I will soon be looking for a skid steer. I have used a CAT skid steer, and loved the way the controls were all in joysticks. My question is, what other brands use a simular design joystick controls? to me it dose not make much sense to controll the bucket functions with your feet, seems like you would have much more controll with your hands!! Now this is just my opinion. any recomendations on a joystick controled machine would be great!!!
Nearly all of the manufacturers at least offer joysticks as an option, and you have a choice of patterns on some. New Holland, Bobcat, Case, Volvo, Komatsu and I believe John Deere all offer joysticks in their machines. My personal preference is Cat, I've found their controls to be smoother and more precise which leads to better production. I have to admit though it's been a few years since I've run some of the other machines and there may have been improvements since then.
I would stay away from the deere joysticks from what I have heard. According the a local salesman they are still working the bugs out of them. We demoed one in November. The thing was terribly jumpy! I never could get use to it. It all seems to be personal preference when it comes to skid controls. They all accomplish the same goal, just depends on what you get use to. For me I love my Case controls!!
I wouldn't be too quick to rule out the Deere. They changed the calibration procedure late last fall and it's totally different than the initial run. From what I was told, any of the early build units can be updated. Anything beats the 2 second delay (seems like) and unpredictability of the Bobcat joysticks. Had to spend a couple days in a s250 last fall. I've never been so p***ed at a machine in my life.
I am looking for a used skidsteer. So NEW stuff isnt an option. I realy want a CAT, But any good machine with good power and joysticks will do. I saw a used 06 GEHL on the side of the rode today, the thing was HUGE I mean HUGE, not sure the model, but they wanted 36K for it. that is way over my budget. I would like to spend 15K-20K
What are you looking to do with the machine? Most machines relatively low-hour, used machines will have decent controls, so the "right fit" may be more of what you want to do than what joysticks you'll want to have.
I love Gehl T bar controls. The only time I think I would rather have the joysticks is when I am driving it down the road very far.
I work for a equipment rental house and have driven just about all of the brands out there and i personally thing that a Gehl skid steer with joystick control and rubber tracks is your best bet, also Takuchu is the company that makes all the Gehl track skid steers (just a different color) so if you can find one of those they are also very good machines and very easy to operate.
I have 2 Bobcat T300 and I prefer the hand controls. I also have a bobcat A220 with joy stick, I really don't like joy stick controls. The reason I don't like the joy stick controls is I like to be able to feel how much power I'm putting to the drive motors by pushing on the levers, IMHO I don't get that same feel from the joy sticks. I also feel that in close in areas (working around foundations) to me it feels like there is a slight lag in and or jerkyness with starting an stopping. These are just my opinions I'm sure others have different experiences.
Love CAT joystick controls, hand+feet Bobcat controls. Old Case mechanical over hydros are ok, but the electric over hyro is a bit too touchy for me. Gehl has an E over H Case style control, but I was told by the salesmen the hoses can be rerouted(2 I think) to run in CAT control as opposed to Case. The 7800 Gehl is a beast, the first time i ran the bucket up all the way I didn't think it was going to stop. 12' reach or something like that. Impressive. CAT steering stick is really dependant on running the throttle full tilt, and can be a little hesitant. If it has a throttle lever and footpedal, I use the foot pedal only when getting in the tight spots. Carrying material or grading I use the lever and go balls out.
Buying a skid steer Hey guys, I need some advise. I want to replace my tractor with a skid steer. I use it for removing snow, fire wood, lifting large logs, clearing brush lots, and misc lifting and dirt removal/digging. I do not have any tight areas to worry about, and would like a larger machine. I have looked at the Gehl 7600/7800, bobcat 863/873/963, case 90xt/95xt, NH LS190/LX985 and was wondering which would be the best built and most reliable machine to buy. I am sure they all are large enough for what I want to do so I not worried about performance as much as quality. Thanks.
Are you looking to buy new or used?
I'd say you should at least look at a Cat unit , whether you want new or used. There are some tremendous deals out there right now on used Cat skid steer loaders.
