I am looking at buying a skid steer to use on my 6 acre farmsite that I purchased. It will be used for tree removal and branch cleanup on my yard and grove, snow removal, small building demolition and yard maintenance. I have come across a few skid steers in the 2500 to 3500 hour range and 7000 to 9000 dollar range. All seem to be in about the same condition. Which one would you reccomend? Bobcat 743, Bobcat 642B gas, JD 675B, New Holland LX485, Case 1835C gas, or Gehl 4510 gas? Thanks!!
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SkidRoe
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I would go with the 743. It was Bobcat's most popular model, and has a very large following of users who know the ins and outs about it. It is also a mid size machine that has good lifting capacity, but is fairly compact.
More important is the condition of the machine. I would gladly pay more for a machine that has a solid service history and is well maintained, unless you are looking for a restoration project. Oil leaks, sluggish hydraulics, hard starting / rough running engines, power issues, etc. are all signs that you may be looking at a machine that should be avoided.
As far as the type of work that you want to do, you are also going to need some attachments. A grapple bucket is invaluable when handling wood and brush. For just about everything else that you want to do, a good solid material bucket should suffice.
Hope this helps,
More important is the condition of the machine. I would gladly pay more for a machine that has a solid service history and is well maintained, unless you are looking for a restoration project. Oil leaks, sluggish hydraulics, hard starting / rough running engines, power issues, etc. are all signs that you may be looking at a machine that should be avoided.
As far as the type of work that you want to do, you are also going to need some attachments. A grapple bucket is invaluable when handling wood and brush. For just about everything else that you want to do, a good solid material bucket should suffice.
Hope this helps,
Cant beat the 743,best skidsteer ever made!!!I would stay away from anything gas powered.Diesel power will have much better fuel economy and more torque.Long time since i even saw a gas powered skid and from what i remember they always seemed to lack in performance compared to their diesel equivalent.
skidsteer.ca
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Another plus for the Bobat is back in that day every other skidsteer often had a odd ball quick attach. The system that bobcat pioneered has since become the standard in the industry allowing you to rent or buy attachments from anybody.
Also get one with front auxilary couplers for running augers, hoes, brush cutters, if not you will be wishing you did someday
Well if i was you and i didnt want to spend more than that i would go and test drive them. i recently purchased a new 2011 2054 mustang skid steer. i use it on the farm and it works wonderfully. it's about a $35,00 machine but if you are good a dealing you can get it for what i did $25,00 bran new no problems great deal.
OK, I looked at all the skid loaders in my previous post and I have decided to up my price range. I was not impressed with the ones I looked at that I mentioned in my first post. My new range is 10000 to 14000 dollars. I am going to get a diesel, any reccomendations from the following machines that I found?... 1997 - Bobcat 763F 2400 hours Cab/Heat $9975 1998 – Bobcat 753 1450 hours $13,500 1996 – Bobcat 853 2000 hours $11,950 2000 – New Holland LS170 2100 hours $14,500 All machines are in good shape and I plan to test drive on Saturday. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!!
It depends on what size machine you want, the 7x series bobcat ones are a good all round size, the 8x series is larger.
The 763 sounds like a decent machine. The hours are good, the engines with good maintence should do 6,000+ hours. Check it for wear though and that it starts up easily with a cold engine. Put your hand on the block to ensure it was not started before you got there to give yout the impression it starts easily.
The 753 seems a bit pricey to me.....
SkidRoe
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I agree, the 763 sounds like the machine of choice to me. Longer wheel base will make a smoother machine than the 753/743.
Our 773 has about 4900 hrs and is a very strong machine.
Stone Hands
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I have roughly 50 acres that I maintain. I bought a 1999 863 Model F turbo. Got it for 9,000.00. Low hours. I purchased a "quick attach" brand grapple for it last year for fence row and field work. It is a great machine. It is not a high flow so that makes it a little slower but plenty of power and it can move around in my barns. I have pulled over 75 trees and their stumps with this unit and no problems except ONE!!! It seems to find every mud hole in the field and is prone to dig itself in quickly. Could be operator error. I am putting on a 10,000.00 pound winch to the front to help this and am looking to put on over the tire rubber tracks. That should fix that.
HarryN
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Stone Hands.... don't mean to hijack this subject, but being a new 763 user, what is your technique in "pulling 75 trees and stumps" out of the ground?? AND, how would you mount a winch to the front of a Bobcat? Know you said you are "going" to do it. Please post a picture when you do. I like your idea! dsileo: Since I went thru the same torture when looking for one and finally went with a 763. I'll vote for that!
Hi Stone Hands, Not sure if you are already doing it or know about it, but try reducing the air pressure in your tyres to spread the tyre out, it might help to reduce your bogging.
Stone Hands
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Hello Harry N . AS for the trees and stumps, it gets to size. Many of mine were 10 to 12 inches in diam. I cut the biggest trees down first. Limbed them out. Left a tall stump. I am 6.4 and leave the stumps up 5 feet off the ground. Also leave may of the biggest limbs on the side I want the tree to come down on. Leverage and 75 hp does the rest. I start pushing high and like working out a tooth once it starts to move I get my grapple under the tree and work it out. Soft ground after a good rain helps on the bigger trees. I have a Eagle Talon by Quick Attach grapple on my Bobcat. My first fence row was at least 1,000 feet long and 50 to 60 feet wide. Did not mean to imply that I knocked the trees down. I did for many but for saftey and the health of my machine I cut first and pushed and pulled them out. I have a Case 508 B backhoe and only used it to dig out 6 trees that I did not want to beat my machine up on. As for the winch. That is going to be my winter project and as I figure how to mount it I will be sure to share the pics. The only time my bobcat got stuck was when I tried to roll through the aforementioned backhoe dug holes that I lost track of. Almost made it out a couple of times but I also had a couple of times I thought I would need a step ladder to climb out of the bobcat and the hole to see daylight. I may have over stated the depth on this last one.
Stone Hands
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Forgot to mention. I have a friend that works for Chrylser at the proving grounds in Michigan. He is great with welding and fabricating. I was thinking of a plate mounted to the bucket that you could quick attache the winch to when needed. A harness would be available to plut in when I needed it. You wouldnt need to be using the bucket if you were stuck so i would carry the winch as a "tool box" item with a long enough lead for power. Slip it on and use it to pull out of problem or maybe pull a limb or something else that needed a gentle touch. I know you can use the bucket and roll back capabilities to push your self out if caught early but in most of my attempts I just worked myself in deeper. Hence the nickname Stone Hands. I have the touch of stone when it comes to finesse.
