bobcat_ron
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2007
- Messages
- 334
But, I was at my local Bobcat dealer with my Cat picking up a Landscape Rake for the day, as I was chaining down the skid steer, a local owner/operator pulled up beside me with his 335 mini. After he un-chained, he came over and gave my Cat 247 a good look through, his first comment was, "wow, that machine is built very stout".
My reply was, "yeah, I used to be a Bobcat fanatic, but they just don't seem to stop breaking down."
"Yeah, no sh*t, I know exactly what you mean!" he said laughing.
I asked him what is experiences were, and he told me that he owns a Komatsu and a Kubota excavator, both have cost him nothing in the years since he bought them, and never broke down, they get great fuel economy and they just keep on going.
His Kubota excavator, which is bigger than his Bobcat 335, has the same engine and gets better fuel economy and runs cooler, sure, it isn't built up as heavy as it should be, but it still keeps going.
His Bobcat however, a track spilt apart at 600 hours, it was in the shop for 2 weeks due to a cab problem that took awhile to be fixed, the windows are popping out of the frames and seals, the pins and bushings are all worn out, the quick attach sticks and doesn't always work, it runs hot (hydraulic and engine temps) it uses even more fuel than the Kubota, it vibrates terribly at idle and runs loud at WOT, it's shaky on the pilot controls and he really doesn't like it anymore. Once that machine hits 1000 hours, he's getting rid of it.
He also told me that everyone says that Cat was a higher price tag, but I told him, "at least they give you 24 hour service, these Bobcat buggers only work 8-10 hours and they go home, Finning has people on night shifts and on standby, that's what you pay extra for".
I never asked why he bought it in the first place, I assume it might have been the dealer's low finance rates or a trade in value that was higher than anyone else, who knows, but he was not happy to be there again.
I didn't get much of a chance to talk with him after that, there was a sudden influx of owner/operators with their loaders/excavators (assumably all broke down) coming in, and I was taking up the best parking spot. As I drove away, I thought, "I'm glad I don't own a Bobcat skid steer or mini excavator, I love my Cat, it never breaks down."
My reply was, "yeah, I used to be a Bobcat fanatic, but they just don't seem to stop breaking down."
"Yeah, no sh*t, I know exactly what you mean!" he said laughing.
I asked him what is experiences were, and he told me that he owns a Komatsu and a Kubota excavator, both have cost him nothing in the years since he bought them, and never broke down, they get great fuel economy and they just keep on going.
His Kubota excavator, which is bigger than his Bobcat 335, has the same engine and gets better fuel economy and runs cooler, sure, it isn't built up as heavy as it should be, but it still keeps going.
His Bobcat however, a track spilt apart at 600 hours, it was in the shop for 2 weeks due to a cab problem that took awhile to be fixed, the windows are popping out of the frames and seals, the pins and bushings are all worn out, the quick attach sticks and doesn't always work, it runs hot (hydraulic and engine temps) it uses even more fuel than the Kubota, it vibrates terribly at idle and runs loud at WOT, it's shaky on the pilot controls and he really doesn't like it anymore. Once that machine hits 1000 hours, he's getting rid of it.
He also told me that everyone says that Cat was a higher price tag, but I told him, "at least they give you 24 hour service, these Bobcat buggers only work 8-10 hours and they go home, Finning has people on night shifts and on standby, that's what you pay extra for".
I never asked why he bought it in the first place, I assume it might have been the dealer's low finance rates or a trade in value that was higher than anyone else, who knows, but he was not happy to be there again.
I didn't get much of a chance to talk with him after that, there was a sudden influx of owner/operators with their loaders/excavators (assumably all broke down) coming in, and I was taking up the best parking spot. As I drove away, I thought, "I'm glad I don't own a Bobcat skid steer or mini excavator, I love my Cat, it never breaks down."
