Quick tip for hoses: use pool noodles to wrap them in the CAT’s. We did that and eliminated 95% of debris pushing in the undercarriage. Cheap easy solution aside from spray foam which is a pain to try and scrape out and prevents maintenance on the hoses as they naturally wear down over time and usage.
@@jethrobodine011 sorry about the spray foam? Or the diy hack? I’m always open to better solutions if you know of one. Please share so we can all learn.
I am a technician at a cat dealer, from what I have seen working on the newer skids as in the last 1-2 years, they have changed that pass through for the hoses to a stack clamp, it holds every hose and the wiring harness and separately so they don’t rub and keeps the dirt out, but I do agree that style of pass through is terrible any time I have to lift a cab on a skid I spend 30-45 minutes in the wash bay cleaning the all that dirt out that piles up, loved the vid!
@@greggmcclelland8430 as far as I know, yes. Cat doesn’t sell a kit but if you really wanted to you could order all the parts and transfer the new design over
I've been running skid steers all my life and have over 10,000 hours on them alone. I started on Bobcat 743's in the 80s. Those were great little machines for what they were. I also really liked the 763 bobcats. One of the best machines I ever owned was a Daewoo 1760xl that I brought brand new in 2000 it had a Perkins 700 series diesel and gave me three thousand Hours of Hard use with almost zero issues. It had very minimal electrical, but eventually, that's where I started having issues with it, and when they were bought out by Bobcat, it became hard to get replacement parts. It was a very tough, capable, and simple machine. I really liked the Bobcat S185 and t550 as well. The case tr270 has proved to be a good machine in my experience as well as the Cat 279 series. I liked the Takahachi, however, like the cat parts and service are very expensive. The Gehls seem to have a decent reputation, although I have only had experience with one on a job, and it gave us no end to breakdowns and grief. One of the poorer machines I owned was an older Daewoo DSL 801. It had a bad engine mounting design and would crack the bellhousing as well as requiring a third pedal to run your third valve, which made it very inconvenient to run things like a grapple When John Deere started building their own machines rather than rebranding new Holland's, I never took a liking to them. I found the controls to be stiff and jerky, the visibility was poor, and especially on their 333 track machine, it was overall very bulky. They had lots of power, but bucket float grading sucks, and track maintainance is important as they are known for damaging idlers if they come off, resulting in additional repair costs. I currently also own a New Holland lx665 Turbo. I have a love-hate relationship with this machine. It runs like a tank and is very reliable, but the electronic instrument panel has completely failed, and there are no repair units available. Also, something as simple as a dead battery or fuel pump with the boom arms down is a nightmare to repair. I have gotten in the habit of parking the machine with the boom arms locked up just in case. Additionally, the fact that you can not easily tilt the cab means that simple repairs become difficult, and regular cleaning and maintenance get skipped. I feel like what it really boils down to is that manufacturers are selling us the sizzle rather than the bacon. I don't need all the fancy options like heated seats and adjustable sensitivity on my controls. What I need is simple, rugged, reliable, long-lasting mechanical equipment. The number one failure point I see across-the-board with all manufacturers is the amount of electronics that they are packing into this equipment. I was sitting in the dealer showroom at Daewoo of Orlando 20 years ago, looking at their brand new machines. The salesman told me to start it up to see how smooth it ran. When I went to shut it down, there was no fuel kill lever. I asked him how to shut it off, and he said, "Turn the key just like your car!" He thought this was a cool selling point, but I told him that meant there was some electrical solenoid somewhere that was going to fail and cost me money in the future. A couple of years later, that solenoid failed on a job. I had to drag the machine onto the trailer and take it 50 miles to a shop that could repair it. It cost me 400 bucks for the repair plus the travel time and fuel and three days lost productivity. I learned how to fix it myself the next time it failed for a $60 part and still several days of lost productivity waiting on the part. Every new machine from every manufacturer in recent years has given us electrical problems. The electrical issues can rarely be diagnosed and repaired by the owner, resulting in costly repair bills and more downtime. Same with automobiles. In this respect, I'm glad that I'm getting older and won't have to deal with this in 30 years!
@organicvids I can't give you any advice on a mulching head, as I have never used one. I have run one of the old Thomas mini skids about 15 years ago that we rented it seemed like a pretty good little machine but of course, I didn't get to run it for very long. I have also rented several of the Bobcat mini skids. Generally I was very pleased with them for working in very tight spaces. It sure beat a shovel and a wheelbarrow!
@@organicvidswhat you defining as mini skid? We run a mt100 bobcat and they do make brush cutters for them, but don’t make disc or drum mulchers for them. We run our brush cutter on our Case TV380.
Bought a brand new kubota svl752 in 2020 and have beat the living he'll out of it, breaking concrete, grading, auger, demo, ect and haven't had a single issue whatsoever. Keep the hydraulic fittings clean, and take car of it and keep it greased. Done all scheduled maintenance and 1600 hours without an issue.
The cat 259d3 is a good machine but we've only used them as far as renting them. Glad you took the time to break down some of the issues, we are down to a 259d3 and the equivalent John Deere model. One of our equipment rental places has switched over to the John Deere 317 and 331 and I've been very impressed with how well they handle especially in tight job sites. Edit: Forgot to add, we have had a lot of luck with Yanmar excavators from the SV35 and the SV100. Yanmar is coming out with a line of skid steers and it is going to be interesting to see how they line up with their competitors.
@@samuelw.3992 I've always ran new Holland and never had any major issues and I do a lot of concrete demo with a hydraulic jackhammer attachment which is one of the hardest attachments on skidsteers because of all the vibration. I have the newer l228 it's 3 years old now and have only replaced 1 hydraulic hose
@@samuelw.3992 yeah I've heard a bunch of negative also before I bought my new one. I don't know if I just got lucky so far but I'm going to keep buying them until I have a bad experience for myself
Haven't run enough skids to have 3 top ones, but man, you can't beat the older Case skid steers. We have an 1845C and an 1818. Yeah, they're old, slow, and don't have all the bells and whistles the new ones do, but those things are nearly unstoppable. If something does break (which has been rare in our experience) they're easy to fix, and they just keep going. We've had the 1845C almost 30 years and I think the worst thing we've had to do was replace a drive motor and a wheel bearing. Can't say enough good about those old Cases!
Absolute tanks - Really wanted to buy an old used 1840 back in 2011 - couldn’t find one because people who own them rarely sell them. I eventually found the modern version of that unit - the SR150 with mechanical hand controls. Case actually brought the mechanical direct linkages back to those machines as people hated the electronic hand controls for landscaping. Much better ground feel/feedback with direct mechanical linkages and you can push the machine hard to get every bit of power out of the engine…. Electronic machines would just stop pushing, whereas you can literally stall out a direct linkage machine if you push it beyond its limits. Now, I get to be one of those people who will NEVER sell my ‘old’ 2011 Case.