Used I am looking for a used, but newer skid steer. Thanks
I am new to this forum but not new to operating skidsteers. I have had extensive experience with all of the control types. I absolutely despise foot controls on Bobcats... especially on rough terrain. It seems like you're trying to do too much and there is no payoff. The battle, as it seems, is between the Cat and Case controls. The conversion from a Case to Cat controls is very easy... the conversion from Cat to Case controls can be frustrating. As for ease of operation you should really prefer the Cat controls simply because you can drink coffee in the morning while you drive. Case requires both of your hands at all times. With both you can do a good job of anything though... I just find Cat to be much easier to work with. That said, I am operating a Cat 272C set to Case controls (my company did that... not me. I would change it back if I could). There was another question about which machine to buy. i don't know anything about Gehl... but avoid the New Holland for now. They are hard to work on with no pay off. A Case 95XT is a nice machine if you don't plan to do any major work but most of the ones you find will be older and with less power. If you want a powerful machine, look into the Case 465. Can I say, OMG? These machines have tremendous lift, they are not long but still back heavy, their quick attach is a dream, and it's easy to maintain for the most part (except for the air filter placement is awkward). A problem with these machines is that the Air Conditioner doesn't last... the hoses in the back kink and rub. They blow... As I mentioned earlier, I run a Cat 272C right now. The talk about their cabs being sealed is true. No dust gets in. Just be careful with the door though because the glass is kinda easy to break (I've broken a couple doors... at $1400 a pop that's not cheap). The AC is awesome, the quick attach is good, some of the nipples are awkward to get to, BUT the air ride seat and the joysticks are worth all of that trouble I think. One other problem we had with this machine is that dirt tended to roll behind the bucket in the middle... and there was a spot for it to sit nicely. Quite annoying. My mechanic built a plate to cover that up to avoid unnecessary trouble like that though. ok this got too long. I hope it helps.
How do you find the 272C compared to the 465? Overall, if you hadn't run the 465 (to have a comparison to the 272C), what are your impressions of the 272C's performance?
It's a good question. When I went from the 465 to the 272C I wasn't convinced that the Cat was a better machine. Now that I've logged a thousand hours on the Cat, I can say that I much prefer it for many reasons. First, the power difference is negligible. Second, there is NO replacement for a nice luxurious cab (air ride seats, AC, cup holder, better joy sticks, and MUCH MUCH quieter machine than the 465). That's actually an important point. The 465 you need ear protection... the Cat is so quiet. The cab is SO nice... and the windows still slide. The Cat's bucket is further ahead too so you can see better what you're doing but it's a bit longer a machine. I work in some tight areas but the Cat still gets around quite nicely so it's not a problem. (also, cat control are easier) The Case 465's controls are stiffer, the AC is problematic in my exp, the cab is not sealed and the windows get gummed up easily. It's loud, but very powerful. I would say it has a bit more power than the Cat. On the plus side for the Case, they have mastered the ride control for this machine. It is a dream. If the Cat had a ride control system like this it wouldn't even be a contest...and of course it's case controls (up to your preference) Don't get me wrong. Both are very very nice machines for different reasons. If it all came down to it, I like the Cat 272C better. Does that help?
It does. I've always been under the impression that the 272C couldn't quite keep up with a good 3,000+ ROC SSL, and your impressions (especially since you have both set up as H-style controls) help support that. That being said, glad you like the 272C!
Deere offers , Cat Style, Case Style and foot control.
I've run both the Cat C series and the Deere E/H controls. I'd say they're about a horse apiece. I do like the smoothness when turning better on the Deere. They speed up the outside wheels/track instead of slowing down the inside. Takes the jolt out of the machine when turning. Only negative I saw with the Deere is that you have to have a lot of throttle to get ground speed, which isn't that big of deal I guess if you're running with the foot throttle. Either one is miles ahead of BC's joysticks IMO.
I have owned a 277B and a 287B.. I did a demo on a T320 with the joysticks and found it to be no CAT. I like CAT the best, the sticks require very little movement and are smooth! I am in the proccess of trading the 287B for a 289. The 289 sticks are now elec/hyd but still operate great!
Welcome to the Heavy Equipment Forums Dr.W. We'll be counting on some pics of that 289.
It would be my pleasure, in about to two! Located in Houston Texas.. Cheers mate!
I would pick CAT... newer model even have air suspension seats... plus the track suspension... smoooth ride on every surface.... bigger rocks tend to ride rough... Ours have buckets that are 6" wider than the tracks foot print 3" each side..Helps keep stuff away from tracks We have a 247 and 257... the 247 faster than the 257.... they have the same engine... the weight difference slows the 257 .. Excellent for grading less aggressive tread than others Snow removal WOW I like a tooth bucket for every application, they are mounted on top of the cutting edge Tracks were rated for 1000 hrs average, maybe higher now... the first set I got 1900 hrs, I put about 1800 of that on the machine. After they started using on different jobsites the 2nd set only made it to 1100 hours... most likely do to the first time operators that say yes, but don't have a clue. The 247 we have is fuel thirsty.. it will only run 8 hrs working it hard all day... an extra 2 gallons tank would have been nice. 257 has a bigger tank so fuel issue not a problem. Just a pain if the foremans not around to fuel...
