School me on Skid Steers

[TX03RUBI]

If your budget is $100K, get a CAT 299 D2 XHP. It’s the biggest CTL that CAT makes. Mulching heads are not cheap. You can find “off-brands”, but a good name brand head is going to cost you $26K-$31K (or more). My CAT branded head was over $25K. Don’t let DEF be a deciding factor. They use very very little. I’ve been working mine commercially all summer and fall and I’ve filled the DEF tank 4-5 times at the most. CAT has a 2yr/2000 hour “no questions asked” warranty. You break it, they fix it.

What do you specifically like about your machine over say the Deere 333G or other machines in its class? I’d lean towards the Deere just for it lifting capacity personally.

[JDog83]

If your budget is $100K, get a CAT 299 D2 XHP. It’s the biggest CTL that CAT makes. Mulching heads are not cheap. You can find “off-brands”, but a good name brand head is going to cost you $26K-$31K (or more). My CAT branded head was over $25K. Don’t let DEF be a deciding factor. They use very very little. I’ve been working mine commercially all summer and fall and I’ve filled the DEF tank 4-5 times at the most. CAT has a 2yr/2000 hour “no questions asked” warranty. You break it, they fix it.[/QUOTE]

Im with this one 100% hands down best machine you will buy, can nearly do anything. Controls are great with plenty of power. Technically it’s a small dozer.

[M16]

Anybody love for the John Deere or Takeuchi? My local dealer sells Kubota and Takeuchi. I took my Kubota tractor in for some work the other day. There were a bunch of Kubota skid steers getting worked on.

Is DEF a problem for machines that don't get worked on a regular basis? I've heard it can crystallize and cause problems if it sits for a month or so.

[Runnin4D]

If you are going to be doing brush control (underbrush, yaupon, cedar etc) and anything up to ~7-8” in diameter, the “super shredder” is all you need. This attachment is high flow. It runs around 10k, 1/3 the price of a mulcher head style. We run one of these with the Kubota 95. Works great for cleaning a place up. If you want to completely clear everything, the drum mulcher head is more likely the way to go.

For road repair the grader/planer attachment works well.

You should be able to get the 95 and these two attachments plus a bucket and forks for around 100k

[SmallTownHunter]

When you decide what it is you want check out Ritchie Brothers Auctioneers/Iron Planet. We sold over 100 skid steers of all types and brands 3 weeks ago in Fort Worth.

[Bowtech38]

Anybody love for the John Deere or Takeuchi? My local dealer sells Kubota and Takeuchi. I took my Kubota tractor in for some work the other day. There were a bunch of Kubota skid steers getting worked on.

Is DEF a problem for machines that don't get worked on a regular basis? I've heard it can crystallize and cause problems if it sits for a month or so.

Kubota is upgrading intercooler hoses on the 95’s. I have had a couple machines need def headers due to quality sensor’s failing, other wise no issues with def on them, except for putting diesel in the def tank. And kubota insurance is really good if you finance it.

[Worksalot]

Anybody love for the John Deere or Takeuchi? My local dealer sells Kubota and Takeuchi. I took my Kubota tractor in for some work the other day. There were a bunch of Kubota skid steers getting worked on.

Is DEF a problem for machines that don't get worked on a regular basis? I've heard it can crystallize and cause problems if it sits for a month or so.

No experience with DEF crystallizing on small machines. But a former boss had lots of frustration with an almost brand new, large Challenger tractor that he purchased for pulling scrapers with. It sat on the dealers lot around Corpus Christi. This was a $300,000 machine. After he paid for delivery and got it back to one of the ranches, it would throw codes over and over. You couldn’t get any dirt work done. The dealer tech would come out numerous times trying to fix it. Nothing seemed to solve the problem. Everyone was getting very frustrated. Finally, the tech decided to just replace the DEF hoses. He stayed onsite for most of the day to wait and see if the codes returned. No more problems after that. The DEF had crystallized inside the original hoses.

[Thayden2]

Get one on tracks not tires

[GA Bowhunter]

. There were a bunch of Kubota skid steers getting worked on.

LMFAO!

Any good dealer should have "a bunch of skid steers getting worked on".

The better the dealer the bigger the "bunch of skid steers" should be.


To the OP, most any big machine will do the job. I have a Bobcat and a Kubota at the moment. Very good machines.

Look at resale value as well to help determine how machines hold their value. From what I've seen at equipment actions the Cats and ASVs seem to sell cheap.
I have only know one guy with an ASV and he had nothing but issues. he has three Kubotas now.

A guy that does grading for me just got a Cat CTL. It will be interesting to see how it does. He is not a weekend warrior or part timer. He goes full bore all the time. He has 4 or 5 943/953/963 Cats so he likes the brand.

[Stetsonoverton]

Case makes good tractor the 3 year unlimited hour warranty is hard to beat as well

[bloodtrailer28]

Anybody love for the John Deere or Takeuchi? My local dealer sells Kubota and Takeuchi. I took my Kubota tractor in for some work the other day. There were a bunch of Kubota skid steers getting worked on.

Is DEF a problem for machines that don't get worked on a regular basis? I've heard it can crystallize and cause problems if it sits for a month or so.

Dont have any experience with the Deeres personally but my BILs company runs them and he says they are constantly in the shop or getting worked on. He loves their big machinery but hates the skids . Lol

[Low Fence]

I have a 259D CAT and love it. I don’t need high output. I’ve run a 6’ shredder with no issue although a little bigger would have been a little faster. Brush shears and a grapple are must haves.

A mulched is nice but will shake one apart fast and I just can’t justify vs renting the whole thing If needed

Kabota- no personal experience. I have 2 good friends that in the past year bought new ones to do commercial work... both have sold and bought CATS now. They stayed in the shop

Case- drove a slightly older one in west Texas to do some work on a ranch and I wouldn’t own that pile of $&@^. Whoever come up with those control functions need a kick in the junk. Just a cheap built horrible machine compared to cat anyway

[Arrowthreat]

I work for an excavation company as a PM. We own a handful of skid steers, and rent all different types weekly. I would go with a Kubota, CAT or Bobcat. If you want to run a mulcher, than definitely get a 95 plus hp. Otherwise, you can do a lot with a 75hp.

CAT - Usually cost more, have small cabs. Reliable and easy to get parts.

Kubota - By far the most comfortable luxurious cabs. Have awesome hydraulics. The 95hp is a tank. They turn that motor down. It's used in some of the other skid steers that produce 115hp.

Bobcat - The bobcats pre emissions with the Kubota motors are probably the best skid steers made, but also the most basic cabs.

[Arrowthreat]

Anybody love for the John Deere or Takeuchi? My local dealer sells Kubota and Takeuchi. I took my Kubota tractor in for some work the other day. There were a bunch of Kubota skid steers getting worked on.

Is DEF a problem for machines that don't get worked on a regular basis? I've heard it can crystallize and cause problems if it sits for a month or so.

John Deere skid steers do not have a good reputation in the construction world.


The bid Takeuchi uses the Kubota 95hp motor turned up. Lots of electrical problems, and hard to find parts for. Their dealer network is not good. We had one and sold it on auction.

[Jnorth]

We use cat 289’s and have very little problems. My favorite is kubota but wouldn't buy a new one until they get the def issues worked out. I was told by mechanic that kubota will have a new program that’s suppose to fix the problem around may 2020.