In my professional opinion the best trac loaders are Takeuchi, they are great units !There mini ex units are are great also we love ours.The ASV units seamed to wear the bottoms out fast when used for heavy dirt work. Bobcat makes a great machine both mini ex and trac loader .We had emission problems with the kubota trac loaders but they were early made units better now i am told!
The best: Tire Skid Loader - Case Track Skid Loader - ASV TLB - Case Mini excavator - Yanmar Midsized excavator - Kubota Full size excavator - Cat/Volvo
working in a cat rental dealership and the issue with the drive hose we just made cutout out of mudflap to space them out and its solved the issue with it filling up and the hose rubing to death, the next gen one have a plate pre installed on some of the new model, should ask your dealership if they have a solution
Now I’m more into lawn care and some landscaping and my top three favorites are my first zero turn a John Deere z915b, my new Toro zero turn and my John Deere garden tractor x540. My least favorite is my John Deere 3038e, it smokes, the sway bars aren’t bars they’re chain and constantly rub the tires, it has zero pulling power, and a tiny turbo. Next is my recent John Deere zero turn z915e I just got rid of. It cut terrible, the fancy $800 seat hurt my back, it never started and ran terrible when it did. The list goes on. Thanks for the awesome videos please keep them coming!
I bought a brand new 2019 259d. Currently has 1300 hours. Everything original. Only replaced one coolant hose that started leaking. Used a 4-1 bucket from beginning and first tooth just came loose. Tracks are almost ready to be replaced. Bushings are getting play now. I’ve only lifted the cab once to clean the inside when it had about 750hrs. Lol This machine has been absolutely phenomenal, trust worthy and money making. It’s always turned on and worked with no issues, I’m super happy with it. Waiting for a 304 mini on order. Price is outrageous but the reliability I’ve experienced is well worth it.
@@Akalashnik1 haven't had that one yet 🤣 have got a 257d3 which is giving issues with injectors had 4 new ones already think that was a year ago and it's starting to play up again now the c series was bullet proof but they are definitely not as reliable now
100% correct on the cat. Just did a drive hose for that exact reason. They rub even with minimal dirt, if you’re “lucky” like me it was the one you can’t get without sliding the track frame off. Only good thing was it blew in a workable area, if you were in a tight spot I don’t know how you would do it. Only thing I can say is just recently saw a new 259d3 and they have that all sealed up now. I guess only time will tell how good tho.
The issues with the Cats are continuous, as a former service tech, the Cat oil is nothing but Mobile oil with caterpillar dye in it, don't think it's anything specific!
I've worked on just about every brand professionally for 30yrs but for kubata the past 11and can honestly say the best performing and reliability is the svl95-1you mite replace an intake manifold other than that bulletproof And a tip on Manufacturers oil send a oil sample out and they will tell you exactly what kind it is cat oil is aw46
That cat is the same one I have, I just have the hoses sleeved with kevlar sleeves. We also have regular old marine plywood blocking the holes off as much as we can, then I have chunks of broom screwed down on that to really seal it up and still be able to remove and wash. Still kinda sucks.
Do you buy your machines new? Or used up?… took me a while to just bite the bullet and buy new equipment. When I get it paid for and warranty is expired, time for a new one. Like you said though Cat has excellent service.
I agree with the machine thing. My cat just sprung a leak last month. Mine is a 289b with the asv tracks. Love my Kubota 65. But is very loud. Have used john deer skids several times. Like them. I like the peak at the yard Stan. Going to look amazing.
What $1800 to $2000 a day revenue for a 259 skid steer, how do you get people to pay that??? if 10 hrs a day that's 180 to 200 per hour for a tracked skid steer!!!
Stanley, Have you ever tried a JCB teleskid? We ordered a Bobcat 2022 T76 and its still low hours. I've used the JCB more, but it allows the door to be opened with the arm being used.
I worked for a jcb dealership those skidsteers were nothing but problems hyd leaks boom issues and a bunch of other strange issues I did more warranty work than pm services on them
Yanmar smartened ASV up with the new models that have Hardened undercarriage.They new they had soft undercarriages and yanmar can't afford that bad reputation.Personally,my machines from now on will be takeuchi or Kubota,nothing else.I owned 2 ASV's,never again.
Our 2022 259 with now 1010 hours has been in cat for repair about 6 times for serious issues including complete new wire harness twice,it runs great most times unless you get into some chewy sticky mud then it struggles at times.the new ASV Rt-40 is an amazing machine! We bought one and a second month later cause it was just that wow! We buy new machines every other year,currently we have 3 ASVrt-25 1 ASV rt-30 2 ASVrt40 cat 259 on tracks and cat 262d3 cat 405 mini excavator.
I bought two 259D3 in 2021, the first has had hydraulic main pump issues since the first day of operation and had everything hydraulic replaced after the pump imploded, but CAT did stand behind it to the tune of $130,000+ in repairs then repaired our Denis Cimaf 150D and 3 other attachments that were contaminated with metal when the pump imploded, they took care of us in a major way so I’ll keep buying from them. The second 259 has had air conditioning issues since we bought it, I’m praying the new skids that just released are more reliable.
I've operated a bazillion bobcats all the way from the 1980s and i currently own a deere 325g and really cant complain about anything.. my dealer has good part availability and the machine has been reliable.
Own 2 bobcats, a T250 and a T300. I own a salvage yard so we pick up 3000-7000LB vechiles up 6FT to work under them with no problem. We use them all day, 7 days a week. Of course it needs some parts every few years but thats bc its constantly ran and worn out like any other machine.
2019 289d and it has been bulletproof year around it does snow removal and starts at -15 and takes a beating all summer we have a service contract and a great dealer in fargo nd so that helps but nobody will tell me there’s a better machine than a WELL MAINTAINED CAT a lot depends on your dealer
S220 Bobcat skid steer!! It was a tank with know issues!! Our Bobcat S570 as had electrical issues with the joy sticks and the block you plug the electrical connector for the attachments.
Hi Stan, I bought a New Holland skid steer in 2000. IT took 5 minutes to replace a hydraulic pressure sensor a few years ago. That's it! Next is my 50 year old Super Split log splitter. Still running strong. I've brought seven Husqvarna chain saws over fifty years. ALL are still running strong. Never had a problem, ever! Worst? Chevy truck. P.O.S. Shalom/gw
I like my Deere 333E except for the DPF which cant see to decide if it needs regen or not. Sometimes it throws an exhaust code then says soot is low.. I’ve also run Gehl and bobcat. The Gael was nice.
I got a Bobcat S650 at auction in PA earlier this year for personal use. Was a drive from MN. Really impressed so far, has the joystick controls and IMO they are just as good as CAT. Been doing dirt work & moving material with teleboom. Had rented a CAT 257D and 262d last year and loved them. I've seen the CAT Sanford plant & CNH Wichita plants. Main difference is CAT subcontracts out more parts and subassemblies. Both impressive facilities.
