Hi Guys - a good friend of mine ordered a new JD 333 track loader with all the bells and whistles (forestry mower, grapple, bucket, brass pole with disco light ) He ordered it a week before JD went on strike so the dealer gave him a wheeled loaner until his shows up. I spend yesterday afternoon running his loaner, turning over huge piles of mulched leaves, while he used his tractor to mulch trees. Man, I haven't had so much fun in a long time. I thought I wanted a tractor. NOPE!! I want a skid steer!!! I should have taken some video when I first started, from the outside I probable looked like a monkey having relations with a football. I had that machine bouncing and turning in all sorts of goofy directions until I got the hang of things. But what fun. I see why they say heavy equipment operators have the highest job satisfaction out there. For those out there with a skid steer, wheels or track? I'm leaning towards track, even though I suspect they are probably higher maintenance. I can't afford a new one, but what would be considered a high number of hours for a machine that I would want to stay away from it? Man, what fun...
It all depends on the application. I have wheels and wish I had tracks. Bear in mind I'm running a 20+ year old machine (which runs almost like a new one). I work mainly in grass and it just makes a mess when it's soft (like right now). I think the maintenance record would be more telling than just a number of hours. Also, be on the lookout for leaking hydraulic fluid. Hoses aren't cheap and even less fun to replace as they get routed in the most inconvenient locations. Finally, pay attention to horsepower and lift capacity (depending on how you plan to use it). Attachments are very spendy but you can take these things about anywhere. Good luck!
I have a terex pt 70 2012. 70 hp. Hour meter showed 220 when I bought it and was supposedly replaced at 500. So it should have had 700 hours when I got it. I don’t think that is quite accurate. It’s a pretty bare bones basic machine, no enclosed cab, heat, a/c. It does have high flow Hydraulics. I gave $26,000 for it 3 years ago (I think). It has been a pretty good unit for what I need. Although an enclosed cab and heat would be nice for moving snow. Tracked machines are significantly more expensive than wheels,( maybe close to twice the $$ for a new one vs wheels.) and replacement tracks are $1,800 and up per track last time I was looking. Tracks are way better in soft ground and pretty much mandatory in this Sandhill soil. Tracks will tear up more ground than tires but much of that can be managed by good operator techniques. I don’t have much time in a wheeled one but I believe tracks are more stable (less tippy) with a load & have more push. But if you are working on hard ground your mileage may vary. Several years ago my company was thinking about getting one and a John Deere salesman told us that by the time they get 2000 hours they are pretty well used up, of course much of that has to do with maintenance and operators. having just a bucket limits their usefulness. But If you get enough attachments you can use it everyday. And there’s more attachments available than you can imagine, how many you have is only limited by the depth of your pockets just my experience and $.02
My neighbor got one like this and got a grapple for it as well and it has been a HUGE workhorse for him (me too, I know where the key is). It was kinda beat up but lots of bearings, wiring connectors, and MANY welding rods later it's a beast that will last for a long time at the level of usage it sees here. It sure does get a lot of work done quick...
Nice machine! I like to old Ford too! My Bobcat isn't far from the 2000 hour mark. Lots of life left but I don't beat it to death either.
That ASV is virtually the same thing as mine but that one has a cab. Terex and older ASV are the same thing, mine says ASV all over it but has white paint and terex logos
I have a bobcat 773 tired machine and have bolt on metal tracks for it and it’s a good combo for me don’t know what I would do without it from firewood to feeding cows and moving hay
That looks identical to the one I rented from Home Depot in the summer of 2020. Super easy to use. Having zero experience running heavy equipment, it reminded me a lot of the forklifts I used to use 15-20 years ago.
They can pull a trailer, but I've never seen one with a receiver for a hitch. Just a hole in the bumper for a pin. Many bumpers are the oversized heavy duty and too thick to fit a hitch pin trailer tongue. Tires have good applications on pavement and gravel. I have tracks and wouldn't be in the timber without them. In my opinion, rubber tracks suck in the snow and worthless on ice. A tracked vehicle moves more slowly than a wheeled if you are running from farm to farm on the road. If you have the option, get the back-up camera installed for working in thick timber. A grapple is a must have item.
My neighbors ASV has a receiver and we lost the balls out of it in the woods when clearing some trees near the new fence line. We suspect it's under a HUGE brush pile and even my good metal detector can't find it under a 20' diameter, 10' high pile of brush... I guess driving through / over brush tickled the locking pin enough that it came out, so if you do put a receiver on, don't keep your balls in it!!! +1 on all the rest but my truck has a plow for snow removal so we're covered.
My terex has a receiver, I made a draw bar of sorts that I can run a chain through for easier tie-down to transport it. I could put a ball on it if needed. I sure wouldn’t want to try to back a trailer with a skid steer, but it would damm sure pull it ahead.
Joe P hours are like miles it depends on who put them on and how well it was cared for. Rough guide I sometimes use 1000 hours is roughly equivalent to 50,000 miles on a car/truck. A Diesel engine if cared for should last a minimum of 5000-10000 hours. Road grader engines, light pole generators and semi trailer refrigerator engines often run 20,000 hours. In short if your using it daily for business I’d stay under 2500 hours. Light to moderate personnel use is stay under 5000 hours unless you know a machine was very well cared for! And then be prepared to spend some time and money on maintenance!
