# Skid steers....which one ???



## On a Call

Okay looking for one to landscape, move dirt, load salt, push a blade or a snow box, warm, easy to operate, comfortable, and well...

Which ones do you like best.

I have a Bobcats now, friend runs Mustang, a sub runs Giehl, and another friend has some New Holland.

I am soooo confused lol.


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## kimber750

CAT with joysticks.


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## FredG

On a Call said:


> Okay looking for one to landscape, move dirt, load salt, push a blade or a snow box, warm, easy to operate, comfortable, and well...
> 
> Which ones do you like best.
> 
> I have a Bobcats now, friend runs Mustang, a sub runs Giehl, and another friend has some New Holland.
> 
> I am soooo confused lol.


I like the New Holland, Mine is Geil 5635 with a oil heater. It's got the Deutz in it. Very toasty in cab, The New Holland is more stable than the rest of them. They do them skid steer rodeos here. The Geil had a mill head and has two hydraulic pumps this is why I went with it. Case, Geil, Bobcat, New Holland among others are all nice machines. Just avoid gray market. Parts and service not to far is good.


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## Mark13

Gehl would be the name you guys keep butchering lol. 


If I was looking at a tire machine I'd say Bobcat, Cat, and I'd like to try the new Kubota's. I'd consider a Case/NH and Deere as well but it wouldn't be first on my list. 

If I was looking for a track machine I'd look at the Takeuchi's, Cat's, Bobcats, Kubotas, and Case/NH and Deere would be further down the list. I'm not impressed by the Wacker Neusons or the newer Gehl machines.


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## gd8boltman

Try out a JCB if you have a dealer near you.

We like using them alot, great visibility and dependable.


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## On a Call

What do you guys say about New Holland ?


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## John_DeereGreen

Older New Hollands are great. The new ones (200 series) trade themselves in. Case is the same. Electrical nightmares. We've got 2 L175's with 5k hours and they've never had anything other than grease fluids and filters. 

I echo the above comment about JCB if you have a good dealer. 

Looking at used wheel machines, I would personally go the Bobcat route. Track units I wouldn't buy used. Undercarriage parts are way too expensive.


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## Mark13

John_DeereGreen said:


> Looking at used wheel machines, I would personally go the Bobcat route. Track units I wouldn't buy used. Undercarriage parts are way too expensive.


Depending on brand, hours, and past life a used track machine could either be a money nightmare or completely fine.

An MTL Cat with 2,000hrs that was used in a gravel pit? No thanks, I'd be poor by the time I rebuilt that ASV style undercarriage.

A Takeuchi with 800hrs on it that was used by a landscaper? Very likely to be problem free.

I have 1450hrs on my Tak, still 100% original undercarriage and tracks. I have new tracks sitting on a pallet but so far it's been problem free (knock on wood).


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## plow4beer

Mark13 said:


> Depending on brand, hours, and past life a used track machine could either be a money nightmare or completely fine.
> 
> An MTL Cat with 2,000hrs that was used in a gravel pit? No thanks, I'd be poor by the time I rebuilt that ASV style undercarriage.
> 
> A Takeuchi with 800hrs on it that was used by a landscaper? Very likely to be problem free.
> 
> I have 1450hrs on my Tak, still 100% original undercarriage and tracks. I have new tracks sitting on a pallet but so far it's been problem free (knock on wood).


I completely agree. 
I prefer Tak & Bobcat CTL's over other brands.
Tire machines - Bobcat or Cat

But one of the top reasons for a decision on which machine to get should be dealer support....Unless your not heavily relying on your machine & its just to do stuff here & there. We use our machines daily.


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## Philbilly2

On a Call said:


> What do you guys say about New Holland ?


You need to look at what you need the machine the most for. Not every machine is great for everything.

I would totally agree with the "Older" New Holland comment.

We had (2) LS 180's on the farm, they would out lift, out stack, and run circles around my Bobcat that I would bring out to help with loading out all the fall round bales.

Now, you got those new holland machines on a construction site busting out flatwork, grading stone, manavuring tight areas all day, and the bobcat would run circles around the New Holland. The long a$$ rear end and lateral lift made visibility and manavuring in tight areas tough. Arm pins wore out a lot more on lateral if beating on them to many moving parts.