I’m shocked to hear you hated the terex! I’ve ran the older asv rc50 and rc60 and then with terex took over asv for a short time I ran the pt 50,60,70,80 and the 100g. (Worked at asv dealer for a few years during that time Period) I currently own a pt70 and love it thing never seizes to amaze me of where it will go.
I've been a heavy equipment operator for over 15 years and one company I worked with was a Terex dealer. I absolutely loved their rubber tire backhoe. Hated the off-road trucks a fleet of 25's and 4066's. Trucks were under powered and the brakes were non-existent. A Volvo artic truck is the Cadillac of dirt moving imo. We use to do dredging in the lake, we had a 725 cat and a A35 Volvo. The Volvo would lap the cat truck.
I have a 2021 cat 239D skid loader and they did change those hoses they don’t rub anymore and they have that hole blocked off so little to no dirt gets in mine in those areas. I have actually owned the machine since new in 2021 and have only had to clean under the cab once since owning it and only got about half a 5 gallon bucket of dirt and debris from under there. So not a lot gets in under the cab anymore, which is a good thing! I love my machine so far I’ve got about 550 hours on it only as of now but it gets used daily almost on every job we do for something. Knock on wood so far it’s been amazing to me. But time will tell if my opinion changes haha. Also where I live CAT is about our only option for having a dealer close. Every other brand dealers are 3 plus hours away so just made more sense to go with a machine that has close dealer support for parts and service.
The fix for the cat is to make slots in the bottom where dirt can get out. Also have the hoses on stilts/ brackets. Even if there isn't any dirt in there I wonder how much they move around to chaff a hole in them?
We own 14, 299 skidsteers, all with FAE mulchers on them and they run almost everyday. 10 days on and 4 days off and they come back and get cleaned out. Even with the landmanagment package the debris comes thru the area between back window and the radiator lid. Even with a rubber protector. It has the protection at the sides of where the hoses are but stuff still gets in there, not near as fast as the open design like yours, but we pressure wash or air blow them out once or twice a month. If your burying it into mud and stuff then yea more often
The most bullet proof skid I have owned and still have is the 2001 cat 236! Almost no repairs over 23 years. Only issue is its under powered and jerky. Picked up a JD CT332 last year and so far love the power but not the noise.
We have a 259d with almost 4k hours on it and nothing has been done besides basic maintenance and replacing wear items. That hose issue has never happened to us. we must just be lucky
Love my old bobcat 642 ! Small machine but perfect for getting around in city lots. Use front excuvator, forks, tooth bucket, standard bucket, plow/grader, Mixer, and Auger. Not an issue.... old wheel machine but I love that thing. Best part is her hydraulic oil is just 10w30 or 10W40.... so cheap to run or repair.
Sold my Newholland ( great machine ) for a Takeuchi TL10sl !!! Maintenance & a competent operator is key… I’m no where on the top tier as an operator but I know enough & get the job done. No issues here with the latest as of yet -
I think that when it comes to performance, the power and lift that deere has, is untouchable. From.my experience, they will out perform and other brand. Only close one to compare would be Takeuchi. I had a t190 bobcat and that thing was amazing. I like the cab room and door on the Kubota but I agree with you that it's very loud in the cab.
I have a 289D3 and the problem of dirt getting inside the machine is fixed, but the hoses are still a problem. I have picked up a 12” diameter rock into the tracks before and sheared off the hose at the final drive
Well I’ve had really good luck with my case skid loaders ! The old 1845C and the TR 270 and TR 310 have really been good for me ! Rarely any downtime and my local Case dealer has been right there for me when I needed anything just pick up the phone and it’s done !
With the Cat I have to wonder how many of those repairs are because of the first owner neglect including those hoses. Has any of those been because of a missing plate or boot and the missing tie downs.
On the cat, I would weld a plate over the big holes with bulkhead fittings installed then short hoses inside as well as short hoses outside. I would also get spares for the outside hoses.
My 2015, Kubota SVL 90-2 with Hi-flow. The hydraulic pump did fail 2 months ago, with only 460 hours on it while using the hi-flow. The bushing in the pump wears out and the gears smash. Kubota knows about the problem and just extended the warranty, but they did not recall it. (no warranty now in 2023). They are on the third generation pump now, I've been told. It cost me $3,800 just for the pump. Other than that, it has been a great machine. My 2000, Daewoo 1760XL (2200 hours) has been a great machine. It is so simple. My Bobcat 2004, 463 is a nice tiny machine but it only has about 300 hours on it. Stan, I'd like to show you sometime how we do demolition in Flint, Michigan. It's a little different than I saw you do it.
I have 3 caterpillar 279d, 289d, 259d. All of them have over 4000 hrs. Never had any issues with them other then the drive hoses. That's a big issue that we have extra hoses all the time but other than that nothing compares to the cat.
If your willing to weld on it is there enough space to make a pass through manifold and weld a plate over the openings? Something like what Colinfurze made for his ATV to extend his hydrolic lines. The ingress should stop and no chafing as the connections will space out the hoses. I guess the connections on the wheel side would still be prone to dirt packing.
We love our Bobcat, we own a older one its about 40+ years old we use it around our farms. It breaks a few times a year but is usually easily repaired.
I have a little over 18,000 hours combined on 3 New Holland machines. 1 Lx665 and 2 Ls170. No major repairs on any of them. Lx665 has had 3 starters, 1 alternator, 1 muffler and glow plugs. First Ls170 has had 1 starter, 1 water pump and glow plugs. Second Ls170 has had 2 starters, a couple hydraulic lines and a fuel pump. One of them had the switch in the seat needed replaced but I forget which one it was. No major money spent on any of them.
The T200 was a $56k nightmare for me. Too big, too much adjustment to tracks, terrible at grading and attachments. I truly think it was meant to be turbo charged beast that could actually load dump trunks. The smaller bobcats were the charm for masonry being able to turn in tight spaces and they just ran and ran with reasonable care, cleaning, grease and not abused.
Just sold a 2015 case tr310 I though new so I can buy 2 John Deere’s 333g’s used from a friend. But definitely impressed so far! Upgraded machines for us
at timestamp 1:32 whats the name for that orange boom loader thing over your shoulder? and was it a good purchase or is that going to be in the next bad review video? lol
I own a 289 C2....LOVE it....I only had to replace the 1 aluminum auxiliary line that feeds my attachments..... not crazy where the battery is located, it's under the cab had mine go bad while parked inside where I didn't have enough room to lift the cab....Thank GOD for the terminals in the back of engine compartment was able to jump and move out of building.
I love my pt60 terex. same body as a pt50 with 10 more hp. I could see how 10hp would make a bit of a difference but you must have had a bit of a lemon. Terex was made by ASV/ Is an ASV with a coat of paint. Im sure there are some differences between them and the rt series equivalents you have shown in your videos but not a lot. My opinion on asv/ terex is they wont lift as much as competitors but...there smoother, more slope stable and have lighter footprint/ better in mud. More of a grade and softscape machine then paver/rock/ demo machine.
@@rixward5475 Terex owned asv, asv made the terex brand skid steer. Asv is now owned by yanmar. My father still has an old 8230. I wish terex still made dozers etc.
