Comparison Looking to buy my first Skid-steer

SkidNoob · Jun 28, 2011

First two I am considering is are

1830 Case Skidsteer vs BobCat 742B

They want $5500 for ether.

I am going to be using this around my new farm. Maybe use it to level some things for yard .ect

I know that these are probably kind of old. But they are both at the peak of my budget.

Has anyone owned ether one? What should a person know about skid steers before buying? I have used a Skid on a job I had a few years ago. But I have probably less then 20 hrs in the seat.

I want to be nice to this thing as I want it to last a long time. Do these machines require a lot of preventative maintenance?

As you can tell, I do not know very much about these. I just know that I have a lot of work that needs to be done with one and its cheaper to buy one then have someone do it for me.

THanks!

flusher · Jun 28, 2011

SkidNoob said:
First two I am considering is are

1830 Case Skidsteer vs BobCat 742B

They want $5500 for ether.

I am going to be using this around my new farm. Maybe use it to level some things for yard .ect

I know that these are probably kind of old. But they are both at the peak of my budget.

Has anyone owned ether one? What should a person know about skid steers before buying? I have used a Skid on a job I had a few years ago. But I have probably less then 20 hrs in the seat.

I want to be nice to this thing as I want it to last a long time. Do these machines require a lot of preventative maintenance?

As you can tell, I do not know very much about these. I just know that I have a lot of work that needs to be done with one and its cheaper to buy one then have someone do it for me.

THanks!

When buying used, your first concern should be parts availability both locally and on the Internet. Cost may become your most important issue, especially if the engine, tranny and/or hydraulics need to be repaired.

Then find a source for operator, service and parts manuals (eBay is where I go to first for these things when I buy a tractor for restoration).

Best advice: find someone who knows skid steers and have him/her with you when you go to check out this used iron.

RPW · Jun 28, 2011

I've got a 742B that I've picked up from auction awhile back. Although I've had to spend some money on mine it's only because it was canabalized from the prior owner. Runs great and does everything I've anticipated. I've added some teeth to the bucket to help digging and I've built a stump bucket to help in clearing the Junipers I have on my property.

Depending on which motor you have (mine is the Ford 1.6L and very easy to work on) check it out thouroghly. See if you can work the machine for a while to check out the hydraulics etc. Check for leaks etc. Mine does and I expected it to have a few hoses to replace. Either sounds like a good machine. Price seems about right if the machines are in good working order. See if the prior owner has maintenance records. If they do then your more likely to get a better machine.

Good luck and have fun.

SkidNoob · Jun 28, 2011

I might as well bust out the source I am finding them, craigslist.

BobCat 742B Skid Steer

Case Skidsteer

Then you can see what they said on them. Its a first come first serve kind of thing, but I am not going to let myself get rushed into them.

SkidNoob · Jun 28, 2011

From what little I know about them, case has less issues from low engine rpm. Bobcat is more productive, but can break.

I have no idea if that is true, just something I read on another part of this forum.

SkidNoob · Jun 28, 2011

The guy with the case description is a little scary, but honest. lol

Dogballs · Jun 28, 2011

I've had two, a 1991 Bobcat 743B and a 2006 Cat 236. The 743B was a good reliable basic skidsteer. Mine had under 2000 hours when I sold it. It needed very little work other than routine oil changes and maintenance.

The Cat was almost new when I bought it. Enclosed cab, heat, and the fly by wire joysticks made it really nice to run. No problems with it, I think I sold it with around 600 hours.

Maintenance is everything with skidsteers. Lots of guys use them for jobs they shouldn't, and they get abused a lot. I'd have a mechanic who knows these machines look at it before you buy.

How many hours are on the machine you are looking at? Also keep in mind that guys sometimes disable the hour meter, especially on the older ones.