Advice/recommendation needed

[Furby]

I'm looking at buying a used Bobcat or something along that line.
I'm looking for a smaller to midsized unit with a bucket and forks.
I need advice on makes, models, sizes, and prices. Also is there anything I should keep an eye out for when looking over a used unit?
I will probly end up with an older unit due to cost, how high would "high hours" be considered?

I looked around the forum but didn't find the info I want. I also spent some time on the net, but would like to hear some of your opinions.  ;) ;)

[redpowerd]

weve allways had gehl skidloaders, our last one blew up after around 15years. think it was a main?  not reccomended for use in dusty conditions(pickin rocks) sweatbox! overheating engine is xtra crammed, and you practially sit on it and the hyd.
i think it had a 3cyl perkins diesel, we put over 8k hrs on it, and was allways reliable. our dealer gave us 4k for it on a trade in.
the controls take a bit of gittin used to. no foot controls. arms get a bit tired, but its easy to master.
make sure its got a good hyd pump, most of these are all hydraulic.
check to see if the rims are holed out. also stress cracks on the bucket+arms. make sure rad. looks kept up. have the seller lift the cab, hopefully not too difficult. look for leaks and ease of maint.
run it warm, look at hyd oil for h20(grey)
good luck, im sure ill think of more
ours had an extra remote on the front, handy for many attachments.

[Sawyerfortyish]

I'm on my 3rd Case skidsteer the last one I put 7500 hours on in about 5yrs. It had a gas engine that wouldn't give up. But I needed something that could lift more so I replaced it with a bigger model. One thing I like about the Case skidsteers is that all the controls are in your hands instead of foot controls. You have better hand eye coordination than foot eye coordination. But what ever make you choose you'll wonder how you ever got along without one. If your buying an old one lookout for the clutch driven ones the jackshaft that drives the clutches as well as the clutches wear pretty bad. I would try to stay with the hydrostatic driven ones. I looked at a lot of skidsteers before I bought one and can tell you that most used ones are beat up thats why there for sale. The last two I bought new. I didn't want someones elses problem.

[Engineer]

I don't own one but I've used a couple, both Deeres - a 6675 (newer) and an older 675.  Both have a load limit of around 3700 pounds, so I'm told, and have both hand and foot controls.  I spent an hour with the older 675 one day loading logs onto a log deck, and it's just plain fast and easy to use.  I see a lot of Deere skids around, also Bobcats.  If I were looking for one I'd do with one of those two brands, make sure you don't have some sort of proprietary hitch system on it.

[shopteacher]

Furby, I have a JD 8875 and I can't begin to say enough good things about that machine. It's my second hand man and I really love it. That machine was built by New Holland with a JD eng. Since then JD is producing their own.  I wouldn't hesitate on buying another JD or New Holland machine. I would sugest you get the rear weights if your going to pick up logs.

[Percy]

Heya Furby.
I have  had a 1992 743 Bobcat for about 4 years now. 38 horse Kubota.  Its been a real gem in my collection of milling stuff. Im a tad anal about maintenance and I can honestly say that other than maintenance, it has not cost me one red cent. My son, along with a few other "HIred Hands", have taken turns tryin to wreck it/bust it over the years  :D and its worn them out and still works like a new one.

 To be fair, I have watched alot of other brands of skidsteers and they seem to be just as tuff. If you get a used one, as long as it has been maintained properly, I think youll do fine. The guys at Williams Machinery in Prince George(bobcat dealer) say a good way to tell how hard a life the machine has had is by the condition of the seat.

Good luck in your search.

[SwampDonkey]

My father used Thomas skid stear loaders, built in town here. They are hydrostatic. He had two of them since 1975. The first one he converted from gas in 1988 to propane and ran it for several years afterward. Then his second one, a diesel, he got in 1993 and ran it untill he retired in 2000. Its still being used. He used them for shovelling potatoes into a hopper, 50,000 barrels worth. Also came in handy for cleaning up dirt and moving equipment in the loading shed, shoveling grain etc.

[rebocardo]

Try to get a diesel, much cheaper in the long run, especially if you idle a lot. Around here, small Bobcats sell for about $10,000 used. I would say always wear your seatbelt because it can be kind of easy to flip them. One thing I like about propane is they are quieter and cleaner, especially with that engine behind your back near your head.

