So I have been considering upgrading my case 75xt non-cab unit to something with a cab. The machine I have is so well made I hate to consider letting it go with only 1600 hrs on the clock. It gets a full days work on just 13 gallons and has done everything thing I ask of it. Crying aside, I have begun a search for a cab unit. First I went to case and thought I was going to strike a deal right away for the sv280 or the sv300. The case dealer got pissed when I told him I was going to buy it and I would meet up with him the next week and I did not, I double checked his price and found another dealer was selling the same units for 5k less. He reworked his price and we agreed to meet on the phone the following week to sign a contract. In the process of that we were getting a farm card for the tax and the state is behind so I put him off a second time. He then got really upset and decided to go up on his price due to his boss relooking over his numbers. Of course I did not agree to his new price and walked out. I then went and saw cat, tak, and mustang. All machines are top of the line units with almost the same pricing. The tak dealer took me to the tak holding area and I got to demo the new ts80v2. I got to hammer on the 70 and 80 unit. Tak had a very knowledgeable man on site to answer my questions and I grilled him. The amount of machines they have is beyond mind boggling. More to come...
The ts70 model currently has a mechanical setup perkins diesel with dial gauges and pretty much no computers. It does not have a high flow option. Very close in design to my older 75xt. The 80v2 has a computer controled deutz diesel with an lcd engine display. It has a lower entry front door as well as a few more mods that they improved on. Both units are stated to have about the same amount of power. The cabins seemed to be sealed up pretty tight. I got into a fair amount of dust and the air stayed clean on the inside. The pilot controls seemed to be the same as my tl150 so I really liked that. The 80 unit has a larger radiator and would roll up to almost 3000 rpms. The loader arms seemed to be well thought out with very easy entry. The arms are also supported by the chassis to re inforce them while digging. Case is using an adjustable height design which seems weaker than the tak in several areas, and much weaker than the 75xt. I also decided to take a ride down to Yancey cat, they have a loaded 262d cat sitting in the show room. For less money. It's loader arms are designed like a mini 953, they look awesome. I liked it but I don't want all the ec/eh controls. Cat stated it's less leak points. I also did not like getting in the door it did not open far enough. And I have looked at the kubota ssv75
Some body working at kubota has there ducks in a row. The cab and motor look great. I will not buy it with the bobcat hand and foot controls however. They stated pilots might be on the way.
Georgia Iron...you might be interested to know that ASV, LLC actually makes the wheeled skid units for Tak. For some more info on ASV, LLC, refer to this thread: HeavyEquipmentForums
a friend of mine tried to buy a tl8 open cab this week in charlotte and they told him that it would be july delivery.
StumpyWally, that is good info. Thanks. clintm, I saw so many tl-8s, it was unreal. A lot of the tractors in the pics were being put together in someway. So I am not sure... Also a lot of them are sold. Both of those building's in pictures were FULL. ACRE's of tractors stacked almost as tight as you could get them, under cover. Hundreds and I would guess maybe thousands. I did not get to see them all. It was too far to walk and look. I think tak machines and terex machines are the same except for the paint. New hollands look like case. It seems to me so far based on what I have seen is the following. sv280/sv300 Case - most power / torque / nice side lights / 3 year best warranty 262d Cat - coolest loader arms / nice cab / no demo yet. 1 year warranty ts80v2 Tak - good pilots controls / very nice belly pan under the cab / very good front door and view / open cab with loader arms down/ 2 yr full warranty ssv75 kabota - very neat engine compartment / neat fan set up / open cab with loader arms down/ wide open cab / awesome front roll up door / very cool ac venting / nice bucket mounting plate looks like 3/4" steel, seems also like some 1/2 plate in the loader arms, seems well built over all like my case 75 xt. / easy open reclose rear window /1 yr warranty I am going to demo a cat and kabota.
Here are some closer pics of a terex.
