Comparison Bobcat SkidSteer versus Utility Tractor

[lfalkenh]

I am replacing my Kubota M6040 with a new tool (dont ask what happened to it...)...Here is my situation:

- 100+ acres
- Recently cleared of large cedar, remaining cedar mostly seedlings and under oak trees
- Need to be able to drag the fields
- Large elevation changes (100+ feet over 1000 ft distance)
- Mostly rocky soil (not much grass from clearing cedar)
- Need to be able to put out round bales for cattle (1000+ lbs)

Because of the cedar situation, I am thinking that maybe a skid steer would be a better investment due to the clearing opportunities and manuverability than with another tractor. If I was to buy another tractor, I may step down to the 50+ HP range versus the 58 HP M6040 (a great tractor btw)...

Anyone use a skid steer in a rocky, uneven environment?

 

[dfkrug]

I think another M Kubota is the way to go. Get a FEL grapple bucket
to pull and move brush and trees.

I do not own a SS, but I have used them. For your situation, you may
need to pull things, like a trailer, or skidding logs. SS's can't do that.
SS's are VERY tippy, so they can more easily roll over on sloped or
rocky terrain. You have a lot of land and SS's travel across open
ground or roads slower than a tractor. Finally, if you use a backhoe
attachment, they work much better on a tractor.

 

[Ken45101]

I'm not sure why you are thinking "skid steer". For "dragging", I think a tractor would be better. You can also mow with a tractor to keep the weeds and new cedars down.

A tractor is more stable for handling round bales. I have B2710, M5040 and M9540 Kubota tractors. I also have a skid steer. The skid is great for clearing trails, digging, etc. but I can't see giving up a tractor.

As dfkrug mentioned, skids are short wheel base and not as stable as a tractor. Also, side and rear visibility is poor with a ss compared to a tractor. Backing up a ss is difficult unless you are in an open area with nothing to watch for.

Don't get me wrong, I love my skid steer, but it comes in second in priority to the tractor.

Ken

 

[JoelD]

I would not want to be lifting bales very high with a SS, would think very tippy, but I've never done.

Would think a tractor more versitile than SS.

Joel

 

[xrjohndeere]

I went from a CUT to a ss and back to a CUT. When it comes to just loader work ss are hard to beat but if you get in mud deeper than the belly your are gonna get stuck. The tracked loaders are alot better but still will not go where a 4x4 CUT will. Also the SS will tear up the ground more in you pasture. I just found the all around function of the tractor was much better. Rent a big tracted SS for a day or two and push all your cedars. Also I think the overall cost on maintance is lower for the tractor.

 

[Jeepnford]

I'm sure not the final authority on this but after owning a tractor and renting a skidsteer I'd vote tractor. I rented a skid before I had the tractor and it was great at moving dirt quickly but in general I can do more with my tractor.

 

[Mike120]

Skid steers are great for picking up square bales with a grapple but not good with round bales...with a tractor you can put a spear on both ends. Skid steers are great for a lot of things but not dragging or doing anything for a distance unless the ground is VERY smooth. The short wheelbase will beat you to death. Go rent one for a day and try to do all of the things you envision using it for.....I suspect you'll prefer a tractor.

 

[Ken45101]

Another thing with a skid steer: although they may have plenty of lift capacity, if you do move a round bale and go down a slight hill, they will be very unstable with weight like that forward and heading downhill. Loads on hills that are very comfortable with a tractor are very nerve wracking in a skid.

My ss has a rated lift capacity of 2500# and a "tipping load" of 5000#. But a bucketful of dirt going downhill may tip it forward onto the bucket Now with a bucket, you can slide it across the ground and protect yourself, but with a round bale, you can't drag it along.

Ken

 

[JoeinTX]

Another in agreeance.

Skid steers are not the most stable platforms and if you're in rough, rocky, uneven conditions then that'll be one jarring ride. They're great for loading/working in reasonable terrain and doing specialty work but they aren't great all-purpose tools.

You'll find the tractor a far more versatile and capable machine if not as specialized in a few areas as the skid steer.

 

[Duffster]

IMO most of the comments about skidsteers are way of base.

A skidloader with steel over the tire tracks is very stable and will go many more places than a tractor will.

Can't beat a skidloader for handling bales unless you have to run over very long distances like picking up bales in the field.

Not exactly sure what dragging fields means but a reckon a tractor will work better for that but most likely can be done with a skidloader.

 

[Ken45101]

IMO most of the comments about skidsteers are way of base.

A skidloader with steel over the tire tracks is very stable and will go many more places than a tractor will.

Can't beat a skidloader for handling bales unless you have to run over very long distances like picking up bales in the field.

Not exactly sure what dragging fields means but a reckon a tractor will work better for that but most likely can be done with a skidloader.

