School me on skid steers

shelby27604

shelby27604

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2013
Location
Efland NC
I have my tractor posted up in various locations, I mentioned being open to trades, and I have had a few people approach me with skid steer trades. I thought I knew stuff about skid steers.....but I am quickly discovering I do not! Looking for a general list of advice....I would REALLY like to be able to run a brush cutter and foresty mulching head. Ultimately this will be used for land management, cutting trails, and foundation work for a couple of smaller buildings.

I know tracked machines are preferred over wheeled machines, but I think those resell fast enough, that they aren't in the trade options list at the moment.
Brands/Models:
To avoid
To buy
With best parts support
That are the easiest to work on

Any specific features to look for
 
For personal use on a farm I would look for a tL250 or svl90. They don't require def like the TL12 and Svl95/97. Running a mulcher you'll want high flow hydraulics. I personally wouldn't consider any other ctl's because I climb in and out of mine all the time and don't want to fight with making sure the loader arms are down enough to do so.

If you want something more catered to rough terrain with the trade off of a less robust undercarriage(in my humble opinion) the asv's seem to pretty good machines. @jeepinmatt has an asv, and probably has some good insight on them.
 
Depends on what is important to you. If it is "get a good deal on a trade", then none of the following input really matters ;)

If part$ availability and local dealer $upport are important, hard to be Cat. They make rock solid, dependable machines.

A lot of people like Bobcats, but I've had shit luck with them. So have many people I know. Many people have great service from them.

In my opinion, I wouldn't own a skidsteer without an enclosed cab ESPECIALLY if you are planning to do any brushcutting. I wouldn't own an enclosed cab skidsteer without a flip up door, and your only options for that are Kubota, Takeuchi, or older ASV's. I love my ASV SR80 because it has longer, wider tracks that are basically impossible to derail (they are more complicated, but I wouldn't say less robust, just a different design that most people aren't familiar with so they like to make fun of them ;)), a very good suspension system, and a flip up door. I've owned and ran Kubota and Takeuchi mini-ex's and skidsteers and they have all been very good machines and I wouldn't hesitate to get one.

I feel like regardless of machine, it breaks down into 2 philosophies:
1. I want the biggest, strongest machien I can get! (90+hp, 10k+ pounds, 6.5-7ft wide)
2. I want a machine that can do most everything, but is still small enough to fit a lot of places and easy to pull behind a 3/4 ton truck (70-80hp, ~8k pounds, less than 6ft wide)

If you are more #1, go with the 90hp, 5 ton class machines (Kubota SVL90/95, Takeuchi TL250, TL10, TL12). For me, philosophy #2 works out well, and if I were buying new or close to new I'd get a Kubota SVL75. If I were buying used and focusing on cost, I'd buy an ASV SR80 (or a Terex PT80, exact same machine, white paint) over and over again. Being sub-6ft wide gets you in a lot of places, and you can still pick up 5k pounds and move around with it within reason. I run a pretty heavy 6ft brush cutter on my machine and never have stability or control issues. Also, get a high flow machine if you can find it, but if not, a standard flow machine will do the same stuff, just not as fast (but using a lot less fuel).
 
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Here's a good visual of why the ASV climbs hills better and is more stable in certain situations:
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Notice the difference in the length of the track and how much of the machine overhangs in the rear, and also how high the loader arms and pivot points are. The ASV has roughly the same amount of weight in the rear, but its in the form of a counterweight down low instead of lifting mechanism weight up high.

Which brings up another point not mentioned, radial versus vertical lift. The Kubota has vertical lift so the bucket travels basically in a straight up and down path, while the ASV has radial lift, so the arms pivot at a single point and have a radial travel path. Radial lift is simpler and typically has higher breakout force, whereas vertical lift will give you better reach at the higher travel ranges and is a better travel path for running an auger or other like tasks. I've owned and used both, I don't have a strong preference for general use. If I were loading dumptrucks all day, I'd want vertical lift, but for most tasks, its a balance of pros and cons.
 
jeepinmatt said:
I feel like regardless of machine, it breaks down into 2 philosophies:
1. I want the biggest, strongest machien I can get! (90+hp, 10k+ pounds, 6.5-7ft wide)
2. I want a machine that can do most everything, but is still small enough to fit a lot of places and easy to pull behind a 3/4 ton truck (70-80hp, ~8k pounds, less than 6ft wide)
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Group 2, Definitely group 2. I need to be able to transport it behind a 3/4t and it's first few tasks will be woods work, clearing paths for trails (small, slow, and nimble are fine).

Parts availability and reliability are probably my two biggest concerns. My personal kubota tractor is an absolute breeze to find parts for, dozens of sites online with an abundance of exploded diagrams, and enough volume of machines that parts are relatively affordable. I have had JD and Yanmar products that were not nearly as well supported, and you had to go to a dealer to get parts, and you had to supply them with your machines serial number.
 
braxton357 said:
Don't trade for anything bobcat brand.
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jeepinmatt said:
A lot of people like Bobcats, but I've had shit luck with them. So have many people I know. Many people have great service from them.
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You guys are blowing my mind right now, I thought bobcat was the ubiquitous brand market leader. I had heard that bobcat actually did a really good job of supporting older machines.....the more you know!

