Looking to upgrade from 743

[Siteworx]

Hey guys. I'm new here and looking for some information. I have a 743 that was my dad's. I have had it for about 6 years now. I have replaced a head, radiator, and had the hydrostats rebuilt. It has 2500 hrs on it. I use it around the farm and sometimes do small jobs for others. I am just concerned that it is going g to dollar me with its age. So I am looking to upgrade. I have looked at the S185, S250, 873G, and T190. What is your opinion and what machine would you buy

 

[Tazza]

One thing to keep in mind with an upgrade is the newer machines have computers to control things, when they work, they are awesome, when they don't, they are a money pit.
Parts for the 743 are pretty cheap, most are available after market, a lot for the newer machines are too, for the pumps and engine. The hydraulics are dealer only, especially the electrtronic controls.
It depends on what size machine you are after too, are you happy with the lifting ability of the 743? the S185 is basically teh same, but has vertical lift. The S250 is the same lift, but about double the lifting ability. Do you want tracks?

 

[7LBSSMALLIE]

One thing to keep in mind with an upgrade is the newer machines have computers to control things, when they work, they are awesome, when they don't, they are a money pit.
Parts for the 743 are pretty cheap, most are available after market, a lot for the newer machines are too, for the pumps and engine. The hydraulics are dealer only, especially the electrtronic controls.
It depends on what size machine you are after too, are you happy with the lifting ability of the 743? the S185 is basically teh same, but has vertical lift. The S250 is the same lift, but about double the lifting ability. Do you want tracks?

743 . depeneds on what youre doining. A awuflly nice to have around for genral purpose. B. got abuisness and tryining to make some coin. as to A hang onto it. do the proper maint. fix her when she breaks. .and break she will not awuful but . some hoses carrierseals chains etc. now if she is ragged out dump it. can become a piggy bank. but where do set the price a new mac daddy bobcat can exceed 70k. 743 repair 5 maybe 6? i would drop off at local dealer have it serviced ask for a quote now you got realistic expcations of $ to square away. and oh yea youll get a list. some you can do youreself some yo want dealer to do. keep in mind that a PM. service is one thing a full.quote another most likely goining to up at least 4 hrs. thats part #s and pricing./est labour. so lets say 600 bucks to have fluids and filters changed plus a list of every needed repair both major and minior. with part #s

 

[Hotrod1830]

743 . depeneds on what youre doining. A awuflly nice to have around for genral purpose. B. got abuisness and tryining to make some coin. as to A hang onto it. do the proper maint. fix her when she breaks. .and break she will not awuful but . some hoses carrierseals chains etc. now if she is ragged out dump it. can become a piggy bank. but where do set the price a new mac daddy bobcat can exceed 70k. 743 repair 5 maybe 6? i would drop off at local dealer have it serviced ask for a quote now you got realistic expcations of $ to square away. and oh yea youll get a list. some you can do youreself some yo want dealer to do. keep in mind that a PM. service is one thing a full.quote another most likely goining to up at least 4 hrs. thats part #s and pricing./est labour. so lets say 600 bucks to have fluids and filters changed plus a list of every needed repair both major and minior. with part #s

2500 hours is not alot. FWIW, they can ALL be money pits. As Tazza stated, the newer ones can be even more money to fix. You really werent specific as to the reason you wanted to upgrade. More lifting capacity? more power? Heat/AC? Does the 743 need a bunch of work? If you are happy with the amount over power and lifting capacity of your 743, and it doesnt need alot of work, I say keep it. Just keep up on maintenance and it should easily last double what it has now.

 

[Siteworx]

2500 hours is not alot. FWIW, they can ALL be money pits. As Tazza stated, the newer ones can be even more money to fix. You really werent specific as to the reason you wanted to upgrade. More lifting capacity? more power? Heat/AC? Does the 743 need a bunch of work? If you are happy with the amount over power and lifting capacity of your 743, and it doesnt need alot of work, I say keep it. Just keep up on maintenance and it should easily last double what it has now.

