If you are going to be doing land clearing we strongly recommend the RC100 over the SR80. The cooling and forestry package of the 100 is superior over the 80...the SR80 is probably the best dirt machine on the market however, for land clearing and running a mulch head I would strongly recommend the RC100. Good luck and keep us up to date.
Tracked Skid Steers - Good, Better, Best??
- Thread starter burnetma
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QwikDraw
Platinum Member
Burnetma
Hearing what Gamble said, I am still hopeful that the SR80 can turn the Timber AX better than the carbide type grinders. (I think)It is designed to run at slightly lower GPM and psi than the grinders since it is cutting instead of grinding/smashing, at least that is what I am hoping for. I am really interested in you opinion on the SR80 after the demo.
Ted
Hearing what Gamble said, I am still hopeful that the SR80 can turn the Timber AX better than the carbide type grinders. (I think)It is designed to run at slightly lower GPM and psi than the grinders since it is cutting instead of grinding/smashing, at least that is what I am hoping for. I am really interested in you opinion on the SR80 after the demo.
Ted
joemitchell
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- Jan 8, 2007
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Hey guys, I would like to take the opportinity to tell about my experiences with a bobcat T-300 running a FAE SSL 150. I used to have a T-190 and that was the best machine I had ever run, so when I got into land clearing I thought a Bobcat would be a good choice because of past experience. Since I have bought this thing 4 months ago, Bobcat has been out on warranty work over a dozen times. This machine is NOT made for mulching, the radiator clogs up every 5-6 hours, you spend more time waiting for the head to spool back up than grinding, its squeals constantly, overheats constantly, and bogs down on anything. Severely underpowered is a good description of the machine;it has a hard time turning the drum and the tracks at the same time. Also, the dealer I bought it from has been the worst about customer support, you have to chase them around, cant ever get ahold of them, and they stand you up when they say their coming out, don't, and never let you know. Maybe I've just had a bad experience, but if you're thinking about a T-300 to mulch with I do not recommend it, you'll spend more time with the boom and cab up than on the ground.
Joe Mitchell
Joe Mitchell
Robbie Hegwood
Platinum Member
Hey Joe Mitchell. Welcome to the club.
Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe we've meet. Let see. Have you done the demo on the Supertrak yet?
I'm sorry for your bad luck with the Bobcat. I've not heard very many good things about them lately. Machines or dealers!!! But what's your take on your FAE head? Not a fair question because it sounds like you haven't been able to run correctly yet.
Again welcome. Robbie
Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe we've meet. Let see. Have you done the demo on the Supertrak yet?
I'm sorry for your bad luck with the Bobcat. I've not heard very many good things about them lately. Machines or dealers!!! But what's your take on your FAE head? Not a fair question because it sounds like you haven't been able to run correctly yet.
Again welcome. Robbie
joemitchell
New member
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- Jan 8, 2007
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- 15
Hey Robbie, yea we have met and I do need to get back up with ya but...... the FAE head I have no problems with except it wont go close enough to the ground, theres always a stump sticking up. If the Bobcat could turn the head faster it would be perfect, a lot of times it just shoots stuff out the back because it grabs it instead of chewing it. On a good note, I like the door on the head, it has a second row of cutting edges in it so when you close it and grind in reverse it chews everything up into quarter size pieces in an even bed. One more thing, I called the poeple at FAE last week with some questions and we ended up in a fight because he said horsepower had nothing to do with grinding ability because the whole process works off of inertia. What I tryed to tell him was I can hook a bicycle to the head and get it spinning fast enogh but when ya hit a tree you gotta have something to keep it moving. He did'nt understand my stand and we both walked away hot... In retrospect, FAE good, Bobcat bad
Robbie Hegwood
Platinum Member
Hey Joe
That's very unfortunate they took that stance, considering your a fan and owner of there products. I might call back and speak to someone else or even complain. You the customer should have been treated better, especially when your right. I had a Rayco salesman explain it to me very well. The GPM going to the head is the H.P., gives the head its speed. The PSI is the torque, or grunt. The higher the PSI the less bogging and faster recovery. That's why all the tracked mulchers from rayco,gyrotrac,fecon, and supertrak show so well against skid steers. They are running 5000psi + vs. our 3000-3500psi. The rep your talked should have known this. Sometimes I think we know more than them, we use these heads everyday.
If your ready to trade or consider another tractor I'm sure my dealer would let you demo a tractor and even run your head on it to test drive. Let me know if I can help.