I guess the real question is wheels or tracks? For logging, tracks might be the best thing, especially driving over sharp branches and such or in a muddy area. Most smaller wheeled skid steers have only a 26-27 inch tire and when you are in mud with a ton of something, getting stuck is easy to do.

[ksu_chainsaw]

On the farm, or around the construction site, there has never been a more useful piece of machinery for us than the skid-loader.  We started out with a Case 1845, ran it until it died, then went to a Case 1845C, which ran excellent.  The only problem we had with the 1845 was that the bucket was harder than anything to put on and take off- it had pins similar to most tractor loaders- and we put too much weight on it so the buckets and forks were bent enough that we had to find a big rock or something to bend the bucket to put it on.  We then upgraded to a Case 75XT, which is very nice, and we cant say enough good things about it- the parking brake button on the control lever is very handy.  We now have a Case 70XT which is a little smaller, but the trade in that we got on it was not bad at all- the only problem that i have with it is it does not have that park break button on it- I got used to having it, and wish I had it back.  I have also used the Bobcat loaders- they are real nice except the controls are different.  The foot controls are not as easy to get used to, in my opinion, but everyone thinks different things.  I have also used the Gehl loaders- they were nice, but the T-handle controls take a lot of getting used to.  On the newer machines the bucket attachment is almost universal- often times off only 1/4" for different brands.  If you get an older machine, i would make sure that the attachment plate will take universal mounts, otherwise you will be making attachment plates for them.  Also, another set of hydraulic couplers is very nice.  We often use the skid loader for hydraulic power where we used to use the tractor.  

Charles

[Furby]

Ok, thanks guys! Sorry to come back to this so late, it's been a loooooong weekend.
I have a few ?'s concerning your replys.

Redpowered, what do you mean by: check to see if the rims are holed out?

Also,  what is a good way to check the condition of the hyd. pump? I've seen people force the bucket down on the ground and lift the front end. Is this a good enough test, if there are no loads around to lift?

At this point I'm just looking for wheels, no tracks. Tracks have their place and I'm sure at some point I'll want them, but for now just wheels.
I've heard all the diesel vs. gas arguments but I've not heard much on the propane, seems like it could be an inconvenience to run out without another tank around.

A lot of the ones I have seen in the past have had the seats really torn up, or no seats at all.  : I was told that these machines were designed to have the heck wacked out of them. Is buying a used one in poor shape, yet still working, a worthwhile idea?       New is OUT of the question!

The ones I'm looking at this week are mostly rental units being sold at auction. There will also be some consignments.
Next week it will just be rentals, but they will be auctioned online only, and from 13 different states.  :-/

[Buzz-sawyer]

I dig Propane...If that machine has been run on propane its whole life that is GOOD...it will be clean enough to eat of those cylinders....
As far as convienance...get 2-3 tanks thier not that much used..I have been given them off junk lifts
They ru8n cleaner ,quiter and carb maintenance is nil!

[Minnesota_boy]

Furby,
Turning a skidsteer is hard on the wheels.  If the wheels aren't built tough, it will show around the lug holes with some of them showing the bend.

 I'd find something to lift to test the hydraulics.  The loaders I've been around are loaded heavy to the back and don't take much to get the front off the ground.  I've watched a good operator pick the front wheels off the ground with just the acceleration and keep them up for 50 yards or more.

Skidsteers are built really tough.  The worst things that they go through are lack of maintenance.  Occasionally a weld will break, but you can see evidence of that and make your own judgement on what abuse it took to break that.

[Furby]

Ok, as of yet I haven't bought a skidsteer.
I can't find much under 11k. I talked to several dealers and they said a few years ago, getting one for 6k would have been easy. I did pass up one Case for around 6k at an auction, and am REALLY kicking myself now!!!!  :-/
I decided to look a little bigger and just get a loader. Same problem, now that I'm looking, I can't find anything. Last year I past up more then a few of them, dirt cheap.

I just found an old Case 580c backhoe, and an old Case 530 backhoe. The 580c is in a little better shape then the 530, but the price is still to high. The 530 is not as cheap as I'd like, but it is a backhoe which is what I really need in the long run.

Can anyone give me ANY info concerning the Case 530 ??? ??? ???