Anyone with experience with Bobcat B300 TLB.

Gasifier · Aug 31, 2013

Hello everyone. I am looking at a 2004 Bobcat B300 TLB. Will be using whatever machine I decide on my property for digging some drainage ditches, pulling some stumps and rocks, moving material with bucket, moving material with forks, adding a grapple in the future for moving brush, stumps, snow removal, etc. This B300 has a bucket and forks with aux. hydraulics. The hours are low, under 900. Wondering if anyone can tell me of their reliability, anyones experience with them, etc. They seem to fit everything I need for a machine. Q/A bucket and can add attachments, backhoe, this one has a cab with heat! Yeah! Let me know what you think of them. Closest bobcat dealer is about 1/2 an hour away for maintenance. Thanks.

capt_met · Sep 1, 2013

I have been very happy with mine. At 1900 hours. These are strong machines for their size. The only problem i could see for you would be that they lack posi traction or an axle lock. not sure how this would effect it in heavy snow conditions. Mine did fine in the limited snow we get here now.

Gasifier · Sep 1, 2013

Thanks for the reply capt_met. I wonder if it would do any harm to the 4wd system if I needed to and put a set of chains on the back tires when moving snow in the winter? With the 4wd system and all wheel steer I am not sure? Can you take it our of all wheel steer?

Gasifier · Sep 2, 2013

A few more questions about the B300 for anyone who may know.

Will I be able to get parts for this machine? I know Bobcat does not sell them anymore but have read that the parts are available.

This machine only has a little over 600 hours on it. Has a cab with heat, so will have all the stuff for the operator protected from the weather, will be kept in a garage. Has been maintained by a Bobcat dealer for the Nursery/rental place that owns it now.

It is a nice size machine not being to big and has a lot of power from what I have read.

Will I be able to add a hydraulic thumb? The machine has auxiliary hydraulics front and back, so I am wondering how hard it would be to add a hydraulic thumb to it. With the hydraulics already there ....

Anyone with experience or opinion would be appreciated. Getting ready to buy this thing it appears to be such a nice machine with little use. They said most of their customers want something smaller to rent because not much room in the yards where they work. So it goes out very little. So they are going to stick with smaller machines. They have several smaller Kubota TLB they rent. On the other hand, I have plenty of room!

Gasifier · Sep 9, 2013

capt_met said:
I have been very happy with mine. At 1900 hours. These are strong machines for their size. The only problem i could see for you would be that they lack posi traction or an axle lock. not sure how this would effect it in heavy snow conditions. Mine did fine in the limited snow we get here now.

capt_met,

I bought the Bobcat B300. It is actually a 2005 Machine with 611 hours on it. In nice shape. All I had time to do was park it last Friday when it was delivered to my house. Then we went away for a long planned weekend and I had to work today. Dying here I tell you. Not being able to use it. I do however have some time tomorrow. You were talking about they lack posi traction or an axle lock. I have not even had time to review mine yet, but I did notice a "lock" button on the dash to the right hand side of the steering wheel. What is that lock for?

Gasifier · Sep 12, 2013

capt_met said:
I have been very happy with mine. At 1900 hours. These are strong machines for their size. The only problem i could see for you would be that they lack posi traction or an axle lock. not sure how this would effect it in heavy snow conditions. Mine did fine in the limited snow we get here now.

Hey capt_met. I hope you don't mind if I pick your brain a bit about your B300. You seem to be the only other owner here at the moment. I had a chance to move a bunch of brush and branches with the forks from some trimming I did, man forks are handy. Anywho, I have not even read the manual yet. You said that they lack posi traction or an axle lock. Mine has a lock toggle switch on the right hand side of the steering wheel. It has an instruction sticker next to it that says, "Reverse direction to unlock differential." So I would assume, even though I have learned many times that if you assume you might make an ***-(outa) u-me, that means it either locks the rear wheels together or the front and rears together. Do you or anyone else know. I am going to grab the manual out of it in the morning and try to do some reading on it tomorrow when I have time. Any helpful information from anyone on these machines would be much appreciated! Unfortunately I have to work the next four days! :thumbdown: I had three days off and it rained everyone of them.

capt_met · Sep 18, 2013

sorry for not getting back to you sooner. I haven't been watching this forum too close. Yours is a later model than mine so perhaps they did add a posi trac switch. if you thought the forks were nice you will love a grapple. How about posting a pic or 2.

Gasifier · Sep 22, 2013

Will do when I get a chance. I want to get some pictures of it while doing some work and post as well. We have had a lot of rain and I have been working when the weather has been nice. Isn't that the way it usually is. Rains on your days off. This machine is heavier than my last as well so I have to stay off the perty places so I don't leave ruts.

Lodemia2 · Dec 30, 2013

I have a 2005 B300 TLB with cab and heat. I bought mine from the original dealer who had it in his rental fleet. It was one year old with 69 hours. I used it to build my house, landscape, install all utilities and put in a septic system. It now has 385 hrs, and still looks like new. You will have plenty of power and traction in snow. I have a 9 ft. plow on mine, and it just plays with it, It was an old plow I just put a QT plate on. I have a set of forks, a couple of buckets and the plow. I have rented many attachments for it and they all work great. I hope to never sell this machine, so my heirs will have to fight over it. By the way, I had an excavating business for thirty years before I bought this. Will try to post a picture.