Berm project -- skid steer opinions wanted

[NateHaler]

We live on a small ranch, and hiring out some of our never-ending projects will be crazy expensive, based on the quotes we've received from the contractors who even reply after discussing the work with us at our place. Never been a worse time in my life to buy stuff, whether service or materials. Sigh...

So, we have a driveway to create, and a road, land clearing, brush piles (for wildlife habitat) ,planting beds, hundreds of post holes (split rail fencing), and moving material like gravel, D-G, soil, etc. One of the fun projects is a berm for shooting smallbore on the back acreage.

Seems like a tracked 'skid steer', i.e. compact track loader, would be extremely useful, and based on the quotes we've gotten would easily pay for itself, even vs. renting one (and the logistics involved in that). When we're done, figure in 4-5 years, we'll sell the place and all of our stuff and move to an apartment in Italy. Mamma mia!

I think suffering is part of the 'fun', so I'm not keen on spending the $6k-$8k more for an enclosed cab with A/C. (I'm not worried about the cold in the 2 months of "winter" we get here, last Feb's snow being an outlier.) And we're thinking a 68hp-75hp unit will suffice, and be within budget of $60k max. (New cost, including bucket, grapple, and auger).

A neighbor bought a 2k hour used 2016 Bobcat for about $25k in 2019, used it for a couple hundred hours for a year, and then sold it for $26k after having it detailed and repainted. But I'm not okay with buying a project. Whether boats, cars, or this, I want to have no unplanned down-time. and the gently-used stuff in this area seems to cost as much or more than new.

Brand preference, attachments, cab or not, whaddya think?

 

[butchlambert]

All of my equip is Kubota. We had a Bobcat skid steer that my wife loved. She would dig a hole and cover it up just to be driving it. I believe it was a 563? Lightweight, but did what we needed when we bought our property. I sure like the looks of the new Kubota models.

 

[WayneShaw]

Hard to beat Bobcat for a skid steer. But, contractors are really liking the Takeuchi skid steers. They tell me they will run circles around a Bobcat. Regardless,make sure there is a dealer for parts within reason.

 

[NateHaler]

Thanks Butch. Ewald Kubota has 10 stores in the Hill Country and beyond, and they say their lead time is 3-6 months. I looked at a (new) Cat 249D3 at Holt Caterpillar, and an already-sold 259D3 that included the enclosed cab and other features that separate it from the 249. But it's $15k more, and 2 months' lead time.

Bobcat's T64 seemed like a good candidate when we looked at them late last year, but the price went up 16.6% in 6 months, vs. CAT only going up 4%. (Versus OSB plywood going up 500% !!, ha ha)

At the moment, I can get the 249D3 with bucket/grapple/auger for $53.1k total, vs. the Bobcat for $52.7k with just the bucket.

Holt's ex-wife lives in our town. Maybe I should ask her if she can get me a family discount? Or not.

 

[butchlambert]

Thanks Butch. Ewald Kubota has 10 stores in the Hill Country and beyond, and they say their lead time is 3-6 months. I looked at a (new) Cat 249D3 at Holt Caterpillar, and an already-sold 259D3 that included the enclosed cab and other features that separate it from the 249. But it's $15k more, and 2 months' lead time.

Bobcat's T64 seemed like a good candidate when we looked at them late last year, but the price went up 16.6% in 6 months, vs. CAT only going up 4%. (Versus OSB plywood going up 500% !!, ha ha)

At the moment, I can get the 249D3 with bucket/grapple/auger for $53.1k total, vs. the Bobcat for $52.7k with just the bucket.

Holt's ex-wife lives in our town. Maybe I should ask her if she can get me a family discount? Or not.

The Cat sounds good.

 

[NateHaler]

Hard to beat Bobcat for a skid steer. But, contractors are really liking the Takeuchi skid steers. They tell me they will run circles around a Bobcat. Regardless,make sure there is a dealer for parts within reason.

roger that. But the Dirt Works place right up the road has a bunch of this sort of gear, and their guy who usually loads up our trailer says the Takeuchi is his least favorite of their fleet. Maybe I should drive up there this morning and get some more info. Kubota service is all around us. Cat is king in Texas though, with the Holt family being involved with Caterpillar from the beginning. Not my favorite color, by a longshot!

 

[Boilermaker]

Are you wanting to buy the skid steer to keep or to do the work you need then sell it? If you are wanting to use it for the project then sell it, I would suggest spending the extra on a cab now. It will be a lot more marketable in the future. The 249 Cat is a really small machine. The smallest I would go on a Cat is a 259 with a preference to a 279. Kubota and bobcat are good skid loaders too. My preference is a Kubota 75. I think you can get a lot of unit for your money with a Kubota. Plus the cab and door on them are nicer than anything else.

