Mini Exc......Cat,Volvo, or Bobcat

[2004F550]

Ok so its down to the Cat 305 CR, Volvo EC55, and Bobcat 435. Whatever the machine it will have a hydralic thumb and a coupler of some type. Also an enclosed cab and A/C. I am renting the 435 right now and it is a strong machine. I haven't tried the other 2 yet, but does anyone have any input on them? This is our first compact excavator so were tryi ng to see what other people like. I see that Volvo has a hyd. coupler, anyone have experience with this? Anyway just looking for some help from those who have used or bought these machines.

thank you

[badranman]

I don't have the 435 but I do have the 430. I've had a hose burst and that's about it. I love the zero house swing, I know it's saved me a few times..and the thumb is something I wouldn't be without. The machine is easy to work on and grease which I do every 8-10 hrs. Actually I have broke the cutting edge twice, not covered under warranty. :mad: As a whole I do like the machine though.

[Nac]

Just woundering why ot consider a Komatsu I have a pc45 and it is great. I have done everything with it from digging for retaining walls to install underground strom systems to digging additions and also demo work. I love the machine it has a thumb witch is very handy and just bought a 900 ft/lb atlas hammer for it.

[DKinWA]

I spent about 30 hours on a 305CR this week and it's a heck of a machine. If I was in the market to buy a machine this size, I'd buy it without hesitation. Everything was smooth operating, and the engine is really quiet. If given a choice though, I'd much prefer a real suspension seat for those long days. One day I ran it for almost 12 hours straight without a break and was a little slow getting off it ;)

[2004F550]

Well we have had our Bobcat 435 for about a month now. We got the cab w/ HVAC and radio. Hyd. thumb, 24" bucket, B950 Hammer, and 53" grading bucket and twist-wrist. Great machine and very capable, except the O ring on the swing motor failed twice, they fixed once, only to bring it back and take it off the trailer to have it fail again. They again took it back and gave us a 430 to use in the meantime. It came back and seems to be fine now except for a blown heater fuse. But overall it is very impressive and a joy to run. The grading bucket and swing is also a great feature. The bobcat salesman is top notch and transported the machine all those times free of charge and always made sure we were being taken care of.

[badranman]

Glad to hear it. I forgot to mention the same seal failed on my machine, it had about 40 hrs when I bought it. They replaced the whole pump, weren't taking any chances. I came back from a job one day and found the glass in the door had shattered. They replaced the whole door for free saying they had heard of a few instances where the door frames were a bit crooked. The second door does shut better. I have 450 hrs on it now and I still like it.:)

[MrBobcat]

The Fasttrac system on 430/435 is one of the best innovations ive seen in a long time in a mini. One of the most frustating things on the minis is the travel speed.

[Tigerotor77W]

Glad things are working out. Gotta keep your eyes on those new machines... never know when some untested area will screw up.

Seeing as you've already made your decision, not much left for me to add. I'm a personal fan of Bobcat but am quickly realizing it might turn into a Dell or Boeing -- one of Case's bigger selling points against Bobcat now is that Bobcats are a "cheap" machine. They're meant to be put together as quickly as possible, not as well as possible. Of course, that's Case talking... but all in all, I still think the purchase was sound (as is the company and its other products). Keep us posted on how she holds up.

[catbrown357]

I've operated both the Bobcat 435ZHS, and the Cat 305CCR. The Bobcat definately has some issues, such as hydraulic pump seal, final drive seals, and lack of power. Both machines are turbo charged, but the Cat has way more power. As far as track speed goes, the Bobcat is definately faster. Who cares about speed when it won't track up a hill without having to pull itself up with the boom. The Cat is all around a superior machine.

[2004F550]

Wow just happened to see this, 2.5 years flys by. Both finals were replaced in the first year, under warrenty. But other then that it has been good, we use it everyday, a lot more then we thought we would. See we tried a 305, not the C model, and I have heard that the C model is a better machine, but like Said, its not what we had to use.

[atgreene]

I've put 1100 hours on my Takeuchi 135 in 20 months.

