# Max hours on a Bobcat Skid



## grandview

If your looking at used what would be your point of not buying one?


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## MXZ1983

Between 3000 and 4000 hours is when they really start to need a lot of repairs.


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## Mark13

Max hours to me depend on who owned it, how they maintained it, what they did with it, who ran it, and where was it stored. 


There's a big difference between a 2500hr machine that was outside 24/7, ran hard and put away wet by cheap employee's and it was only greased or had oil changes when they thought of it and repairs were only done when absolutely necessary and a 2500hr machine that was ran only by the owner, cared for, maintained well, and stored inside whenever possible. You'll pay more for the looked after machine but it'll be worth it compared to something that looks like it was a rented mule it's whole life.


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## John_DeereGreen

Maintenance records mean more than hours.

I'd much rather have a 6000 hour machine that's done nothing but push snow and scrape barn alleys on a farm, than a 2000 hour machine that's run a breaker and cold planer it's entire life.

If someone can show maintenance records and/or what it did that's an added bonus. On anything older, say earlier than 2010, a lot of those hour meters can replaced with the dash and depending on if it was a dealer or the owner switching, the hours might or might not be accurate. Not a common thing, but it can and does happen.

Check for mounting plate slop, and slop in the pins for boom and bucket. If you can, have the cab tilted up and look in the belly pan. Those 3 things will give a good indication of what kind of life the unit has had, and care it has gotten.


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## 1olddogtwo

grandview;1985231 said:


> If your looking at used what would be your point of not buying one?


http://www.machinerytrader.com/list/list.aspx?catid=1055&Manu=FORD

Found you a couple to look at, sorry none of the Fords had BoSS plows on them already.


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## beanz27

Aside from an old 743 I have at my mothers, all of the skids go away after 3k hours. But those are also tracked except one S650. But they get WORKED hard also, good maintenance but when we are done with them they need 5-10k in parts. So generally speaking of look less then 3k hours, and not owned by an excavating, or concrete company.


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## peteo1

beanz27;1985595 said:


> Aside from an old 743 I have at my mothers, all of the skids go away after 3k hours. But those are also tracked except one S650. But they get WORKED hard also, good maintenance but when we are done with them they need 5-10k in parts. So generally speaking of look less then 3k hours, and not owned by an excavating, or concrete company.


I'd buy a skid steer from an excavating company before I ever bought one from a landscaper. At least excavation outfits take care of their equipment for the most part, there are exceptions though


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## beanz27

peteo1;1985738 said:


> I'd buy a skid steer from an excavating company before I ever bought one from a landscaper. At least excavation outfits take care of their equipment for the most part, there are exceptions though


Honestly I think what I would want to buy from is a dairy farm or farm in general, generally good maintenance, and not worked hard.


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## grandview

OK,give me a baseline to work with. Not looking at this one.

http://buffalo.craigslist.org/grd/4920483177.html


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## 1olddogtwo

Most track units suck in the snow


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## grandview

1olddogtwo;1986254 said:


> Most track units suck in the snow


Funny,guy around here loves it for snow,only real problem is with a fully loaded push box it tends not to turn so well.


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## beanz27

grandview;1986241 said:


> OK,give me a baseline to work with. Not looking at this one.
> 
> http://buffalo.craigslist.org/grd/4920483177.html


Bobcat tracks suck in the snow, cats aren't as bad but I'd rather have a wheeled machine. Haven't tried it but apparently if you get winter tracks they aren't so bad. But I know first hand bobcat "block" tracks suck in the winter.


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## ByDesign

I just went thru this whole delima about hrs on a machine...I decided on wanting a machine with under 2k hrs for a few reasons.

1. If you're using the machine for snow removal & light landscaping use during the summer, you'll put between 300-400 hrs a year on it. That means you should get a few trouble free years on it before you can see if things start to fail. At that point you may be in a position to upgrade.

2. Pins on bobcats stay pretty good on the machine for 3k hrs and are pretty easy to replace.

3. A machine with tires can be easily fitted to tracks for less than $10K, but replacement on an undercarriage for a tracked machine is super pricey....at the 3k hr mark an undercarriage will need some love pretty soon.

