Bobcat

[PeterT]

I have a number of chores to down on 5 acres of property I recently bought. I want to level out some stone, spread some limestone, level out some topsoild, plant a number of pine trees, etc.
I am seriously considering buying a bobcat, or an imitation. I see they are quite expensive.
I think I could rent one, but after having them haul it here, paying the deposit and what not, I would be in for almost $500. A new bobcat runs about $34k.
Does anyone have any recommendations. Does CAT make a decent skid steer? How about some other competitors...

 

[gda659]

Get a small 4 wheel drive tractor instead with a bucket and a blade. Much more versatile. Ask my dad who has a sweet JD skid steer with a bucket, blade, and a snowblower attachment. Nice unit, but he'd rather have a small tractor now.

 

[dittle fart around]

You should be able to buy a used one, do what you need to do, then resell it when your done. Check rental places to see if they have one for sale. Check out Equipment Trader from the Car Trader people.

 

[dolphin233]

I have a number of chores to down on 5 acres of property I recently bought. I want to level out some stone, spread some limestone, level out some topsoild, plant a number of pine trees, etc.
I am seriously considering buying a bobcat, or an imitation. I see they are quite expensive.
I think I could rent one, but after having them haul it here, paying the deposit and what not, I would be in for almost $500. A new bobcat runs about $34k.
Does anyone have any recommendations. Does CAT make a decent skid steer? How about some other competitors...

In the long haul you would be better renting one. I would think the 34k new bobcat would be a smaller unit. If you only want it for a specific job, then renting is the way to go, you can also get more implements if you job requires it. Then you don't have the up keep. Unless you have more than this job or if your going to make money with it I would rent. I think the cats are nice I like the joystick control. On a bobcat as well with many others the bucket is controlled by foot pedal which takes some getting use to.

My friend work at new holland and he like them and older bobcats like the 743. Just my .02

 

[PeterT]

Ok, I guess its a dream to get one.. but with the upkeep, the insurance, and everything that would go with it - and only using it a few times a year after the first year,, I think renting is the best bet for me.

 

[rburke65]

I am a 5 acre owner and one of my best buys was a 4x4 tractor, 25 hp, with a front loader, rear blade. Very helpful....BUT......you can't dig with a "loader". If I had to do it over again, same thing but with a small back hoe. THEN your in business. Your probably not making your living using this so you should be able to pick up a used one, reasonably priced, especially in this economy.

 

[robertwhite]

Get a small 4 wheel drive tractor instead with a bucket and a blade. Much more versatile. Ask my dad who has a sweet JD skid steer with a bucket, blade, and a snowblower attachment. Nice unit, but he'd rather have a small tractor now.

Yup. As a matter of fact, you can go one step farther and get a Bobcat compact tractor. I got a Bobcat CT335 (37hp) and I use the hell out of it. 4WD, 7ft loader bucket, tilt wheel, cruise control, fully adjustable seat and on and on. Got a post hole digger, blade, mower, bush hog, pallet forks, etc. Best part is that any quick connect implement for the skid steer will quick connect to the tractor.

All this for $20K. WAY more useful than a skid steer.

 

[paullie]

just rent, do the math and see how many times you can rent for the price of buying one theyare about $200 a day around these parts

 

[crewchief888]

I like the joystick control. On a bobcat as well with many others the bucket is controlled by foot pedal which takes some getting use to.

My friend work at new holland and he like them and older bobcats like the 743. Just my .02

older bobcats, (pre late 90's) had foot controls, cable operated hand controls were a dealer installed option. (and not a popular one)

starting around 99? they were available with
std foot control
ahc hand (only) control
acs selectable hand/foot control
std/iso selectable joystick control

or if you truly adventurous,
remote control

 

[jerseywild]

I have a Cat 252. It is a good machine; I have a grapple for handling wood, an auger for holes and the standard bucket. I use it for my tree service. For your needs I would go with a compact tractor.

 

[cyamaha2007]

I would buy a construction tractor one with a backhoe. So use full you can toss a belly mower deck on it and get lots of versitility. But the front loaders really **** for digging. I saw a guy make a new bucket with dirt teeth it worked well for what it was.

 

[chassell]

You can pick up a used Kubota BX with low hours for $12-14K. I got one a year ago and have used it constantly on my 5 acres. Been building my garage this summer and used it to excavate the floor in this picture.

 

[jlckmj]

I have 3-4 acres, and I have had small tractors, they are good for gravel driveways, gardens, even mowing the grass with a belly mower or a pull behind PTO driven mower.