Here are some case sv280 pics. Next to the 14 year old 75xt
So here a few questions I have been reading about and things I guess that concern me. Case - Are the new loader arms and bucket mounting plates strong enough to not break with extreme use. Kubota - what are its weak spots? When are they going to put the dang pilots out? Tak / terex - What are its problems areas? Does it have weak arms and bucket mounting plates? Cat - Are there new machines better than the problem machines of the past? Is the ec/eh controls a big problem with owner maintenance after the short warranty is up? Are any of these new machines going to take the pounding the 75xt has lived through? My machine is 14 years old and it has 3.9 liter, non turboed, 193 ft lbs of torque little monster.. It still specs out stronger than some of these new machines and the old girl will run all day long on just 13 gallons of any diesel off road etc... and it still just weights 6700 lbs, with all the beefy frame work. What in the heck is causing these new machines to weight so much but the loader arms and bucket plates look like they are 1/2 the strength. Where is the extra 1300 pounds of weight?
Yep, wheeled Tak = wheeled Terex = all made by ASV, LLC. I believe the joystick controls are true, older-fashioned hydraulic pilot controls, NOT E-H (electric over hydraulic). Virtually all other brands have gone to E-H, because it's cheaper, not necessarily better or more responsive. Also, NH & Case are virtually the same, with minor paint & trim differences, since they are made by CNH in the same factory in Wichita, Kansas. Case is the only one to have the built-in side lights. And both Case & NH are the only ones to offer a rear hitch option (that was important to me, I have a NH L220). IMO, Cat probably has the best E-H controls (they can afford the best electrical & software engineers), & the best control features, like speed-controlled ride control, return to dig, work tool positioning, self leveling both up & down, etc. The D series cabs & frames are a big improvement over all their previous series, but the radio position in the cab is terrible. I've heard many complain about the location of the heating/ac vents in the Kubota being on only one side. And the newest models have the fuel tank mounted on the back door, which might be cause for concern.
So I made it to the Kubota dealer today and got to check out the SSV75 enclosed cab unit. I took a careful look at the AC venting while I cruised around the parking lot demoing the machine. The dealer also raised the cab so I could check out the belly. So far the only draw backs I have seen are the following. A small hydraulic tank capacity - 4 gallons / side cab windows are exposed on the outside of the screens. There is no way to tighten the side windows. The tandem pumps are made in the usa
It has venting on both sides in the front. I thought the ac worked well. It only had 3 fans speeds and seemed like it could have one more 4th highest speed but it worked well. It has 2 filters for the cab an outside filter and an inside filter. Pilots might be here by the end of the summer or late August The cabin noise seemed good. I will have a lot demo at our shop next week.
My new used Case 440 series 3. After spending a lot of time looking at new machines, I decided to go back in time and buy a another used Case machine, as soon as I saw it I knew this one is for me. It spent it's life working with asphalt so it's is covered with tar but it seems to have been serviced. It is about like the 75xt but with high flow, cab, 2 speed and a whole lot more power to the tune of 288 lbs of torque and 90 horse's. I gave up my beloved xt and 8k in money for this cab machine with 90 ponies. I am super pumped up about this little tractor. It has some real balls pushing and I like it. It has 1000 hrs on the clock and I don't know what it's issues are that caused some one else to sell it but I think I will be repairing it to keep it alive. For I did not like cases new machines and they have lost touch with what a contractor wants. Having the highest specs does not mean much if the machine is way bigger, longer and has poorly designed lift arms. The new machines require "them" to fix it. Making a computer controled emissions system that only they can work on is a complete joke. All the makers are doing that and I won't be spending any money on that any time soon. They need to refigure there money making angles and come out with something that every working class man can work on themselves and design in the ability for us to work on them ourselves to the maximum extent possible. That's my opinion. I turn wrenches not because I want to but because that's what it takes to stay in business sometimes. Why not put an emissions control /system controler that is owner friendly. Whats a few more lines of code and the lcd display going to cost. Pretty much nothing as a matter of fact why not just make a machine that will tell you where the fault is so that a guy can jump right to fixing it? Why should a buyer need a special system to check out HIS machine, when it can just as easily show us where to look? Bottom line is because they don't care to do that. Any way I have not got to run this 440 through its paces. The bucket coupler wont open. It is hard to tell but I think it's hydraulic controled, it is gummed up with asphalt millings. I will post up my experiences with this new tractor in its own tread.