I have the machine serviced every year by a bobcat mechanic. So as far as the machine goes it is good. I would like to have a little more lifting power and also power in general but I make it work. I would like to have a machine that I can put a grapple bucket on or a snow blade. The only major issues is there isn't a lap bar and I think the lift arms are bent some how. The reason I say that is when you sit the bucket down flat the left portion is touching the ground and the right is slightly off the ground which makes me think it is bent some how. The machines I have looked at is the S185 and T190 mostly but I have always wanted a 873G. I don't know if tracks are better or tires. I never work in heaven mud but sometimes it lite mud. I found a 2003 S185 with 701 hrs for $13000 but not sure if I would be happy with it. Honestly I'm not really sure if I should even spend the money. Just looking for thoughts

 

[idwoodhauler]

I had a 743b and upgraded to S250 as I needed more lift cap. It has helped my business grow and I wonder why I didnt get one earlier. Well thats because I couldnt afford one. I got the 743 for 5200 and ran it for 6-7 years. It was a great machine, especially in tight quarters. Just too tippy for loads I need to lift. I had aux hydros on that machine and did run a grapple bucket on it before. If you need an upgrade Id say go for it. If not, shop passively until you find the right deal. I got my s250 from a guy who rebuilds skid steers and flips them. I gave him 12k and my old bobcat for the 2003 s250 with 3500 hrs. It had fresh paint, new bucket and new forks and he delivered it/picked up the 743. So far I have been very happy. The hours are kind of high but Ive had it serviced at the dealer and the mechanic said it is a good tight, clean machine. I put new foam filled tires on it. Hopefully it continues to be a good reliable machine. He sent me a pic of my old machine after he repainted and overhauled it. Looked brand new! i saw it listed for $9500 and he sold it quickly.

 

[Tazza]

I had a 743b and upgraded to S250 as I needed more lift cap. It has helped my business grow and I wonder why I didnt get one earlier. Well thats because I couldnt afford one. I got the 743 for 5200 and ran it for 6-7 years. It was a great machine, especially in tight quarters. Just too tippy for loads I need to lift. I had aux hydros on that machine and did run a grapple bucket on it before. If you need an upgrade Id say go for it. If not, shop passively until you find the right deal. I got my s250 from a guy who rebuilds skid steers and flips them. I gave him 12k and my old bobcat for the 2003 s250 with 3500 hrs. It had fresh paint, new bucket and new forks and he delivered it/picked up the 743. So far I have been very happy. The hours are kind of high but Ive had it serviced at the dealer and the mechanic said it is a good tight, clean machine. I put new foam filled tires on it. Hopefully it continues to be a good reliable machine. He sent me a pic of my old machine after he repainted and overhauled it. Looked brand new! i saw it listed for $9500 and he sold it quickly.

There is no reason why you can't put a plow or grapple bucket on it, it has aux hydraulics as standard.
One side touching first could even be tyre wear, or a bent bucket. If it's just a little bit, don't be too concerned.
Good advise from idwoodhauler, if you really want to upgrade, keep an eye out for a good deal. The S185 sounds pretty cheap, it does have more pivot points to potentially wear though, so keep that in mind when you inspect it.
What do you get the dealer to do on it's routine services? most of it you can do your self pretty cheap. If you are out of your depth on the bigger stuff, you may need them or a mechanic to do them for you.

 

[Siteworx]

There is no reason why you can't put a plow or grapple bucket on it, it has aux hydraulics as standard.
One side touching first could even be tyre wear, or a bent bucket. If it's just a little bit, don't be too concerned.
Good advise from idwoodhauler, if you really want to upgrade, keep an eye out for a good deal. The S185 sounds pretty cheap, it does have more pivot points to potentially wear though, so keep that in mind when you inspect it.
What do you get the dealer to do on it's routine services? most of it you can do your self pretty cheap. If you are out of your depth on the bigger stuff, you may need them or a mechanic to do them for you.

First, I want to thank you guys for your advice. It is nice to have a place to get information and chat about these things. I have a really good friend that is the head mechanic at the local Bobcat dealer. He does all of my service that I don't feel comfortable doing. He comes to the farm and does everything right here. You could not ask for a better situation. A few weeks ago he changed all the filters and fluids. Replaced the glow plugs and rebuilt the drive pump for the fuel. Past work has been a cracked head, clogged radiator, rebuilt hydrostats, added a real temp gage, and repacked the tilt cylinder. Removed the rear stabilizers and replaced the alternator as well. I have cleaned the machine and painted it. I also added new decals and new work lights. I know that the machine has front hydraulic hook ups but how in the world would you work them? You have 2 foot pedals and the drive sticks. How well does a grapple or 4 in 1 bucket work on these machines?

 

[idwoodhauler]

First, I want to thank you guys for your advice. It is nice to have a place to get information and chat about these things. I have a really good friend that is the head mechanic at the local Bobcat dealer. He does all of my service that I don't feel comfortable doing. He comes to the farm and does everything right here. You could not ask for a better situation. A few weeks ago he changed all the filters and fluids. Replaced the glow plugs and rebuilt the drive pump for the fuel. Past work has been a cracked head, clogged radiator, rebuilt hydrostats, added a real temp gage, and repacked the tilt cylinder. Removed the rear stabilizers and replaced the alternator as well. I have cleaned the machine and painted it. I also added new decals and new work lights. I know that the machine has front hydraulic hook ups but how in the world would you work them? You have 2 foot pedals and the drive sticks. How well does a grapple or 4 in 1 bucket work on these machines?