I bought a used 1999 763 bobcat, I paid $5,500 for it, and I could sell it for 7-9,000 today, so there is a good resale on used equipment. It will take you some time to find the right machine at the right price, the best place is at auctions where a contractor has gone out of business.

Stay away from the equipment dealers unless they are going to give a warranty of some type with the purchase, they get top buck, they have to in order to keep their doors open.

In my opinion if you are going to be digging, grading, planting, up rooting trees, around a property, demolition, setting trusses, etc.
YOU CAN NOT BEAT A SKID STEER. The attachments made for them are tremendous, there is not much you can not do with a good running skid steer and the proper attachments.

If I were to do it over, I would have purchased the bobcat right away and saved myself some aggravation.

Jim

 

[Lkdelta]

I think I could rent one, but after having them haul it here,

paying the deposit and what not, I would be in for almost $500.

Get the deposit back?
We rented one and pulled it with a 3/4 chevy pick-up.
me and the neighbor went splits on it....got all our work done

I had 2 places to "take care of stuff" and he had 2...
we just did the work, load it back on the trailer, on to the next place.

 

[nnySk]

Just rent a small tractor. It will cost between 25-50 dollars per hour depending on horsepower. As for the lime rent a small fertilizer spreader. You'll probably want to put 200 pounds to the acre, depending on how your soil test. If you buy the lime from the local crop center the spreader will come free for a day. I would stay away from the bobcat tractor it hasn't ben out long enough to to judge. It could end up like the Toolcat just nothing but junk.

 

[Gary S]

just rent, do the math and see how many times you can rent for the price of buying one theyare about $200 a day around these parts

That my situation here. I needed a Bobcat for one day to dig my foundation and level the lot for my garage. With only one day of work, renting was the way to go for me. I got the Bobcat and its trailer in the morning, took it home, did my work, and returned it well before the day was over. Now, I don't have to make payments, store the Bobcat, and maintain it.

If you need one regularly, consider buying. If not, just rent it the few times you need it.

 

[jdieter]

I've had both, a compact tractor and a 763 Bobcat. For moving dirt, the Bobcat is the winner hands down.

 

[back2class]

Standard practice for situations like this is buy a decent used unit...be it tractor or skidsteer. Use it at your leasure to get the big projects done on your schedule....then sell it for about what you paid and rent for the occasional future uses or get a older tractor for the less intemse occasionsl use you need one for on 5 finished acres.

 

[Falcon67]

That my situation here. I needed a Bobcat for one day to dig my foundation and level the lot for my garage. With only one day of work, renting was the way to go for me. I got the Bobcat and its trailer in the morning, took it home, did my work, and returned it well before the day was over. Now, I don't have to make payments, store the Bobcat, and maintain it.

If you need one regularly, consider buying. If not, just rent it the few times you need it.

Did the same thing for the shop foundation here - about $150 for the day. It was a Bobcat 150, weighed about 6000 lbs. Put it on the steel race car trailer and the F150 pulled it no problem.

 

[csp]

I have 3-4 acres, and I have had small tractors, they are good for gravel driveways, gardens, even mowing the grass with a belly mower or a pull behind PTO driven mower.

I bought a used 1999 763 bobcat, I paid $5,500 for it, and I could sell it for 7-9,000 today, so there is a good resale on used equipment. It will take you some time to find the right machine at the right price, the best place is at auctions where a contractor has gone out of business.

In my opinion if you are going to be digging, grading, planting, up rooting trees, around a property, demolition, setting trusses, etc.
YOU CAN NOT BEAT A SKID STEER. The attachments made for them are tremendous, there is not much you can not do with a good running skid steer and the proper attachments.

If I were to do it over, I would have purchased the bobcat right away and saved myself some aggravation.

Jim

I've had both, a compact tractor and a 763 Bobcat. For moving dirt, the Bobcat is the winner hands down.

Completely agree with both of these. I have a compact tractor with a loader, rear blade, box scraper, several harrows, post hole digger, snowblower, brush hog mower, etc. and so on. I use it all the time and probably wouldn't want to do without it. It will dig pretty well with the bolt-on tooth bar attached to the bucket, but nothing like a skid steer.

A good friend is an excavator and I use his Bobcats (or big loader) anytime there is a dirt job that requires speed. I find that I can grade and level a lot faster with the skid steer also and I don't always have to be looking behind me like I do with my box scraper.

You can get pretty much any attachment for a skid steer that you can for a compact tractor. They cost a bit more, but there's always an abundance or auctions in my area for landscapers or rental yards replacing equipment or going out of business.

