Looking for first Skid loader

[The Noof]

I am looking to buy a used skid loader. never had one before. I am looking at a 92 Bobcat 743. I want one for home landscaping. Any advice would be great.

Thanks

 

[4570Man]

I think it’s the wrong tool for the job. Skid steers rip up everything in their path. I think the wheeled ones suck anyway.

 

[Shaneard]

If memory serves me correctly and I kinda doubt it at times, don’t the 743’s bounce really bad? Think that’s what my brothers has.

 

[timbatrader]

I think it’s the wrong tool for the job. Skid steers rip up everything in their path. I think the wheeled ones suck anyway.

I use to have one of these bought it with high hours on it used it while building and developing my property after ten years it died and I sold it for parts and got most of my money in back I have replaced with a new Chinese pivot steer loader but I miss the manoverablity of the bobcat they don't rip up the ground much more than the pivot steer loader if driven correctly you need to travel with bucket completely empty and all weight on the rear axel or bucket completely full and all weight on the front axle if you drive with weight on both axles they can chew up the ground when turning l

 

[EddieWalker]

If you have never run one before, do yourself a huge favor and rent one for a few days first. While it's a very capable machine, it's also horrible at destroying the ground, it gets stuck super easy and there is nothing fun about being on one. After renting, odds are very high that you will not want to own one!!!

 

[4570Man]

If you have never run one before, do yourself a huge favor and rent one for a few days first. While it's a very capable machine, it's also horrible at destroying the ground, it gets stuck super easy and there is nothing fun about being on one. After renting, odds are very high that you will not want to own one!!!

Running a 95 Kubota is a real joy. And it’s definitely a capable machine. Running a wheeled Gehl was a completely different experience. And it’s probably nicer than the bobcat in question. I decided right then after an hours use I’d never own a wheeled skid steer. I’ll never own a foot pedal machine either. I’ll take a wheeled loader any time over that. The wheeled skid beats you to death, tears up everything, is vastly inferior to the tracks for grading work, and gets stuck everywhere.

 

[timbatrader]

The bobcat 743 is an old machine my guess from the early 1980's and no comparison to a tracked 95 kubota but also no comparison price wise My place is pretty wet over eight feet of rain per year on clay / mud and yes my machine would get stuck but by using bucket tilt ie tilt bucket forward lower it down until the tooth bar engages then tilt the bucket back I always got out without needing a tow bottom line the 743 would not cut as a commercial working machine and is nowhere as good as a modern tracked machine it is however a useful tool around a hobby farm or building site I loved it

 

[Tomtint]

I have a Cat 246. Started life as a tire machine and I put a whole track undercarriage on it... tire machines suck.. ..always suck. Tracks are a learning experience on turf..but I can move mine across my lawn now and not destroy it. Trick is long slow turns.if you don't have existing turf and you are looking to build your yard...it's hard to beat a skidsteer. They are much more powerful than a CTL and can get projects done significantly faster.

 

[4570Man]

I have a Cat 246. Started life as a tire machine and I put a whole track undercarriage on it... tire machines suck.. ..always suck. Tracks are a learning experience on turf..but I can move mine across my lawn now and not destroy it. Trick is long slow turns.if you don't have existing turf and you are looking to build your yard...it's hard to beat a skidsteer. They are much more powerful than a CTL and can get projects done significantly faster.

I agree that wheeled skid steers suck. I can drive the 95 Kubota in across turf without hurting it too bad but doing any actual work is out of the question. Even the track impressions are pretty bad. Like as much of a track that my 8 ton TLB leaves. CTL doesn’t mean what you think it does. I’m pretty sure you meant CUT. Even then the 775 is a pretty small machine. It would easily be out worked by a large frame CUT. Skid steers are pretty much only for construction. They’re far to destructive for property maintenance. Not to mention tractors and TLBs move faster, quieter, cheaper, smoother, and kick up less dust.

 

[finn1]

I had an old Deere wheeled skid steer that I sold when I bought a CUT with a cab ans snowblower.

The skid was frankly a better machine for dirt work and forks. I needed a cab and blower though.

The CUT isn’t much better in mud and sand, so I added a CTL to the Fleet. It’s the best of the three, but also the most expensive.

