OK can we maybe start here
what all do you need a machine for,??
JUST snow plowing?
small jobs about your home?
is ground it will be used on level or hilly? is ground soft and muddy?
as in will you be plowing hills or working on slopes, all the more so if side hilling!
as things things really matter when picking a machine IMO
I fully agree ,tracked machines do Not do as well on snowy hills with basic tracks
BUT just like tires, they sell and make tracks that work better in snow
and BOTH tires and tracks can be studded
BUT adding stud's can also mean damage to pavement and or concrete
and , I find it easier to swap tires than tracks, but that's me!
but pure snow tracks do work well in snow on level ground, and even on soft snow hills
hard pack, well, there better than dirt track's, but they have there limits!
both have pro's and con's!
so what the machine will be used mostly for, should be why you pick a model or type of machine, wheels or tracks!
I won;'t call my self as expert but I have several decades of plowing snow using a variety of types of machines, and like machines set up differently, to know how many things can make them work better or worse!
If you plow a LOT of snow, its IMO< worth having a snow set up, be that either SNOW tires or SNOW tracks, with or without studs!
just having snow tires on a wheeled skid steer can make a HUGE difference
But the key is, to ONLY use the snow set ups for plowing and NOT all yr!
there is an advantage to larger machines, but there is also Cons to them too
if you been happy with power and size of your current machine, , just lacking heat
you can always ADD heat and cab enclosures, to solve that
a simple example , I have a 65+ hp skid steer I use to plow my one property, 72 inch bucket,
my neighbor has a 40 hp skid steer(both on wheels) and I am maybe 1500-2000 lbs heavier than he is!
if you break things down to HP to LB"S its not really a big difference in actual power! so if you really DON"T need higher lift capacity or hydraulic flow rates?? you may not really need a larger l\machine, , but again I donl;t know what all you want a machine for, thus why I asked if you an give more info!
NOW< again, for yrs before I got my machine, he plowed my place or let me use his machine
it plowed my place just as good and at times, Faster, as it could get into places I cannot
it went up and down every hill just as good or BAD as mine pending conditions, could push snow just as deep or heavy
there has never been a snow he couldn;t plow in to days, and we had some 36+ inch snow falls of wet heavy snow!
so, bigger doesn;t always mean better or its needed!
I burn more fuel than he does to plow, and I tear up my gravel drive way more than his machine does!
NEXT, as for what model to stay away from or look for
Honestly there are IMO, no really BAD machines, and when talking used, two things IMO matter more than what model
and that is condition of machine and HOW it was cared for or NOT, used or abused!
and maybe another BIG thing to consider is, dealer support, what brand dealers are near you!
even the best model(if there was one) that was abused and never had Pm's done, will NOT be a great used machine to buy over a lesser model that was cared for , if you follow!
HOW It was cared for matters and how it was USED or abused matters more in the big picture!
last, as for what the difference are between a CAT 247, the 247b
many things, from motors, to HP to capacities, and such, google machine spec's on each and you will find no shortage of web sites listing there spec's and you can compare things that way on any model
here are two links on these models for you