Got a guy wanting to trade for a JD skid steer, 270 model.....prices for these things seem to be all over the place. This is a standard flow hyd. unit though.
 
If you're already familiar and comfortable with Kubota, you can't go wrong with a used SVL75-2. @braxton357 has one and if he hasn't broken it in half, I'm sure you'll be just fine! :D The Kubota SVL75 and Cat 259 have become kind of the ubiquitous midsize skidsteers, and for good reason. Not overly complicated, with the right mix of features, capability, reliability, and cost. The construction side of things is a little more cryptic than the ag/tractor side, but parts and info are still relatively easy to come by. Home page is a go to for parts diagrams. Their prices aren't necessarily the cheapest, but they've been great to deal with when I ordered the wrong thing or too many of something and needed to return it, and also the typically ship out of Georgia, so most things are next day to NC.

A Deere 270 should be a solid machine, but unless you are working almost exclusively on gravel or hard surfaces, hold out for a tracked machine. I had a Deere 250 wheeled machine for a while, and it was a good machine, but nothing noteworthy. Ran good, worked good, simple to use, and I do recall that it sounded good, had a nice lope to it, haha. It delivered one of my absolute favorite pics of my boys:
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@jeepinmatt I really appreciate the recommendations, but a quick search for these particular models, and I am seeing $25k-$55k.....I am shopping in the $10k-$15k world. I know I won't get everything listed at that price point, but this will be my first skid steer, and I would rather buy at the price point where I can liquidate it quickly if it isn't everything I need it to be...got any recommendations for anyone ballin' on a budget?

I have seen a lot of metal tracks for wheeled skid steers, do these alleviate any of the short comings of wheel skid steers, or are they a gimmick?
 
Dad has had a JD 260 since new, think it's a 2001 model. It's been good to us, replaced the radiator last year due to a leak. Otherwise it's mainly been just maintenance. Never had or ran a tracked machine or one with an enclosed cab. We just have a regular bucket, pallet forks and a grapple bucket for it.
 
shelby27604 said:
@jeepinmatt I really appreciate the recommendations, but a quick search for these particular models, and I am seeing $25k-$55k.....I am shopping in the $10k-$15k world. I know I won't get everything listed at that price point, but this will be my first skid steer, and I would rather buy at the price point where I can liquidate it quickly if it isn't everything I need it to be...got any recommendations for anyone ballin' on a budget?

I have seen a lot of metal tracks for wheeled skid steers, do these alleviate any of the short comings of wheel skid steers, or are they a gimmick?
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Glad to help, and don’t mean to monopolize the conversation, plenty of others on here have valuable input too. Knowing the price point makes a huge difference. That’s definitely wheeled machine territory (or a tiny tracked machine), and in that scenario and price range a Deere 270 seems like a solid trade. I would make sure to have reasonable expectations for what you can do as far as “cutting trails”. It’s a pretty big wheeled machine which is good until you get stuck. They are fine on dirt, but roots can make you feel like you’re on ice (same can happen with track honestly). Steel over the tire tracks are actually really good. They add flotation and grip which are the main areas where a wheeled machine is lacking. Since it’s an 80hp machine, it should do pretty well with the tracks. Lower horsepower machines struggle with over the tire tracks because they add something like 1000-1500 pounds of mass you have to turn. But it’s also an 8500lb machine, so with tracks will be approaching that 10k pound mark. Additionally is 6’3” wide, so with tracks it would be over 6.5ft wide which is getting pretty big. None of this is necessarily bad, but things to keep in mind for your application.
 
Everyone else pretty much nailed it. We have an early 2000’s New Holland LS190 (wheeled machine) and it’s great in certain areas and when it’s dry. However it will get swapped out for a Kubota or Tak at some point when it’s time. Feeding hay and moving stuff around the farm I’m in and out of the cab a ton so the flip up door is a must.
 
I'm a CAT fan. This is my second one. As mentioned the front door could be better but I'll give that up for parts availability, hp to weight and overall toughness. CAT probably has the best parts department of any dealer I've ever seen. Out of two CAT machines I've only ever had to order one part(joy stick base). Was in Atlanta at 4pm on a Friday and I picked it up from raleigh 830 am next day.
 

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Just to add to the conversation I’ve got an SVL75-2HWC …and even my team of mongrels who usually break anvils haven’t stopped it yet.
 
I have a 2014 SVL90-2. Cab with a/c and hi-flow. It doesn't like the 60" disc I have for it, maybe I have a fueling issue, I am not sure. I have had a LX865 in the past, as well as an LS180, both were GREAT machines, but if the ground is even remotely wet, they just don't go. I can take the SVL anywhere I want, any time I want, wet, dry, whatever. Yes it still has its limitations, but not near the limitations of a machine with tires.

If you have any desire to drive in the woods on a regular basis 'off-trail', as in making roads, moving logs, etc, you will find out quickly that a tire machine is not going to do what you want.
 
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