The only real issues I've had are:

Track frame bent, was easily fixed (finally warrantied, cost $310.00 to correct)

A throttle cable let go (warrantied).

A reoccuring anti-freeze leak (warrantied) finally narrowed down to bad clamps.

Other than that, the machine has been bullet-proof.

[jazak]

I personaly like the CATs. I've ran a 303, 308 & 315. Very simple to use & very comfortable ....


(The 303 was a C model. I know two guys with 303's & 305's they love them. Here CAT service is the best to so....)


Never mind I see you got the Bobcat....

[KSSS]

I really liked by Takeuchi TB53. I just recently got my new 153 not much different than the older model performance wise.

[SouthOnBeach]

we just have an older hitachi ex50urg. runs great for us. i haven't spent much time on the new ones, i know they have made great improvments in the last 10 years over what we're running.

[danregan]

we just bought a 304, after renting a 305 for a month this summer. I got prices from Volvo and Milton, and Volvo had better pricing (though both dealers prices were teh suck). I did a little research, and seem to like the way volvo looked on paper. I never got as far as a demo on the volvo, but I do love the 305 and 304.

[John C.]

As a mechanic I like the C model Cats better than the older units. The hydraulics are moved to the side of the operator instead of underneath the floor boards. I haven't looked too much at the other manufacturers yet but accessibility to the things that make the machine work are real important.

[danregan]

As a mechanic I like the C model Cats better than the older units. The hydraulics are moved to the side of the operator instead of underneath the floor boards. I haven't looked too much at the other manufacturers yet but accessibility to the things that make the machine work are real important.

Never a truer statement......
just tightning a aux hyd line on the 301.5 turned into a vulgar swearfest that took about 3 hours and my nephews little 12 year old fingers. not to mention when the throttle cable broke. The way the 304C is set up is great.

[CATmandew]

I am in the same boat, but I am down to the cat or bobcat......

[Crete Buster]

We have a 435zhs that we remove concrete with . We did a side by side test with a Komasu pc45 using a test block furnished by the Komatsu dealer the 435 easily outlifted the pc45 . The Komatsu dealer had a service tech spend 4 hours making adjustments to the hydraulic system to no avail. They tried to convince us that the pc 45 was the best machine ... we were not convinced.We are happy with our 435 with 850+ hours.

[DarrylMueller]

I am looking for something in the 10,000 to 17,000 class for drilling and tight excavating work. Would like good oil flow to run the drill.

[DarrylMueller]

I have used a 337 Bobcat to excavate with and liked it.

[DarrylMueller]

I am really also concerned on the width the smaller the better on width.

[DarrylMueller]

It looks like the TK 153 has a small width for it's size.

[KSSS]

It looks like the TK 153 has a small width for it's size.


On the excavating side of things, I think it is tough to find a machine that can beat the TB153FR. With its side to side boom, if you can drive the machine into the job you can work the machine. Compare the specs and the 153 compares well with most everyone elses 16K machine.


The one area this machine does not spec well is in aux. flow which sounds like it might be an issue for what you want to do. I plan on putting a mower head on mine this Summer even though the flow is not great at about 16 gpm. It works a hoe pack alright but a machine of this size should be over 20 I think.


But for digging, she will dig.

[DarrylMueller]

What about a pump merg on the TB153 to get the flow up, I priced it on PC 75uu the last time I was looking and just dropped the whole idea after sticker shock. I like 40 gpm but not sure the is a realiety on mini ex. I will only buy used for cash no finance.

[KSSS]

What about a pump merg on the TB153 to get the flow up, I priced it on PC 75uu the last time I was looking and just dropped the whole idea after sticker shock. I like 40 gpm but not sure the is a realiety on mini ex. I will only buy used for cash no finance.


I was going to ask about that and see what could be done. I don't need 40 gpm although that would be great, I doubt you could keep it cool. I would be happy with 20-22, which is what I think it should be anyway.

If your looking for used the TB53FR is the same machine. The 153 has a few improvements but they are much the same. The TK/CASE dealer here has several used TB53's one of which is my old one.