did you trade your 75xt
Yes, the 75xt and 8k was traded for the 440 series 3. I had 1000 hrs in the seat of the xt. Other than putting drive motors on it when I bought it, I replaced the seat, 4 sets of tires, and two hoses, one light assembly, regular maintenance and bucket teeth it never required any other repairs. I ran it out fuel and I was able to prime it back up alone and I was able to get in the belly on a job site to repair a hose under the seat with out needing to raise the lift arms to get in it. My final opinion of the xt is that it is a good simple machine with easy maintenance, durability and fuel efficiency. Not the best specs in any one category but a good overall machine to own use and beat up. I think it should have another hydraulic filter in the system for extra hydraulic protection of hard parts. The cab is not large but it was good for an average sized 6' 190 lb guy. It pulled very good behind a f250 and was about the perfect sized machine for easy moving. I like pulling it much better than my tl150 12k machine with a work truck. The only reason I sold it was due to dust when working in dry conditions. I have been over exposed to it and I am taking steps to stop it. The pins and loader arms were still tight but I greased it every few hours. I never bent anything on it and I tested it to the max. The prior owner broke a tilt cylinder by attempting to put a chain on it and pull it out of a mud hole. It did not burn any oil and I loved the case/Cummins 4-390 motor. It served me for 8 years. I was even able to get up to 8" older concrete up with it. Once you get a chunk up just drop it back on the slabs till they crack. I would routinely pick up pieces that made the rear come off the ground. I never broke a pin or bent the Arms. The other thing that made it great was it was compact in size and almost perfectly designed. Most all these new machines really kind of suck. Not owner friendly, to much electrical parts to shake apart crack and break, poorly designed small places to put your feet on entry, etc. When you are dealing with chunks of concrete you need as much steel in front of you as you can get some times pieces will fall over the bucket and back towards your legs. The new machines are cut to low in the front and dirt/gravel wants to come back into the cab to easy, at least on the open cab units. Makes for easier in and out but also allows other stuff in. The kubota would have been my choice for a new machine if I decide to go that way once the pilots come out. It is pretty well thought out. Still unsure of the fuel tank on the rear door. It has it advantages though like easy to get to fuel lines and tank cleansing. If they would add a owners users interface for repairs and problems and a large hydraulic reservoir they would have a great wheeled machine. I just was not sure how it would take a rear hit when you back full force into a tree on a slight angle which I did with the 75xt last week when I lost track of a 36" pine tree. Honestly I don't know how I did not break something with that hit. It was a stupid hard hit. Limbs fell out of the tree.
is it for sale where you traded it I have two 90xt's one I bought new they have been and still get put thorough hell every day if i thought that any of the new ones would last that long or that good i would buy two tomorrow. they done a lot of research and testing while developing the xt series the first generation had a lot better components than the second it's ashamed what they are selling now I would say it's some of worst branded case skid steers ever and i have run some of the 1845b's
Clintm, The guy that took it supposedly has a buyer waiting. I will pm you if I hear anything different. To any designers reading this. .. My opinions as a contractor are not job specific for a machine. I am sure a certain machine now will excel at an one paticular task such as loading a full size dump truck fast. I run the spectrum of work and use it to do anything I run into. So having a big power house machine that can smoke through truck loads of dirt was not a specific need although I am sure one of these new machines will excel at it. I move this tractor daily sometime twice or three times a day and it does what is called of it. From loading logs, to clearing brush, moving dirt, grading slabs, tearing out concrete, making hunting food plots, etc. So easy moving, compact size, fuel efficiency, durability, operator protection "very important", minimal parts to break, thick and heavy duty parts and frame work that can be welded if needed, the ability to run at low throttle and then power up when needed is important to me, and lots of hp/torque on hand if needed for harder digging, which case does have and the ability to use crappy fuel. We don't live in a clean room!