Yeah, you are definitely right: the skid steer will go places the tractor will not go, like tumbling down the hill through the trees.

When working downhill, I've had the rear end lift off the ground of the ss when I picked up a load of dirt. Never had that happen (or even thought about it happening) with the tractor. The short wheelbase of a ss really shifts the center of gravity of a ss when it's on a hill.

Yes, I have steel over the tire tracks. They are a tremendous help, but they still don't make a ss as stable as a tractor.

I have a road in the woods that I have to back up the hill with the ss. The tractor can go up and down it without problems.

I've had another ss demo unit (without tracks), tip back on it's rear end on a slight grade that I wouldn't have even been noticeable with the tractor.

Take a 1000# round bale down a steep hill with a ss? Good luck!

Oh, another point regarding round bales: I love the skid steer for the visibility of where the bucket edge or forks are at, it's so much better than the FEL on the tractor. But a 5' round bale held a foot off the ground (6' high) would pretty much block the visibility from the seat in a ss. The tractor wins hands down here, IMO.

 

[Duffster]

Yeah, you are definitely right: the skid steer will go places the tractor will not go, like tumbling down the hill through the trees.

Now that would take some real talent

When working downhill, I've had the rear end lift off the ground of the ss when I picked up a load of dirt. Never had that happen (or even thought about it happening) with the tractor. The short wheelbase of a ss really shifts the center of gravity of a ss when it's on a hill.

Yes, I have steel over the tire tracks. They are a tremendous help, but they still don't make a ss as stable as a tractor.

I have a road in the woods that I have to back up the hill with the ss. The tractor can go up and down it without problems.

I've had another ss demo unit (without tracks), tip back on it's rear end on a slight grade that I wouldn't have even been noticeable with the tractor.

Take a 1000# round bale down a steep hill with a ss? Good luck!

Oh, another point regarding round bales: I love the skid steer for the visibility of where the bucket edge or forks are at, it's so much better than the FEL on the tractor. But a 5' round bale held a foot off the ground (6' high) would pretty much block the visibility from the seat in a ss. The tractor wins hands down here, IMO.

I should have specified that my skidloader experince is based on a New Holland or John Deere style machine. It makes a huge differnce.

What size of skidloader are we comparing to the tractor?

 

[lfalkenh]

Appoligize for the delay...did not have access to a computer...urgh!!!

Dragging means using a "drag harrow" to pull behind a tractor with a bunch of tines that stir up the dirt...its great to use on a field to break up the cow dung, etc. and aerate the soil...

I am going to try to get the Bobcat out this weekend and let me experiment with it...I never had a problem with my M6040, so its going to be hard not to get another one...I looked at New Holland, Case and John Deere and still liking the Orange...

 

[Ken45101]

I should have specified that my skidloader experince is based on a New Holland or John Deere style machine. It makes a huge differnce.

What size of skidloader are we comparing to the tractor?

I have a JD 325 (8000#, 80 hp), compared to a Kubota M5040 (6000#, 50 hp).

The demo ss I had was a JCB. Way too unstable for my hills. From what I've heard, JD and New Holland are the most stable.

Ken

 

[Lyrch75]

Ran a big SS when needed at a construction yard. On the flat running a loader/forks/shears the ss will work a CUT into the ground. The footprint and manauverability are damned tough to beat.
Getting out into rough ground and it really becomes an issue of the terrain. If it is sloped, but not broken ground. IE a semi-flat plane sloping one way or another, the ss still kicks butt. Get them onto broken ground with holes or debris and you crank up the pucker factor to a huge degree. The tiny footprint that makes them so dexterous sucks when you drop a tire into a hole or hit a rock that changes your balance.
We also had several big offroad forklifts and most of the time those would be used for situations where the ground was broken. The longer wheelbase and axle movement gave much greater stability than the ss could.
Tractors tend to have a higher center of gravity than then offroad forks do, but they have a bit more stability than the ss could ever give on rough terrain with a load in the front bucket.

 

[RobertN]

Skidsteers were invented to work farms. Go to the Bobcat site and read their histroy; it is really pretty interesting. The reason for designing the skidsteer(Bobcat originally) was to clean out barns. They could manuever around a barn much better than a tractor. That, in a nutshell, is what they were originally made for.

Skidsteers(and the tracked versions), have a plethora of attachments available. Put a CUT to shame. Most, are hydraulic though, and significantly more expensive than 3pt attachments.

They really were designed to work in tight confines. That is why they work great for construction sites, and were really adopted in that industry.

The make mowers for SS. You have to put a cab door on so stuff doesn't get thrown at you.

The small footprint of a SS gives them amazing manueverability. But, on broken ground they will rearrange your internal organs from bouncing so much... On a construction site, you can do a quick grading, but in the open field you probably don't want to do that.