Good hearing from you even if you don't call me back. HA,HA Robbie
That's very unfortunate they took that stance, considering your a fan and owner of there products. I might call back and speak to someone else or even complain. You the customer should have been treated better, especially when your right. I had a Rayco salesman explain it to me very well. The GPM going to the head is the H.P., gives the head its speed. The PSI is the torque, or grunt. The higher the PSI the less bogging and faster recovery. That's why all the tracked mulchers from rayco,gyrotrac,fecon, and supertrak show so well against skid steers. They are running 5000psi + vs. our 3000-3500psi. The rep your talked should have known this. Sometimes I think we know more than them, we use these heads everyday.
If your ready to trade or consider another tractor I'm sure my dealer would let you demo a tractor and even run your head on it to test drive. Let me know if I can help.
Good hearing from you even if you don't call me back. HA,HA Robbie
joemitchell
New member
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- Jan 8, 2007
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SUPERTRAK!I tested one out today and I was very impressed. I demo'd the sk 120 and decided within the first hour I had to have one. This machine has very impressive power grinding hickory trees of 6 inches plus without slowing the drum, this is something im not used to. inside and out this machine appears to be put together very well, since it is a custom job. Southeastern Environmental Specialists will definently be adding one of these to the fleet, it is awesome to be a skid steer.
Robbie Hegwood
Platinum Member
Hey Joe
Did they bring it from Florida for you to demo or did they have one local. I saw an add recently for a company running two supers, one a tak 150 and a sk 120. If you don't mind my asking what kind of prices are you looking at. I started fresh into mulching and didn't hear of supertrak until a couple of months ago. From looking at there web site they definitly know what mulching machines require. Cooling, big pumps, etc. Robbie
Side note. Rate your Fae head against the Fecon, minus the more H.P. of the super..
Did they bring it from Florida for you to demo or did they have one local. I saw an add recently for a company running two supers, one a tak 150 and a sk 120. If you don't mind my asking what kind of prices are you looking at. I started fresh into mulching and didn't hear of supertrak until a couple of months ago. From looking at there web site they definitly know what mulching machines require. Cooling, big pumps, etc. Robbie
Side note. Rate your Fae head against the Fecon, minus the more H.P. of the super..
QwikDraw
Platinum Member
I'm interested too. My buddy just opened a Takeuchi dealership and is trying to talk me in to a SuperTrak (TL 150) but I was unsure if I wanted to get something made just for mulching. I figure I will have other construction type jobs and was wondering if spending the extra $$ would be worth it. I think he said around 90K for that machine. I did see a Takeuchi 140 in person this week and ran it some, very roomy cab, suspension seat, good visibility and it looks to be built like a tank, very solid and beefy. On a quick look the biggest thing I didn't like was no throttle pedal, I don't know if the SuperTrak models upfit a pedal.
There might be a TL 150 in the area for me to demo in the next few weeks. I am not sure if I want to wait....but until I have some more work lined up (for a mulch head)I will have too...
Ted
There might be a TL 150 in the area for me to demo in the next few weeks. I am not sure if I want to wait....but until I have some more work lined up (for a mulch head)I will have too...
Ted
Allow me to chime in with a few comments of my own. For all of you out there considering a tacked machine to do anything in business with, you need to do your homework as everyone else has correctly stated. Having done much of this already, I can easily help you narrow down your choices in tracked machines. This is my opinion of course but I do work in the field and have access to more info than many private individuals. If you are considering any machine with less than 5 years of experience in the tracked machine market, you are throwing your money away. The machines that have just hit the market are new, untested and unknown. New Holland, John Deere, etc. They've rushed a machine to market because the tracked machine market is hot right now. Gehl and Mustang didn't even bother to develop their own machine; they buy from Takeuchi and paint the machines yellow. The Cat machines use the ASV undercarriage and the ASV machines are ag machines. They don't survive in construction environments. Putting plastic and rubber components in an environment with rocks and abrasive materials simply doesn't make sense. In fact, Cat will not honor warranty issues if the machine has been run in gravel or sand. Don't believe me? Ask your salesman for a copy of the undercarriage warranty disclaimer. And then ask him what it will cost to rebuild that undercarriage in 1200 hours because the tracks keep coming off on hillsides. Or, just ask how much a new set of tracks will cost. You'll not like the response.
I'll admit right now that I am Bobcat-biased. That is a big reason I am typing this. I see a lot of inaccuracies in the comments and wanted to set them straight. If you have not tried a "K" series Bobcat, you're not comparing the best machine on the market to the other brands. Bobcat has been working on the tracked machine concept since the late 90's and has made numerous advances over the machines of old. There is only one other company with more time in the tracked machine market and that is Takeuchi. Ever try to get a Takeuchi serviced? Ever try to even find a Takeuchi dealer? They aren't on every street corner Gehl and Mustang suffer from the same issues. They're a Takeuchi once-removed! I used to rep Takeuchis and I in fact loved the machines but their after-the-sale support sucks. Take into account the status of their machines. No High-Flow? That's a little behind the times don't you think? You're going to spend $50,000 plus on a new machine and then spend even more money to send it to a third party for a High-Flow enhancement? At what cost and now who's going to service your machine? As for some of the other brands who offer big iron as well, who do you think gets the attention in the shop? You with your $75,000 combo or the guy with the $300,000 excavator next to you?
