere a lot that's an awesome machine the 130 i ran for a day seemed to perform the same way and that beats the heck out cat since the days of the 312s if If you get an orange 130 it will have the isuzu engine and they will almost make fuel
right now since my first commercial job went down the drain and the profit was basically nothing I mostly do driveways, house pads, clearing, small commercial site development, hauling, demo, your basic stuff I don't do septic or large commercial. I got 2 weeks and I start on a basically 5 mile stump pulling job for the DOT. I think the zero tail swing will do great for this since ill be near power poles and the road.
ehhhh im not sure about that one Id have to think about that
ive ran the GC one and I dint enjoy it but the orange 130 or the 135 might be nice to if the dealer starts caring about me a little more within the next few weeks
It's never good when the dealer doesnt care but it sounds like you might need a better salesman
I can find zero operational or situational (should've bought a conventional) issues with my 314DLCR and 314ELCR machines, with rubber pads and blade, except the counterweight must be removed for some things (starter and ac compressor). They have proven themselves over and over again.
It's an option, just trying to make you aware of it, in case it was something that might be of use. As opposed to a different piece of equipment
yeah id like to have the sales guy from volvo then id get somewhere with deere
No doubt. There is no reason to chase someone down to spend your money. If they treat you like this as a potential customer then it'll probably be X2 or worse after the sale. Never ran a hoe with a blade on it other than a mini. A blade can be handy as a shirt pocket on a mini, I would like to demo one on a 130/314 size machine.
so biggest down side is having to remove the counterweight if that's all then ill go with a zero tail swing
hmmm well it be handy when the dozer aint around plus doing pond repairs might save me it works good on my Kubota so ill ask about the price on it
that is true I wanted to try the link belt/case but the dealer here isn't great so I dint even bother to go up there. the Komatsu guys they like to sell to two larger companies and dint even send a sales person out to talk to me ended up saying the hell with it after a little and went on towards volvo and deere to talk
Having a blade on a 130 size machine is like having an e stick on a backhoe once you have it you dont understand how you lived all these years without it and you will never be satisfied without one again It wont replace a dozer by any means but it is a game changer
Same goes for the rubber track pad overlays. I've moved the rubber overlays to the next set of rails on at least two of them, so far. In our line of work, rails on a 314 last between 5 & 6k hours. We run them everywhere. Through hot asphalt, rip rap, road millings, 2B, shale, shot rock, and, yes they look seasoned, but, I'd never get one without again. Only place they underperform is packed snow and ice. Heck, I even have rubber pad overlays on my 328DLCR machines. $11k for them, plus labor and holes in grousers, on a 328DLCR, and I know i have saved at least 3 times that much in road damage since putting them on.
my backhoe could use a upgrade e stick and a cab and a better unit
those id like to have because some jobs im on seem to be right down the road and it be much easier to walk it down the road instead of trucking it down
I think the Sumitomo excavators are certainly worth a demo. I am not sure what the dealer issues are there, but I would demo the machine and see what you think compared to the ones you demoed. Both Link Belt and CASE are now identical, simply comes down to what color you want. I think the control system on the X3 and X4 is outstanding. I have spend a lot of time in the CASE 235 zero tail and like others have mentioned, even with a thumb, big bucket and coupler they are just amazingly stable. The cabs are more roomy then they used to be on the zero tails. I would at least demo one and let the machine speak for itself.
ill demo this volvo and then call the case dealer after words because who doesn't love a good demo
LOL! It doesn't happen all that often for me that I can demo a new purchase, and running different machines is eye opening sometimes. If nothing else its free hours.
right now there is large growth in north Carolina and the companies seem to wanna sell to companies now if that's smart on their part that's a different story but if they wanna let me demo machines who am I to tell them no because if I buy from them its the only free time ill ever get with it