Skidsteer Recommendation - NH LX885 or Bobcat 763?

[Hilbilly]

I've been looking at used skid steers for a few weeks and a couple have found a couple in the right price range. Since I know nothing about SS's I thought I would ask for advice here.

The 2 in question are both manufactured in 1999. The New Holland has 2700hrs on it and comes with an enclosed cab. The bucket looks pretty ratty, like it's had a lot more use than the machine. The seller has several skidsteers, so this may not be an issue. The Bobcat has 3500 hrs and comes with 2 buckets, a standard one and a new snow removal one. From the info I gathered on the net, it appears the NH is about 1000 lbs heavier than the Bobcat and has more lift capacity. Both machines are priced about the same at $12,000C. The owner of the Bobcat could not tell me if it had auxilliary hydraulics. He has it rented out at the moment. Does anyone here know?

I plan on using this for some work around the property and it won't get a lot of use. My primary uses would be; 1) working with the excavator to open up the area around the house and cut some ATV riding trails through the bush for the grandkids to ride on, 2) maintain the areas that have been opened up and 3) gathering downed small trees ( up to 8" or 10") and scrub around the property. The property is rough and the tractor doesn't perform well on the steeper side slopes or in the bush.

Any advise would be appreciated.

 

[truckdiagnostics]

First off buckets are not cheap so make sure you get a decent bucket, also would not buy a skid loader without auxiliary hydraulics. In that price range no matter what you buy chances are you will have issues. So hpefully you are mechanically inclined. I have found the bobcat to be easy to work on, can find parts and not out ragusly priced. Have no knowledge on the NH. Good luck steve

 

[Hilbilly]

First off buckets are not cheap so make sure you get a decent bucket, also would not buy a skid loader without auxiliary hydraulics. In that price range no matter what you buy chances are you will have issues. So hpefully you are mechanically inclined. I have found the bobcat to be easy to work on, can find parts and not out ragusly priced. Have no knowledge on the NH. Good luck steve

Thanks Steve. Agree - there is no way I'll get one without auxiliary hydraulics. It's strange that you mention the ease of getting parts and that they are reasonably priced. That is the same thing the owner of the Bobcat said too. I wasn't sure how much of that I could believe since he is the one trying to sell it.

 

[truckdiagnostics]

I purchased a 7753 in 2000 it had about 3,400 hours. Nothing major just minor stuff, paid $9,000. I take really good care of it. It is worth just about what I paid for it today. It is a little larger capacity than what you are looking at but it is real close. There service manual is well written and parts book is still fairly accurate. From what i have seen you end up having to go to Bobcat dealer for parts, however parts prices has always been reasonable. I've thought about replacing it, can't find anything i like. All the new ones are electric over hydraulic and i'm not a fan. my older SS is not without its issues but you can fix it. On the newer bobcat SS the software to do the diagnostics is dealer only. Looked at newer bobcat SS with electric over hydraulic hand controls, don't know if true, asked dealer if i could replace the controller, his answer was yes, but you had to have the tool to put into learn mode to learn controller. From what i have seen the older bobcat SS in nice shape are holding there value.

 

[Rustyiron]

That NH is a good bit bigger than the BC. (if I'm remebering my numbers right) Less hours, bigger machine, same price…..
I think the NH also has on longer wheelbase. This will provide much better stability on the hills. The BC is what is called a "radial lift" and the NH is a "vertical lift". Generally the radial lift is not as good for truck loading (no "reach" when lifted) but also simpler and a bit more rugged because there are a few less moving parts to the boom. The vert. lift is basically the opposite.