I ended up setting on an 11' S750 with just under 1k hrs. I felt like I paid about average for the machine and got a set of new tires thrown in on the deal. Should be all i'll need (power wise) out of a skid for landscape/plowing use & hopefully will last for many years to come.


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## Antlerart06

grandview;1986241 said:


> OK,give me a baseline to work with. Not looking at this one.
> 
> http://buffalo.craigslist.org/grd/4920483177.html


Best look for joy stick models If you use it for lots hours at a time Them hand /foot control will wear you out


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## Antlerart06

beanz27;1986149 said:


> Honestly I think what I would want to buy from is a dairy farm or farm in general, generally good maintenance, and not worked hard.


O no that be worst person to buy from

Everyone I seen that was used feed with smells bad and schitt is hard on things


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## leolkfrm

rent it from someone like american/milton/bobcat of buffalo.. for a season...at the end of the season they may make you one heck of a deal to purchase it


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## John_DeereGreen

Antlerart06;1988581 said:


> Best look for joy stick models If you use it for lots hours at a time Them hand /foot control will wear you out


My guys would argue with you on that. We have 2 new Cat 242D's with joysticks, and 2 New Holland L175's with mechanical hand controls. They fight over who gets to run the NH's with over 4K hours because they're smoother and easier to grade with. All but 1 guy hates the joysticks. Every EH machine I've ever run is touchy as hell and the lag in the controls drives me nuts. No more joystick machines for us until we have no other option.


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## beanz27

John_DeereGreen;1988803 said:


> My guys would argue with you on that. We have 2 new Cat 242D's with joysticks, and 2 New Holland L175's with mechanical hand controls. They fight over who gets to run the NH's with over 4K hours because they're smoother and easier to grade with. All but 1 guy hates the joysticks. Every EH machine I've ever run is touchy as hell and the lag in the controls drives me nuts. No more joystick machines for us until we have no other option.


The lag was bad on the older models, new mot nearly as bad


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## John_DeereGreen

beanz27;1988804 said:


> The lag was bad on the older models, new mot nearly as bad


One of the Kitty's is a '13, one a '14. Had a Deere last fall as a demo before we leased the second Kitty and it was just as bad.

I want to buy into the "less fatigue, switchable control patterns for different operators, etc" but every time I try one after the first day I end up getting out hating them even more than when I got in it.


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## 1olddogtwo

Think steering wheel with paddle's for controls....

I grew up on old Mustang with at handle for steering that was a very responsive machine considering I was 7, I was impressed


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## beanz27

John_DeereGreen;1988807 said:


> One of the Kitty's is a '13, one a '14. Had a Deere last fall as a demo before we leased the second Kitty and it was just as bad.
> 
> I want to buy into the "less fatigue, switchable control patterns for different operators, etc" but every time I try one after the first day I end up getting out hating them even more than when I got in it.


Only been in two cats, early 2000's model and a '14, comparing the two is way better. The bobcat seemed a little faster though, still a lag. Only skids I've ran with no lag has no computer, and foot pedals. Mechanical=no lag.


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## WIPensFan

I loved grading with my old 743B because every movement of the sticks and pedals was movement in the machine immediately. You could really do some fine touchy things along sidewalks and drives.


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## xgiovannix12

WIPensFan;1988928 said:


> I loved grading with my old 743B because every movement of the sticks and pedals was movement in the machine immediately. You could really do some fine touchy things along sidewalks and drives.


I prefer foot pedals over joy sticks any day of the week


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## peteo1

The reason for the "lag" in the newer machines is so you don't tear the final drives out of them. No different than slamming your truck from drive to reverse. The only difference is skid steers are better built so they take the abuse better but they will fail, it's just a matter of time


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## shooterm

I wouldn't buy a tired skidloader with over 2000 unless I was sure I knew where it come from. One concrete company could have a dedicated hammer machine, one sand shuttle machine. Tracks systems I've seen after 2000 hours in excavation companies are completely junked, everything is worn out. We do a lot of smaller site jobs with bounce around crews and its tough maintaining them. Its got to be one of the most expensive per hour machines. If you can find a yard machine you'd find a deal. Dairy barn skids will have forever crap smell to them.


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