Hello all, I have an '06 Takeuchi Tl150 that is about done for. (OVER 8000 Hours) It has been a great machine but with the hours on it and the extended time it has been in the shop lately I have been on the hunt for a new machine. I am no spring chick and getting in and out of the TL150 is becoming harder and harder. I have some physical limitations. Without making this post longer than it should I LOVE the TL150 the thing is a tank. It has impressed me more times than I can count. I am looking at the JCB teleskid for ease of getting in and out. although the only people I can find with real world experience with the dang things are the salesman. I have searched the forums here and there is some discussion of the teleskid boom but I cannot seem to find real people who have run these machines. there are quite a few used ones for sale around the 5-700 hour mark. that seems to be a red flag to me, shouldn't there be more of a used market with higher hours one them or are people so impressed with them they keep them forever. (or get rid of them at under 1000 hours because they suck) Anybody who has really worked one of these machines in the past willing to share experiences? Thanks in Advance.
Do you have a local JCB dealer close to you?
No experience with the JCB, but I can tell you the new Kubota machines are very easy to get in and out, some of the best I've seen. First time I sat in one I was basically sold, I work by myself and have to get in and out many times a day.
I have the same questions about the teleskid. I want it for moving snow and the extra distance of the bucket would be helpful as well as the ability to see what's happening when backdragging driveway materials. I am over 70 years old. The side door is a Huge draw. The majority of the machines I see for sale are from rental places. I'm guessing they rent them out until they sell them and then put new ones in their fleet. I have seen a few with 2600 or 3800 hours on them which leads me to believe that people keep them quite a while. Utube videos have mixed opinions but leaning toward positive.
Aside from the telescoping boom, there are some advantages to the side entry, certainly safety, you can get out with the boom up without having to lock it like everyone else's machine. Don't have to step over the attachment and so forth. The issue is the rest of the machine. They have worked on the mono boom design since the 90's. I am not sure where they currently stand but historically it has been a series of painful lessons. Volvo tried to partner with JCB and they ended that association. The quality of the machine has always been an issue. I would without a doubt make sure if you buy one to get an extended warranty. Never run one, I do see a few around, I think builders seem to gravitate toward them for lifting material as sort of a small telehandler. I have not seen a dirt contractor with one, at least here.
The extended warranty seems like good advice. A couple of the complaints I've read about on some slightly older machines >> nuts are not locknuts or tight in some places especially the door latch. For the 2023 year they have changed the door frame and hopefully the latch. One person recommended taking the plastic cover off the inside of the latch immediately cause it's hard to do thru the window when the door is stuck shut. Another '23 improvement is a glass over head window cause the plastic got foggy. This makes me think people keep them a while because it takes a while for the plastic to get foggy.
Dealer support will be key to owning one. NEVER have seen one in my area much less more than one or two regular track machines. The town where I used to operate out of bought one of the track machines and have had nothing but issues and the dealer they bought it from are gone. Now they need to go 1.5 hours to get to a dealer. It a shame they can’t figure out the dependability part of them, they seem like a machine with potential and the side door looks great. I would agree though, the Kubota and Takeuchi are the next best things with the roll up door.
The government thinks the teleskid is worth an investment... for whatever that's worth. JCB awarded $39 million contract with united states marine corps (USMC) for more than 200 Teleskids | News | JCB.com The United States Marine Corps has chosen JCB’s 3TS-8T Teleskid, over conventional skid steer designs for its Multi-Terrain Loader Replacement Program. The initial delivery order is for $19 million, and JCB projects first delivery to the Marine Corps prior to the end of the year. www.jcb.com
jarheads gonna twist those booms like a damn pretzel in less than a week, bet on it
I don't have any experience with the teleskid either, but I got similar feedback about the reliability of the regular JCB track loaders when I was looking into getting one. What are the key features/requirements in a machine you are looking for?
Like the saying goes... they will either break it, lose it or get it pregnant. The telescoping boom is likely the one aspect of the machine that keeps it going. So for the military moving conex boxes and staking supplies it would make a lot of sense. Since JCB are the only ones doing it on a CTL, they don't have to compete with anyone else on a contract that specs tracks and teleboom. There are compact wheel loaders that have a teleboom but I am not aware of another CTL that does. They can exit the machine with the boom up, a big selling part of it as well.