T 320 Bobcat with Loftness G2 Tree Shredder

[yellowdogsvc]

I'd haven't really checked into Bobcats that much due them having there own brand mulcher and reports of them not using non-bobcat stuff. But with the onslot of new series Bobcats and interest from Bobcat owners and a few dealers I will be changing my tune. With Westshores success and a some local dealers I will be monitoring and testing in that direction. It also helps we have an excavator head that the Bobcat excavators will run.

Bobcats use all sorts of non-bobcat attachments. I ran a Cat/FAE mulching head on two s300k series machines and it worked good. Though I had to add some hydro lines, it was still cheaper than buying a fecon head at the time.

 

[TMTS]

can you get a Bobcat (either the t320 or wheeled machine) with cab pressurization? It looks like you can get 'em with AC, but no mention of pressure...

So with the new PT-100, the newer Cats, and the Fecon FTX's, who else is making pressurized cabs? Trying to get together a "shopping" list...or atleast a comparison list...


-TMTS

 

[yellowdogsvc]

can you get a Bobcat (either the t320 or wheeled machine) with cab pressurization? It looks like you can get 'em with AC, but no mention of pressure...

So with the new PT-100, the newer Cats, and the Fecon FTX's, who else is making pressurized cabs? Trying to get together a "shopping" list...or atleast a comparison list...


-TMTS

Bobcat doesn't advertise pressurization. My CAT c series leaks dust as bad as my bobcat did and worse on some days. Ask around from some of the guys who are mowing. To CAT's credit, though, I believe they are working on a fix in the near future as they know there are some problems with some of the machines in some applications.

It's official, my CAT is going back to the dealer for good. I truly hope they can get to the bottom of where the leaks are in the duct work. Though the temp sounds inviting in the 70's from the air, it doens't move the condensation out because the evaporator keeps clogging with debris and dust so it feels hot and sticky in the cab. I wanted the fixes to work because I liked the machine but I have to figure something else out. For the kind of money that the CAT cost, I can't keep having the repairs. The dealer is in an impossible position. CAT knows there are some issues and the dealer has to follow some of what CAT recommends first but the dealer also has an unhappy customer who hasn't had a machine for about 30 days of less than 90 days ownership.

I commend Holt CAt for doing the right thing and taking the machine back. I truly hope they can get to the bottom of it because they have been fair though I haven't been happy. I own a CAT mulcher and love it and the sales team at CAt has been first notch but I truly believe there are some issues with the fitup of the windows in the C series. I believe they should be solid...maybe CAT is looking into that. No rails to let dust in. Maybe a better fit up for the side air filter or snorkel that would take advantage of a more powerful blower that could be upgraded into the machine. I have a lot of ideas if they ever want them.

 

[BamaContractor]

I demo'd a T320 with a fae head on it today and I was not very impressed to say the least. The machine did have some good points like keyless ignition, independent suspension, speed control as well as joysticks. But the things that mattered most to me were lacking. The cab is supposed to be sealed and pressurized but a lot of dust got in and I kept getting aggravated with the machine stalling out. It just didn't have the same power that the cat 297C did. At first I figured it was just operator error and that after I got a better feel for the unit the stalling would be a thing of the past but it was like that all day long. The recovery time was also a little slower than the cat. In certain applications this could be a great machine but I don't think it would be the best day in and day out mulching machine.
On a side note, I called my ASV dealer about possibly doing a demo on a pt100 when one comes in and they told me they don't do mulching demos for liability purposes. On top of that, they really didn't seem to act like they were interested in my business. I can only imagine what they would be like after I actually bought the machine. Oh well.

 

[yellowdogsvc]

bama: why are you demoing a T320 if you have a 297c? just curious.

Bobcats can seal up "okay" if you spend half the day finding all the holes. I had a k series machine sealed up great. I sold it and kept a 2nd K series machine (s300's) and the 2nd one wasn't sealed up so well.
I switched to a cat 272c and had much better hydraulic performance but not much better dust control.

With the torque and the hp of the T320, I would think it would give the 297c a run for it's money. All things being equal, the gear pump in the Bobcat might have something to do with it but that extra motor displacement and torque should help out. The FAE head, though, is notoriously low-torque but seems to have good head speed. I run the CAT version of the FAE and have compared it to a magnum and other brands. The Cat head (fae) stalls more on the same machines than the others do but I love the rotor speed and finesse of the cut.

I am forced back into a Bobcat and it looks like an s330 since I work in rock. I didn't get a chance to mulch with it but have mulched for over about 1500 hours in an s300k. The s300k was a dog, but i felt that was because of the low torque and low hp. The cat 272c has low torque but it seemed much more powerful than the s300k's I ran.

Hmmm. Makes me think.

 

[Digdeep]

bama: why are you demoing a T320 if you have a 297c? just curious.

