skid steer selection help (did lots of searches first)

[zio228]

We live on 47 acres & have a lot of work to do on the property thanks to a wildfire & think a skid steer is going to be a necessity. We already have a Kubota L3750 w/ FEL, blade scraper & box scraper, rotary mower, auger &other ag attachments. And we have an RTV too. This past month a friend loaned us a Bobcat 753 to use building a 450' retaining wall up our driveway & it was a huge help. Also used the 4-1 bucket for clearing dead brush & trees.

Recently I've seen the following for sale on craigslist:

New Holland LX665 w/ 2100 hours for $9k
Thomas 245 w/ 950 hours for $11k
John Deere 250 w/ 1500 hours for $11k
Bobcat 763 w/1603 hours for $13k

They all look to be in good condition & not abused. And then yesterday I saw this:

Takeuchi TL 130 w/ 1125 hours, including a backhoe attachment and trailer for $15k.

From what I've read, the biggest difference between wheeled & tracked is cost to replace tracks every 500-1000 hours. However other than spreading drain rock & base, we have no rocks on our property. And we probably won't put more than 150-200 hrs a year on it. We don't have a trailer, and we've been paying $$$$ for backhoe work & there's lots more needed in the future. Is this a good deal?

And aside from wheeled vs tracked, what differences are there between these machines? Kubota vs Deutz vs New Holland (Ford) diesels? What else? Cost is important, but I'd rather pay more for a better machine w/ less bells and whistles.

 

[radman1]

I would stay clear of the JD 250 if it is the early series. To many potential problems. The series II is ok. The LX665 is good as far as I am aware. The 763 and 753 Bobcats were really good skid steers in their day and lots of them sold. Very reliable machine.
The Thomas 245 is a much bigger machine than the others, 8000 lbs wt, almost 2200 lbs lift. Not sure why the price seems so low. Something wrong with it?

I have no knowledge of the Takeuchi TL 130. Don't have any dealers in my area.

I can't really comment on the price of any of these machines. A lot depends on year and overall condition but the midsized unit are in the general ballpark.

 

[AlanB]

In this deal too me it comes down to condition of the particular units, and general care and maintenance they have recieved, and dealer / parts support.

A tracked unit will still be working when the wheeled units are stuck.

A tracked unit will in very general terms, have higher maintenance costs assosciated with the running gear (tracks) then a wheeled unit.

If it was me, I would probably lean too the NH as parts are easiest for me here and I run other NH machines, Bob would be #2, I would think real hard about that TAK, I would probably leave the Deere as my experience with parts has not been what I would call positive, and would run from the Thomas because of lack of support.

(I have a big TAK dealer just south of me, Nashville Tractor, that would have me visiting with them and trying to decide if I wanted to stretch for the extra money)

As far as evaluating condition, I have gotten to where I open up hatches and doors etc, and try and get my hands back to the hardest to reach corners of the machine.

If there is 8" of accumulated muck, it makes me hesitant, if I can still find the steel of the machine under the muck, I look and see if it has just been repaired, or do they keep it in pretty good condition.

That price sounds like a steal on that TAK, which always makes me nervous.

 

[bontai_Joe]

I'd pick one that had a GOOD dealer nearby for parts and service. That would be the most important criteria for me. These machines can do a tremendous amont of work, but not when they are down for repairs.

 

[zio228]

Thanks for all the input. Got some serious shopping to do now!

 

[WestshoreConstruction]

Thanks for all the input. Got some serious shopping to do now!

In my opinion

Thomas = No way run

Tak = Sounds like a good deal (Have a good look at it)

NH = 665 you can't really go wrong other than some switch problems and chains (Both are easy to fix) they are for lack of a better term, Built like a farm tractor. Usually buit like a tank, simple in design etc. I have buddys with over 7k hrs and little to no problems.

Bobcat = 7 series best and most common, parts readily available and alot of people will be able to help you out with them.

I don't think you can go wrong with the last three, get as much background and which ever one gives you the warm fuzzys get it.

 

[Pfm1011]

In regards to the TAK, 130 may be a bit small, you may want to look at 140. Have a real good look at the tracks as you are looking at 1300 to 1500 per side, plus at a thousand hours you probably will need new sprockets at 350 per side.

I just went thru the whole buying process and all research says Takeuchi's are built like tanks and probably the best track loaders by far. But keep in mind track loaders are substantially more expensive to run then wheel loaders due to the complexity of the track systems

You may want to check ebay as there is a Mustang MTL16 ( Tak 130 ) on there with no reserve and 1000 hours, Its at 3k this morning but with the economy the way it is there may be a real deal to be had as I will be surprised if it goes over 10 or 11 in todays market