For residential I would use a machine that’s easy to tow. Something between a 40 hp to a 80 up should be fine the smaller machine are easier to get in residential back yards
Should give a John Deere Track steer a try. Balls for days it's like a mini D9 Dozer. Anything made by DynaPac is waiting to disappoint. I work in road construction and pretty much anything new has potential to have issues. Until it has 200hrs + you should be weary. That's all brands , the manufacturer isn't the issue it's usually their distributor that's not prepping the machines correctly.
Tarex are crap ran them down in the msp airport parking lots. The worst electric over hydro control delay. You can't shake the bucket the controls just don't understand any quick moves. Kubota skid loaders cabs are nicer then Tarex with the same crap control response and the weird slide up over you doors are a love hate. Yes you can open it with the arms in any position but if there's snow or moisture on it your knees get wet when you open it or when you lean forward to climb out water down the back of your neck. Cat skid loaders with pilot controls that move with the air ride heated seat are the best snow plowing equipment. I've ran one none stop at the airport for 20 plus hours without the physical and mental fatigue I've experienced running other loaders. Cats are almost effortless to operate.
I’ve got two 259s, four 272D3 XEs in my road construction, excavation company to compliment the larger equipment. I’d have to agree about the belly of the 259. Daily washings, besides time consuming, didn’t prevent the hydro lines from getting damaged. I had my welder close in the side panel openings, extend a skirt further up and fabricate sleeves for the hoses. Same deal with the 272s. Problem solved. Watch those drive sockets though, mine have been problematic. Cat has had my back, extended warranty pays for itself. Found it funny you list the Volvo as the worst. To haul the equipment I used a pair of Volvo 670s. Down time far outweighed the road miles. Never again. Very pleased with the USA built Kenworths I now run.
Hard to beat Bobcat and JD skid loaders. We run case at work, I have very few complaints, easy to work on, good lifting power for smaller machines(tr310, sr270), could use mower counter weight it feels like. We have had some electrical issues though, that’s been the biggest down fall.
We bought a bobcat s300 brand new in 2007 and we only have replace two or 3 hoses . It has 4400 hours and is perfect machine it depends on the operator how he uses it
He's just a little slow. Not everyone is an Einstein. Seems to me you'd want to build a box around the exposed hoses but what do I know, I'm a carpenter. I guess they don't make braided steel lines for that kind of application.
bought a 16' 259d Cat new and traded it in at 1200hours with only one drive motor wire issue. Traded it in for a 18' 259d Cat that now has 2100 hours. The 18" Cat had a head gasket issue and fuel pump. Cat replaced the head gasket for free under warranty and changed out the fuel pump with a 259D3 upgraded pump. Now i am looking to up grade the 259d for another Cat 259d3 or Case tv370
Wish our CAT store in Ky were that helpful! They seem to act too good for the smaller contractors in our area like myself and i absolutely love my CAT but when it breaks or hiccups it would nice to have a department like that in my city!
Id be willing to bet a call to CATs corporate office would fix that for you. I'd bet you are not the only one having problems with service. Here in SC one man owned every store in the state and he was a great guy. He recently passed away and everyone is concerned how service will be in the future.
Your CAT dealer is pretty lousy then. I worked on the small stuff for 4 years at a CAT dealer and we always treated the owner operators the same as the guys with millions on there CAT credit account.
Did you ever own one of the single armed skid loaders? I can’t remember who made them or even if they are still made. I remember seeing them on some of my brother’s jobs way back when I was in middle school in about 2014.
It used to drive me nuts that a farmer I worked for was so picky about cleaning his equipment. Now that I have my own equipment that breaks I understand how important it is to clean them. You find little problems usually before they turn into big problems
Quick tip for hoses: use pool noodles to wrap them in the CAT’s. We did that and eliminated 95% of debris pushing in the undercarriage. Cheap easy solution aside from spray foam which is a pain to try and scrape out and prevents maintenance on the hoses as they naturally wear down over time and usage.
Walking by my daughter with an arm load of pool noodles... "Nope honey, Daddy is playing with these ones" 🙂
Thanks for that tip I’m about to pick up my 259D3
Sorry that sucks
@@getinthespace7715 save 2 for pool fun afterwards as a victory party. Lol
@@jethrobodine011 sorry about the spray foam? Or the diy hack? I’m always open to better solutions if you know of one. Please share so we can all learn.
I am a technician at a cat dealer, from what I have seen working on the newer skids as in the last 1-2 years, they have changed that pass through for the hoses to a stack clamp, it holds every hose and the wiring harness and separately so they don’t rub and keeps the dirt out, but I do agree that style of pass through is terrible any time I have to lift a cab on a skid I spend 30-45 minutes in the wash bay cleaning the all that dirt out that piles up, loved the vid!
Could he retrofit the clamp back to the older machine? Maybe that could solve the unreliability problem?
@@greggmcclelland8430 as far as I know, yes. Cat doesn’t sell a kit but if you really wanted to you could order all the parts and transfer the new design over
what years are the newer style?
@@coltheesacker5656 I believe 2019-current, I’m kinda shaky on the year changes because they all look the same lol
The dust is very real coming inside the cab. All brands lol bobcat is rely bad with that.
I've been running skid steers all my life and have over 10,000 hours on them alone. I started on Bobcat 743's in the 80s. Those were great little machines for what they were. I also really liked the 763 bobcats. One of the best machines I ever owned was a Daewoo 1760xl that I brought brand new in 2000 it had a Perkins 700 series diesel and gave me three thousand Hours of Hard use with almost zero issues. It had very minimal electrical, but eventually, that's where I started having issues with it, and when they were bought out by Bobcat, it became hard to get replacement parts. It was a very tough, capable, and simple machine. I really liked the Bobcat S185 and t550 as well. The case tr270 has proved to be a good machine in my experience as well as the Cat 279 series. I liked the Takahachi, however, like the cat parts and service are very expensive. The Gehls seem to have a decent reputation, although I have only had experience with one on a job, and it gave us no end to breakdowns and grief. One of the poorer machines I owned was an older Daewoo DSL 801. It had a bad engine mounting design and would crack the bellhousing as well as requiring a third pedal to run your third valve, which made it very inconvenient to run things like a grapple When John Deere started building their own machines rather than rebranding new Holland's, I never took a liking to them. I found the controls to be stiff and jerky, the visibility was poor, and especially on their 333 track machine, it was overall very bulky. They had lots of power, but bucket float grading sucks, and track maintainance is important as they are known for damaging idlers if they come off, resulting in additional repair costs. I currently also own a New Holland lx665 Turbo. I have a love-hate relationship with this machine. It runs like a tank and is very reliable, but the electronic instrument panel has completely failed, and there are no repair units available. Also, something as simple as a dead battery or fuel pump with the boom arms down is a nightmare to repair. I have gotten in the habit of parking the machine with the boom arms locked up just in case. Additionally, the fact that you can not easily tilt the cab means that simple repairs become difficult, and regular cleaning and maintenance get skipped. I feel like what it really boils down to is that manufacturers are selling us the sizzle rather than the bacon. I don't need all the fancy options like heated seats and adjustable sensitivity on my controls. What I need is simple, rugged, reliable, long-lasting mechanical equipment. The number one failure point I see across-the-board with all manufacturers is the amount of electronics that they are packing into this equipment. I was sitting in the dealer showroom at Daewoo of Orlando 20 years ago, looking at their brand new machines. The salesman told me to start it up to see how smooth it ran. When I went to shut it down, there was no fuel kill lever. I asked him how to shut it off, and he said, "Turn the key just like your car!" He thought this was a cool selling point, but I told him that meant there was some electrical solenoid somewhere that was going to fail and cost me money in the future. A couple of years later, that solenoid failed on a job. I had to drag the machine onto the trailer and take it 50 miles to a shop that could repair it. It cost me 400 bucks for the repair plus the travel time and fuel and three days lost productivity. I learned how to fix it myself the next time it failed for a $60 part and still several days of lost productivity waiting on the part. Every new machine from every manufacturer in recent years has given us electrical problems. The electrical issues can rarely be diagnosed and repaired by the owner, resulting in costly repair bills and more downtime. Same with automobiles. In this respect, I'm glad that I'm getting older and won't have to deal with this in 30 years!
