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Posted by Jeff in north Texas on Sunday, October 12, 2008 at 18:54:08 :
In Reply to: Skid steers posted by Jerry in Idaho on Sunday, October 12, 2008 at 14:11:06 :
I just got done evaluating, then purchasing a skidsteer for a ranching/landholding company, where I am doing contract work. They asked me to work with the ranch foreman, to pick out a skidsteer for them to purchase.
1. Gehl; I did not like the Gehl controls, they were hand-pilot controls. These controls were very jerky. I have lots of skidsteer experience, and yet could never smoothly operate the Gehls we tried out. The engines on all the Gehls I demoed were prone to overheating when the temps were over 95. The A/C in the closed cab was weak on all of the ones we tried. I liked Gehl machine in the 80's. Not anymore.
Also, the 70-80 HP machines were weak on torque compared to other brands.
2. J.D.: We had a J.D for a day. The cab was tight for me, and I am only 6' tall. The controls were awkward to use. Had hand controls. The steering levers were very stiff to push/pull for travel. I hated the goofy overhead door on the cab. The machine did not overheat. Power was good also. Not a bad machine, but ergonomics left a lot to be desired.
3. Bobcat: I have always disliked Bobcat machines. Also heard a lot about the problems with the electronics. We rented several different models for several weeks. Also demoed a couple of older used ones. We loved the performance of the Kubota diesel. The machines never overheated. We were amazed at how much we could push/lift with the machines. Cab was comfy and A/C was very cold. We liked the feature where we could change from hand to foot controls. Either mode worked well. The problems with the electronics are supposed to be all fixed. We ended up buying a used Bobcat with 1800HRs on it. The machine was well cared for, and it performed as well as the brand new zero hour machines.
All in all, I thought the Bobcat would be the least desirable machine. It turned out to be the one we liked best.
Jeff
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