Skid steer fire.

[4570Man]

I think I've used Bobcat, Deere, Cat, Gehl, and Possitrac, oh, and Takucki and I don't think I've ever seen an escape hatch in the roof. They do have back glass, but that's pretty dang small, and would involve kicking it out, and crawling back over everything. I'm guess at most a 12"x24" window? Everyone I've used, the top had a metal grid to protect against falling debris, and not a hinged or blow out kinda hatch. It might be something new, as these are pretty much all 2000-2010 time frame.

My dad’s 75-2 skid steer has a rip cord in the the weather stripping to cut it out if you needed to escape. This 75-3 machine that burned has latches on the back window like the escape windows in a bus. It is a pretty small window.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Some fellas not fitting out a window or hatch

 

[paulsharvey]

Jd newer skid, and that rear window would not be a fast escape

 

[4570Man]

Jd newer skid, and that rear window would not be a fast escape

Even if the machine wasn’t on fire all the steel back there over the engine would be too hot to touch if the machine had been running. His fairly slow escape would’ve been way harder if not impossible if the boom was lower and the machine was hot. And let’s face it if the boom was all the way up like that you’d never be using the back window anyway.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

While flames are licking at your back

 

[4570Man]

So I paid $78,600 after upgrades and loan fees. My insurance coverage itself is capped at $76,000. Which is ok because the bucket amounts for $2200 of the difference. The same machine package cost a touch over 80k today. I went to a different dealer and priced a T8 Takeuchi. They offered to sell the machine for $61,000 without a bucket financed or 48 months or 57,500 cash. I didn’t like the Takeuchi machine when I bought my Kubota and I still don’t like it. Maybe I could learn to deal with it for the price. I think I’m going to track down and buy a nice SVL90 Kubota which was made before the emissions regulations. The insurance company is supposed to be sending an adjuster out. They should write me a check for $76,000 minus the 1k deductible but I’ve not gotten their offer yet.

 

[paulsharvey]

Where do you stand with Gehl these days? They got pretty popular about 15 years ago, with their tracked machines; but I haven't been seeing many around over the last 5 years or so.

 

[4570Man]

Where do you stand with Gehl these days? They got pretty popular about 15 years ago, with their tracked machines; but I haven't been seeing many around over the last 5 years or so.

The local Kubota dealer used to sell them. They stopped a couple years ago and I’ve not seen much about them. I’ll have to say I’ve seen well used Gehls with hours way beyond what is common with other machines.

 

[paulsharvey]

Back in 06/07/08/09 I used to do some skid steer work for hire in between my day job, and rented, as I never had the work to support owning, although I was really stalking several auctions, till things really went to he'll in late 08, and rented Gehl tracked skids more than any other. Now, that's almost 20 years ago now, but they were simple, strong machines, with no frills at the time. At one time, they had the highest horse power and heaviest wheeled skid steer on the market too.

 

[2manyrocks]

Does kubota offer the same very low interest deals for skid steers that they offer for their tractors?