Now a days, I am a CAT person on a rubber tire machine. Tak on tracks. I run ISO controls and they are far faster than H pattern or hand/ foot controls. They are better when doing long pushes across lots as you only need 1 hand to make your run. Now if you are going to get in to a lot of mud or cattle sh*t, I would not want ISO. The other two control patterns allow you to do more help weasel your way out of the area when you are on the belly pan. ISO controls suck in those conditions.


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## SnoFarmer

my vote, Case/NH


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## Broncslefty7

i have a 2015 Cat 272D XHP, tons of power. adjustable sensitivity on the controls are nice. its pre DEF so thats awesome as well. i had one issue with a wheel speed sensor and the Cat truck came out at like 3 am in the middle of a storm and fixed it in about 45 minutes. we used to run all bobcats but their service 1. Sucks, 2. Parts are expensive 3. think they are the only show in town and act like it. the HO Penn near me is open 24/7 during storms which is the best. the only thing i dont like about the machine is it weighs in around 11k with the counter weights on it, which can make it a little difficult to tow with a f350 srw.


Geihl/Mustang are the same. Just like Volvo/JCB.

the new kubotas are nice. and its too bad komatsu stopped selling their skids in the US, they where unkillable beasts.


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## John_DeereGreen

Broncslefty7 said:


> we used to run all bobcats but their service 1. Sucks, 2. Parts are expensive 3. think they are the only show in town and act like it..


2 of those 3 are a dealer issue and should carry no relevance to the OP unless he has the same dealer that you do. Our region wide Bobcat dealer is the exact opposite. They bend over backward for customers.

On parts being expensive...I've yet to buy a Cat part that I would consider "cheap" for what you get. None of them are cheap for parts.


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## Broncslefty7

your correct, and no parts arnt "cheap" but i dont mind paying a premium for convenience and Cat is literally 500 feet away. 

the only thing i dont like about my cat is theres no where to put your stuff. so everything stays in your pockets.


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## Mark Oomkes

Ford\Dodge\Chebby\Toyo........take your pic.

Gotta say, after running a new T650 compared to an S650, I don't think I will ever buy or lease another wheeled skidsteer again. Compact loader, yes, but not a skidsteer. Even withoot ride control, the T650 is 100 times smoother than the wheeled machine.


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## Defcon 5

It's to bad Ventrac does not make a Skidsteer....


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## Broncslefty7

i always thought track machine where amazing in the snow but the constant vibrations from the pavement was bad for the under carriage.


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## Philbilly2

Mark Oomkes said:


> Ford\Dodge\Chebby\Toyo........take your pic.
> 
> Gotta say, after running a new T650 compared to an S650, I don't think I will ever buy or lease another wheeled skidsteer again. Compact loader, yes, but not a skidsteer. Even withoot ride control, the T650 is 100 times smoother than the wheeled machine.


I agree, but it depends on the work you are doing.

Tracks are not good for all jobs.


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## Mark Oomkes

Philbilly2 said:


> I agree, but it depends on the work you are doing.
> 
> Tracks are not good for all jobs.


They're better for my back and kidneys.

Edit.........and my brain, can't shake that aroond anymore than necessary.


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## Mark Oomkes

Broncslefty7 said:


> i always thought track machine where amazing in the snow but the constant vibrations from the pavement was bad for the under carriage.


Not sure long term, but I picked up a '16 T650 and there is virtually no vibration throughout the entire machine. Probably would have leased that instead of the S650.

But I'm doing a snow lease for both. Too many electronics and emissions crap to justify owning one, at least for me. Run them, turn 'em back in.


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## Philbilly2

Mark Oomkes said:


> They're better for my back and kidneys.
> 
> Edit.........and my brain, can't shake that aroond anymore than necessary.


Oh yeah, that is the truth.

Ran the TL140 in 3" rock for a few weeks filling in plumbing trenches... yeah, that cost me some money...


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## White_Gold11

Look at the new kubota skid. Very impressive test drive this summer.. But we use Bobcat for now. 650 is hard to beat for general landscaping and price.


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## Philbilly2

White_Gold11 said:


> Look at the new kubota skid. Very impressive test drive this summer.. But we use Bobcat for now. 650 is hard to beat for general landscaping and price.