 

[The Noof]

This forum is Great. Thanks for the replies. CTL? Is that a loader with tracks? I am on a very limited budget. Probably no more than 8K. I do not plan to use for it light landscaping. I need to reshape a large slope and build a few retaining walls, put in some French drains, and a few other things most of my yard is crap so I’m not worried about tearing it up. I am also looking at a 1980 bobcat 610 for 4200.

Brad

 

[Shaneard]

This forum is Great. Thanks for the replies. CTL? Is that a loader with tracks? I am on a very limited budget. Probably no more than 8K. I do not plan to use for it light landscaping. I need to reshape a large slope and build a few retaining walls, put in some French drains, and a few other things most of my yard is crap so I’m not worried about tearing it up. I am also looking at a 1980 bobcat 610 for 4200.

Brad

You would be better off to take that $4,200 and rent something than buying the 610.

 

[crashz]

The 743 would be the better option. I traded my 753 (same frame size as a 743) for my Kubota, for a variety of reasons, but two primary ones:
- The Bobcat is not a a one-man-show machine. Meaning, if you have to lift anything with the loader and get out of the machine for any reason, you can't. Very easy to kill yourself by trying to do so.
- That frame size is very tippy. On my property in NY, I could travel sideways, but up and down slope could flip it very easily. Especially without a bucket on.

They bounce and pitch wildly. Chew up tires on rocks and asphalt. Are very difficult to work on. You will have to work on it, because they are so violent to operate, they seem to break easily and those models are just getting old. However, for the price range, you can get a lot of work done with a an $8K Bobcat.

 

[4570Man]

This forum is Great. Thanks for the replies. CTL? Is that a loader with tracks? I am on a very limited budget. Probably no more than 8K. I do not plan to use for it light landscaping. I need to reshape a large slope and build a few retaining walls, put in some French drains, and a few other things most of my yard is crap so I’m not worried about tearing it up. I am also looking at a 1980 bobcat 610 for 4200.

Brad

CUT stands for compact utility tractor. CTL stands for compact track loader.

 

[The Noof]

However, for the price range, you can get a lot of work done with a an $8K Bobcat.

How well do the used skid loaders hold their value?

 

[Shaneard]

How well do the used skid loaders hold their value?

It all depends on what model/brand it is. I bought a 1989 Case 1845C, used it for 11 years and sold it for more than I paid for it. That can't be said about all of them though.

 

[crashz]

Not too bad, if you buy it right. I bought mine for $9K and traded it for $7K. I could have done better with an outright sale, but wanted a quick transaction for the purchase of the Kubota. Mine was a low hour machine with the digital display (one that you don't want), but never had any major issues. Just little stuff that was very annoying. Every time I used it, I needed to work on it.

 

[flyerdan]

I would avoid the 610 as it is a clutch machine and they can be problematic and difficult to find parts for. The 743 is like the DC-3 of skidsteers; they made lots of them, they're the right size to get into a lot of places and can do an impressive amount of work. There is no poxy electronics or safety features that will leave you stranded at the mercy of a dealer.

 

[two_bit_score]

This forum is Great. Thanks for the replies. CTL? Is that a loader with tracks? I am on a very limited budget. Probably no more than 8K. I do not plan to use for it light landscaping. I need to reshape a large slope and build a few retaining walls, put in some French drains, and a few other things most of my yard is crap so I’m not worried about tearing it up. I am also looking at a 1980 bobcat 610 for 4200.

Brad

You might want to consider renting one of these and see how you like it.

mini track loader - Google Search

 

[BigBlue1]

There are tradeoffs to everything. I had access to a Bobcat S750 (wheeled) when we bought our current 10 acre place in 2016. It worked well for spreading gravel for a pole barn floor and driveway but it left ruts in the lawn (soft black dirt that was often fairly wet). I could drive well enough to not tear things up but that still doesn't mean it was good for the lawn. I still hit a lot of those ruts while mowing today. Now I have a Deere 2520 small frame CUT. Nowhere near the weight or capacity of the Bobcat but it works better for my needs. I can still lift a heaping 1/2 yard bucket of gravel or dirt with it and up to about 1100# on a pallet. Not too bad for my needs. It can still leave some ruts in wet conditions but they don't last as long as the Bobcat's.

I've also run tracked skid steers with brush mowers for our snowmobile club. Without a bucket to help out even they can get stuck really easily in wet ditches. I've seen people do amazing things running a skid steer but like was said above, they have their limitations and applications.

Rob