Skid steer

[Keith True]

If you want to stick to your original intent a 5000 pound class machine will work fine.Unless you want to spend lots more money,you will need to draw a line somewhere.I have blown lots of snow with my open cab Bobcat.Yes,I turn into a solid chunk of snow,but I am so busy I hardly notice it when working.In 44 + years of owning Bobcats I have gotten stuck in snow a handful of times.EVERY time was me doing something stupid,trying to push it.I've had a lot of loader tractors,and I usually kept one around for different things.The last ones I kept were a 530 Case and a 2504 International.The backhoes were just in the way for yard work.I have to stick with skidsteers with pedal controls.I first got on a Bobcat at about 13,and I can't seem to relearn any other skidsteer controls.I've owned a couple of Cases over the years,but I gave up on ever learning the hand controls.If you're not real familiar with any one,it will be easy to get used to whatever you would like.I am using a 753 Bobcat,with a Kubota engine,and if it needs to be replaced with the same or a 763.I have always worked by myself,so when the Bobcat breaks the garage and everything else shuts down.

 

[jddrawbar]

Most of the New Holland skid steers today are either going to have a Iveco or Shibaura engine. Stay away from anything that has an Iveco ( New Holland L180) for one. It took me 2 months to get a head gasket for one. Shibaura parts a terribly expensive. The LS 180 had a Ford #3 cylinder in them and were good machines. Bobcat uses a lot of Kubota engines and the older Bobcats used a little bit of everything. I have worked on a lot of skid steers, I hate them and personally wouldn't own one, but if I ever bought one it would likely be a Kubota or a Takeuchi. My nephew works for CAT and he says they have some issues also.

Tell your nephew I have yet to find an issue with my Cat 289......it's a beast! I have a 7' grapple & it will pick up TREES. Ground clearance is lower that I like, I wish it had an overhead door, & the oil filter is hard to get at......only negatives IMO. The engine is awesome......wish I had it in a tractor.

 

[Keith True]

I use this attachment that I made a long time ago to move trailers and such.Used it to load up this Supersplitter I sold,just whistled it right up on the trailer.

 

[trackrat]

I've got a bobcat 883 it has electrical problems the wiring harnesses on it have waterproof connectors on them they work when they get water in them, they don't dry out dealer says to replace them, but the cheapest one is 950.00 the most expensive one is 3600.00 the loader isn't worth what they would cost

 

[neverfear]

We got a New Holland 160 for scrap price. It had been abused, had a hole in the block and one side of the boom was broken half in to.

Found a good engine from a 170 (same engine as the 160 but has a turbo), welded the boom back together, and replaced all the pins and bushings on it. It’s been a good machine, not something I’d want to go out and start doing commercial work with, but fine for what we do with it here at the farm.

Just curious, where was it broken?

 

[m16ty]

If you want to stick to your original intent a 5000 pound class machine will work fine.Unless you want to spend lots more money,you will need to draw a line somewhere.I have blown lots of snow with my open cab Bobcat.Yes,I turn into a solid chunk of snow,but I am so busy I hardly notice it when working.In 44 + years of owning Bobcats I have gotten stuck in snow a handful of times.EVERY time was me doing something stupid,trying to push it.I've had a lot of loader tractors,and I usually kept one around for different things.The last ones I kept were a 530 Case and a 2504 International.The backhoes were just in the way for yard work.I have to stick with skidsteers with pedal controls.I first got on a Bobcat at about 13,and I can't seem to relearn any other skidsteer controls.I've owned a couple of Cases over the years,but I gave up on ever learning the hand controls.If you're not real familiar with any one,it will be easy to get used to whatever you would like.I am using a 753 Bobcat,with a Kubota engine,and if it needs to be replaced with the same or a 763.I have always worked by myself,so when the Bobcat breaks the garage and everything else shuts down.

I learned on foot controls and like them fine.

My uncle has a newer NH machine with pilot controls. I didn’t like it as first but after I got used to it I really like it. It has all the travel controls on one stick and all the loader controls on the other.

I never did like the Case controls where both sticks controlled travel and your boom was on one stick and your bucket on the other.

 

[m16ty]

Just curious, where was it broken?

Right in the bend where the boom goes down to the bucket. Don’t know how it happened or how they managed to put a hole in the engine block at the same time.

 

[Ultradog MN]

Tell your nephew I have yet to find an issue with my Cat 289......it's a beast! I have a 7' grapple & it will pick up TREES. Ground clearance is lower that I like, I wish it had an overhead door, & the oil filter is hard to get at......only negatives IMO. The engine is awesome......wish I had it in a tractor.

How common is an overhead door?
It seems like a good idea cause I've always been claustrophobic.

 

[m16ty]

How common is an overhead door?
It seems like a good idea cause I've always been claustrophobic.

I know Kubota has one, but that’s the only brand I’ve been on that does. On ones with a side open door you can’t get in and out of the machine with the loader partially up. Of course the back glass is usually made removable to get out in emergencies.

 

[THinAl.]

I know Kubota has one, but that’s the only brand I’ve been on that does. On ones with a side open door you can’t get in and out of the machine with the loader partially up. Of course the back glass is usually made removable to get out in emergencies.

