Superstav Earthforce

[gray]

Scott.

If you go to a site- I believe it is irutilityequipment.com you may find them. I had the toughest time getting info for them. IR is doing s---- with thier marketing of these fine machines. I also found them under the old badge of earth force at perimeter bobcat in Florida. A search will turn up something.

Gray.

 

[ScottAR]

Indeed I did... Thanks!

IR corp

 

[RobertN]

I've used the B250. It is very manueverable. I had used a Kubota L35 the day before; the Bobcat controls were MUCH smoother for the backhoe.

 

[gray]

RobertN,

I had an L35 for a year and looked for some time at the Earth Force 250 or 400 but found no dealer within 600mi at the time. I had heard and read how strong they are? I was worried about 2 things: smaller wheels that may not handle some soft soils as well as I would like No 3ph for the many implements I would want

I ended up with my L48. It has been good but I still have an interest in those IR machines. Wish I could try one some day.
BTW- the L48 BH is smoother than the L35 and has a second pump which really makes the boom swing great.

I believe you can get a b300 bobcat or a 400IR for about the price of a L48? Just wish I could have 2 machines.

Gray

 

[RobertN]

I liked the L35. I had used one a couple years ago; it was smoother to operate the BH than this was. I think it might have even been the same tractor... Rentals, ya know. Who knows what that machine had been through. Anyways, the power was good, the rest of it worked well.

The Bobcat, I rented direct from Bobcat in Sacramento Ca. They had a few new ones on the lot for sale too. We used it for a few days, on a couple different jobs. I used it on the same one as the L35, because I could not manuever the L35 in this tight backyard. The AWS worked great. The hoe was very smooth to operate. It had the power to do the work, digging in dry clay and rock.

We were working on dry conditions, so I have no direct comment about soft conditions. I would make a guess it would work ok, as the tires are similar sized to the fronts on the L35 or L48. But...

Ii did not look at it for 3pt options. The loader though, is set up with the complete quick-detach and hydraulics as the Bobcat skidsteers.

I was surprised by the rental price. The Kubota, from a local rental lot was $225/day, while I got the Bobcat for $150.

We are fortunate in that most all the big manufacturers have sales and rental in our area(Bobcat, Deere, Cat, ASV ect). Makes it nice to rent stuff before purchase. I'm looking at the ASV RC30...

 

[Bucky4]

Hello all,

I've been looking now for several months and narrowed the field down to the larger Bobcat or Kubota TLBs. I too, like Gray, would like the 3 pt hitch options, but from the specs, the Bobcats are BEASTS! They blow away the 'botas in every category except two - travel speed & pump capacity - which brings me to my question for RobertN.

The B250 has a pump cap. of 11.7 pgm. The L35 is rated at 17.3 gpm. Since you've used both machines, did you notice any difference in the bucket/hoe response time? You also stated the Bobcat controls were smoother. Based on this pump cap. spec, I would expect it to be the opposite as you stated or am I missing something.

BTW, I am going to demo a B250 in mid March, possibly an L35 or L48 after that. I'll keep you posted on the outcome.

Thanks,

bucky4

 

[RobertN]

The Bobcat was much smoother to operate the loader; the controls were nicer. The digging power seemed very comparable. It was some icky rock/clay mix.

Seems I remember 800+ hours on the L35. As a rental unit, who knows how it was treated, and how that might have affected controls and wear. I Think this is the same unit rented by my brother a year earlier(same rental place). That unit worked much smoother...

The Bobcat was not fast, but it could sure manuever. We parked right next to the yard entrance, so I did not have to drive it far before I was in tight quarters. Part of the reason for switching from the L35 to the Bobcat machine was just the manueverability. The AWS and the hydrostatic drive were just the ticket. I do not know about 3pt capability on the Bobcat. With the skidsteer interchange loader setup, it could do most things a 3pt could, albeit hydraulic implements are more expensive.

When I used the L35 a year and half ago, it was in wide open conditions with plenty of room to manuever. It was great. We were digging leach lines.

The Bobcat only ran $150 to rent. May be worth trying on a job...

 

[Bucky4]

Thanks for the feedback RobertN. When I read the travel speed specs on the Bobcat B250, I thought they were a misprint. The info stated a top speed of 4 mph, whereas the L35 is >11 mph. Quite a difference that led me to believe it was a printing error. As you say, it was slow, so I suppose the smaller GPM pump and added machine weight have a definite affect on performance and travel speed.

 

[gray]

Bucky4.

I don't know if you have read all the specs on the machines? From what I remember and my personal experiences with the L35 and L48 I can share the following. I will be corrected if I get this wrong.

I beleive the 17+ gpm flow rate for the L35 is the total on the unit, not the amount supplied to the auxilary valves. I think that was about 9?

The L48 has 12.7 gpm from what I read at the auxilary ports.

The travel rate is about 11mph on the L35 if you shift all the way up to high.

The mid range travel rate on the L48 is about 5 mph but if you shift to high and up the rpm's to max. you can get about 16mph. Hang on, it is a wild ride, but you do get places.

The lift powers of the b250 and and b300 on the loaders are very good and surpass the Kubotas and most/all other CUTS.

The BH reaches and power is close on all the machines. the reach is best on the L48.

The 3pt hitch is great to have and I love it for so many things. Yes, you can get hydraulic implements for the AWD as well but they are about 50 to 100% more in many cases and you can not use the loader at any time a tool is on.

I work in farely open areas so manuverability is not as critical to me as it is for some sites.

I still have a hard time thinking the smaller wheels on the AWD having great traction. I have to think they must have less floatation then the CUTS?

If only these great little machines had:
3pt hitch
removable backhoe
a bit faster travel speeds
larger tires

Do these things and the CUT would be redefined.

Gray

 

[Bucky4]

Thanks Gray for the info. Based on RobertN's and your comments, I'm going to assume the GPMs listed in the specs for the two companies are not exactly the same. Kubota's is the total pump output, whereas Bobcat appears to be listing the auxilliary output. A newbie like me would never pick up on that discrepancy.

I agree with your wish list for the Bobcats. Give 'em those features and the others would be scrambling to compete. I, myself, was leaning towards Kubotas, but when I saw these, I just had to further investigate them.

Based on the excellent info here, I'll probably purchase the K, because I'll also be using 3 pt attachments; however, I'll still demo the B250 next month and see what it can do.

Since you've run both larger Ks, SS & hydro, which one do you favor & why? Obviously, one has more power, but which one is easier to use? How about attaching implements?

Thanks,

bucky4