Bobcat Compact Excavator Test Drive

[Haoleguy]

My local Bobcat dealer has been terrific in making various equipment available to me for test drives. For this weekend I have a Bobcat 331 excavator with HVAC cab and hydraulic thumb. This is a 7500 lb excavator with 40 hp Kubota engine. I had a few hours this evening to get familiar with the controls and gauge the tipping weight. Since I'm a newbie to excavator operation any tips are welcome. My first task I set out to do was remove a 6 ft stone wall section to make clear a fresh Tupelo stump. I found out pretty quickly that a 2'x2'x3' rock that I squeezed with the thumb caused me to tip the tracks when moved offline from track direction. My tractor experience reminded me to carry low. The rock and excavator arm came to rest on the ground with the outside track off the ground. After releasing the rock I bounced back to horizontal....whew! Once I cleared the rocks I took 30 min to work the stump(12" dia) and pop free. I'm finding this excavator to be quite handy but my experience with my heavier JD5325 is telling me that I need a ~12K lb compact excavator to rebuild stone walls, pull stumps, and trench. I'm figuring the wider track and weight will give me more stability. Any thoughts on my deduction for a slightly larger excavator? I have a couple of full weekend days ahead of me to try dig out a few large rocks, continue with the stumps, and load the stumps in my pickup for transport to the dump. Any thoughts appreciated.

 

[LarryRB]

I would agree that if you can afford a larger excavator, then get a 11,000 GVW or so... Is Bobcat the only one you're interested in trying or are there others... Remember to always keep the drives to the rear when ever you're working an excavator.... SE CT, nice area... I'll stay up here between Stafford and Woodstock

 

[Haoleguy]

LarryRB - I'm not sure I know what you mean by drives to the rear. Please explain. I had full day with this excavator and it pulls rocks(3'x3'x3' and under) very well and provides a speed component better than my tractor. Also with the reach it rips down bittersweet from infested trees extremely well. Stump pulling is average. Rock wall building is very good and could be better if tipping was not an issue with heavier rocks. Hydraulic thumb is a must. I do think that ~12000 lb excavator is warranted for stability based on weight, track width, and "wheel" base. I have seen positive notes about Takeuchi, Gehl, and Kubotas. What others should be considered in the 11K to 15K lb range?? Any favorities in this range.

 

[Tigerotor77W]

Drives to the rear, I'm assuming, means that when you dig/push dirt, keep the drives behind you rather than have them at the front of the machine. This keeps them out of the potential digging path of the bucket.

Personally, I really enjoyed using the Cat 305C CR. It has amazing power, is very smooth, and has a great power.

 

[Haoleguy]

I wanted to give an update on my tests. I now have the Bobcat 337 for test this is a 11K lb excavator. It is ~4K heavier and 1ft wider than the Bobcat 331. With just 1 hr under my belt before darkness I can already tell that the 337 excavator is world's apart from the 331 in stability and lifting weight. It also has a hefty price tag above $60K new with cab & HVAC. I will have more stick time tomorrow and Saturday to get a full feel for it. Based on an friend who has an excavation business he has hooked me up with Yanmar and Takeuchi dealers. I'm not sure what to expect for differences of these to the Bobcat but I'm interested to find out and I am keeping an open mind. I must admit the Bobcat dealer in CT has been terrific and certainly winning my vote if all comes to a draw. Any thoughts on what to expect from Yanmar and Takeuchi excavators?.....Cheers

 

[LarryRB]

Drives to the rear, I'm assuming, means that when you dig/push dirt, keep the drives behind you rather than have them at the front of the machine. This keeps them out of the potential digging path of the bucket.QUOTE]
Allowing drives in the front and working from the same, only beats on the drives while operating the dipper stick. I was taught 30 years ago, by guys who ran machines their own 30 plus years, to always keep the drive's to the rear on all machines with tracks. Doesn't matter if it is an excavator or a bulldozer. With the drives in front and moving the machine here and there, it prematurely damages the sprockets and rollers,. Has nothing to do with dirt or at least what I was taught. They also taught, especially with dozers, not to continually be backing up, especially on long runs,. Again, premature wearing of idler/sprockets/ rollers... Doesn't mean those old timers were right either, however, at Schmidt Equipment, a huge Deere construction dealer,, the first thing a salesman watches for when trying a machine, is how you place yourself in reference to the drives. So, I assume that the old timers must have had one thing right...

