Best used skid steers

[ric]

I agree its hard to say exactly which one is the best but one has to at least got to be better than the rest even if its not the best of the breed. Thats the one I'm looking for.

Picking between Case and NH has proved a challenge. Both seem to have mostly good operational and functional reputations even though they are slightly different. I have been considering a Case 1845C or a NH LX865. I'm leaning toward the NH because it has a quick tach, the super boom lift and isn't as bouncy as a BobCat. The NH also does not lift straight up like a BobCat which is real important. The Case seems to lift straight up but not like a BobCat. The NH seems to have better balance loaded and better visibility than the Case.

So whats the issue? Well these are not cheap, even used and I've not owned one before and generally the only thing you can rent around here is a BobCat. So.. I'd like to make at least a somewhat informed decision. I also will not purchase anything from a dealer or a rental center. Although not an expert I am more impressed with how much junk is offered used this way to unsuspecting buyers than not. Seems like the more I know upfront might somewhat improve my chances of finding and buying a decent unit.

Thanks.

ric

 

[wroughtn_harv]

I have a JCB 165HF.

There are a couple of things I like about it. The first is the door. Yup, a skid steer with a door. For me that is important. When I'm digging postholes I'll bury the auger to a certain point. I then jump out and with a concrete hoe push--pull the dirt away from the hole. I then get back in and lift up the auger pulling out the dirt out of the hole. I clean the auger with a spin and or shake and reinsert it and go down another six inches and then pull the auger out and head for the next hole.

Doing this with a conventional skid steer would be awkward to say the least. Unsafe at any speed even.

The 165 is comparable to the Case 1840, about fifty five hundred pounds with 10-16.5 tires. I love the high flow hydraulics. On the standard auxillary I have only fourteen point eight gpm. But with the high flow circuit it's doubled to over twenty eight gpm. That allows me to use the Lowes hydraulic auger motor to it's full capability, 30gpm, made for a backhoe etc.

The other thing I like about my Iris /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif is she has Case controls. I personally like that much better than the foot controls on Bobcat, joystick controls on Caterpillar and standard on JCB, or the T--Bar set up on Mustang.

The foot controls wear me slick in no time. I guess operating my feet and hands in tandem are above my normal capability. But with the hand controls I can work it all day long and only be whupped, not beaten to a bloody pulp.

The hand controls also mean when I need a bigger machine just to move dirt I can rent a Case 85XT etc and be instantly comfortable.

JCB uses their own motor. I haven't had any problems in two years of ownership. She is a sweetheart.........with a door.

 

[gatractorman]

The wheelbase is what makes to B/C so bouncy you would have to compare an 873 B/C to an LX865 the wheelbase is close to the same an 873 is a very stable machine, also it has vertical lift as does the NH the load goes up and out instead of bringing it back over top of the cab (radius lift) on any of the vertical lift machines be sure to inspect boom arms closely for cracks.

 

[cowboydoc]

I have a Gehl skidsteer. I bought it used about seven years ago with 1800 hours on it. I have used that thing for clearing, building roads, buildings, you name it. I have abused that thing alot. Trees have fallen on it. I've used it in a couple floods. Lifted way more than it should. Spent almost two months with it on a jackhammer and ran it about 150 hours doing that. It has been unbreakable. About all I've done is service it and it just keeps plugging along. It has almost 5000 hours on it and it still goes strong. My only complaint is you better have it plugged in in the winter or it won't start. If it's plugged in it fires on the first turn.

 

[ric]

I looked at JCB over 2 years ago. They were advertised fairly heavily around here as an alternative skidsteer. I demo'd one during that time. I could never get past the feeling right or wrong that the unit favored the side the arm was on when loaded. I realize the arm is slightly overbuilt but it occurred to me with all the wear on that one pivot point I'd bet the cost of fixing that arm would be high. As it turns out most of all the original dealers from that period no longer offer these units due to low sales and problems.

Gehl has always seemed like a decent unit, there are not too many of these units in the used market around here and the nearest dealer is not close if I need service or parts. Since I work on all my own junk it would likely be parts only.

As many Bobcat dealers and Bobcats in the used market you'd think they were invented here and this is their only market.

Case does not have very many dealers locally and the only Case dealer close by I would never use based on my Kubota experiences with them.

I used to think the wheelbase on the skidsteer was the only thing that caused the bouncy ride too. Until I drove a New Holland not only is the wheelbase long but the unit seems to be balanced differently than the comaparable BobCat with the bucket loaded or unloaded which seems to reduce the bounce.

Thanks.

ric

 

[Hoeman00]

Case does not have very many dealers locally and the only Case dealer close by I would never use based on my Kubota experiences with them.

This wouldn't be Buckeye by chance?
I haven't dealt w/ them but did B&B.

 

[ric]

Yes it would.

 

[ric]

Which one of these has the best engine and drive units?

Seems like different engines are offered from year to almost as if they were bid out. Kubota and Cummins make good diesels, what else is used in these units besides Perkins. New Holland run Ford? Does Deere run Yanmar? Any trends develop in their use and reliability in the long time these have been in the market? Who makes the best drive units?

Thanks.

ric

 

[gatractorman]

Let's see, B/C uses Kubota's in their 7-series machines, 8-series machines uses turbocharged oil cooled Deutz, 9-series uses Perkins, older 8-series used Perkins as well, Deere uses their own engine but it very well could be a Yanmar spin-off, NH uses a Shibaura spin-off, and of course Case uses the Cummins engine, I'm not sure on the other machines Gehl, Scat-trak, Mustang, Thomas, Toyota, JCB I'm sure there is others I cant recall now, Caterpillar is building skid-steers now I'm sure they use their own engine, as far as drive pumps and motors I dont know of any manufacturers that build their own, as far as I know they are all built by someone else, Sauer-Danfoss, Sunstrand,Vickers,Koehring,Eaton are just a few pump manufacturers skid-steer companys use.

 

[ric]

Thanks for the engine breakdown. Anything to watch for in the different engine drive unit combo's?

In the past two years of browsing through what's available I have run into several used units with less than 2000 hours which have had drive units replaced. Is the duty cycle for one of thse in the 2000 range? Is this a maintenance or design issue?

Also, on more than ocassion I have seen where the boom arms on both sides have either been welded or patched and welded due to cracking. Seems like I see this more on Bobcats than anything else. Is this a design issue or abuse?

Thanks.

ric