Bobcats can seal up "okay" if you spend half the day finding all the holes. I had a k series machine sealed up great. I sold it and kept a 2nd K series machine (s300's) and the 2nd one wasn't sealed up so well.
I switched to a cat 272c and had much better hydraulic performance but not much better dust control.

With the torque and the hp of the T320, I would think it would give the 297c a run for it's money. All things being equal, the gear pump in the Bobcat might have something to do with it but that extra motor displacement and torque should help out. The FAE head, though, is notoriously low-torque but seems to have good head speed. I run the CAT version of the FAE and have compared it to a magnum and other brands. The Cat head (fae) stalls more on the same machines than the others do but I love the rotor speed and finesse of the cut.

I am forced back into a Bobcat and it looks like an s330 since I work in rock. I didn't get a chance to mulch with it but have mulched for over about 1500 hours in an s300k. The s300k was a dog, but i felt that was because of the low torque and low hp. The cat 272c has low torque but it seemed much more powerful than the s300k's I ran.

Hmmm. Makes me think.

You are correct. A piston pump trumps a gear pump every day for efficiency. Add the fact that the Bobcat pump is belt driven and that has an effect too.

 

[BamaContractor]

Yellowdog, I don't own a 297c but I demo'd one a couple months back and that was the comparison I was making. I talked to the bobcat dealer today and he told me he was also a dealer for rayco. He wants to let me try out a c100 with mulcher. He said it will outwork the t320 by 3 to 1. Apparently it also comes with a hefty price tag too. This is where I have reached a crossroads of some sort. I currently don't own a mulcher. I have advertised that I provide mulching services with the intent on renting a unit to do the work until I have built up a customer base but have not had much luck with that. I'm wondering if I should just dive in head first (as scary as that sounds) and buy a unit and hope that with the right salesmanship I can get the work I need to make my payments month in and out. I've seen others in the biz park their equipment right out by the road with a sign saying they do mulching and whatnot. Does anyone else do this and does it work. Also, what route did some of you other mulchers take when deciding to get into this business? Did you already have a strong customer base. I don't want to be married to a payment I can't afford but at the same time if you wait til the time is right you'll be waiting your whole life. Can you guys give me some good advice? Thanks in advance.

 

[yellowdogsvc]

For me, I had a strong customer base and just expanded my services but I was in the biz since '97. There are so many guys jumping into the business that the market is flooded around here to some extent and to be honest, the quality of work across the board is declining as guys are taking 2nd careers and learning on the job.
I personally have started offering fix-it services to go in and regrind the rough shreds left by some of my competitors running the tushhogg style heads that tend to leave larger material. It doesn't always get me work but sometimes people are looking for someone to quickly smooth out there property and you don't have to work your machine quite as hard as initial cutting.

It's a tough business. Margins are tight with fuel, insurance, and business expenses. I don't recommend doing anything without being set up right ie., the insurance, tools, and experience to do the jobs right. The quickest way to go broke, in my opinion is to advertise and go into a line of work without having experience. That's not to say you can't practice or find a customer that will let you practice but most people hire you assuming you are an expert. People tell me I'm an expert all the time.. yeah right. I'm still learning but the customer is parting with a heck of a lot of money and they want to think you are an expert. It's best for your reputation and word of mouth to know what you are doing when you get to the job site. That, unfortunately, is an expensive proposition due to the start-up costs of having good machinery, sharp teeth, insurance, and tools.
It is what it is. This equipment is expensive. If I had to do it over again, and didn't like "new", and I could find a rental outfit that had what I needed, I would rent to learn and then pay cash or as much cash as possible. I hate payments and remember, the borrower is slave to the lender. Those payments come due on 100k of machinery whether it is raining or not!

You might want to consider renting and working out something through word of mouth, or advertise if you want but be honest up front on your experience and try and gain some of that experience through the learning curve that most of us have had to endure. There just isn't any replacement for seat time and I for one, learn something new everyday. Really. I will admit, too, that I learn from reading what you guys encounter on a daily basis for lots of different types of services and machines. That's my 2 cents!

 

[Terra Firma Scott]

Great points there Y. Dog-

 

[Robbie Hegwood]

Yellow told the absolute truth. Read his post and then reread it. There are two different mulching guys. Guys who love equipment and are excellent operators and guys who are good saleman. Some are fortunate and are both but rare.
You have to have a good customer base or steady contacts. If your not in the business from the start (dirt,landscape,etc.) then it's a very tough road. I would bid the jobs a little high and sub them or stick with rentals. Ideally it good to find a larger mulching outfit and give them some work and work your way into doing there smaller stuff. Larger outfits usually don't run or like smaller units and they will need them to do finish work.
The other factor. Your dealership. If your tractor is down for days on a time sensitive job that can ruin you also.
Now is ALL that enough to digest?????????????????