hey anyone know much about bobcats? i have been looking at a mustang brand skid-steer. any ideas what to look for in one?

 

Yep, the biggest thing is (assuming you'll be using it for more than one thing) extra (left over) connections and mounting points for accessories. Ex: my dad's old Gehl had five points, two pedals and a lever. we hooked up log grabbers, a makeshift backhoe attachment, etc.
Other than that, just make sure it has the power to do what you want, b/c they dont all have it.

 

If your going to get a skid steer. get a new holland or a john deere.
The bobcat brand sucks.
the old mustangs were nice, but they ran the T bar controlls, which sucked. Duno if they changed it or not.

The Cat brand skid steers are pretty nice as well.

I have never liked the bobcat setup.
The john deere and the new holland style have good arms and hydrolic setups on them.
I've operated all different skid steers becides gehl and cat.
So, thats my opinion on them. =)

 

The mustangs I have used, use controls identical to CAT. I like the CAT controls best.
I really like the Mustang 25. Mean mochine!!

 

we have a New Holland LS180 and it does everything we need it to. i like the turbo on it

it has two pedals and two steer sticks. however i have worked on the newer style skid steers that have all the controls in the joystick. that is super nice once you get used to it.

also i dunno about the rest of the guys but i wish i had found a skid steer that had the track conversion rather than the tires. i can get that dang thing so stuck so fast its not funny.... whereas a buddy could be working on his tracked loader right next to me with no problems! try and find one that has the wrap around tracks you can take off or the track conversion!

-cutts-

 

There are good and crappy track conversions that go on the tires.
The only problem is, they can load up and then the tires just spin in the tracks.

 

I'm pretty partial to the Deere skidloaders, but I'm eyeing up a Bobcat at the moment too.... $$$ is the main reason

 

the deere's are nice, but i love the case loaders, they are heavy built and take some abuse.
the 90xt we have now is a mean machine. lots of extra ports, controls are very nice and smooth for delicate operations.

 

well, here goes for what it worth. This is a list of the skid loaders we CURRENTLY own. John deere 240 with weight kit. New Holland Ls180, Hydromac 8C, bobcat 743,a JCB Robot, and a bobcat 883. The Deere seams to have the most power. I like the hydor pump setup the best too. Down fall, parts are very pricey. The new Holland is a ok machine, but seams to lug very easily under load while turning. The bobcats are nice, but sometimes the center cylinder for the bucket tilt gets int the line of site. Parts are cheap and all over the internet. I REALLY like that part. The hydromac is a piece of crap. I would gladly sell that to anyone for scrap price.
The JCB Robot is the best loader I have ever ran all around. Its comfy, has PLENTY of power, has a side door entrance if you have to get in and out a lot which is fantastic, and parts are priced competitive.
So JCB is Num 1 with John deere and bobcat tied for 2nd.

 

I work at a Case IH dealer we are a Bobcat dealer and I have to work on them somtimes. If you plan on working on it yourself get a Case. The bobcraps are a pain. The Case also has a self leveling bucket in both directions. Bobcrap only does it when raising.

 

no case fans? mine has the full cab, however i do like the idea of a side door on it. even then the cab with ac and heat is very nice. plenty of visability, plenty of available horsepower. have never had it bog down. actually i've never had to go full throttle unless i wanted top speed. the 2 speed tranny is nice and smooth. the control layout is awesome and the seat is very nice. i am 6'2" and operate it comfortably.

 

Case's are nice to work on. Slid the cab forward and it is all there.

 

yeah, the newer ones are a breeze. two levers by your legs then the whole dam thing tilts foreward and the entire engine, trans, filters, hoses, pumps are easily accessable

 

Personally i like my bobcat. We started with a 453 which was perfect if you need to go into a house.... but who does that, i hated this one. We have also had a 753 and a 773, which were decent machines, they had some nads but would sometimes bog down. We now have an 873 which is perfect for what we do, we have an 8 foot wide bucket that has a 4 foot back and with a load of heavy wet snow you can have the arms all the way up and feel safe moving. I also like the fact that the arms lift straight up, it makes it much easier loading a full size 10 wheeler. Personally i think that the bobcat is really easy to work on, the cab tilts up with the removal of 2 or 4 bolt (i cant recall) and the pulling of a handle. If you are going new it would be the same as an S300. But if your doing landscaping go with an A300, it is all wheel steer and with the turf tires you can run on any lawn all day long and not worry about the grass getting torn up. I dont know what you plan to do with this machine, but we also have a bobcat toolcat and it is the perfect all around machine, you can run most of the bobcat attachments, it has highflow, a/c, heat, 4 wheel steer, and all the other fun stuff. And it has an ok lifting wieght to. The only draw back is that it doesnt lift that high, only into a 1 ton dump with out boards. hope this helps.

 

go for a cat i have a 262 and a 299 ive had a 228, 257,242, 277

the 299 is incredible!! the suspended track system is sooooo nice!!