# Bobcat thoughts



## Dan R 4000 (Nov 15, 2014)

I'm getting ready to purchase a Bobcat T630 fully loaded 2spd high flow, does anyone have any reviews about this unit. We have 3 bobcats now this is our first track machine, Cat is out waited 5 days for an answer from them and when they did call back the salesman wanted to sell me a 289 or 299 when I wanted a 279, so I asked for a demo he said ok but you will have to come pick it at our store but yet he wants us to buy cat and he makes no attempt to help us in that. So Cat is out!


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## paid4 (Feb 23, 2015)

Kabota is supposed to be the best track machine, but thats just what I hear, never ran anything other than case and new holland


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## xbl003x (Nov 30, 2007)

the new bobcats do not have any vents towards the floor mainly in the ceiling another thing the wiper motor is right in the way of the edge of bucket. The are far from the old T series Bobcats. they ride rough

in my personal experience i Prefer Cat cant beat the service and support and they have a form of suspension in the CTL's. As far as a CTL the 289 is my choice very nice machine, 299 just feels a lil bulky to me. The 279 is the best balanced machine out of the 3. the best way to choose between the 279 (radial lift) or the 289 (parallel lift) is this if more than 50% of your work is at ground level grading etc. the 279 will work well, if more than 50% of your work would be loading into a truck or off the ground work choose the Parallel Lift 289/299. 

My second choice would be the Deere similar cab to Cat comfortable, but they have the best serviceability in the industry with the loader arms up hood up and side shields off with cab up u can get to everything easily takes 5 mins to do that

Kubuta being fresh to the market they have alot to prove in my opinion yes they have a large cab and alot of power. But the company's heritage is compact tractors. they arent a construction manufacture like Cat or Deere. I know that they are having a few issues with the finals on those machines thats 5-6k a side change the final drive oil every oil change to help prevent failures 1/2 qt of oil 100% piece of mind

I was a salesman for both Cat and Deere i hope this will help you!


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## kfxgreenie (Feb 5, 2016)

xbl003x;2123997 said:


> the new bobcats do not have any vents towards the floor mainly in the ceiling another thing the wiper motor is right in the way of the edge of bucket. The are far from the old T series Bobcats. they ride rough
> 
> in my personal experience i Prefer Cat cant beat the service and support and they have a form of suspension in the CTL's. As far as a CTL the 289 is my choice very nice machine, 299 just feels a lil bulky to me. The 279 is the best balanced machine out of the 3. the best way to choose between the 279 (radial lift) or the 289 (parallel lift) is this if more than 50% of your work is at ground level grading etc. the 279 will work well, if more than 50% of your work would be loading into a truck or off the ground work choose the Parallel Lift 289/299.
> 
> ...


I'm not going to comment any further than the Bobcat wiper comment, as I've never operated anything but bobcat. Operating and owning a T750, i have never had a problem with front vision, of the bucket edge, land plane or any other attachment. I also owned a T300 before the T750 if anything the vision is better in the M-Series. The door is much lager. The only thing with the CTL if you plan to push snow plan on changing out the track.


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## Hysert (Dec 16, 2009)

I wouldn't buy a cat for the reason you can't see anything out back! Bobcats are nice but tight inside and like the other guy said no real good floor heat! Deere suck no balls. Taks have loads of power but rough to run.. our kubota SVL90 has 1800hrs with original undercarriage there's ant any that compare visibility or maintenance IMO..


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## ponyboy (Dec 19, 2006)

I would suggest Demo all of them even if you have to go out if way your talking a $50,000 purchase I'd want to be sure 
As far as tracks i can't help I'm a tire guy am thinking about a track machine but no one I know likes them in the snow 
I do hear cat is better in the snow then bobcat as far as tracks but still my friends say tires are better unless you change to winter tracks


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## alfman (Sep 27, 2001)

I bought a T650 last year. Love the machine, productivity is way up in the summer months. We don't use it for our snow operations though. Have ran it in the cold (and hot) conditions and have always been comfortable with the heat and A/C. Visibility is great as compared to our older bobcats and much better visibility than the cat machines. If you and your guys are used to bobcat controls it is hard (at least for me) to get used to other control setups. 

When we work out of town jobs we usually end up with cat rentals, and personally don't like the machines, the biggest problem I have is the quicktach on the cats. So hard to see and line up. The bobcat is right there and easy to see. 

I ran every manufacturers skid steer at the GIE show last year and Bobcat has that market down pat. If your local and want to try out my machine shoot me a pm.