 

[Cryo Gal]

Rental seems like your best option. Keep in mind that rental rates are almost always negotiable. If you have more than one rental place around you, call each and get a quote and let them you know are calling the others. If you go to a place to rent one and see there's more than 3 or 4 skid steers in the yard, they need to get those things on rent and will deal 95% of the time. You can also usually get better rates from an outside salesperson vs calling the counter...but try both and see if you get the same answer. Call around, get and average rate and then go to one of the places and say "Ill give you $X for the weekend"

Dont be shy, wheel n deal and get your best deal!

 

[mrpowderkeg]

Bobcats are great to have, and if you live in a area that gets snow, you'll love it! You can get anything from mowers to tillers and snow blowers for them. The one thing that I will say, is if you do get one, make sure that it has hi flow aux hydraulics. Our early 90s 753 doesn't and that's the only bad thing about it, our t-190 does, runs stuff like snow blowers better.

 

[Zeke]

We can't rent a small tractor of either kind around here for less than 125/hr. I can get an owner operator for that.

I have driven a bobcat and a small 4w kobota and I'd take the kobota for comfort and ease of operation. If you can't get it done with the small 4w, move up a size or 2.

 

[Milton Shaw]

Skid steer is the way to go, I bought a 753 from dealer, it was a trade in as is.. They had checked it out but not started work on it. Bought their parts and fixed everything they said needed fixing and have had it about 6 years now. Not a lot of hours but could still sell for about what I have in it. Bought a T200 on Ebay with A/C and heat. Love it for working in the summer. I have a steep sloped yard and the 753 does not work on a slope worth a flip, which is what it tries to do is flip. I've had all the wheels off the ground many times and just don't feel safe doing that. The T200 is much heaver and stable.. I rent any attachments I need and rent them for long weekend and get a lot of work done around the house. I did buy the concrete mixer attachment as I had a lot of concrete to mix up and have mixes probably a thousand bags of sackcrete with it. Works great and then you can move it where you want it. At 62 years old I cannot move a full wheelbarrow of concrete very far like I did at 19-20. Its worth is value just having forks to unload stuff from trailers and trucks. Buy used, get the repair manuels and you can get your money back just about anytime you need to. Most attachments rent for $100 or so for long weekend, same attachment might be $6000 if you purchased it. I use it only on my own property and don't even have trailer to move it. As long as you use it on your own property for your own use, State Farm says my homeowners is all I need on it. Off your property its business use and it cost a bunch.

 

[the bus driver]

I just bought a Cat 289C it hands down out performs a compact tractor

 

[ibedayank]

I am a 5 acre owner and one of my best buys was a 4x4 tractor, 25 hp, with a front loader, rear blade. Very helpful....BUT......you can't dig with a "loader". If I had to do it over again, same thing but with a small back hoe. THEN your in business. Your probably not making your living using this so you should be able to pick up a used one, reasonably priced, especially in this economy.

they make a small backhoe for a 3 point hitch

 

[ibedayank]

I just bought a Cat 289C it hands down out performs a compact tractor

does hook up to a brushhog finish mover tiller can you tow trailers with it?
run a wood splitter of a pto and 3 point hitch? 10kw pto driven generator?

skidsteers tear the ell out of your lawn/landscape

 

[Zeke]

Skid steer is the way to go, I bought a 753 from dealer, it was a trade in as is.. They had checked it out but not started work on it. Bought their parts and fixed everything they said needed fixing and have had it about 6 years now. Not a lot of hours but could still sell for about what I have in it. Bought a T200 on Ebay with A/C and heat. Love it for working in the summer. I have a steep sloped yard and the 753 does not work on a slope worth a flip, which is what it tries to do is flip. I've had all the wheels off the ground many times and just don't feel safe doing that. The T200 is much heaver and stable.. I rent any attachments I need and rent them for long weekend and get a lot of work done around the house. I did buy the concrete mixer attachment as I had a lot of concrete to mix up and have mixes probably a thousand bags of sackcrete with it. Works great and then you can move it where you want it. At 62 years old I cannot move a full wheelbarrow of concrete very far like I did at 19-20. Its worth is value just having forks to unload stuff from trailers and trucks. Buy used, get the repair manuels and you can get your money back just about anytime you need to. Most attachments rent for $100 or so for long weekend, same attachment might be $6000 if you purchased it. I use it only on my own property and don't even have trailer to move it. As long as you use it on your own property for your own use, State Farm says my homeowners is all I need on it. Off your property its business use and it cost a bunch.