Im looking for a mini skid with a mulching head. Whats your take? 36 width would b nice.
Great info, but please use more linefeed next time to make it easier to read.
@organicvids I can't give you any advice on a mulching head, as I have never used one. I have run one of the old Thomas mini skids about 15 years ago that we rented it seemed like a pretty good little machine but of course, I didn't get to run it for very long. I have also rented several of the Bobcat mini skids. Generally I was very pleased with them for working in very tight spaces. It sure beat a shovel and a wheelbarrow!
@@joeneighbor 10-4, sorry about that, I tend to ramble on with voice text!
@@organicvidswhat you defining as mini skid? We run a mt100 bobcat and they do make brush cutters for them, but don’t make disc or drum mulchers for them. We run our brush cutter on our Case TV380.
Bought a brand new kubota svl752 in 2020 and have beat the living he'll out of it, breaking concrete, grading, auger, demo, ect and haven't had a single issue whatsoever. Keep the hydraulic fittings clean, and take car of it and keep it greased. Done all scheduled maintenance and 1600 hours without an issue.
Neglect is a machines worst enemy no matter what the brand
Very true if you abuse your equipment it’ll fail you some equipment isn’t good though
Sadly, with some machines, just operating them is worse than abuse.
@@gimmeaford9454 very true
That’s why nothing works in Afr1ca. They don’t have a concept of future events.
A little maintenence goes a long way.
The cat 259d3 is a good machine but we've only used them as far as renting them. Glad you took the time to break down some of the issues, we are down to a 259d3 and the equivalent John Deere model. One of our equipment rental places has switched over to the John Deere 317 and 331 and I've been very impressed with how well they handle especially in tight job sites.
Edit: Forgot to add, we have had a lot of luck with Yanmar excavators from the SV35 and the SV100. Yanmar is coming out with a line of skid steers and it is going to be interesting to see how they line up with their competitors.
lucky kubotas are more better luck with and made reliable solid
Never buy John Deere. They are ripping off farmers! I've seen some of my buddies go bankrupt because of Deere.
I had a New Holland L190 and never had one issue. The only things I did was maintenance and fuel. Phenomenal!
Their badass tanks. Too bad New Holland aren’t that solid anymore. We’ve owned many 185s . Never a 190
@@samuelw.3992 I've always ran new Holland and never had any major issues and I do a lot of concrete demo with a hydraulic jackhammer attachment which is one of the hardest attachments on skidsteers because of all the vibration. I have the newer l228 it's 3 years old now and have only replaced 1 hydraulic hose
@@Stacked3403 well I’m happy for you. That’s the first I’ve heard of anything positive about them.
@@samuelw.3992 yeah I've heard a bunch of negative also before I bought my new one. I don't know if I just got lucky so far but I'm going to keep buying them until I have a bad experience for myself
New Holland 565lx reliable nimble cheap to own and maintain, and with the super boom significantly more lift height than the standard booms,
Excellent information!!!! I have a Deere 325g. I bought it because it seems to have better design than cat. So far I love it.
Haven't run enough skids to have 3 top ones, but man, you can't beat the older Case skid steers. We have an 1845C and an 1818. Yeah, they're old, slow, and don't have all the bells and whistles the new ones do, but those things are nearly unstoppable. If something does break (which has been rare in our experience) they're easy to fix, and they just keep going. We've had the 1845C almost 30 years and I think the worst thing we've had to do was replace a drive motor and a wheel bearing. Can't say enough good about those old Cases!
My 1845 C is a early 1995 still running great a little power lose on right drive but it’s hardly been used in past fifteen years
I have a case 1840 that I bought in 1998 and it’s running today like it did when I bought it, indestructible machine
exxactly but why do they need to be fast, but they are the best
Ill take the pushing torque over the speed for grading
Absolute tanks - Really wanted to buy an old used 1840 back in 2011 - couldn’t find one because people who own them rarely sell them.
I eventually found the modern version of that unit - the SR150 with mechanical hand controls. Case actually brought the mechanical direct linkages back to those machines as people hated the electronic hand controls for landscaping.
Much better ground feel/feedback with direct mechanical linkages and you can push the machine hard to get every bit of power out of the engine…. Electronic machines would just stop pushing, whereas you can literally stall out a direct linkage machine if you push it beyond its limits.
Now, I get to be one of those people who will NEVER sell my ‘old’ 2011 Case.
In my professional opinion the best trac loaders are Takeuchi, they are great units !There mini ex units are are great also we love ours.The ASV units seamed to wear the bottoms out fast when used for heavy dirt work. Bobcat makes a great machine both mini ex and trac loader .We had emission problems with the kubota trac loaders but they were early made units better now i am told!
TAKEUCHI IS THE BEST
The best:
Tire Skid Loader - Case
Track Skid Loader - ASV
TLB - Case
Mini excavator - Yanmar
Midsized excavator - Kubota
Full size excavator - Cat/Volvo
Track frame on ASV is very weak , turns on hard top will cause seperation.
@@johnmerlo5005asv erratic jerky junk
Thank you for talking about this!!! I think more people should do this without fear, like you. I love your videos! Wishing you a great week!
working in a cat rental dealership and the issue with the drive hose we just made cutout out of mudflap to space them out and its solved the issue with it filling up and the hose rubing to death, the next gen one have a plate pre installed on some of the new model, should ask your dealership if they have a solution
Now I’m more into lawn care and some landscaping and my top three favorites are my first zero turn a John Deere z915b, my new Toro zero turn and my John Deere garden tractor x540. My least favorite is my John Deere 3038e, it smokes, the sway bars aren’t bars they’re chain and constantly rub the tires, it has zero pulling power, and a tiny turbo. Next is my recent John Deere zero turn z915e I just got rid of. It cut terrible, the fancy $800 seat hurt my back, it never started and ran terrible when it did. The list goes on.