The right joystick in addition to forward and back also goes left and right.If I am remembering correctly, there is a detent that locks out the side to side movement if you push it to the right. So move it to the left to unlock and enable that control. Left and rights actuates the grapple, augers etc. sometimes if that joystick comes out of the detent during normal operation it can cause the hydros to bog so keep that in mind it that ever happens. Also be aware of the pedal float function if you are not it took me a while before I put that to use. Sounds like your machine is well maintained and you are familiar with it.

 

[Tazza]

The right joystick in addition to forward and back also goes left and right.If I am remembering correctly, there is a detent that locks out the side to side movement if you push it to the right. So move it to the left to unlock and enable that control. Left and rights actuates the grapple, augers etc. sometimes if that joystick comes out of the detent during normal operation it can cause the hydros to bog so keep that in mind it that ever happens. Also be aware of the pedal float function if you are not it took me a while before I put that to use. Sounds like your machine is well maintained and you are familiar with it.

You mention rear stabilizers, the left stick moving from left to right generally controls that.
The right stick is for the front aux, from the factory, they generally install a bolt to lock this out, so you will need ti lift the cab to ensure the bolt is removed.
As mentioned, the right stick can be bumped and lock in place, bogging the engine down, making startup hard.

 

[Hotrod1830]

You mention rear stabilizers, the left stick moving from left to right generally controls that.
The right stick is for the front aux, from the factory, they generally install a bolt to lock this out, so you will need ti lift the cab to ensure the bolt is removed.
As mentioned, the right stick can be bumped and lock in place, bogging the engine down, making startup hard.

An uneven bucket can be caused by uneven tire wear/height. That is the more likely cause. But, since you say it had rear stabilizers, that tells be it probably had a hoe attatchment at one time. Those are more than capable of bending stuff in the hands of someone that doesnt own the machine. It sounds like you may actually need a bigger machine. With that being said. On ALL of the machines I have sold, I have told the buyers to go in the woods and use it like you are going to if you buy it. If your not happy, walk away. You would be surprised how many smile, and go dig a hole or push around a dead tree and really USE it. The sellers of the machines you are buying shouldnt have a problem with that either. Use it, spend a half hour to an hour on it and see if you like it. Just remember, you may be buying a machine that will need just as much work as yours. Take your Bobcat buddy along to look at them, and buy him dinner or something.

 

[Siteworx]

An uneven bucket can be caused by uneven tire wear/height. That is the more likely cause. But, since you say it had rear stabilizers, that tells be it probably had a hoe attatchment at one time. Those are more than capable of bending stuff in the hands of someone that doesnt own the machine. It sounds like you may actually need a bigger machine. With that being said. On ALL of the machines I have sold, I have told the buyers to go in the woods and use it like you are going to if you buy it. If your not happy, walk away. You would be surprised how many smile, and go dig a hole or push around a dead tree and really USE it. The sellers of the machines you are buying shouldnt have a problem with that either. Use it, spend a half hour to an hour on it and see if you like it. Just remember, you may be buying a machine that will need just as much work as yours. Take your Bobcat buddy along to look at them, and buy him dinner or something.

What is the advantage to a vertical lift machine. I know they have more reach but other than that what's so great? Also would you guys buy a track machine or a tire machine? I looked at a 1999 863 today. It has been redone completely and has 3300 hrs. The question I ask myself with that machine is if I upgrade is that what I want to upgrade too. I have a landscape buddy that has a T190 and loves it but not sure that I want the extra up keep of a track machine

 

[reaperman]

What is the advantage to a vertical lift machine. I know they have more reach but other than that what's so great? Also would you guys buy a track machine or a tire machine? I looked at a 1999 863 today. It has been redone completely and has 3300 hrs. The question I ask myself with that machine is if I upgrade is that what I want to upgrade too. I have a landscape buddy that has a T190 and loves it but not sure that I want the extra up keep of a track machine

The 873 is a horse for sure. It has a Deutz engine, not a Kubota like most current skidsteers. The lift arms on some earlier 873's are prone to cracking, so look carefully. I wouldnt recommend a t190 for homeowner use. The maintenance on track machines can be costly, but warranted if the machine is making you money. I see a major upgrade from your 743 to a s185. Not sure why you wouldnt be happy with one, they are very popular. A S185 with 700 hrs in my area for 13k wouldnt last long. To me the advantages of a vertical lift machine isn't that drastic unless its going to be loading full size dump trucks regularly. To me vertical vs radial isn't even a issue, radial are more than capable of loading higher loads also.