Back in the '80's, I bought a new HydraMac 20C with their 10ft backhoe attachment. It was my favorite, and equivalent to the Bobcat 800 series. I previously had the 700 series Bobcat, the one you had to block it up to get to the oil drain and filter.
I liked the HMI because it was easy to work on, the filters were all located at the rear of the machine. The radiator was attached to the rear door so you had full access to the engine. And, the engine/pump was on a large plate held in by two bolts. Take those 2 bolts out and the engine/pumps could be slid back and removed as a unit. The pump and drive motors were Vickers and rock solid.
The engine was a 4 cylinder Isuzu marine with about 60hp if I remember. Only issue I had in the 3,500 hrs was I had to change the glow plugs.
The final drive was gears, as opposed to chain drives as on most skid steers. No adjustments needed, just oil change.
And I really liked the backhoe attachment because it was attached to the arms only; not to the body. You pushed down on the lift arm control and locked it down via hydraulic; opposite of float mode. If need by, I could raise the lift arm to raise the hoe attachment to get over obstacles. Also, the hoe attachment hydraulic controls were on a "tilt forward/backward" pivot so you sat in the regular cab seat, not the standard additional seat on the hoe attachment. That allowed the operator to move the skid steer and operate the hoe attachment from one seat. The disadvantage was visibility of the trench being dug was obscured, but not by much.
And, that skid steer was one of the few that had the "tee handles" for steering/drive. The entire machine was thought out to be tough, easy to work on, and strong. That was my favorite. My current Gehl 4835DXT is good, but not the same. I sold that HMI because I needed a smaller machine and HMI went bankrupt. Otherwise, I would have bought their 16.
