We have a fair bit of earth moving to do to turn unbroken land into site for shop and home, roads, etc. First thing I bought was a D5H with a 6 way blade, then later a 941 track loader - that turned out to have cracked block. I need the tracked machine this summer, and no time to convert to the D330 sitting on the ground beside it, so when a Fiat-Allis FL10C came up, I grabbed it.
Originally, I did not want Cat for several reasons, but the ability to support older equipment aftermarket and resell when done was the attraction. The 941 is a brute of a ball breaker from an earlier time and to drive it you always seem to be fighting the darn thing. The Fiat is based on their model 10 crawler that is quite popular in Europe so took a chance. It IS newer than the 941, but the difference in operating experience is dramatic. EVERYTHING is powered, and when you start to steer one way (pedal steering) it dissengages drive and immediately starts going that way. My wife could drive this thing! Another not so small thing: the 941 bucket tilt is fixed to arms whereas the FL10 uses correcting geometry to keep it at same angle. Only downside: my Cats use Group 31 batteries but the Fiat uses Group 4D.
Originally, I did not want Cat for several reasons, but the ability to support older equipment aftermarket and resell when done was the attraction. The 941 is a brute of a ball breaker from an earlier time and to drive it you always seem to be fighting the darn thing. The Fiat is based on their model 10 crawler that is quite popular in Europe so took a chance. It IS newer than the 941, but the difference in operating experience is dramatic. EVERYTHING is powered, and when you start to steer one way (pedal steering) it dissengages drive and immediately starts going that way. My wife could drive this thing! Another not so small thing: the 941 bucket tilt is fixed to arms whereas the FL10 uses correcting geometry to keep it at same angle. Only downside: my Cats use Group 31 batteries but the Fiat uses Group 4D.