Kaboata skid... very nice.... also very $$$$ for what it is...

IMO.

Don't get me wrong, i want one, just don't want to give the money they want for them.


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## White_Gold11

lol I agree completely.


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## Hysert

We run a kubota SVL90... it's a power house... cab is huge biggest on the market!!! It will lift 5000lbs plus.. ours has 2100hrs on it and still original undercarriage second set of tracks... track cleaning is the easiest similar to deere, visibility is best in class by far!!! But it's a fat pig! 10600lbs!! I'm with Mark will never run wheeled again, to much bouncing around, stability is amazing... love the pilot control and foot throttle.. easy access to maintenance too... I'm thinking about a SVL95 next???


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## Ty27

I agree with the kubota comments... I ran around in a ssv75 last month and overall it is great. Even though its hand and foot the ergonomics and placement of everything makes it very smooth. Standard two speed on all kubota skid steers as well. Our dealer wants $46k for the ssv75.


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## exclusive

Jcb and don't look back if you have a dealer near you I had new holland ls 180 really like them a lot I had bobcats650 I hate them and I know have Jcb 280 and love it the visibilty and comfort


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## Afsvanderveen

We run s650s and thry are great in the snow. Work horses... So far 4 good seasons and minimal repair needed. Just some solonoids last season in one machine. Use them all year as well. Best machine imo is a A300 bobcat in the snow. All wheel steer and skidder mode fast and pretty smooth for a wheel machine. Put snows on it and its almost unstoppable. Run 10' containment plows on all.
Cheers


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## dlange

I run a older wheel s330 bobcat with snow tires. Nothing fancy, but it will push a 10 foot box no problem.


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## TPCLandscaping

I bought an S570 last year and this year I'm leasing a second. I have only put a couple hundred hours on my 570 but so far really like it. Light enough to move around but heavy enough to move a pallet of salt/pavers if need be. I have been renting a T590 quite often lately and may move into one of those next. My bobcat dealer has been great!


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## WIPensFan

I'll put my vote in for bobcat S650. Mine has been great for me, and it will do all those things you listed with ease. Good resale for Bobcat too. Make sure you get a big enough machine to lift the heavy things like salt pallets, pallets of stone or large boulders just to name a few things. The heavier weight of the machine comes in real handy in the snow too.Thumbs Up


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## dpeej123

i dont know where you getting kubota prices, we paid 54k for a 2016 svl75 and its a great machine. strong digging, great cab, and can lift alot for its class.. i have a friend who paid 68k for a cat 289d which is a similar size machine, few less hp, terrible door config.


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## scott3430

I like my T650. On my 2nd one now - with camo snow tracks. Joysticks with the iso pattern works great for pushing snow.


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## jvm81

I have S650 bobcats. Great machines. Just traded one off for the S740. I'm in need of more lift during the summer but not really more power. I like them. I have rent CAT, nice machines but still came back to BC. NH, not a fan. JCB, I have ran, ok. Thing is I looked at tracked machine but I have ran both BC and CAT in snow and we just spin. Ride is great in both machines but no one in my area use there tracked machines doing snow removal. Running KAGE pushers. I think there 9 and 10 ft. I seldom have a traction issue but I am thinking of getting actual snow tires.


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## reedo

We ran bobcat for years, all hand/foot control as the dealer really didn't like selling ISO. They claimed nobody in the area wanted them so resale wasn't as good. I got a Cat 262d after a horrible season with a S650 with the Doosan engine and love the Cat D series. I decided to try a Cat 257D this season also so I could add a machine that would be more useful in the summer than another wheel machine. I was very apprehensive to go with a track machine for snow removal because of all the horror stories out there but this thing has exceeded my expectations! So far running a 9ft Kage it has outperformed the 262 with Wolf Paw tires running the 8ft Kage. It is way smoother and a lot less jumpy/bouncy and pushes like an animal.


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## Mark Oomkes

reedo said:


> a S650 with the Doosan engine


?????

Pretty sure they're still using Bota diesels.


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## reedo

The one we bought in November 2014 had a Doosan engine. It ran a 2 micron fuel filter and with Minnesota's blend of diesel wouldn't run under 16 degrees. Their only solution was to run straight #1 diesel which resulted in a very weak machine.