 

[Haoleguy]

Guys - I'm not sure I completely get it. I think I understand that the drive mechanism is only at one end of the track and that you want to keep this to your rear when working. If this is true is the dozer blade at the opposite end? So if I have the concept right then what causes the wear and tear? Are all compact excavators setup the same way? My apologies for the novice perspective but this is one of those learning experiences.

 

[LarryRB]

I sent you a private message.,

 

[JoshJ]

for others:

drives to the rear keep your left track control controlling your left track, and not opposite.

for wear and tear, i think the idea is that drives to the rear applies force to the ground first, and then the other pieces, such as sprockets and idlers and whatnot (assuming you are moving forward). this way, the rest of the system deals with slack and not tension

if its opposite, then a greater force is a applied to the idler and sprockets and whatnot first, before it goes to the ground, because the track is tight across the drive components.

same applies to the dozers in reverse i suppose.



_If this is way off base, please tell me. I dont have a lot of experience here _

 

[buffalohunter]

I just bought A 277B skid steer machine, would like to stay with same manufacturer, does anybody have any info on the 305 or 307 Cat mini-excavaters. I sure would appreciate all info and opinions I could get.

Thanks in advance for any information.

 

[Haoleguy]

Last weekend I had a full day with the Bobcat 337..thanks to the CT dealer which I have found thus far to be excellent. This is a significant jump in stability and capability over the 331. This excavator pulled out a buried boulder that the 331 could not. I could hold a larger rock with the arm extended perpendicular to the tracks without a hint of tipping. The last test was the strength in digging and pulling out a double tree trunk root ball that was nestled against a stone wall. The 337 got this out within 45 minutes. The size of the ball was 5' x 4' x 3' with soil. All of the controls and cab ergonomics are the same on the 337 when compared to the 331. In operation the 331 seemed smoother in moving the arm and bucket...is this because it had ~300 hrs compared to a new 337? Also at low rpms the 337 bogged down and stalled in traveling with slight turns. This was not a problem when slightly raising the rpms(~1200 rpm). Overall I found the 337 a better excavator for performing medium weight tasks(digging and lifting stones, stumps, etc.) on uneven ground. My impression was that the 331 was smoother to operate and would perform many digging tasks on flat surfaces. The terrain aspect to me was related to track width, track contact length, and excavator weight. During this test I started comparing the specifications, on paper, for several different 7.5K and 12K lb compact excavators and found significant differences. I will continue the comparisons in the next month with both Takeuchi and Yanmar excavators from the same weight categories. I will probably add the CAT excavators to the mix as many posters have added positive feedback. It appears that equipment leasing companies tend to steer towards certain brands and models is that for reliability reasons or fleet pricing?

 

[Botabill]

I'm looking forward to your future posts. If you can throw a Kubota into the tests that'd be a bonus.

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

I'm looking forward to your future posts. If you can throw a Kubota into the tests that'd be a bonus.

If he does thats what he'll buy.

In all seriousness though. The excavator line is probably Kubota's strongest product. There is a very noticable difference between operating a Kubota and a Bobcat. I've had the chance to run them side by side and its pretty clear. The biggest thing I noticed is how much less slop is in the boom & quick coupler, and how that really impacts the percisison that you have. Kubota's excavator line is #1 in the world for sales, and for good reason. We also sell the New Holland excavator, this size machine is not their strong point.

 

[rswyan]

Last year when we were prepping the polebarn site and doing some other work I rented a mini-excavator (for a month - ouch !) I had the choice of either a Bobcat or a Kubota (the Kubota's were slightly newer.) I asked one of the owners of the rental place about the differences in the machines - basically what he told me was that the Kubota's were alot nicer machines, more reliable and easier to work on. He stated that they would not be purchasing any more Bobcats and when it came time to retire the existing ones they would be replaced with Kubota mini-ex's.