 

[Kittitas George]

I'd be thinking real hard about renting. You break-it they fix-it. I had my own back-hoe, when digging foundations and grading parking areas form my self or friends (3septics, 5 buildings) I rented a back hoe. It cheaper than the repairs may have been on mine. Also instead of trying to have 'do everything' machine rent the efficient machine for the task. That said, a backhoe can do anything a dozer can do, just not as efficiently. I'm very impressed with the Kubota line of smaller equipment, very well built, lots of really great engineering for maintenance and repair. I'm a retired operating engineer, although more engineer/ surveyor than operator. Good luck!!

 

[OKyote73]

I'm a Cat man, got a 236B way back in 04 and not one trouble yet. Change the oil and clean the air filter and gtg! Kinda looking to upgrade also

 

[OKyote73]

I'm a Cat man, got a 236B way back in 04 and not one trouble yet. Change the oil and clean the air filter and gtg! Kinda looking to upgrade also
I also like the one hand operation, not the foot pedals. Don't know if they are all that way now but was a great selling point way back...

 

[WayneShaw]

roger that. But the Dirt Works place right up the road has a bunch of this sort of gear, and their guy who usually loads up our trailer says the Takeuchi is his least favorite of their fleet. Maybe I should drive up there this morning and get some more info. Kubota service is all around us. Cat is king in Texas though, with the Holt family being involved with Caterpillar from the beginning. Not my favorite color, by a longshot!

I had a 753 Bobcat on my place for years, bought it used at a Bobcat dealer. Had a 4 cylinder Kubota diesel and front hydraulics. I built a wood splitter to connect on the front and onlly needed a hydraulic cylinder since I ran it off the machine system. I could go right into the woods and split, very handy. But, working around the house, a skid steer will tear up ground in a heartbeat! Not good for your lawn. Sold it and bought a 4WD Kubota tractor with loader bucket. Still have it.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Hard to tell the scale of your project but it sounds like you might be better off paying someone for the bigger work, like clearing the land, then buying a skid steer for the rest. Seems to me, you have a fair amount of work for a skid steer but some that is better suited to bigger equipment. Trackhoes and backhoes make quick and much cleaner work of clearing trees, for example. A skid steer is pretty useless in that regard, by comparison. Just my 2 cents worth, though. It does sound like you could use a good sized skid steer for a lot of what you have in mind.

 

[dttheliman]

We live on a small ranch, and hiring out some of our never-ending projects will be crazy expensive, based on the quotes we've received from the contractors who even reply after discussing the work with us at our place. Never been a worse time in my life to buy stuff, whether service or materials. Sigh...

So, we have a driveway to create, and a road, land clearing, brush piles (for wildlife habitat) ,planting beds, hundreds of post holes (split rail fencing), and moving material like gravel, D-G, soil, etc. One of the fun projects is a berm for shooting smallbore on the back acreage.

Seems like a tracked 'skid steer', i.e. compact track loader, would be extremely useful, and based on the quotes we've gotten would easily pay for itself, even vs. renting one (and the logistics involved in that). When we're done, figure in 4-5 years, we'll sell the place and all of our stuff and move to an apartment in Italy. Mamma mia!

I think suffering is part of the 'fun', so I'm not keen on spending the $6k-$8k more for an enclosed cab with A/C. (I'm not worried about the cold in the 2 months of "winter" we get here, last Feb's snow being an outlier.) And we're thinking a 68hp-75hp unit will suffice, and be within budget of $60k max. (New cost, including bucket, grapple, and auger).

A neighbor bought a 2k hour used 2016 Bobcat for about $25k in 2019, used it for a couple hundred hours for a year, and then sold it for $26k after having it detailed and repainted. But I'm not okay with buying a project. Whether boats, cars, or this, I want to have no unplanned down-time. and the gently-used stuff in this area seems to cost as much or more than new.

Brand preference, attachments, cab or not, whaddya think?

@NateHaler We are in a similar position (Also in the hill country - North of Burnet) I have a 60hp Kubota tractor with a bunch of implements - rent a skid steer from Ewald when you need one , you can do a sh1tload of work with a skid steer in a weekend , like cut a 2000ft driveway into your property and a 20ft wide power easement going a different direction , if you break it its basically their problerm ... learn how to get a track back on in the field. I only get my water well end of September power shortly after , and I have a small guy doing my driveway (compacted dirt ) just because it made sense ... full disclosure I have a primary residence in San Antonio and I hauled my RV out to my land , will wait until construction material de-covids somewhat until I get serious about building my house out there . If you want to share experiences/talk/bitch about contractors/ etc PM me.



Tim

 

[TZaun]

I have a New Holland C190 and really like it. I don't doubt Bobcat, Cat, etc. make equal, or better machines. For what you have to do I would get a big tracked machine. Not only will it speed up what you need to do, the tracks make it way easier to put your final grade in. Now, keep in mind, tracks will split a kidney in half if you hit some hard, uneven ground at the wrong speed or angle. You'll get the hang of it though. I would also splurge and get a cab. You won't believe how much dirt you'll be eating. Not to mention, it will help keep the branches from poking you. As careful as I try to be when moving fallen trees, a branch always seems to come flying right at that front window. Haven't broken it yet, but I'm on borrowed time. If you have a place nearby that you can rent the post hole auger and brush cutter, I would just do that since you plan on moving in a few years anyhow. If you run a brush cutter on it you really should have a forestry door anyhow. I have a Diamond brush cutter and what that thing can mow down is very impressive.

