Hi, I currently own 2 bobcats for my landscaping supply yard and have a question. I have a 2004 S250 and a 2008 S330. I have had the S250 since brand new and it has 2200 hrs on it. I do not know the lifetime of these machines and wondering if it is time to trade it in and get another new one. The S250 was the first skid steer I have ever owned/worked with. It has the kubota engine. How many hours do you guys think I can run this machine for? I have already changed the actuators once and it is time to change them again. The pins on the arm lift seem to be worn down. Are the pins/bushings easily replacable on these machines? Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!
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soutthpaw
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- Jun 26, 2009
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you would do better selling it privately, Just bought mine used from a bobcat dealer and he said the current problem is there is lots of repo late model, low hour units flooding the market due to the current economy. Its really a buyers market at the moment... seems 5 to 10K hrs on the Kubota engines is common. though you have to weigh the cost of the 2000 hr service and doing all the pins/ businings etc. not sure about the new ones but the older machines require cutting the old bushing off and welding new ones on.... On the other hand they are offering some great deals on new machines right now so that might ofset the trade in value
Pins are easy to change, i don't think they have bushings you can change in the upper arm, so to fix any play in there you need to cut the bosses off and weld new ones on. For a common DIY job, this is NOT an option. You need to keep them straight and a lathe to machine the parts. You will need to weld them on very well too. If you are that worried about the wear, move it on. 2,000 hours is nothing. The engines will still work at 6,000 the pumps will far out last that with proper care.
Get a couple of trade-in quotes, then decide. Without numbers, no decision can be made. New are discounted right now due to economy and new models on the horizon. I went new and did it for $8500 less than I could have done it last fall. In my case, I felt the steep discount made "new" the way to go. (I have had over a dozen Bobcats, and this was my first new one--the numbers never favored "new" before). Also, kind of hard to find a CASH buyer right now so that may make a trade look better as well, compared to buying low-hr used and then selling yours. If you have cash and your business is still good, I'd consider trading. If you would have to borrow most of the $$ and business is soft, then I wouldn't even get a quote. This advice is worth precisely what it cost you.....
Thanks for the replies. Dealer is giving me $25000 CDN for the S250. It is a fully loaded machine. A new replacement (I would get another S330) will be around $50000 with 0% financing. I'm on the fence on this one. Havent decided yet. Work is good and the payments wouldn't be a problem but at the same time its also money I can put in the bank. Thoughts???
In their efforts to buy back market share and unload a huge amount of overproduction inventory, Bobcat has in effect killed the used skid market. Sure, new prices are attractive, but your trade in is worth substantially less as well. Those huge rebates are great for a cash buyer, but if you're trading, they do you little good because the market value of used is lowered basically an equal or greater amount. Just what I'm seeing.
I know what you mean about used prices softening some, but I saved $8500 on the same deal, which INCLUDED a trade-in. Checked into trading last fall, and then again a month or so ago. SAME DEAL was $8500 less. My trade was approx a $10,000- $12,000 machine. Maybe if I had a $25000 trade it would have tanked in value, I don't know. But all the incentives/factory programs/CASH deal really helped me. $8500 is a LOT of money to save by waiting until this summer. I traded a 2000 753 no cab, 1400 hrs, basic machine but pristine condition, for a new S 205 "A71" (the same as the old "Gold" package--cab, air, susp seat, sound reduction, back up alarm, power bobtach, block heater, 68" bucket, counterweights. Quote was $26,000 last fall. Did the deal a month ago for $17,500 CASH. Seemed like the way to go to me.