The KX-91 with cab that I ended up renting was very nice, made wish I could afford one just to have to mess around with.

 

[Haoleguy]

All - I received a new Yanmar VIO55-5 today for test but unfortunately this one is without hydraulic thumb and AC. I only had 2.5 hours with the unit today and expect 6-8 hrs tomorrow. Capital Equipment Rental in East Hartford supplied the unit. They have been very responsive and have provided me with lots of information. So far I have noted the following:

Pros - (1)Roomy cab with nice layout for most controls. (2)The curved cab seems to reduce internal window reflection. (3) very long arm reach with astronomical dump height(201") (4) quick coupler feature (5) stable unit track width and length and 11K lbs provide stability (6) thrifty fuel consumption (7) no stalling at low rpms (8) switchable joystick control (9) smooth control operations (10) drivetrain allows for fast track pivots to reposition unit for task (11) 3 year warranty.

Cons -(1)lift strength & bucket breakout force from below and at grade is not bad but not up to Bobcat 337 capability...failed on larger rocks and required more work to pull stumps (2) slow from point A to point B (3) poor design on high speed travel...foot pedal that requires continuous positive engagement which does not allow use of directional pedals...I got tired of leaning forward with the travel stix and depressing pedal to travel at highest speed.

Based on comments above I will need to find a Kubota dealer or rental facility which has the comparable Kubota available for test. After this weekend the Takeuchi TB145 will be next inline for test. To be honest I'm pleased to see the response I have had so far from equipment dealers. I hope it continues this way.

 

[Kubotamann]

My, I purchased a new Kubota KX-121 with cab and air this summer. It has the hydraulic thumb which I wouldn't be without. It also has the angle blade which as far as I know is the only manufacturer that has one on it's mini's. The weight is just under 10,000 lbs. As far as I am concerned it is one of the nicest on the market. Movement is supurb and smooth. Just an extension on my arm's and very well made. Try one and see what you think!

 

[longway5]

I've got so little time in a mini-ex (a Kubota KX-91) that I can't speak for it, but I spent two weeks earlier this summer with a Cat 315C w/thumb grubbing after the chainsaws went through, doing everything from picking up the logs and skidding them out of the way to stumping, moving some large rocks, and digging bury holes for the slash and stumps. I know a 315 is quite a bit larger than what you were looking at, but it seems to me the more weight you have, just in general the better off you will be. My biggest complant about using a 315 for stumps: it wasn't heavy enough. I could get into a good stump and pick the rear of the machine off the ground, even lined up with my tracks. If your machine has good bucket curl power, you can really pry on the stump with the teeth and the bucket resting on the ground and not be dependent on the weight of the machine, so I'd be looking at hydraulic power a lot too.
Good luck with your hunt. It's a lot of fun I'm sure to be trying all the different equipment out.

 

[Haoleguy]

Well I enticed my spouse to use the excavator since we have to partner to get our vineyard started in the near future. That means we are both working in parallel to complete tasks. She took to it rather quickly and used most of Saturday's stick time. She independently found the digging and lifting ability of the Yanmar VIO55 to be weaker than expected but all the controls were laid out logically and the unit was smooth and easy to get use to...first time for her in an excavator. Two aspects of this unit that are a appealing is the fuel thriftiness and the longer reach/dumping height. I will only spend a few hours today to reconfirm a few thoughts I have on this unit.

 

[itsgottobegreen]

Bobcat 331 or 337 is going to be your best bet for a mini hands down. You can not get the customer support bobcat delivers. My buddy has a 331, when it went down, the dealer gave him a brand new 331 to keep him up and running while his was under repair.

My thoughts on the 331 and 337 is. If you need to haul your hoe a lot, get the 331, no cdl required to move it. If it will stay in one spot, then the 337 is a far superior machine. (requires CDLs to move). I am caught up in this problem now. But I am getting my CDLs soon in order to be able to move a 337. The bobcat minis are the easiest machines to work on.

 

[plowrup]

You really need to try the Deere 35D or 50D-