Takeuchi Skidsteer’s have an overhead door. I have a TL10 Takeuchi track Skidsteer that I use for farm work and I use it in my Land Surveying business when I have a job with thick bush cutting.

 

[flying belgian]

I’ve had a skid steer for years and love it, but the things you’ve mentioned can be done with a small tractor and loader
On snow a 4x4 tractor gives one a bucket on the front and blade on the rear, toss on a set of chains and it will out do any skid steer
My rubber track machine becomes an uncontrollable bob sled once it starts sliding on snow.

I'm going with destroked 450 on the small tractor and loader. I had a little JD 70 back in the day. I replaced it with a brand new JD 1025r. I don't know how old you are but you will find it much easier to mount/dismount a little compact tractor then a skidsteer. After putting fluid in rear tires of 1025 it will compete with a JD70.

 

[Keith True]

I like the skidsteer for garage and around the yard work.I might jump in and out the front 30 or 40 times a day hooking and unhooking chains off the bucket or forks.I've done it with a loader a lot,but it wears thin real fast.When I change the buckets or forks I just bend over,flip the levers up,and back away.Bend over and flip them down when hooking up again.Who made a skidsteer wtih a side door ,(other than JCB)? I don't think I've ever seen one like that.The JCB has a single boom,and the cab is off centered.The operator gets out between the left side tires.I did run a skidsteer years ago with a flip up front window/door,It was two piece,and it slid up and back in rails,and you would have to slam it back to hit the catches.

 

[m16ty]

I like the skidsteer for garage and around the yard work.I might jump in and out the front 30 or 40 times a day hooking and unhooking chains off the bucket or forks.I've done it with a loader a lot,but it wears thin real fast.When I change the buckets or forks I just bend over,flip the levers up,and back away.Bend over and flip them down when hooking up again.Who made a skidsteer wtih a side door ,(other than JCB)? I don't think I've ever seen one like that.The JCB has a single boom,and the cab is off centered.The operator gets out between the left side tires.I did run a skidsteer years ago with a flip up front window/door,It was two piece,and it slid up and back in rails,and you would have to slam it back to hit the catches.

The JCB just has one arm and a side door. The newer ones even telescope, which seems like a handy feature.
Only thing that concerns me is it looks like you’d get a lot of twist with a single boom off to the side like that, and I think the JCB cost quite a bit more than other brands.

 

[deere4040]

I learned on foot controls and like them fine.

My uncle has a newer NH machine with pilot controls. I didn’t like it as first but after I got used to it I really like it. It has all the travel controls on one stick and all the loader controls on the other.

I never did like the Case controls where both sticks controlled travel and your boom was on one stick and your bucket on the other.

Once I drove a skidsteer with pilot controls. Had to drive with my hand behind my back to keep in control. Maybe over a long time I could wrap my brain around that style. H pattern on my skidsteer and any I've run recently. Have foot control option but they rusted away a long time ago.

 

[jddrawbar]

How common is an overhead door?
It seems like a good idea cause I've always been claustrophobic.

Kubota, Kioti, Yanmar, Gehl, Takeuchi, Komatsu, Sany, have overhead doors.....maybe others. JCB has a side door

 

[Ultradog MN]

I know Kubota has one, but that’s the only brand I’ve been on that does. On ones with a side open door you can’t get in and out of the machine with the loader partially up. Of course the back glass is usually made removable to get out in emergencies.

Kubota, Kioti, Yanmar, Gehl, Takeuchi, Komatsu, Sany, have overhead doors.....maybe others. JCB has a side door

Thanks.

 

[flying belgian]

I like the skidsteer for garage and around the yard work.I might jump in and out the front 30 or 40 times a day hooking and unhooking chains off the bucket or forks.I've done it with a loader a lot,but it wears thin real fast.When I change the buckets or forks I just bend over,flip the levers up,and back away.Bend over and flip them down when hooking up again.Who made a skidsteer wtih a side door ,(other than JCB)? I don't think I've ever seen one like that.The JCB has a single boom,and the cab is off centered.The operator gets out between the left side tires.I did run a skidsteer years ago with a flip up front window/door,It was two piece,and it slid up and back in rails,and you would have to slam it back to hit the catches.

When he said "side open door" I assumed he meant hinged on the side.

 

[Keith True]

You're right.I was reading that as a side door,which really made no sense except on a JCB or another brand that I can't remember just what it was.Makes me think of the old loaders with side doors that you can only get in with the arms down.I still use one of those.It is a Lorraine Moto-Loader,but that one at least has curved arms so the bucket can go up quite a ways before it blocks off the cab access.

 

[Destroked 450]

When he said "side open door" I assumed he meant hinged on the side.

JCB uses a single main boom on the right side allowing access to the cab from the left side of the machine

Some of the newer machines have extensive booms like a telehandler

 

[Ultradog MN]

JCB uses a single main boom on the right side allowing access to the cab from the left side of the machine
View attachment 149430
Some of the newer machines have extensive booms like a telehandler
View attachment 149431

A throwback to Ford's one arm bandits?