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## leigh (Jan 2, 2009)

I've always owned bobcat wheeled ss.I was on a job where I was operating large frame tracked machines,a Kubota svl-75,a bobcat t750 and a smaller cat,not sure of model .One thing I liked was the window opening up out of the way on the cat and kubota.Tracked machines in 2 speed is quite the ride lol,feels like a run-away train!As far as which was "better" I can't say one way of the other. I'm used to the hand/feet controls but now I'm sold on hand controls.Took about 5 minutes to feel dialed in,although I'm used to loader controls.I think my decision would come down to price,reliability reviews, and probably the most importan,dealer support.And new these things are so pricey I might consider a small loader,and these are really pricey. Tough call,just my 2 cents.


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## absolutely (Dec 9, 2010)

We bought a t590 2 speed with roller suspension. We have a 7 - 12 metal pless on it with polar tracks. My operator loves the machine. I wanted to get a bigger machine by my landscape foreman said he would prefer the smaller machine for his scope of work. Luckily they come out with the 2 speed or we would have got the t650.


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## Whiffyspark (Dec 23, 2009)

Going back to hand and feets after using joysticks for 2 years was easier than I thought. I was running a little s160 that we rented and it was like second nature using foot controls. I seriously thought it would be terrible considering the last time I used foot controls lol. That particular machine had oars but you could switch it to hand controls for the bucket. You still moved the levers but tilted the top in and out for the bucket/boom. That I didn't care for 

But I would take joysticks any day of the week though. Rowing oars for hours gets old


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## scottr (Oct 10, 2013)

I'll toss this into the ring, If snow removal is your primary use, I've operated bobcats in the winter, moving snow, etc. the big blocky tread design of the track is horable for traction, and the stock tracks don't float. As a comparison I have 100's of hours on ASV and Terex skid steers, the wider track floats great and the traction is night and day compared to the bobcat. These are the style tracks I'm speaking of.


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## Philbilly2 (Aug 25, 2007)

paid4;2123988 said:


> Kabota is supposed to be the best track machine, but thats just what I hear, never ran anything other than case and new holland


I don't think Kubotas have been on the market long enough to prove this.

Tak maybe, but a Kubota?... much as I love Kubota products, the longevity has not been proven by 100's or 1000's of machines reaching into the 4 and 5 digit hour range yet.

No real input on the Bobcat track machines. I have only a few hundred hours at the sticks of a Bobcat track machine. The ones that I have ran are under powered and fatiguing to operate IMO.


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

I'm not huge or small, aboot 6'3" and could lose 50#, but I don't think the Bobcat cabs are that small or confined. I ran ours for 6 hours Saturday and was not uncomfortable at all. 

Also, there are vents on each side under the safety bar that you can point at your feet. Not the greatest, but it is far from "no heat". 

Wiper motor does not block the cutting edge either. Maybe the ex-Cat\Deere rep should do a little more work on the competition before making claims that aren't factual. 

Also, while the ride isn't great, it is a far cry from the very first Bobcat tracked machines. I had one with 3 rollers and then bought one with 4, and the ride is 100% better. Not to mention, you can sidehill with a Bobcat without rolling the tracks off the bogie wheels. 

Servicability on the Bobcat is not the greatest. They cram a lot of stuff in a small area. SJC\Cat controls are the best, compared to hand\foot controls or Case style.


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## xbl003x (Nov 30, 2007)

I respect that everyone has a right to their own opinion including myself! 
For all of the Bobcat owners i am glad that you are all satisfied with those machines.


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

xbl003x;2125804 said:


> I respect that everyone has a right to their own opinion including myself!
> For all of the Bobcat owners i am glad that you are all satisfied with those machines.


I agree about the opinions, but some of your statements were made as "facts" which are not true.


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## snocrete (Feb 28, 2009)

xbl003x;2123997 said:


> the new bobcats do not have any vents towards the floor mainly in the ceiling another thing the wiper motor is right in the way of the edge of bucket. The are far from the old T series Bobcats. they ride rough
> *I see you've already been corrected about this first statement & the 2nd one shows you have very little knowledge and experience with Bobcat equipment*
> 
> in my personal experience i Prefer Cat cant beat the service and support *that's an opinion, and may be true in your area...but not everywhere. I live in Cat headquarters. & amazingly enough, their support its down right horrible for the smaller contractors here.*and they have a form of suspension in the CTL's. *Again, your ignorance shows...so does Bobcat*As far as a CTL the 289 is my choice very nice machine, 299 just feels a lil bulky to me. The 279 is the best balanced machine out of the 3. the best way to choose between the 279 (radial lift) or the 289 (parallel lift) is this if more than 50% of your work is at ground level grading etc. the 279 will work well, if more than 50% of your work would be loading into a truck or off the ground work choose the Parallel Lift 289/299.
> ...


