Anyone with bobcat experience

[Bob Horrell]

I am considering getting a bobcat to add to my tractor business. I was wondering if anyone here has experience with them. I have used a few in the past and was impressed with their versatility. I will definitely get a 4 in 1 bucket with whichever one I choose. I use the 4 in 1 bucket almost daily on my tractor.

I am considering the 863 or 963 model. How do these compare with the newer 250 or 300 models? I have all the specs but am interested in the difference in day to day operations. Also, what do you think of the new AWS models? Are they worth the cost increase? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Bob.

 

[illflem]

I have a limited amount of time on Bobcats and realize they have their place in tight quarters but hate operating them, they kick the tar out of you. I drove one daily for three weeks around 16 well established homes digging and removing an eight foot deep ditch to be filled with concrete to keep them from sliding down clay soil into a canyon. It was the only way to do it but I was glad when that job was over. If you're going to be operating on customer's lawns etc go for the AWS, the regular skid steering tears things up too much.

 

[TPCDrafting]

My brothers run a construction business and have a Mustang by Vermeer skidsteer. I know it's not "Bobcat" brand but it has a little diesel (not sure which) and it just runs and runs. They beat the tar out of that thing and it just comes back for more. They went with that because it was a heck of a lot cheaper than a Bobcat. They also had it modified by the factory to use one joy-stick in the middle instead of two handles. It's easier to operate and you can drive it one handed and hold your drink in the other. My inlaws also have a Vermeer that must be an early '80's, it has a gas engine that has given them some trouble because it's so old and used up, but the rest of the tractor is in great shape. I'm hoping to get my hands on it and drop a little cummins in some day.

 

[Whitmore]

The Case skidsteers have the Cummins 4BT in them



We have 3 of these units at work and yes they are very handy, they get used every day and night and we havent had any trouble with them in 9 years.



They have a ton of attachments for them



Cheers, Kevin

 

[Motorhead]

A fellow driver friend of mine at UPS has some Bobcat experience. He was delivering a rural area in a Ford Econoline on a dirt road. He was driving way to fast, hit a birm on the road and tipped the van over. This is a fireable offense at UPS. He told them that a four-legged Bobcat jumped out in front of him and that was why He tipped the van over. They believed him! We still laugh about that.

 

[daveshoe]

Pros: Bobcat is owned by Ingersoll Rand and has put unbeliveable reasearch & development into their new machines. If you are going to buy a new machine , it would be hard to go elsewhere. If you are considering adding other attachments, some of them will fit on other machines like the excavator. you can get air cond on these units . If you are in dusty conditions this is important because you are very close to the bucket. You have your pick of hand or hand / foot controls. Weight distribution and balance are very good on Bobcats because they match different engines to different platforms for the best balance.

Cons: Some of the repair items are really hard to get to because of the positioning of the components in the engine compartment. This is the tradeoff to get that balance and agility. I blew a low pressure fitting off and it took two guys three hours to find the offending clamp and tighten it. To their credit Bobcat has fixed this problem with better clamps.

Demo the unit before you buy it. The 863 and 963 are worlds apart in weight and performance. I bet you'll be surprised at what that smaller unit can accomplish. Don't overlook comparing an 863 to an 873 because of lift and carry and higher lift height

I can promise you this- you won't believe what you can get done when you put a skid steer head to head with a tractor. Hope this helps Daveshoe-- 853 owner

 

[Bob Horrell]

Daveshoe,

Thanks for the input. I am now leaning toward the S250. It is 700lbs. heavier than the 863, has more lift height, more horsepower, vertical lift path, a little longer wheelbase, and is over $2,000 cheaper. Go figure. The dealer said he would let me try each one out for a few days each at no charge. So that is what I am going to do. I have a couple jobs coming up that are ideal for the tryout. Although my skill level won't be up to par with what I can do with my tractor.

Bob

 

[daveshoe]

Hey Bob

Let us know how the demo goes. I do'nt know how how one of these steerable units would be to operate because they're so new. I bet you'll be surprised how fast the learning curve is.