 

[Hilbilly]

I also found out the NH has high flow auxiliary hydraulics. The issue I see now are: the BC hydraulics are 15 gpm (assuming it has auxiliary) and the NH has 30 gpm. From an implement dealer close by I note that almost all of his Blue Diamond hydraulic implements (with motors) require 16 gpm to 25 gpm for low flow systems and 27 to 40 for high flow systems. Looks like these SS are on the low end of each and the NH is too high for the low flow motors. This just keeps getting more complicated.:confused2:

 

[Hilbilly]

I purchased a 7753 in 2000 it had about 3,400 hours. Nothing major just minor stuff, paid $9,000. I take really good care of it. It is worth just about what I paid for it today. It is a little larger capacity than what you are looking at but it is real close. There service manual is well written and parts book is still fairly accurate. From what i have seen you end up having to go to Bobcat dealer for parts, however parts prices has always been reasonable. I've thought about replacing it, can't find anything i like. All the new ones are electric over hydraulic and i'm not a fan. my older SS is not without its issues but you can fix it. On the newer bobcat SS the software to do the diagnostics is dealer only. Looked at newer bobcat SS with electric over hydraulic hand controls, don't know if true, asked dealer if i could replace the controller, his answer was yes, but you had to have the tool to put into learn mode to learn controller. From what i have seen the older bobcat SS in nice shape are holding there value.

Not sure I understand ....... are you saying the New Holland parts would be purchased from a Bobcat dealer?

That NH is a good bit bigger than the BC. (if I'm remebering my numbers right) Less hours, bigger machine, same price…..
I think the NH also has on longer wheelbase. This will provide much better stability on the hills. The BC is what is called a "radial lift" and the NH is a "vertical lift". Generally the radial lift is not as good for truck loading (no "reach" when lifted) but also simpler and a bit more rugged because there are a few less moving parts to the boom. The vert. lift is basically the opposite.

The NH does seem to be a lot more machine for the same money (it's actually $600 more than the BC) but there are some concerns for me. The BC has a 4 cylinder Kubota engine, which I think may be more reliable and easier to get parts for and the NH has a NH 3 cylinder engine. Not sure about the NH engine parts availability or reliability. I am leaning toward the NH but I have to see them both first.

Both machines are a long ways from me and I am going to look at one tomorrow and the other the next day. What should I look for?

 

[Rustyiron]

the NH is too high for the low flow motors. This just keeps getting more complicated.:confused2:

No, there is a seperate set of hyd. line's (3) for the "high flow". You'll still have the std. flow set.(2)
Look for any dripping oil on the belly pan, inspect the bucket pivot points and the boom.
IMHO, the only downside of the NH is to get into the "belly" you need to tilt the cab, and the whole boom comes with it. The BC (I think) has a sideways motor limiting access to whatever's on the back side.
The NH has good engine access with removable side panels & a rear radiator. Both are solid machines.

 

[Hilbilly]

I looked at both. The NH was tight and there were no leaks anywhere. I really liked the wide open access to the engine and the high lift capability. There was on thing that bothered me about it. When travelling in a straight line the drive motors were making a sort of grinding noise and when the handles were realized to stop forward motion, the left side would continue to move slowly and the handle had to be tapped a few times to get it to stop. Owner said it was just a sticky cable but I didn't believe him.

The BC felt nicer to drive and there was no grinding noise when travelling in a straight line, only when turning. So I figured there was something seriously wrong with the NH. Unfortunately the owner of the BC said he had an accepted offer and gave the guy 2 days to come up with the money. If that doesn't happen he will give me first crack at it. The only thing I was a little concerned with on the BC was that there was an oil leak somewhere on the back side of the engine. Couldn't get a good look at it though, there is no access that I could see to that area. It looked like it could be blowby coming from the valve cover vent. I was still interested though.

 

[Hilbilly]

Looks like the Bobcat might be available. So what do you guys think about the oil leak issue? If it's blowby is it a big deal to pull the engine and replace the rings?

I also got an email from a dealer with two smaller John Deeres. Both are 313's. One 2011 and the other is 2013.

 

[Rustyiron]

From your first post describing your use on "hills & slopes" The NH will be much more stable. Longer wheelbase and track & bigger tires/wheels. The noise might just be "hyd. noise" I had a brand new JD 260 and it was loud. The control linkage on the drive motor might be out of adjustment. Be aware that in the woods you will need over the tire metal tracks on either machine. No help on the BC oil issue, sorry.