Thanks for the awesome videos please keep them coming!
I bought a brand new 2019 259d. Currently has 1300 hours. Everything original. Only replaced one coolant hose that started leaking. Used a 4-1 bucket from beginning and first tooth just came loose. Tracks are almost ready to be replaced. Bushings are getting play now. I’ve only lifted the cab once to clean the inside when it had about 750hrs. Lol This machine has been absolutely phenomenal, trust worthy and money making. It’s always turned on and worked with no issues, I’m super happy with it. Waiting for a 304 mini on order. Price is outrageous but the reliability I’ve experienced is well worth it.
Was the coolant hose rubbing on the dipstick by any chance ?
@@chriss7930 no leaked at clamps no matter how I tightened it. Got a new one and new clamps and we good.
@@Akalashnik1 haven't had that one yet 🤣 have got a 257d3 which is giving issues with injectors had 4 new ones already think that was a year ago and it's starting to play up again now the c series was bullet proof but they are definitely not as reliable now
@@chriss7930 what year is yours? Man mines been amazing.
I have a 2019 259d3 as well and I love it. Over 2000 hrs now. Maintenance and cleaning will make them last.
100% correct on the cat. Just did a drive hose for that exact reason. They rub even with minimal dirt, if you’re “lucky” like me it was the one you can’t get without sliding the track frame off. Only good thing was it blew in a workable area, if you were in a tight spot I don’t know how you would do it. Only thing I can say is just recently saw a new 259d3 and they have that all sealed up now. I guess only time will tell how good tho.
If u pull the track off u can get the hose off with the right wrenches and avoid pulling roller frames
The issues with the Cats are continuous, as a former service tech, the Cat oil is nothing but Mobile oil with caterpillar dye in it, don't think it's anything specific!
Mobile Synthetic ATF is what my cat dealer sells me.
I've worked on just about every brand professionally for 30yrs but for kubata the past 11and can honestly say the best performing and reliability is the svl95-1you mite replace an intake manifold other than that bulletproof
And a tip on
Manufacturers oil send a oil sample out and they will tell you exactly what kind it is cat oil is aw46
You’re missing the covers that hold those lines! They updated that opening with molded rubber to hold and close off that opening.
Trust me spray foam is a horrible idea
That cat is the same one I have, I just have the hoses sleeved with kevlar sleeves. We also have regular old marine plywood blocking the holes off as much as we can, then I have chunks of broom screwed down on that to really seal it up and still be able to remove and wash. Still kinda sucks.
What year is that 259? I think they made some design changes on the hoses ?
love your channel it inspired me to take the next step and i have started my own landscape and lawn care business
Do you buy your machines new? Or used up?… took me a while to just bite the bullet and buy new equipment. When I get it paid for and warranty is expired, time for a new one. Like you said though Cat has excellent service.
I agree with the machine thing. My cat just sprung a leak last month. Mine is a 289b with the asv tracks. Love my Kubota 65. But is very loud. Have used john deer skids several times. Like them.
I like the peak at the yard Stan. Going to look amazing.
What $1800 to $2000 a day revenue for a 259 skid steer, how do you get people to pay that??? if 10 hrs a day that's 180 to 200 per hour for a tracked skid steer!!!
Stanley,
Have you ever tried a JCB teleskid? We ordered a Bobcat 2022 T76 and its still low hours. I've used the JCB more, but it allows the door to be opened with the arm being used.
I worked for a jcb dealership those skidsteers were nothing but problems hyd leaks boom issues and a bunch of other strange issues I did more warranty work than pm services on them
Yanmar smartened ASV up with the new models that have Hardened undercarriage.They new they had soft undercarriages and yanmar can't afford that bad reputation.Personally,my machines from now on will be takeuchi or Kubota,nothing else.I owned 2 ASV's,never again.
Our 2022 259 with now 1010 hours has been in cat for repair about 6 times for serious issues including complete new wire harness twice,it runs great most times unless you get into some chewy sticky mud then it struggles at times.the new ASV Rt-40 is an amazing machine! We bought one and a second month later cause it was just that wow! We buy new machines every other year,currently we have 3 ASVrt-25 1 ASV rt-30 2 ASVrt40 cat 259 on tracks and cat 262d3 cat 405 mini excavator.
I bought two 259D3 in 2021, the first has had hydraulic main pump issues since the first day of operation and had everything hydraulic replaced after the pump imploded, but CAT did stand behind it to the tune of $130,000+ in repairs then repaired our Denis Cimaf 150D and 3 other attachments that were contaminated with metal when the pump imploded, they took care of us in a major way so I’ll keep buying from them. The second 259 has had air conditioning issues since we bought it, I’m praying the new skids that just released are more reliable.
I've operated a bazillion bobcats all the way from the 1980s and i currently own a deere 325g and really cant complain about anything.. my dealer has good part availability and the machine has been reliable.
Own 2 bobcats, a T250 and a T300. I own a salvage yard so we pick up 3000-7000LB vechiles up 6FT to work under them with no problem. We use them all day, 7 days a week. Of course it needs some parts every few years but thats bc its constantly ran and worn out like any other machine.
have you tried the mini ex from cat? the 300.5 next gen is a mix between a mini ex and a skid but less than mecalac
2019 289d and it has been bulletproof year around it does snow removal and starts at -15 and takes a beating all summer we have a service contract and a great dealer in fargo nd so that helps but nobody will tell me there’s a better machine than a WELL MAINTAINED CAT a lot depends on your dealer
S220 Bobcat skid steer!! It was a tank with know issues!!
Our Bobcat S570 as had electrical issues with the joy sticks and the block you plug the electrical connector for the attachments.
Hi Stan, I bought a New Holland skid steer in 2000. IT took 5 minutes to replace a hydraulic pressure sensor a few years ago. That's it! Next is my 50 year old Super Split log splitter. Still running strong. I've brought seven Husqvarna chain saws over fifty years. ALL are still running strong. Never had a problem, ever! Worst? Chevy truck. P.O.S. Shalom/gw
The Bobcat T595 i ran for Simpsons tree service was an absolute die hard beast!
Great vid to watch when it’s time to decide on a new / new to us machine. Thx for the advice.
I've heard Takeuchi's are the best.
That’s what I was told. I bought a brand new one last year. 300 hours later - not impressed. Came from a case. Will be going back to case
I like my Deere 333E except for the DPF which cant see to decide if it needs regen or not. Sometimes it throws an exhaust code then says soot is low.. I’ve also run Gehl and bobcat. The Gael was nice.
I got a Bobcat S650 at auction in PA earlier this year for personal use. Was a drive from MN. Really impressed so far, has the joystick controls and IMO they are just as good as CAT. Been doing dirt work & moving material with teleboom. Had rented a CAT 257D and 262d last year and loved them. I've seen the CAT Sanford plant & CNH Wichita plants. Main difference is CAT subcontracts out more parts and subassemblies. Both impressive facilities.