I think you've gotten more use out of an implement than anyone I ever heard of. Good going.

 

[jhelrey]

I will own a skid when I am a home owner. As a professional landscaper, it is a must have.

 

[bimmer1980]

When i started my garage, that was one of my first purchases--a 642 bobcat.... it was a great deal! Then further into a the project I bought a New Holland LS150--at a price I could not resist... I have about $10K invested for the two machines. They have made life a lot easier... i will probably sell one of them when my garage is done and keep one of them for snow removal and random projects... and i'm only on a 1/3 acre lot....

I did look at some of the compact tractors. If I had gone that route, i would have gotten one with a back hoe. Bang for the buck, the skid loader was more available at the price point that I wanted to pay. I did rent a 331 excavator for digging the foundation and that thing was a digging machine!! Much better than a backhoe for my project.

As others have said, buy a good used machine and you won't go wrong. Just look at all the available machines. I went to a few auction yards and tried every machine that I was interested in. You find out real quick what you like or don't like. For me, I did not like the case machines. Bobcat, new holland and Cat or a mustang were what I liked the best. you have to be careful as some of the machines are used and abused. Once you drive a number of them, you can tell which ones are sloppy. I bought both machine off of craigslist....

I have a regular bucket, a trencher bucket, pallet forks and a teleboom.

best of luck on finding a machine that works for YOU..

 

[Keith_MN]

I purchased a used Bobcat 763 when I had a bunch of dirt moving and landscaping to do. I owned it for about 16 months and it only cost me about $800 (this includes purchasing new pallet forks for it). I could probably recouped some of that if I had waited to sell it in the Spring. But I did not have a good place to store it and did not want my money ******* in the machine all winter.

The machines hold their value well. The price is highly correlated to the run time hours and as a homeowner you will not put much time on the clock.

 

[PeterT]

When i started my garage, that was one of my first purchases--a 642 bobcat.... it was a great deal! Then further into a the project I bought a New Holland LS150--at a price I could not resist... I have about $10K invested for the two machines. They have made life a lot easier... i will probably sell one of them when my garage is done and keep one of them for snow removal and random projects... and i'm only on a 1/3 acre lot....

I did look at some of the compact tractors. If I had gone that route, i would have gotten one with a back hoe. Bang for the buck, the skid loader was more available at the price point that I wanted to pay. I did rent a 331 excavator for digging the foundation and that thing was a digging machine!! Much better than a backhoe for my project.

As others have said, buy a good used machine and you won't go wrong. Just look at all the available machines. I went to a few auction yards and tried every machine that I was interested in. You find out real quick what you like or don't like. For me, I did not like the case machines. Bobcat, new holland and Cat or a mustang were what I liked the best. you have to be careful as some of the machines are used and abused. Once you drive a number of them, you can tell which ones are sloppy. I bought both machine off of craigslist....

I have a regular bucket, a trencher bucket, pallet forks and a teleboom.

best of luck on finding a machine that works for YOU..

Ok, so I was leaning towards a skidsteer, then a compact tractor (after searching for available used CUT and pricing new ones) I am leaning back towards finding a good used skidsteer for say $5k to $10k.
How would one know if its been 'used and abused', just from the pic? Can I open 'the hood' and look at the engine compartment and get a good feel ?

Also, is online the way to go and if so can someone recommend a good site(s)? Locally I don't know of any dealers and I would prefer to buy from a private person, as the dealers are just going to jack up the price 50%.

 

[jhelrey]

Look at the paint, see if the hydraulics leak down, see if anything drips under it while running, etc....

Craigslist! Ebay! Etc.

 

[Rick98Z]

I would imagine you might get better use from the tractor than the bobcat, but skidsteers can be quite useful...especially with all the attachments you can buy. We picked up a used New Holland skidsteer for a little over 6grand for farm use and it has been great for moving dirt and levelling. I would just go with whatever you can find used in good condition!

 

[bimmer1980]

As far as evaluating the machine, it is rather like looking at a used car. You have to take it for a test drive. Unless something was really, really cheap, and a person had the skills to fix it, I would never buy a piece of equipment with out test driving it.

Here's a few things to look for:

Operation of the loader bucket (and/or backhoe if compact tractor)--does it go up and down smoothly? If you lift it all the way up and let it sit there, does it leak down? Does the bucket tilt and dump smoothly? leak down? Do the controls feel tight? are they easy for YOU to operate?