 

[truckdiagnostics]

Agree with Rustyiron, the NH is worth a second look. I had similar issues with my BC and a linkage adjustment took care of it. On the BC to get more info on the leak you will need to flip the cab. There is a breather tube that comes off valve cover and there is a 3" chunk of hose that connects between the valve cover and the down pipe. Don't know where it goes after that. It is strategically hidden behind the alternator.

 

[gwiley]

I have owned a bobcat 743 and a 773 and I love them. Bobcat makes a very solid machine, both of mine have the kubota 4 cyl engine - rock solid. Parts for the older 7 series are surprisingly cheap. The sideways motor on both the 773 and 743 is deisgned to not hide much behind it - everything you need to deal with faces out.

Given a choice I would get the bobcat.

 

[Hilbilly]

Thanks guys. Lots of help here. I'm sidetracked for a few days as my M.I.L. Passed away yesterday. I'll get back to you as I move forward.

 

[Hilbilly]

Agree with Rustyiron, the NH is worth a second look. I had similar issues with my BC and a linkage adjustment took care of it. On the BC to get more info on the leak you will need to flip the cab. There is a breather tube that comes off valve cover and there is a 3" chunk of hose that connects between the valve cover and the down pipe. Don't know where it goes after that. It is strategically hidden behind the alternator.

Did the adjustment only fix the linkage issue or also the grinding noise when travelling? If it fixed both then I will take another look at the NH.

I took another look at the BC and there is definitely blow by. The short piece of tubing is not connected to the breather so I put my finger over the end of the breather. It took a little while but the pressure did build up to the point where it would eventually push past my finger. Does this sound like machine to avoid or is a little blowby normal for a machine with 3300 hrs on it?

 

[truckdiagnostics]

On my BC I was thinking the worst. Adjusted the linkage, fixed noise and travel issues. I actually had the dealer do it. Glad i did it, was tricky and physially i could not do it at the time. I was amazed. As for the blow by on the BC never really looked at it. I have 5,400 hrs now bought at 3,400 i know I am getting some because when the hose was off it trashed the alternator.

 

[Hilbilly]

I'm home now and a long ways from both machines. I did stop and talk to a BC service person on my way home. He couldn't tell me if the blow by was a real issue or not. I guess they would have to see it. I did ask about the parts to do a complete ring job and bottom end bearings. Total cost for parts was around $1,000. He also asked if the BC would creep after letting go of the levers and I told him it did not. He said that was a very good sign because there are some aluminum bushings that will cause creep if they are worn out and it is expensive to replace. The only way I could know for sure if the NH required a simple adjustment to fix it is to either ask the owner to get it done or for me to take it to a service center and have a mechanic check it out. I'm pretty sure the owner would not agree to either. He was not a very friendly person. I would prefer to get it if that was the magic fix but if it is something more serious I could be into some big repair bills. Without the comfort of knowing exactly what is wrong with it I wouldn't take the risk and buy it, hoping for the best.

I think I may go ahead with the BC. There is another one I can check out but it is even further away, about 6 hrs.

 

[truckdiagnostics]

Try posting under NH section and asking your question specifically same for the blow by on the BC under the bobcat section. Just a thought.

 

[Hilbilly]

Try posting under NH section and asking your question specifically same for the blow by on the BC under the bobcat section. Just a thought.

Good idea.

 

[Rustyiron]

Did you check the hyd. oil on the NH (fwiw) looks and tank level. I'm not playing favorite's but I really think you would appreciate the size and stability of the bigger NH. It's hard to describe a noise in writing, you say grinding, not good at all, but there is a hydraulic noise that some could call grinding, esp. in a large wheel motor that may be normal in a machine with some hours on it. You could also try your question over at; Skid Steers
Good luck HB.