Are the new Bobcats selling?

[Industrial Toys]

SOMETIMES, a rebadged machine can be of better quality. Like VOLVO having JCB make some of their machines but with better QC. Or, I saw a JD MINI ex working around the corner the other day. Guy tells me, Hitachi makes all their excavators. Probably easier to get to a JD dealer for parts than find a Hitachi Dealer. So, there can be advantages.

 

[lilranch2001]

If I have one dissatisfaction it is that the Bobcat/Kioti frame is so well built that it is very heavy, and tends to make small ruts in the lawn when it is moist, so doing lawn spraying and fertilizing needs to be done judiciously when the ground has more or less completely dried out, I guess the loaded tires do not help in that respect

 

[Industrial Toys]

For Bobcats target market, nothing good would come of them lightening up their machines. Reminds me of the JD 110 TLB (a 4000 series tractor painted yellow) where the fan would contact the radiator shroud when taking a loaded bucket over uneven terrain! No Good!

 

[GoldenAcres]

They're selling like crazy in my neck of the woods (piedmont region of North Carolina). My dealer (Oakboro, NC) told me they just found out they're the number one CT dealer in the country for Bobcat. And, dealer support was a big part of my decision to buy a CT2040. I wanted a dealer that knew their stuff, had access, and was able to get me what I needed when I needed it. Also, looking at the massive machines at Deere, it was pretty clear that I was just a drop in their bucket...I felt like a real customer at Oakboro.

Also, when I was doing my research, price was a just a bit better on the Bobcat (I compared it to the JD 3038E and the Kubota L3901 - all with the same setups), but really Bobcat beat the others in so many other ways. Lift capacity was better on the FEL and the 3-point, wider frame and lower COG (which I wanted for all the front end work I'm doing), best turning radius, best HP (including the PTO). I also liked some of the small things (able to detach the FEL - couldn't do that on the JD), fuel gauge right in the dash - and the whole dash is really nice, it was comfortable to ride/drive, etc. In the end, all three were good choices, but for me - thinking long term, not resale, I went with performance specs over all else.

As for the rebadged aspect of things, it's my understanding that this isn't just a white Kioti. Bobcat actually bought the intellectual property of the CTs and are just sourcing parts to build them. That's a big difference. It's a team of Bobcat engineers who built the tractors the way they wanted to, but with sourced parts...and for me, I didn't care about where the parts came from...I care that Bobcat engineers thought of the best way to put them all together. I think they plan to manufacture more parts on their own as time goes on. Also, they released a whole line of compact equipment...zero turns, side-by-sides, etc. They didn't do that before. They appear to be going full bore at this part of the market.

Will it last, who knows! I sure hope so...if not, live and learn.

Happy to share my experiences with the machine along the way to help others make a decision (for or against the Bobcat).

 

[lilranch2001]

Congratulations, but you will find out, for some people, if the color is not their color, no amount of well written words will fix the equipment!

 

[ovrszd]

They're selling like crazy in my neck of the woods (piedmont region of North Carolina). My dealer (Oakboro, NC) told me they just found out they're the number one CT dealer in the country for Bobcat. And, dealer support was a big part of my decision to buy a CT2040. I wanted a dealer that knew their stuff, had access, and was able to get me what I needed when I needed it. Also, looking at the massive machines at Deere, it was pretty clear that I was just a drop in their bucket...I felt like a real customer at Oakboro.

Also, when I was doing my research, price was a just a bit better on the Bobcat (I compared it to the JD 3038E and the Kubota L3901 - all with the same setups), but really Bobcat beat the others in so many other ways. Lift capacity was better on the FEL and the 3-point, wider frame and lower COG (which I wanted for all the front end work I'm doing), best turning radius, best HP (including the PTO). I also liked some of the small things (able to detach the FEL - couldn't do that on the JD), fuel gauge right in the dash - and the whole dash is really nice, it was comfortable to ride/drive, etc. In the end, all three were good choices, but for me - thinking long term, not resale, I went with performance specs over all else.

As for the rebadged aspect of things, it's my understanding that this isn't just a white Kioti. Bobcat actually bought the intellectual property of the CTs and are just sourcing parts to build them. That's a big difference. It's a team of Bobcat engineers who built the tractors the way they wanted to, but with sourced parts...and for me, I didn't care about where the parts came from...I care that Bobcat engineers thought of the best way to put them all together. I think they plan to manufacture more parts on their own as time goes on. Also, they released a whole line of compact equipment...zero turns, side-by-sides, etc. They didn't do that before. They appear to be going full bore at this part of the market.

Will it last, who knows! I sure hope so...if not, live and learn.

Happy to share my experiences with the machine along the way to help others make a decision (for or against the Bobcat).

Welcome to TBN.

I have complete faith in Kioti's ability to build a quality tractor. So Bobcat has a good chance of selling a quality tractor. If they don't screw it up. Bobcat has lost a large market share of the skid steer/CTL products. So they need to branch out and find a new market. Hope the tractor arena works out for them.

 

[Peter 315]

SOMETIMES, a rebadged machine can be of better quality. Like VOLVO having JCB make some of their machines but with better QC. Or, I saw a JD MINI ex working around the corner the other day. Guy tells me, Hitachi makes all their excavators. Probably easier to get to a JD dealer for parts than find a Hitachi Dealer. So, there can be advantages.

John Deere and Hitachi is a joint venture....Here's how John Deere and Hitachi partnered on excavator production

 

[GoldenAcres]

Welcome to TBN.

I have complete faith in Kioti's ability to build a quality tractor. So Bobcat has a good chance of selling a quality tractor. If they don't screw it up. Bobcat has lost a large market share of the skid steer/CTL products. So they need to branch out and find a new market. Hope the tractor arena works out for them.

Agree!

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Throwing down I would not purchase another Kioti tractor. I would purchase the same tractor from Bobcat because of the dealer support and warranty.

 

[KYBobcat]

Throwing down I would not purchase another Kioti tractor. I would purchase the same tractor from Bobcat because of the dealer support and warranty.

That is what I just did. Bought a CT5545 ( NX 4510). Was prepared to get Kioti, but I liked the Bobcat dealer, complete service team with the ability to come to your house if needed and the fact that Bobcat is well experienced in parts / distribution network. I saw this as a potential advantage to having the Bobcat brand. Time will tell.