Skidsteer advice

[wakenicky]

What would you fellers recomend for a good all round skidsteer for the farm? need to pack 1200 lb round bales and normal farm duty.Relible ol machine with good track record.

 

[Jim.ME]

New or used? Budget? Brands with dealers in your area? Stability wise 2500 to 3000 lb capacity is reasonable if you plan on moving 1200-pound bales, and lifting up to store/feed them. What will your operating surfaces be?

 

[rrlund]

Only thing I'll advise before you buy a Bobcat with foot controls, try one first. They're a horse of a different color and take some real getting used to.

 

[Jim.ME]

Only thing I'll advise before you buy a Bobcat with foot controls, try one first. They're a horse of a different color and take some real getting used to.

I agree with that, in fact to me he have money well spent to rent one of any brand/model he considers purchasing for a week to try. Then go as new as the budget will allow.

 

[Keith True]

If you've never served much time in skidsteers the controls won't make much difference to you.You will be learning starting at ground zero.I first sat on a Bobcat at about 14,so the first skidsteer I bought for myself was a Bobcat.I have been using them ever since.I bought a couple of Cases,as I do like Case equipment,but could never learn how to run them.I might as well be trying to run a space ship as making those flipper handles work.Same thing with Cat skidsteers.One lever drives,and the other runs bucket and boom.If I want to drive ahead I will slam the boom into the ground.To steer I dump the bucket.Almost 50 years of kicking pedals have burned that know-how into my brain.All the name brands perform well,it's gotten to where it is personal preference and your local dealer.

 

[Tony in SD]

I have been very satisfied with the Bobcat 763H I bought new about 25-30 years ago. I get asked why I don't buy a new since mine is so old. But at my age, it works just fine and don't use it like I used to when I was younger. Besides I know all the quirks about the machine. When I bought it, tracks were either not available or an uncommon option. So I added over the tire Grouser tracks to it. I have only taken the tracks off to repair a tire or change bushings. I highly recommend a tracked skid steer. There are many brands to choose from. I have a very good Bobcat dealer near me so that is a big plus and why I have a Bobcat skid steer. It is rated at 1500 lbs with pallet forks but I unload a 2000 lb pallet of feed all the time.

Ps while I was mowing, I heard an ad on the radio that Bobcat has $11000 rebates going on right now on new machines.

 

[showcrop]

understand that if a tracked machine comes into the picture that they can be an uncomfortable ride on a hard surface.

 

[urbancase]

I have case 1845c around 1900 lbs lift , two lever controls and Cummins motor. It’s a wheeled machine and love it. However I been looking for a second machine and been looking at the cat 299 machine on tracks. The guy I use to work on my skidsteer as I had a pump go out told me case, bobcat and cat were the only machines he would buy for himself. Good luck

 

[Larry986]

If you've never served much time in skidsteers the controls won't make much difference to you.You will be learning starting at ground zero.I first sat on a Bobcat at about 14,so the first skidsteer I bought for myself was a Bobcat.I have been using them ever since.I bought a couple of Cases,as I do like Case equipment,but could never learn how to run them.I might as well be trying to run a space ship as making those flipper handles work.Same thing with Cat skidsteers.One lever drives,and the other runs bucket and boom.If I want to drive ahead I will slam the boom into the ground.To steer I dump the bucket.Almost 50 years of kicking pedals have burned that know-how into my brain.All the name brands perform well,it's gotten to where it is personal preference and your local dealer.

Foot controls matter to my ankles. They don't like them. I like my old Case 420, but the H controls do take a bit to get used to. After running five or six different brands and models I find the ISO controls the easiest to adapt to. I agree with trying as many different ones as possible, my dealer let me play with any used one on the lot before I decided on the Case.

 

[Destroked 450]

If you've never served much time in skidsteers the controls won't make much difference to you.You will be learning starting at ground zero.I first sat on a Bobcat at about 14,so the first skidsteer I bought for myself was a Bobcat.I have been using them ever since.I bought a couple of Cases,as I do like Case equipment,but could never learn how to run them.I might as well be trying to run a space ship as making those flipper handles work.Same thing with Cat skidsteers.One lever drives,and the other runs bucket and boom.If I want to drive ahead I will slam the boom into the ground.To steer I dump the bucket.Almost 50 years of kicking pedals have burned that know-how into my brain.All the name brands perform well,it's gotten to where it is personal preference and your local dealer.