BTW , mine has a Isusu motor ,but no aluminum heads

 

[midwestdually]

if i went with anything... it would b a Case skidloader... . Case is proven in the field... the foot pedal controls that r in the bobcats r dangerous in my mind and are uncomfortable to operate...

 

[rkressg]

Get a Thomas T233 Oo.

 

[Bob Horrell]

Just brought home a new (4hrs) Bobcat S250 that I get to demo for $0 until Monday at 5PM. It is a sweet machine. Diesel turbo with 75hp, 2 speed. I messed around with it for about an hour til after dark trying to get used to the new controls. I think I would do better if I didn't have years of experience with a skiploader. Too much auto control I have to re-learn. My wife comes out and looks at it and says "it's cute".

Tomorrow I am going to a friends ranch to do some work with it that should give me a chance to get used to it. Then Sunday I have a job with it. I am only charging the Sunday job one half my going rate since I won't be that efficient with it yet. If all goes well and I think it would add to my business, then I will buy one. The one I will get will have a 4in1 bucket, 2 speed, optional track system (makes it like a small dozer - I need it for some of the land clearing jobs I get in our hilly area). Still haven't decided on a couple of other possible options.

For once I am actually looking forward to working this weekend. I am just going to have to be careful on the hills until I get used to it. I already almost wheelied over backwards on a hill at my ranch.

 

[CUMAPART]

At work I'm in a skidsteer almost all the time. We have a JD 8875, JD 250, had a JD6675, Bobcat T190, and a Bobcat 341. If I were to buy one personally it would be a Bobcat. Our JD 250 is on its second motor with less than 600hrs on it! I think it's a lemon. The T190 is awesome. You wont get stuck and it can push a lot better than a tire machine. IMO Case are a pain in the neck. Their visibility isn't that great. I believe Bobcat gives a 3 year warranty so how can you go wrong. All of their filters and other parts are very easily accessible. As far as controls go I think the foot pedals are the way to go but thats what I learned on a long time ago. Our 341 excavator is really nice and it offers both JD or Cat controls. I have not operated a Cat skidsteer yet but I heard good things about them.

 

[Bob Horrell]

CUMAPART,

Thanks for the input. I used the S250 for a couple days and put about 16 hrs on it. I really liked it. It did everything I hoped it would do. I was working on a pretty steep hillside and was impressed with how stable it was - center of gravity felt low and turning in its own length really helped in tough situations on a hill.

Then I used a Deere 270 yesteday and really confounded everything. Just when I thought the Bobcat S250 was the one I wanted, I really got to liking the Deere 270. It seemed more stable with wider wheelbase and larger 14 inch tires. It had more horsepower, weighs more and just plain looks a lot beefier. I found the Deere controls to be more sensitive but it didn't take too long to get used to it.

The Deere has a different motor than the 250 you had problems with. The motor in my JD skiploader has been flawless. At 2,000hrs it is just now starting to get noisy indicating time for valve adjustment. The JD 270 motor is 276 cu. in. and naturally aspirated with 82hp. The Bobcat S250 is 202 cu. in. and has a turbo with 75hp. Although both have more power than I will probable ever use, the JD felt like it had a lot more torque, most likely due to the larger displacement.

Right now the JD is quite a bit cheaper than the Bobcat, although Bobcat is trying hard to get my business.

Decisions, Decisions.

 

[CUMAPART]

Bob,

They are both great machines. The real deciding factor was the one who offered the best warranty. These things get hammered not abused but just worked. I think JD's warranty was like 6 mos . I still think the JD's are a pain to work on even though the whole cab lifts up. Bobcat got the business b/c of their warranty. The T190 at work has what is called the Bobtatch. You dont have to get out and flip the handles up to switch attatchments. I can go from the bucket to the pallet forks w/o even leaving the seat of the machine, just by holding in a switch. A little hydraulic ram does all the work. If you do a lot of grading work they also have a 6 way dozer blade that works pretty well on the front of the T190. You'll be happy with either one but JD and Bobcat seem to be the best.