When I hear that Bobcats "aren't made like they used to be" it makes me wonder why the comment was made. Either they haven't been in a new machine or they are going off a bad experience they've had. Fact is, Bobcats AREN'T made like they used to be and that is a good thing. In fact, I'd find you hard-pressed to find a tracked machine out there right now that will work with a new T300 and a Fecon Bullhog mulcher. The machines are putting out more flow than ever before at 37 GPM and 3300 psi, (and the High Flow option is about $1,600, NOT $10,000 like someone said here...) and the cooling systems are vastly improved, due mainly to newer, higher demand attachments like the Fecon. Also, and I'll guarantee that NO ONE here knows this. Mulchers need to be calibrated to the machine they are being run on. That is, you may run a head on Unit X and have it perform great and then put it on a BIGGER machine and have it perform poorly. There is a process for adjusting the attachement to achieve the best performance on a specific machine. It's not possible to have a "fits all" unit. Keep in mind that even the small attachments are some $20,000 in many cases and the machines to run these are over $50,000. Most dealers out there won't have a clue how to set these machines up. Bobcat has now introduced the Forestry cutter attachment which, unlike all other manufacturers in the market, is an attachment designed around the Bobcat machine. Taking the Fecon unit and tweaking it to their own needs, they've produced a unit that will do all the clearing/mulching jobs and do it better. The skid loader itself gets numerous changes to run this piece, including shrouds, guards, cooling package upgrades and the like. And best of all, if you do have issues, you'll be able to speak to your dealer, not a third party supplier like every other brand.
By all means do your homework. Obviously you all have internet access so get online and research this stuff. The more you know the better off you'll be.
I'll admit right now that I am Bobcat-biased. That is a big reason I am typing this. I see a lot of inaccuracies in the comments and wanted to set them straight. If you have not tried a "K" series Bobcat, you're not comparing the best machine on the market to the other brands. Bobcat has been working on the tracked machine concept since the late 90's and has made numerous advances over the machines of old. There is only one other company with more time in the tracked machine market and that is Takeuchi. Ever try to get a Takeuchi serviced? Ever try to even find a Takeuchi dealer? They aren't on every street corner Gehl and Mustang suffer from the same issues. They're a Takeuchi once-removed! I used to rep Takeuchis and I in fact loved the machines but their after-the-sale support sucks. Take into account the status of their machines. No High-Flow? That's a little behind the times don't you think? You're going to spend $50,000 plus on a new machine and then spend even more money to send it to a third party for a High-Flow enhancement? At what cost and now who's going to service your machine? As for some of the other brands who offer big iron as well, who do you think gets the attention in the shop? You with your $75,000 combo or the guy with the $300,000 excavator next to you?
When I hear that Bobcats "aren't made like they used to be" it makes me wonder why the comment was made. Either they haven't been in a new machine or they are going off a bad experience they've had. Fact is, Bobcats AREN'T made like they used to be and that is a good thing. In fact, I'd find you hard-pressed to find a tracked machine out there right now that will work with a new T300 and a Fecon Bullhog mulcher. The machines are putting out more flow than ever before at 37 GPM and 3300 psi, (and the High Flow option is about $1,600, NOT $10,000 like someone said here...) and the cooling systems are vastly improved, due mainly to newer, higher demand attachments like the Fecon. Also, and I'll guarantee that NO ONE here knows this. Mulchers need to be calibrated to the machine they are being run on. That is, you may run a head on Unit X and have it perform great and then put it on a BIGGER machine and have it perform poorly. There is a process for adjusting the attachement to achieve the best performance on a specific machine. It's not possible to have a "fits all" unit. Keep in mind that even the small attachments are some $20,000 in many cases and the machines to run these are over $50,000. Most dealers out there won't have a clue how to set these machines up. Bobcat has now introduced the Forestry cutter attachment which, unlike all other manufacturers in the market, is an attachment designed around the Bobcat machine. Taking the Fecon unit and tweaking it to their own needs, they've produced a unit that will do all the clearing/mulching jobs and do it better. The skid loader itself gets numerous changes to run this piece, including shrouds, guards, cooling package upgrades and the like. And best of all, if you do have issues, you'll be able to speak to your dealer, not a third party supplier like every other brand.
By all means do your homework. Obviously you all have internet access so get online and research this stuff. The more you know the better off you'll be.