 

[justpassinthru]

She would dig a hole and cover it up just to be driving it.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

I have a New Holland C190 and really like it. I don't doubt Bobcat, Cat, etc. make equal, or better machines. For what you have to do I would get a big tracked machine. Not only will it speed up what you need to do, the tracks make it way easier to put your final grade in. Now, keep in mind, tracks will split a kidney in half if you hit some hard, uneven ground at the wrong speed or angle. You'll get the hang of it though. I would also splurge and get a cab. You won't believe how much dirt you'll be eating. Not to mention, it will help keep the branches from poking you. As careful as I try to be when moving fallen trees, a branch always seems to come flying right at that front window. Haven't broken it yet, but I'm on borrowed time. If you have a place nearby that you can rent the post hole auger and brush cutter, I would just do that since you plan on moving in a few years anyhow. If you run a brush cutter on it you really should have a forestry door anyhow. I have a Diamond brush cutter and what that thing can mow down is very impressive.

+1^^^
tracked machine + air cab.
What these will do compared to a small tractor with front loader is laughable.

 

[butchlambert]

You guys are kicking ass!

 

[10XSHOOTER]

I have a New Holland L220 Skid with Cab, doors, Heat and AC. It will move a lot more dirt than my Case IH 885 tractor. Not so great for feeding the horses. But cleans the corrals easier than the tractor. Get the Cab, Doors and Heat/AC They will have better resale value!

 

[wkdickinson]

Thanks Butch. Ewald Kubota has 10 stores in the Hill Country and beyond, and they say their lead time is 3-6 months. I looked at a (new) Cat 249D3 at Holt Caterpillar, and an already-sold 259D3 that included the enclosed cab and other features that separate it from the 249. But it's $15k more, and 2 months' lead time.

Bobcat's T64 seemed like a good candidate when we looked at them late last year, but the price went up 16.6% in 6 months, vs. CAT only going up 4%. (Versus OSB plywood going up 500% !!, ha ha)

At the moment, I can get the 249D3 with bucket/grapple/auger for $53.1k total, vs. the Bobcat for $52.7k with just the bucket.

Holt's ex-wife lives in our town. Maybe I should ask her if she can get me a family discount? Or not.

Having worked for a Cat dealer for a long time, 16 years as a salesman and 18 years in management, I would suggest you don't buy a 249, I think you would find it to be too small. I would suggest you spend more money on a larger machine (like a 279) and I would try to find something a year or two old. If you are going to use "powered" attachments (like an auger), you also need a "high-flow" machine. I would suggest you only buy a bucket with the machine, then rent attachments when you need them. Yes, that requires more planning on your part, but if you buy an auger, it's going to sit in your shed 95% of the time. Dealers always have attachments available for rent, so why tie up the money for so little use.

Another other consideration is your capability to operate a machine. I have no idea what your background is, but "operating" a machine proficiently and productively is very different from driving a tractor. It truly takes skill and practice. I am not say people can't learn, they certainly can (well most people can anyway), but the learning curve can be steep. You also have to consider how you are going to move the machine. A 279D weighs about 10K lbs. So you will need a reasonably good size tag trailer and a vehicle capable of pulling it.

Finally, when you consider what brand you are going to buy, remember they all breakdown and it always happens when you need them, because they don't break when they are sitting in the machine shed. So consider who can best support your machine. From a lifetime in contracting and then the yellow iron business, I can tell you, no on offers better support than your Caterpillar dealer.

 

[Spike A]

I farm, I’ve ran and used every brand out there… right now we own 2 machines .. I put roughly 1200 hours a year on one/them… I will not say brands are bad or such .. the one thing I will say is they all run differently… meaning I feel some control slightly different.. some you set in a different location compared to bucket/attachment then others… I would highly suggest to find a sales businesses that will let you run one for a bit and run a few to see what you like…
Now that being said my brand of flavor is case… same as new Holland but better haha… I like the way you set in them.. the are very comfortable .. especially the cab version our newest one has a couple thousand hrs on it and no complaints .. and it gets used every day .. rain snow 100*..-20* it runs … our other is 20 years old with 12000 hrs and I never even need to wonder when I hit the key if it will run…

nice thing about the case’s also is ( not knowing where you are located) you can go to case construction or an AG case dealer for parts…

Find a TR270 to run and you will love it..

as far as cabs go… they are nice… way more comfortable and quiet to run.. but they can also be an inconvenience in some jobs… we currently have one of each … they both get used for this reason .. besides if one breaks down ….

also.. for moving heavy loads over uneven/rough ground get ride control.. GAME CHANGER