Drive function--does the skidsteer have an creep when the sticks are at their neutral position? (this means that the machine will tend to "creep" forward or back or one side or the other will creep more than the other)

How much rust is on the machine? is it full of cow ****? (yes, this is something to look for--if it has been used at a farm to clean out barns, it could be full of cow **** and this tends to rust the machine out--the cow **** could even cover the rust holes...)

Hydraulic leaks--do you see any puddles under the machine before you start it up? after you start it, move to a clean spot and let it sit and idle--after you move, do you see any oil spots? Check over the hoses and cylinders--do you see any puddles of oil or cakes of dirt/oil accumulation?

Open the engine compartment--is it relatively clean or dirty? Has the oil or hydraulic filter been changed recently? Does the wiring look stock or does it look like it has been messed with? Are all the guards in place? Do the belts look OK? Some of the way older bobcats have a large drive belt to a torque converter--check the condition of it.

Tires--are they worn down? How much tread is left? Tires can run $150 or more per tires, plus mounting. It can add up quickly.

Does the engine start and run smoothly? Does it idle down? Work the machine a bit if you can--watch the temperature gauge and the other gauges to look for abnormalities...

In general, if you don't have a good feeling about the machine, walk away.

You need to try a few machines before you get a sense which are a POS.

Do you feel like you could learn to fix a machine if need be? If not, then you need to buy a machine that is in better condition.

Also remember that on the bobcats, you can tip the whole cab up and look at the main hydraulics--this usually requires removing a couple of bolts....

You can also check out the skidsteer.com forum for some more detailed help. I checked that out before I bought mine.

Craigslist is a good place to look.

Equipment auction houses are also good places to look one over. I drove about 20-30 skidsteers at one place. It was a great learning experience. If you have a buddy that owns one, take him along, that will help a lot on finding the right machine....

best of luck!

 

[csp]

they make a small backhoe for a 3 point hitch

Yes they do, but they aren't nearly as sturdy as a frame mounted backhoe (made for the same tractors that have 3-point setups).

 

[tomd]

..... I got a Bobcat CT335 (37hp) and I use the hell out of it. 4WD, 7ft loader bucket, tilt wheel, cruise control, fully adjustable seat and on and on. Got a post hole digger, blade, mower, bush hog, pallet forks, etc....
All this for $20K. WAY more useful than a skid steer.

seems like a great price. The tractor alone lists for $21,000

Was there a special deal?

 

[Kevin54]

CUT's are limited on what they can do the same with a skidsteer. A CUT cannot lift the load that a skidsteer does. A CUT's buckets and arms do not have the strength that a skidsteers does. So if you are planning on moving a lot of dirt, large rocks, etc., go for a skidsteer. If you want to pull a finish mower, move an occasional dirtpile, lift medium sized rocks, go for a CUT. A CUT will not tear up ground like a skidsteer does do to the wheels steering instead of sliding.

Now on a personal note, I have a CUT although it is only a 2wd. It has a 6' mower and a front end loader. I found it's limits moving some large rocks. I had to end up moving them with a skidsteer. Personally I like the CUT as far as mowing what I have to mow, but with a larger deck I find that it scalps places and doesn't do the job that my JD mower does. I personally would like to have a skidsteer instead. I use one quite often and find that I can prep soil better with a skidsteer than with my CUT. With a skidsteer you can see the front of the bucket to see where you are at and what you are doing. By that I mean you can drive it right up to something without guessing and hitting it. The CUT limits you visibility where the front of the bucket is at. I can move and spread 20 yards of dirt probably 4 times as fast with a skidsteer as I can with a CUT and have a better looking job.

 

[Bruce4310TX]

get the CUT the attachments are by far way cheaper to buy if you want them, skid steer attachments can break the bank youll end up renting them cheaper if you dont need them that much. For the cut get a backhoe attachment and one with a loader and box blade and your all set and after your done you can even cut the grass. Mines a 34 horse diesel JD 4310 i just got done in 2 weeks digging and leveling 400yards where my shops going to go.

 

[Kevin54]

get the CUT the attachments are by far way cheaper to buy if you want them, skid steer attachments can break the bank youll end up renting them cheaper if you dont need them that much. For the cut get a backhoe attachment and one with a loader and box blade and your all set and after your done you can even cut the grass. Mines a 34 horse diesel JD 4310 i just got done in 2 weeks digging and leveling 400yards where my shops going to go.

For the price of a used JD with any attachments, the price of it would equate out to about two good used skidsteers in my area. And any attachment that goes on green, you pay a premium price. An backhoe attachment would cost you twice as much used for a JD than it would a skidsteer used.

Just saying