Again, you obviously don't know what your talking about with Kubota. They've been making "construction" equipment for some time. Just 1 example is their mini-x line, which "IMO" is one of the top 3 best.

BTW, a salesman is the last person I'd be looking to for input. Typically I know twice as much about a product Im buying than the salesmen ever does.

OP, 
My personal opinion (based on owning and/or operating many different machines) is that Bobcat & Cat make the best Skid Steers out there, along with Takeuchi if we start talking CTL's. Dealer support is a huge factor though, and with that said, it sounds like you made the better choice.


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

snocrete;2125944 said:


> BTW, a salesman is the last person I'd be looking to for input. Typically I know twice as much about a product Im buying than the salesmen ever does.


This reminds me of a funny story. Back in '97 when I was speccing our first "big" truck, an F800 (F650 now) I was debating on which engine to get. The salesman told me I wasn't putting enough miles on it to justify the diesel. He said I should get the 429 EFI gasser. Never mind 6 tons of salt plus plow in the winter. Or hauling 4 yds of topsoil\10 yds of mulch, tag trailer with a 11K# loader. I was pretty sure I needed a diesel.

So I went back to the service department and talked to the service manager. Told him what I was going to be doing with the truck and what the sales guy said. He said there is no way in the world I should buy a gasser, didn't matter how many miles I was putting on it a year.

Almost 20 years later, that truck is running strong.....for me. Put a new cab on it because the old one rusted away. A turbo, exhaust manifold and added a SwithNGo last year. It carries a salt spreader or 1500 gallon liquid sprayer or a flatbed or a small dumpster that we use to haul snow. Same plow on the front.

Anybody want to hazard a guess as to where this truck would be if I had bought it with the 429 gasser instead of the Cummins 12v?


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## DeVries (Nov 27, 2007)

In Mexico living a happy life where all the rest of them are.


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## Dan R 4000 (Nov 15, 2014)

Dan R 4000;2123981 said:


> I'm getting ready to purchase a Bobcat T630 fully loaded 2spd high flow, does anyone have any reviews about this unit. We have 3 bobcats now this is our first track machine, Cat is out waited 5 days for an answer from them and when they did call back the salesman wanted to sell me a 289 or 299 when I wanted a 279, so I asked for a demo he said ok but you will have to come pick it at our store but yet he wants us to buy cat and he makes no attempt to help us in that. So Cat is out!


I am demoing the cat 279D high flow 2 spd with tracks on Monday we are mainly using a track machine on a forestry mulcher, late next week we are demoing a Bobcat T630. Now the rumor on the internet is that there are a bunch off injector and injector pump problems with the Doosan motors in the new Bobcats, but cat actually runs a Kubota engine in there's just plated as a Cat.

Thanks for all the helpful info.


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## jomama45 (Dec 25, 2008)

Mark Oomkes;2126138 said:


> A turbo, exhaust manifold and added a *Swith*NGo last year. It carries a salt spreader or 1500 gallon liquid sprayer or a flatbed or a small dumpster that we use to haul snow. Same plow on the front.


I see you still have the lisp............:laughing:


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

jomama45;2126452 said:


> I see you still have the lisp............:laughing:


I need to stop posting when I'm dead tired...........but hey, at least I don't sport a cheese wheel.


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## Dan R 4000 (Nov 15, 2014)

Well the sale has been made Cat made it easy to buy a bobcat. Cat would not deal with us at all and yet he was the one complaining about all the bobcat equipment we owned but yet he would not deal, so Bobcat got my money 2016 T630 fully loaded with lexon door Thumbs UpThumbs Up


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## WIPensFan (Jan 31, 2009)

Dan R 4000;2129357 said:


> Well the sale has been made Cat made it easy to buy a bobcat. Cat would not deal with us at all and yet he was the one complaining about all the bobcat equipment we owned but yet he would not deal, so Bobcat got my money 2016 T630 fully loaded with lexon door Thumbs UpThumbs Up


Good choice. Im jealous :bluebounc


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## leigh (Jan 2, 2009)

WIPensFan;2129401 said:


> Good choice. Im jealous :bluebounc


Interest free with 5 year financing, come on,Thumbs UpThumbs Up you know you want to!


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## snocrete (Feb 28, 2009)

Dan R 4000;2129357 said:


> Well the sale has been made Cat made it easy to buy a bobcat. Cat would not deal with us at all and yet he was the one complaining about all the bobcat equipment we owned but yet he would not deal, so Bobcat got my money 2016 T630 fully loaded with lexon door Thumbs UpThumbs Up


CongratsThumbs Up

Good relationships, & support from your dealer, make life a lot easier.


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