It’s all what one gets used to, I’ve ran Bobcat, JD with foot controls but never got proficient with them. I like familiarity were my farm tractors, industrial loaders at the mill and tracked hi-lift loaders were all left hand drive/steer and right hand loader control. I use a tractor to load hay in the field and my ASV skid steer at the barn, ASV uses Cat ISO controls so loader control is the same as my tractors loader and I’m not pressing on the foot controls like their the clutch and brakes on my tractor
I’m not downing foot controls I just find ISO controls more familiar to other equipment I operate

 

[rrlund]

It’s all what one gets used to, I’ve ran Bobcat, JD with foot controls but never got proficient with them. I like familiarity were my farm tractors, industrial loaders at the mill and tracked hi-lift loaders were all left hand drive/steer and right hand loader control. I use a tractor to load hay in the field and my ASV skid steer at the barn, ASV uses Cat ISO controls so loader control is the same as my tractors loader and I’m not pressing on the foot controls like their the clutch and brakes on my tractor
I’m not downing foot controls I just find ISO controls more familiar to other equipment I operate

That's my problem with foot controls. You spend a lifetime running a clutch and brakes with your feet and a loader with your hands, then try to do just the opposite. You might be able to do it in a controlled situation when your consiously thinking about it, but loose focus one time and reflex kicks in and you can get in a pretty hairy panicky situation.

 

[NDIHC]

I learned on Bobcat so foot controls come naturally to me. I ran a Case for a short time and the flippers seemed awkward to me, but I'm sure with a little use it would have become easy to use. Just like my little Lahman skidsteer. Foot controls but they are opposite of Bobcats. Lift and curl pedals are reversed. But I've run it so long that I don't even think about which foot does what. I get on my M with left hand loader controls and it is muscle memory to run that tractor. I can get off of that tractor and get in my Hydro 70 or 1066 with right hand loader controls and muscle memory again takes over and the controls just come naturally. You can adapt to anything you decide to run.

 

[m16ty]

My preference is what I think they call “pilot controls”, where you do your driving and steering with your left hand and all the bucket controls with your right. Foot loader controls are ok too. My uncle has one with pilot controls and Dad has a older one with foot controls, I can go from one to the other without issue.

The only ones I can’t stand is the older Case controls where raise is on one stick and dump is on the other.

I don’t have a skid steer myself. I guess everybody has different needs but I believe I’d rather have a small wheel loader than a skid steer for farm work. Skid steers don’t do well traveling long distance, ride rough, wear out tires or tracks faster, and generally tear up the ground more. Another thing to consider, if you have some age on you, skid steers aren’t very easy to get in and out of. If things like moving and stacking hay would be your main chores, I’d also look at a small telehandler.

 

[Alvin 41]

What would you fellers recomend for a good all round skidsteer for the farm? need to pack 1200 lb round bales and normal farm duty.Relible ol machine with good track record.

What would you fellers recomend for a good all round skidsteer for the farm? need to pack 1200 lb round bales and normal farm duty.Relible ol machine with good track record.

I've two 30 year old NH L785 and just sold a Case 1845 C for $6000.They will do the work your considering and I just put $100 hummer tires on one and it will go 11 mph down the road.

 

[used red MN]

What would you fellers recomend for a good all round skidsteer for the farm? need to pack 1200 lb round bales and normal farm duty.

Why would you want a skid steer for that job? I can’t think of anything better than a Farmall F30 and a Farmhand Stackhand loader!

 

[Bob Bancroft]

What would you fellers recomend for a good all round skidsteer for the farm? need to pack 1200 lb round bales and normal farm duty.Relible ol machine with good track record.

I was employed at a NH dealer when NH introduced their skid steers, so that was what I was around for years. Loader controls on the foot pedals. Fast forward years, and I bought a little ASV to see how a track machine would work on tilled ground for picking rock. The concept was great, but it was too small. I now have a JD 317G compact track loader. All hand controls. I bought it with something like 2300 hours on it. I put new tracks and sprockets on it. It's the only diesel I own with emission garbage on it. That has been the biggest challenge to work through, but we finally got it. I wouldn't even consider a regular tired machine for what I do.