skidsteer recommendation

[dkr77]

Hello everyone, my names Dan, I'm probably one of several posters to ask this question but please be patient with me. First off I know nothing about skidsteers, but I have rented a few and found them to be an incredibly versatile machine. I also recently had the misfortune of hiring a shady contractor to build a house for me and now that I fired him and finished the house myself there's a huge mound of dirt behind my home that needs to be spread out to become my future yard. I have decided to purchase a skidsteer and do the project during my free time. I budgeted $10,500 to purchase this machine and would greatly appreciate recommendations from some of the members of this forum on the following. 1-What brand is most reliable ( I'm looking for one that's darn near bulletproof) 2-What model would you suggest ( it's been my experience that I would much rather be overpowered than underpowered ) 3-What type of options are important on one 4-what brands or models to avoid 5-how many hours are too many hours? Thanks in advance, and must say that the members of this forum seem to be very nice and informed people. Dan

 

[Tazza]

As no one else has pitched in on this one i will throw my 2c in.
I have always been a Bobcat person, they have great service and parts availability is never a problem. Their service department is happy to help you with advice on repairs, no information is held as being top secret (unlike others).
Its really hard to say how many hours are too many, as long as you keep up to date on service the machine would easily do 5,000+ hours, after that you may need an engine re-condition. The pumps/motors are pretty strong and last quite a long time. I have an old 731 that i would suspect has done alot more than 5,000 hours. It has a new engine and the hydrostatics run really strong still.
If you are willing to spend in the order of $10,500 you will get a nice machine for that price.
If you wanted to pay less, you could go for a 743 machine. These were very simple in design before they started intergrating electro-hydraulic controls into the newer machines. It really goes on what you want. I always wanted a nice newer machine with all the electro-hydraulic controls but after i got my 743 i am happy with the control i have with mechanical controls, its not just open or close.
Power wise, i have found my 743 to have more than enough power for anything i do. I can have the bucket loaded so full that i am tipping up on my front wheels and still have the power to drive up hills.
If it was me, i would go for a 743, they are cheap, easier to repair, parts are easy to get. Bobcat made this machine for around 10 years so they obviously got it rite.

 

[BobCat]

I have to agree with Dan. Bobcats are very reliable and dam near bullet proof. Good local service is a must. You need to ask yourself what kind of average weight am I going to pick? Then you can decide on the size of Bobcat you might need. If you are big on attachments then you may need to consider what attachments and what kind of flow(GPM) your'e going to need. All in all 743s and up will do ya just fine. Good luck. Scott.

 

[primebeef]

Yea i would go with the bobcat they really seem to run forever if I were you I would try to find a nice 753. I heard about a bobcat with 12,000 hours on it and still running strong no problems untill the day something fell on the back of it and put a hole in the raditor it leaked, and know one knew about it and it over heated.

 

[nailsbeats]

Put my vote down for the 763 Bobcat. I was in the used skidsteer market not too long ago and that is what I went with, in retrospect I feel I couldn't have made a better decision. It is about the biggest bobcat you can get where you steel have maximum visibility (no vertical lift linkage in the way) and that makes it very handy. Get one with 2500 hrs or so for about $10,000, can't go wrong.

 

[Fishfiles]

Bobcat is the best from my experiences , done a lot with Takeuchi , New Holland , Case and dabbled with a few Deers, Thomas and Komatsu , I have been a heavy equipment mechanic for 31 years and was service manager of a rental house that speciallized in Bobcat for 12 years , we had 52 Bobcats of all sizes and shapes at one time , at times the most there would be 1 or 2 machines on the down list , realable machines , $10, 500 will get a nice machine for what you want to do with it , say a 753 or 763 would be a good choice if you have the clearance , I would look for hours around 2000 to 3000 max , they will go further but that's when things seem to start going wrong -----have the serial numbers run thru the dealer before you buy to see if it's legit

 

[buytheplace]

Bobcat is the best from my experiences , done a lot with Takeuchi , New Holland , Case and dabbled with a few Deers, Thomas and Komatsu , I have been a heavy equipment mechanic for 31 years and was service manager of a rental house that speciallized in Bobcat for 12 years , we had 52 Bobcats of all sizes and shapes at one time , at times the most there would be 1 or 2 machines on the down list , realable machines , $10, 500 will get a nice machine for what you want to do with it , say a 753 or 763 would be a good choice if you have the clearance , I would look for hours around 2000 to 3000 max , they will go further but that's when things seem to start going wrong -----have the serial numbers run thru the dealer before you buy to see if it's legit

Hi: I live 35 miles N of New Orleans. Obviously, after the storm 2 years ago, everyone down here needed a machine. Many still do. I had 63 trees down on my 3 acres and wasn't about to pay what the "storm chasers" from out of town wanted to remove the trees. Anywhere from $10K-20K. So I bought an 87 843 Bobcat from a dealer out of town. I paid $7000 for it...gladly. The meter has 6200 hrs on it but I think the Isuzu diesel engine has been changed. It runs like a top and doesn't blow any oil. The hydraulics leak a lil bit but the machine works well. I bought a brand new Piranha grapple bucket with it and cleared all of the trees myself..along with a big Husqvarna chain saw. I do have a problem with the hydraulic fittings popping off of the auxillary hookups but that's not a problem with the machine but the fittings configuration and now with the wheels and tracks shearing lug bolts off but otherwise, the machine is a bull. I've also spread about 400 yds of land fill with it. That would have cost me about $10/yd to have spread. You do the math. It's worked for me. Every now and then, an dead tree will fall and I easily get rid of it now with the monster chainsaw and the Bobcat. I will say that if you intend to use any of the mechanized attachments like stump grinders or pavement busters, or the such, you do need a high flow hydraulics machine. there will be an H in the serial number which designates high flow hydraulics. any more questions..just ask