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## SnoFarmer

then it needs a fuel heater. 
A lot of us are running 3-5 micron without any issues even in sub zero temps.

thwe winter fuel has lower bio content, a winter additive and is blended with #1

why a 2 microm? some lift pumps have a hard time pushing the fuel threw 2micron filters.


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## reedo

It had a fuel heater and the dealer/bobcat/fuel suppliers in the areaall. Said it needed #1fuel. We only got to put 50 hours on it all winter and average 300-500 per machine. The dealer had it most of the winter and when they told me there was nothing more they could do I went to Cat.


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## reedo

I talked to numerous others that had the same problems that year in my area and they were told the same thing. Nobody was pleased. Our problems were more frequent than some I spoke with as we leave the machines on site and not in a heated shop.


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## absolutely

Mark Oomkes said:


> ?????
> 
> Pretty sure they're still using Bota diesels.


Our T590 and S650 are Doosen.


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## John_DeereGreen

They switched to Doosan for final their 4 I think. Only makes sense to put a Doosan engine in machines built by a company owned by Doosan.


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## Mark Oomkes

Huh, I wasn't aware of that. 

Guess I can go home now, I learned my 1 thing for the day.


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## WIPensFan

I think my 2010 S650 just went up in value...


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## John_DeereGreen

The value of pre final tier 4 emissions machines is stupid high. Has been for a couple years.


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## White_Gold11

When kubota started making skids. Doosan/bobcat went to work on changing engine. That's the word on the street anyhoot..


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## 98Chevy2500

John_DeereGreen said:


> They switched to Doosan for final their 4 I think. Only makes sense to put a Doosan engine in machines built by a company owned by Doosan.


Yup, and they have been having major injector issues from what I hear, local dealer has replaced a few low hour engines already.


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## Ty27

The kubota skids have the fuel tank hanging off the back door, makes a lot of space available when working on it. The engine is set in like a cat loaders' engine. I'm not sure about the caterpillars, but the kubotas are directly bolted to the hydro pumps instead of being belt driven like a bobcat.


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## Snow Business 1

I personally like the new John Deere. They have come along way over the years and for snow removal/landscaping they certainly get the job done for me. The 326E or now the 324E are my favorite models. The cab comfort and heat/AC are hard to beat. 

From a purchasing standpoint JD is great with whatever financing option you need.


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## jarhead1349

We had nine Cat 277's with my Engineer unit in Afghanistan. We beat on those things and used them for a few things we probably shouldn't have. We had to do some long overdue undercarriage work and replace some very worn teeth and cutting edges, but we had very few issues. We were not nice to those machines.


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## icudoucme

1 CAT (279/7 or Higher) CTL
2 JCB 300T
3 Kubota SV90
I am partial to CAT. It is the most comfortable ride. JCB easy in an out tons of visibility.(i will lease one next year)


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## NoFearDeere

I have a Deere 326D and a 332E. I love them both. I won't buy anything but Deere, the skids have been amazing.


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## ServiceOnSite

First thing should be what do you have for dealer support by you? Thats what you need to learn before you make any decision on what to buy. Stop in take a look around and see what there working on and how they treat you. Dont matter if your buy new or used, if they suck stay away. I was all set to buy a new 299 cat a couple years ago, dealer was a total a-hole, and didnt want to be bothered with me. Since then i have purchased my new Kubota SVL90 and am super happy with it. By me i have dealers for almost every brand, and once cat was out of the running Kubota was the next best thing.


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## Hysert

ServiceOnSite said:


> First thing should be what do you have for dealer support by you? Thats what you need to learn before you make any decision on what to buy. Stop in take a look around and see what there working on and how they treat you. Dont matter if your buy new or used, if they suck stay away. I was all set to buy a new 299 cat a couple years ago, dealer was a total a-hole, and didnt want to be bothered with me. Since then i have purchased my new Kubota SVL90 and am super happy with it. By me i have dealers for almost every brand, and once cat was out of the running Kubota was the next best thing.


I got in a 299 at the trade show few weeks back... could barely get in the thing was my biggest concern! And I totally understand why they have factory backup cameras, couldn't see a thing out the rear window? Kubota mite be the slowest ground speed but a good operator can make up the difference!!!


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