CAT is my machine of choice..My 277B was a great machine and I traded to a 287B to get a little more lift. I was aware of the track ajustment problems, but got a great buy on the machine because the C series coming into service. I have 700 hrs on the 287B and will make 1000hrs on the first set of tracks. This is however the reason that the machine will be replace with a 289 in the next few weeks. I lift a lot of large trees and do heavy underbush. The Mitsubishi engine has great power, is quite and the fuel numbers are great. 3.2gph when running full throttle for the brush mover and loading debris with the foot throttle is about half that!
case 40 xt anyone know where to head with this? pull safety bar down,start ok ,but wont move at all.to tip cab up so i can see and get at things in there ,loader has to be all the way up to tilt cab,but nothing moves.im assuming it something to do with rods under there.any ideas?thanks cam
Welcome to the forum fordshipper. :usa Be patient and maybe someone can help with your problem. We got a couple of good Case techs here on the forum. If you get in 3 posts on the forum, after a short time, you will be able to start your own thread.
Does the 40XT have a seat switch?
The cab on 465 is poor compared to the new CAT cab and the new CASE cab. Comparing the Series 3 CASE with a C series Cat is more equal. I have owned 2 95XTs and my current 465. I have not found a machine equal to the 465 yet.........from a performance standpoint. It has been trouble free until last week when the digital dash went crazy at just over 1000 hours, $304.00 for a new one. The AC has been fine so far. The Series 3 makes up for the shortcomings of the original 400 series. I feel strongly that the Series 3 improvements should have been intoduced with the 400 series. I would like to trade up to Series 3 but that is put on hold until things turn around. I cant say enough about what the 465 does for my business. I use a forestry mulcher on it, load trucks, lot of concrete demo, its a well built machine, but in original 400 series dress it could be more comfortable.
I prefer the hand and foot controls as well. I been telling people for years I feel like im getting more power out of the machine when pushing on the levers. People tell me im crazy . But I know im right.. Also i was in a newer t320 with the joysticks not to long ago and they seem to have worked all the bugs out it didnt have a delay which was nice..
277b I see that you upgraded from the 277b for more lift. Do you mean to lift more weight or to lift higher? I just picked up a 277b (got a great deal) and we don't know much about it. It will need a new track and many of the rollers. How much is that going to set us back? We need the machine to move 3000lb pallets around our yard among other things.
I don't think there is such a thing as a great deal on a used MTL. The costs to keep them up are huge. If you paid in the low teens which is what they seem to bring on the used market when the tracks and rollers are bad, you will spend 50-75% of your purchase price on replacing the suspension and track components.
Yep Yea, you couldn't be more right. If I had to guess how this plays out I would expect that rather than getting a great deal we will be saving about 3-5k off of what a fully ready to go unit would sell for from a dealer. However, our machine will have spent 3 weeks in the shop getting fixed while the other machine would be out earning. So at the end of the day its probably a wash. We will however have new tracks, rollers, and some attachments and we will know the work was done correctly. But no "super good" deals on these things. J
I own two Case skid steer's now (420 and a 445) and am seriously debating a 3rd (tracked unit). I am looking at lightly used units, and there seem to be a lot more Cat's than Case out there to choose from. I was wondering how the control's differ (I've never run a Cat) and this thread has been very helpful to me... especially Dissident's information. Thanks guys.:notworthy
The CAT B series and CASE 400 series from 2006.5 until now use pilot controls. The same Rexroth control system is used in both only CASE did a better job on putting the system together IMHO. Its much more smooth. CATs C series uses EH controls. Go to Equipment Alley.com to check out some CASE machines.
I personally like the std Case h controls. 1 more post
I do also. Both my 400 series machines are servo and they are low effort, not as low as pilots but it they offer very good feel and responsiveness.
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This thread is pretty interesting. My first look at the skid steer section. In the excavator section opinions on CAT are very mixed with lots thinking they are overpriced hype. Here, CAT seems to rule. I own a CAT as well, a 257b mtl. We looked at a bunch of different units and brands, and once you run a cat mtl, you never want to run anything else. The controls are smooth as glass, and at that time they had track suspension which makes it a world above anything else. Really happy with that unit. The tracks will cost a fortune one day, but i wouldn't be without them. They make it possible to do so much more work, far more than tires allow.
I am new to this forum, I hate to steal your thread but there seem to be some cat people here. I just bought a 226 cat skid steer, cheap. The guy didn't know what was wrong with it but the right side won't work, in otherwords the left tires will turn and all the machine does is go right. He said it was running and just quit. The Hydraulic fluid looks dirty but it is not low, motor runs great all other functions work perfectly. Oh yea the hydraulic light is on not sure what it means. I would take it to a dealer but can't load it with one side turning and I really don't want to pay a service call. Any ideas?
Anybody ever seen hand controls installed on top of drive sticks on an old Bobcat 843 for the bucket and boom with cables? If so, how well did they work?