What is the best over all loader for snow/dirt

[cat320]

what is the best size loader?

[BKrois]

The loaders in most materials yard around here are like 2.5 yard size loaders. My friend who does trucking, and used to do materials had a John Deere 544G. The material yard up the street from him has a Cat 928 which is around the same size loader.
While they are used at materials yard, i think that's the ideal size loader, a 2-3 yard machine.

One can fit it on a standard tag-along trailer, and move a lot of dirt and snow with it. Used loaders in that size are also common to find and can be used in a wide variety of applications.

[BRL]

bkrois,
Welcome to HEF! Nice to see you here.

cat320,
I think that question is too open ended. Mainly because the lot sizes have to considered for snow work, and for dirt work, again the size & scope of the job has to be considered. When you're moving tons of dirt into tri-axles, you want a 4-5 yarder. If you're a landscaper like me, most jobs I do I use a TLB, or a skidder or a smaller TLB, so much smaller buckets. For overall use I'd agree with bkrois's comments.

[Prosno]

I agree, we used anything from a JD 344 - 644 and personal the 544 seemed the most verstile. Then again I only use it for snow.

[GeoffD]

I think the 544 is a good loader. Small enough to work well on site, but has power enough to work in a pit if needed. Also has the ablility to handel a 14' pusher easily. This size loader can also be set up with an 11' straight blade, and wing and be one mean road plow.

Geoff

[lamarbur]

Whe I worked the highway dept. we always used a 544 or 644 Deere. Bset of both worlds. The 644 for larger/wider roads and 544 for the skinny ones. After 6/8 snow storms, we would have to manually push back eac hand every road. The 544/644 cover this with ease.

[Big George 150]

The Cat 950 or 966 are ideal. I had a Cat 966 one winter plowing at Ohare Airport and it was great for moving and loading snow.

[D10N]

My thoughts are probably useless here, as the only time I've ever seen more than 6" of snow, it was on TV, and the smallest machine I've ever run is a 980.

That said, I am a firm believer in going with the biggest machine that budget/conditions allow. It's better to have too much than too little. I've seen 10 wheel dumps loaded with a 994, but I've never seen a 966 load a 793.

[Dozerboy]

For the most part I never ran anything with less than a 5 yd bucket. We run Kawasaki 95Z for trucking and do ~ 180 trucks in 8 hours. Kawasaki turns on a dime compared to Cats. But when I did snow removal we used Deere 724s (?).

[Steve Frazier]

If the machines were strictly used for loading, then bigger is better, but in snow removal maneuverability plays a role too. So we need to come up with a machine that's big enough to get the job done, yet easy to maneuver and sometimes transport.

The loaders are fitted with large pusher boxes that slide onto the bucket that sometimes triple the width of the bucket. This way a smaller machine can act like a bigger one in the amount of snow it can move. The size of the area to be cleared will determine the size of the loader required.

[digger242j]

...as the only time I've ever seen more than 6" of snow, it was on TV,...

Do you remember which show that was on? I'd like to watch it so I can remember what that much snow looks like too...

(Spring arrived here just before Christmas--I haven't had any snow to plow in a month. This afternoon, I mowed the lawn. :( )

[Jeff D.]

I'll gladly trade you Digger.Hear in Duluth Mn we've got snow coming out of our ....our ears,yeah comin' out the ears,that's the ticket!!

[Dusty]

it was warm last winter now we r gambeling on this winters snow????????

[joesco]

What about the oldie but goodie Ford 545's?

[cat980]

most material yards around my house have 950s or 966s, or any other brand machine around that size

[komatsukid]

Most contractors around here use Cat ITs because they can change between impliments quickly. Seems like the IT 28 is the most popular.

[bobcatmechanic]

it may also be based on truck use also like shovels for open pit mining are designed with the truck in mind and vice versa right isn't it three passes to fill a truck is the ratio. i also agree on the budget point go big as you can for what you are allowed. we got 14" of snow here and we rented a kawasaki 80 and a case 621 d i believe is the one i was in and the case was nice on the narrow roads get it almost sideways going from the far side to square up with the bank as to do as little gouging to the bank will loading out snow and pushing back off the side of the road. took about 5 buckets to fill a tandem high side dump with no tail gate on it.