I’m shocked to hear you hated the terex! I’ve ran the older asv rc50 and rc60 and then with terex took over asv for a short time I ran the pt 50,60,70,80 and the 100g. (Worked at asv dealer for a few years during that time
Period) I currently own a pt70 and love it thing never seizes to amaze me of where it will go.
I've been a heavy equipment operator for over 15 years and one company I worked with was a Terex dealer. I absolutely loved their rubber tire backhoe. Hated the off-road trucks a fleet of 25's and 4066's. Trucks were under powered and the brakes were non-existent. A Volvo artic truck is the Cadillac of dirt moving imo. We use to do dredging in the lake, we had a 725 cat and a A35 Volvo. The Volvo would lap the cat truck.
I have a 2021 cat 239D skid loader and they did change those hoses they don’t rub anymore and they have that hole blocked off so little to no dirt gets in mine in those areas. I have actually owned the machine since new in 2021 and have only had to clean under the cab once since owning it and only got about half a 5 gallon bucket of dirt and debris from under there. So not a lot gets in under the cab anymore, which is a good thing! I love my machine so far I’ve got about 550 hours on it only as of now but it gets used daily almost on every job we do for something. Knock on wood so far it’s been amazing to me. But time will tell if my opinion changes haha. Also where I live CAT is about our only option for having a dealer close. Every other brand dealers are 3 plus hours away so just made more sense to go with a machine that has close dealer support for parts and service.
The fix for the cat is to make slots in the bottom where dirt can get out. Also have the hoses on stilts/ brackets. Even if there isn't any dirt in there I wonder how much they move around to chaff a hole in them?
We own 14, 299 skidsteers, all with FAE mulchers on them and they run almost everyday. 10 days on and 4 days off and they come back and get cleaned out. Even with the landmanagment package the debris comes thru the area between back window and the radiator lid. Even with a rubber protector. It has the protection at the sides of where the hoses are but stuff still gets in there, not near as fast as the open design like yours, but we pressure wash or air blow them out once or twice a month. If your burying it into mud and stuff then yea more often
Wow, that’s a lot of skid steers!
Stanley, do you like the Avant ? I had a 640 loved it… now a 760 … love it but the steering is weak. Do you like them ?
The most bullet proof skid I have owned and still have is the 2001 cat 236! Almost no repairs over 23 years. Only issue is its under powered and jerky. Picked up a JD CT332 last year and so far love the power but not the noise.
I’ve worked nearly every type of skid steer and hands down the 259B3 is my favorite.
New Holland has always been my favorite! My old 99 LX885 runs everyday and takes any beating.
We have a 259d with almost 4k hours on it and nothing has been done besides basic maintenance and replacing wear items. That hose issue has never happened to us. we must just be lucky
Love my old bobcat 642 ! Small machine but perfect for getting around in city lots. Use front excuvator, forks, tooth bucket, standard bucket, plow/grader, Mixer, and Auger. Not an issue.... old wheel machine but I love that thing. Best part is her hydraulic oil is just 10w30 or 10W40.... so cheap to run or repair.
Sold my Newholland ( great machine ) for a Takeuchi TL10sl !!! Maintenance & a competent operator is key… I’m no where on the top tier as an operator but I know enough & get the job done. No issues here with the latest as of yet -
I think that when it comes to performance, the power and lift that deere has, is untouchable. From.my experience, they will out perform and other brand. Only close one to compare would be Takeuchi. I had a t190 bobcat and that thing was amazing.
I like the cab room and door on the Kubota but I agree with you that it's very loud in the cab.
Ok which are your 3 best then??
Deere tak and Kubota
I have a 289D3 and the problem of dirt getting inside the machine is fixed, but the hoses are still a problem. I have picked up a 12” diameter rock into the tracks before and sheared off the hose at the final drive
Well I’ve had really good luck with my case skid loaders ! The old 1845C and the TR 270 and TR 310 have really been good for me ! Rarely any downtime and my local Case dealer has been right there for me when I needed anything just pick up the phone and it’s done !
With the Cat I have to wonder how many of those repairs are because of the first owner neglect including those hoses. Has any of those been because of a missing plate or boot and the missing tie downs.
On the cat, I would weld a plate over the big holes with bulkhead fittings installed then short hoses inside as well as short hoses outside. I would also get spares for the outside hoses.
see if you can try out the new t66, i absolutely love them, even over asv, it’s just a beast.
I've got a 259B3. Same problem with that hose setup. Replaced the main hose to one of the final drives last year. North of $400 for one hose 🤦♂
My 2015, Kubota SVL 90-2 with Hi-flow. The hydraulic pump did fail 2 months ago, with only 460 hours on it while using the hi-flow. The bushing in the pump wears out and the gears smash. Kubota knows about the problem and just extended the warranty, but they did not recall it. (no warranty now in 2023). They are on the third generation pump now, I've been told. It cost me $3,800 just for the pump. Other than that, it has been a great machine. My 2000, Daewoo 1760XL (2200 hours) has been a great machine. It is so simple. My Bobcat 2004, 463 is a nice tiny machine but it only has about 300 hours on it. Stan, I'd like to show you sometime how we do demolition in Flint, Michigan. It's a little different than I saw you do it.
What attachments do you run on your Kubota? If it's a forestry cutter like a Fecon, that is what is killing your gear pump.
@@Hummin_Along It's the biggest brush hog QuickAttach makes.
I added the cavalier hose covers and it helped with the chafing of the hoses…. Been 3 years and no hose problems so far…!!
I have 3 caterpillar 279d, 289d, 259d. All of them have over 4000 hrs. Never had any issues with them other then the drive hoses. That's a big issue that we have extra hoses all the time but other than that nothing compares to the cat.
If your willing to weld on it is there enough space to make a pass through manifold and weld a plate over the openings? Something like what Colinfurze made for his ATV to extend his hydrolic lines. The ingress should stop and no chafing as the connections will space out the hoses. I guess the connections on the wheel side would still be prone to dirt packing.
We love our Bobcat, we own a older one its about 40+ years old we use it around our farms. It breaks a few times a year but is usually easily repaired.
I have a little over 18,000 hours combined on 3 New Holland machines. 1 Lx665 and 2 Ls170. No major repairs on any of them. Lx665 has had 3 starters, 1 alternator, 1 muffler and glow plugs. First Ls170 has had 1 starter, 1 water pump and glow plugs. Second Ls170 has had 2 starters, a couple hydraulic lines and a fuel pump. One of them had the switch in the seat needed replaced but I forget which one it was. No major money spent on any of them.
Can you get kevlar liners for those hoses so they they last longer?
The T200 was a $56k nightmare for me. Too big, too much adjustment to tracks, terrible at grading and attachments. I truly think it was meant to be turbo charged beast that could actually load dump trunks. The smaller bobcats were the charm for masonry being able to turn in tight spaces and they just ran and ran with reasonable care, cleaning, grease and not abused.
