demo'd a CAT 297c today

[Builder]

You've mentioned this before and I thought about it when I demoed different machines. The small cab is a characteristic of compact machinery, but I only felt closed in when the cab door was in my face. You can take the door off on most machines, but I found that the doors that slide up easily on the go didn't leave me with that closed in feeling. My ASV SR80 does have such a sliding door, however the RC100's do not. After running the Bobcat T300 for a day I wanted out. The machine would not run unless the door was closed and latched. The fact that you can remove the door was not helpful because there are times when the door is needed for protection and switching back and forth was too inconvenient.

jmf

That's what I mean. You can't always close the cab door if the weather is bad. Can't imagine what it would be like for a 6-2 300+ lb guy. I'm only 210lbs and I thought i was gonna have a stroke from sittin in that tiny cab all day.

 

[jmfox]

That's what I mean. You can't always close the cab door if the weather is bad. Can't imagine what it would be like for a 6-2 300+ lb guy. I'm only 210lbs and I thought i was gonna have a stroke from sittin in that tiny cab all day.

Even in the winter I slide up the front glass, and when it makes sense to have it down to avoid dust or cold I appreciate being closed in.

jmf

 

[Landwise]

I'm 6'4 and don't have any problems. The cab on the 297 seems huge compared to the ASV.

Let me add some clarification- I am testing the 297 against the Tak Supertracks TL150, not the ASV. I have had my belly full of ASV, and it scares me that 25% of ASV is owned by CAT.

The CAT seems to be far superior to the ASV in terms of fit and finish.
The cab is much better suited for what I do, the cooling is much better...

I have been cautioned against the vertical lift system on a CAT for MY purposes. I don't load trucks all that often, and the vertical lift machines are not as tough with side to side forces produced in our industry.

I think the CAT will have better resale than the Super 150. Put a dirt bucket on it, and it is a dirt mover. Put a dirt bucket on a SK150 and you have a machine that was designed for mulching. That does not sit well with the resale market. I am facing that problem now, trying to unload my ASV's.

I have made a pretty extensive list of pros and cons for both machines, and they come out about even. I am really fishing for more info........

The 297 is new, and there have been problems with earlier versions. The SK 150 is made for mulching, which was a negative as far as resale, but a plus for day to day operations.

 

[jmfox]

I have had my belly full of ASV, and it scares me that 25% of ASV is owned by CAT.

Is it ASV or the RC100's that is the problem?

jmf

 

[Landwise]

Both-
RC100 for not being well thought out or designed
ASV for lack of support

Don't get me wrong. I think that the ASV is the strongest off the shelf machine you can buy in this size. It just is not engineered to withstand the kind of abuse that we put it through. Electrical problems, hydraulic failures, lack of dealer warranty support, lack of customer warranty support, cooling issues.....

Maybe I just expected too much for the money. Maybe I was mislead by the dealer. It is $20,000 less than the CAT and $25,000 less than the SK150. You get what you pay for??

I did not mean to turn this into an ASV bashing, more a "Where do I go from here" post. I am tired of the continuous downtime that I have had from my ASV. Beleive me, if they would hold together a little better and not leave me a roughly calculated $60,000 dollar shortfall this year, plus the loss of value, I would be singing their praises.

Example- I bought an '06 and an '07 within 30 days of each other. Within 6 months, my '06 had been in the shop almost as much as it was in the feild. I actually got ASV to swap me for a new machine......... Within 3 hours, the alternator had fallen off. Within 2 weeks, the AC Mounting bolt had broked three times. Two sensors that tell the compressor to come on had failed with the first month, and I have had to have a new starter put on at 185 hours. And that was all on the new machine. Beleive me, this is the tip of the iceberg.

 

[QwikDraw]

LW- did you ever look in to the Gehl or Mustang? 100hp. Not sure about the cooling etc. I do know the Takeuchi's are bullet proof and the day they come out with a high flow I will buy one. I talked with the Mustang rep when I bought my excavator and he said the MTL25 could run a mulch head no problem...but he is a salesman. They come with pressurized cab too. The downfall is the oil cooler and radiator are stacked, maybe a loftness remote oil cooler on the roof and you have a solid machine??

Specs out at 39.6 GPM @ 2988psi...going to have to turn that pressure up...

NO on the fordtrucks...although I do own one.

Also talked to this guy.....
addingtonequipment
He is putting a 85 HP motor in a Kubota 161 frame with his head and dedicated line to the mower. I talked with him about buying one but he only has one and since it really isn't tested and he was already talking about changes I can't see buying it. It looks solid but at 1000 lbs maybe a little heavy for a 12k class excavator...

For the job I am on now I think this head would be very good but this one is @ $12,000....I am looking in to fabricating one simular.
Little
I actually was working for a hunt club this week and one of the members has a hydraulic company and is getting me all the info on a motor and bearing block...the rest shoud be fairly easy to weld up....or so I think.

Random picture from last month....these field were full of old brush piles..

 

[cbturf]

Landwise I sent you a PM about my machine that I will be selling. Anyone else who might be interested let me know. I know that this is not a sales board but if you guys do some homework you will know what I am selling. I can tell you now that it will do more work than two ASVs combined without the breakdowns.

 

[QwikDraw]

CB
why are you selling?...getting out of the bus or changing machines???

 

[cbturf]

I attached a little hint on the last post...hope you fellas can figure it out OK. I also know a finance company that is pretty sweet on the mulching business. They are back in Nashville TN (home for me). I am working in New Mexico right now and need a machine with loader arms to reach above the branches on the junipers. The branches are low to the ground and extend out about 8 feet from the trunk. The 140 will mow them like grass but the branches stay against the door glass and I can not see what I am cutting.

 

[QwikDraw]

So...FTX148?