I've used small to large Bobcats(the little 36" wide version, S150, and S185), and tracked loaders(ASV RC30, CAT 267). I really like the ASV, and the CAT(which uses the ASV track system). The ASV has a torsion suspension which rides like a Caddilac. I used the ASV in muddy stuff that would have sunk a SS.

I think the reason you do not see them on ranches and homeowners so much, is 1st expense. Much more expensive than a CUT ot Utility tractor. And the implements are expensive too. And, they work gereat where they were designed for; in a barn or in tight space, ie construction sites.

As much as I like the ASV RC30, it costs more than my CUT, the implements cost more. Otherwise, I could do anything I do with my CUT, with an RC30 or similar sized track loader.

 

[FarmGeek]

I'm surprised this answer hasn't previously appeared in this thread.

BUY ONE OF EACH.

Best of all worlds. Many times I've considered consolidating my M series and the B'Cat into one machine but the functionality of both would decrease, IMHO. The M mows, plows, tills and drags great. The B'Cat clears scrub and vines with its grapple, totes loose material beautifully with the buckets and helps unload whatever-new-treasure-I-bring-home with the forks.

I will admit all comments above are true. My kidneys are now located somewhere close to my left shoulder blade and I cussed this past weekend's mud while trying to move some logs while smartly sliding sideways down a hill.

With the unfortunate economy, I'm finding several wheeled and tracked versions at bargain prices. It's a thought... You can NEVER have too many tractors.

 

[mcd176]

I would stick with a tractor, as mentioned SS are great for loader type work but unstable on rocky hilly land due to the short wheelbase.

 

[JoeinTX]

Skidsteers were invented to work farms. Go to the Bobcat site and read their histroy; it is really pretty interesting. The reason for designing the skidsteer(Bobcat originally) was to clean out barns. They could manuever around a barn much better than a tractor. That, in a nutshell, is what they were originally made for.

Skidsteers(and the tracked versions), have a plethora of attachments available. Put a CUT to shame. Most, are hydraulic though, and significantly more expensive than 3pt attachments.

They really were designed to work in tight confines. That is why they work great for construction sites, and were really adopted in that industry.

The make mowers for SS. You have to put a cab door on so stuff doesn't get thrown at you.

The small footprint of a SS gives them amazing manueverability. But, on broken ground they will rearrange your internal organs from bouncing so much... On a construction site, you can do a quick grading, but in the open field you probably don't want to do that.

I've used small to large Bobcats(the little 36" wide version, S150, and S185), and tracked loaders(ASV RC30, CAT 267). I really like the ASV, and the CAT(which uses the ASV track system). The ASV has a torsion suspension which rides like a Caddilac. I used the ASV in muddy stuff that would have sunk a SS.

I think the reason you do not see them on ranches and homeowners so much, is 1st expense. Much more expensive than a CUT ot Utility tractor. And the implements are expensive too. And, they work gereat where they were designed for; in a barn or in tight space, ie construction sites.

As much as I like the ASV RC30, it costs more than my CUT, the implements cost more. Otherwise, I could do anything I do with my CUT, with an RC30 or similar sized track loader.

Precisely. The Skid Steer is a specialized tool.

Yeah, you can get hydro mowers for them but they are generally narrower than the mower you could use with an equivalent hp tractor. He would have to replace all of his drag/3-pt/PTO implements with new, expensive units to try to do the same things he can do now with a regular tractor and the tools he already has.

I wouldn't want to spend much time in the field using a Skid Steer pulling conventional drag implements.........rear visibility is terrible vs. a regular tractor.

As for their price being reason #1 that you don't see more on farms/ranches........BINGO! They are not a good all purpose, all-around machine for the myriad of general ag duties. They do a few really well, some okay, but most they are less than desirable for. Working a subdivision construction site? They are fantastic. Doing some field work, moving multiple round bales in single trips over distances with stability and visibility, etc.........no mucho bueno. The prices of SS's are OUT OF SIGHT to boot, Lord A'mighty.

Find another 6040, or equivalent, and keep on trucking. If you think a Skid Steer is needed for a particular job, well, rent one or hire one for a day or two to get the job done and move on. The tractor will do a little bit of everything and the majority of the jobs you have it will do to/above your expectations.

 

[RobertN]

I wouldn't go that far...

Skidsteers and tracked loaders have tons of implements, and can do tons of tasks. Probably more than a CUT or Utility tractor. Having used both, the SS can do a lot more than a CUT.

The Skidsteer has evolved more towards construction is all.

I don't see a lot of CUT's or utility tractors around construction sites. In the same vein, I would say the CUT is a specialized tool too.

As someone else already mentioned, that is why you really need both

I sure would like to have a small track-loader to go with my CUT

Precisely. The Skid Steer is a specialized tool.