Just sold a 2015 case tr310 I though new so I can buy 2 John Deere’s 333g’s used from a friend. But definitely impressed so far! Upgraded machines for us
at timestamp 1:32 whats the name for that orange boom loader thing over your shoulder? and was it a good purchase or is that going to be in the next bad review video? lol
I own a 289 C2....LOVE it....I only had to replace the 1 aluminum auxiliary line that feeds my attachments..... not crazy where the battery is located, it's under the cab had mine go bad while parked inside where I didn't have enough room to lift the cab....Thank GOD for the terminals in the back of engine compartment was able to jump and move out of building.
What about New Holland LS180 what are your thoughts?
My only piece of equipment I own and I love it is a 2021 Cat 434 backhoe sideshift. Wonderful machine.
I love my pt60 terex. same body as a pt50 with 10 more hp. I could see how 10hp would make a bit of a difference but you must have had a bit of a lemon. Terex was made by ASV/ Is an ASV with a coat of paint. Im sure there are some differences between them and the rt series equivalents you have shown in your videos but not a lot. My opinion on asv/ terex is they wont lift as much as competitors but...there smoother, more slope stable and have lighter footprint/ better in mud. More of a grade and softscape machine then paver/rock/ demo machine.
i think its the other way around, asv is a subsidiary of Terex. Terex is a massive mining machinery company similar to CAT , Komatsu, Hitachi,etc
@@rixward5475 Terex owned asv, asv made the terex brand skid steer. Asv is now owned by yanmar. My father still has an old 8230. I wish terex still made dozers etc.
Do the other cat skid steers have the same hydraulic hose routes?
Maybe you or someone watching can answer. What is the best size Excavator for septic system install in your mind?
For residential I would use a machine that’s easy to tow. Something between a 40 hp to a 80 up should be fine the smaller machine are easier to get in residential back yards
I use an 80 series for septic.
I wouldn’t want any smaller.
I’d go somewhere between an 80 and a 140 series.
80 is easier to move though.
Should give a John Deere Track steer a try. Balls for days it's like a mini D9 Dozer. Anything made by DynaPac is waiting to disappoint. I work in road construction and pretty much anything new has potential to have issues. Until it has 200hrs + you should be weary. That's all brands , the manufacturer isn't the issue it's usually their distributor that's not prepping the machines correctly.
What would be good for forestry and fencing using auger?
Agreed kubota is a little louder but really not hard to maintain and work pretty damn good for considerably less money than a cat or jd
I did a flex plate on a Cat,it was made of plastic!NH is my favorite,they stand the test of time.
I’m in the market for a machine. Thank you for the advice. Helping us dodge the issues.
Sounds like you need a Takeuchi
No dealers close = no service
For someone starting out. What piece of equipment first? I have truck and dump trailer already
Tarex are crap ran them down in the msp airport parking lots. The worst electric over hydro control delay. You can't shake the bucket the controls just don't understand any quick moves. Kubota skid loaders cabs are nicer then Tarex with the same crap control response and the weird slide up over you doors are a love hate. Yes you can open it with the arms in any position but if there's snow or moisture on it your knees get wet when you open it or when you lean forward to climb out water down the back of your neck. Cat skid loaders with pilot controls that move with the air ride heated seat are the best snow plowing equipment. I've ran one none stop at the airport for 20 plus hours without the physical and mental fatigue I've experienced running other loaders. Cats are almost effortless to operate.
I’ve got two 259s, four 272D3 XEs in my road construction, excavation company to compliment the larger equipment. I’d have to agree about the belly of the 259. Daily washings, besides time consuming, didn’t prevent the hydro lines from getting damaged. I had my welder close in the side panel openings, extend a skirt further up and fabricate sleeves for the hoses. Same deal with the 272s. Problem solved. Watch those drive sockets though, mine have been problematic. Cat has had my back, extended warranty pays for itself.
Found it funny you list the Volvo as the worst. To haul the equipment I used a pair of Volvo 670s. Down time far outweighed the road miles. Never again. Very pleased with the USA built Kenworths I now run.
Stan, Cat sells metal plates to protect those hoses.
Hard to beat Bobcat and JD skid loaders. We run case at work, I have very few complaints, easy to work on, good lifting power for smaller machines(tr310, sr270), could use mower counter weight it feels like. We have had some electrical issues though, that’s been the biggest down fall.
I like Gehl skidsteers, bar none, and I’ve ran a lot of different kinds.
Ran skidsteers my whole life, many different brands. I agree, the ASV was my favorite.
I’d love to see Stan operate the newer bobcat t66 or t650 to compare against the atsv 75. I’d think he’d like it
We bought a bobcat s300 brand new in 2007 and we only have replace two or 3 hoses . It has 4400 hours and is perfect machine it depends on the operator how he uses it
Mee too. Have a 07 S300 with 7000 hrs with no problems. Use the heavy steel tracks (Loegering) half the time as well
That little guy in the back was lowkey annoying the hell out of Stan 😂😂 he was thinking "you're ruining my video!
He's just a little slow. Not everyone is an Einstein. Seems to me you'd want to build a box around the exposed hoses but what do I know, I'm a carpenter. I guess they don't make braided steel lines for that kind of application.
bought a 16' 259d Cat new and traded it in at 1200hours with only one drive motor wire issue. Traded it in for a 18' 259d Cat that now has 2100 hours. The 18" Cat had a head gasket issue and fuel pump. Cat replaced the head gasket for free under warranty and changed out the fuel pump with a 259D3 upgraded pump. Now i am looking to up grade the 259d for another Cat 259d3 or Case tv370
I’m thinking about purchasing a 325G I wish you would review one! Good video 🙏
I was always told you buy the parts and service dept, not the machine it self if that makes sense
Stan, what do you think of the post merger case/NH skids?
Thomas Protough skid steer is the worse I ever owned. Only good thing is the Kubota engine. It is essentially a great engine inside a porta John
Wish our CAT store in Ky were that helpful! They seem to act too good for the smaller contractors in our area like myself and i absolutely love my CAT but when it breaks or hiccups it would nice to have a department like that in my city!
Id be willing to bet a call to CATs corporate office would fix that for you. I'd bet you are not the only one having problems with service. Here in SC one man owned every store in the state and he was a great guy. He recently passed away and everyone is concerned how service will be in the future.
Your CAT dealer is pretty lousy then. I worked on the small stuff for 4 years at a CAT dealer and we always treated the owner operators the same as the guys with millions on there CAT credit account.
Did you ever own one of the single armed skid loaders? I can’t remember who made them or even if they are still made. I remember seeing them on some of my brother’s jobs way back when I was in middle school in about 2014.
Volvo/ JCB are the single boom models
It used to drive me nuts that a farmer I worked for was so picky about cleaning his equipment. Now that I have my own equipment that breaks I understand how important it is to clean them. You find little problems usually before they turn into big problems