[DarrylMueller]

I looked on Machinery Trader and there was a 153 with dual flow hyd, did not say what the total was so it looks like it is offered. Whats you dealer asking for a used 53?

[KSSS]

I looked on Machinery Trader and there was a 153 with dual flow hyd, did not say what the total was so it looks like it is offered. Whats you dealer asking for a used 53?

Dual flow they are refering to is being able to run a hammer on single and a thumb on dual flow. I am sure it does not refer to combing pumps. Mine is dual flow, its standard on the machines. There is a valve up by the cab. As far as what they want out of their used 53's call Darren @ 208-520-6161. It is Pioneer Equipment. The same dealership you guys have in Cali.

[nzpatch]

I had a 305cr from new to 3300hrs ,2 new engins ,new boom, new hyd lines , lots of front window handles ,pump drive thing, over heating , not mutch fun but the cat dealer stood by me so i upgraded to the 305ccr. this is way better ,no over heating and moor power by far. 1200hrs so far.:)

[DarrylMueller]

So is the 305ccr a newer model? Cats website not working good tonight?

[Nac]

I am looking for something in the 10,000 to 17,000 class for drilling and tight excavating work. Would like good oil flow to run the drill.

You have to go to an 8 Ton class machine to get the flow. Under 8 ton you ar lucky if you get 17 GPM at a 8 ton you will get 37 GPM. With the flow combiners you will not get the flow and you will heat problems. You can always run a hydraulic power pack to get the flow. I am looking to set up 1 ton mini to run a 12,000 lb anchor drive motor runing on a power pack putting out 40 GPM @ 3,000 PSI.
I am running a 20,000 lb anchor drive motor on my PC45 I get the torque but it is like watching paint dry how slow it is.

[Woodboatdave]

I have a cat 303.5 with 5100 hrs. Had to put water pump in it last year.
That's it. Always starts, runs good, does what I ask. Other than the normal undercarriage stuff that wears out that's it. Cat also has a great parts availability that has to be considered. We have 3 Komatsus ( 160's and 200) just ask anybody who has had to go to them for a part. Be prepared for a long wait.
We are changing over to Cat as machines wear out. This year we got a 307 and a D5 ( love both) Also have a JD 50 mini which I have to say has been great but has a small cab for it's size.

[DarrylMueller]

Sorry Woodboatdave you have a lazy Komatus Dealer I can get almost anything the next day.
Yes it is looking more like a PC 75uu. I was trying for a small foot print. What make drive head on the anchor hooked to the pc45 and what hydraulic psi are you running on the drive head.

[DarrylMueller]

Is that a Chance Helex on the PC45. We are certified McClain Dixie installers.

[Nac]

The drive head is a Pro-dig. Yes the anchors are Chance.

[DarrylMueller]

I also represent Pro-Dig along with Eskridge Digga and Pengo what is the Model of the Pro-Dig and the hydraulic motor on the Pro-Dig and psi, Did you put in across port relief valve, does the PC45 have a built in aux or did you have to add. I did not see a case drain hose? OK I just am real interested on what works and who set it up, I don't care what any sales team says untill it works well it's not proven. I really like drilling and challanging jobs.

[Nac]

I have to check the model number but it is a single speed 20,000 ft lb. The machine has factory aux. plumbing, yes there is no case drain hose. The machine is putting out just under 3,000 psi. I also addeda digital torque gage.

[minihater]

Do the Cat 305's have an overheating problem since the muffler is next to the engine in that small compartment? I noticed they have changed the design a few times.

[nzpatch]

yes they do run hot,on the frist 305cr i had you could not run the air con or it would over heat.
the motor is round the other way on the new 305ccr so the heat is not traped between the block and cab, and the cooling system hold alot more too.the radiator is way moor easy to cleen to.good to see cat move forwrd
with the new model.

[hadley]

why does a 305 get compared to a bobcat 435, the 305 is a bigger machine weight wise. a 304 is the size of a 435. if i compared a one ton to a 1/2 ton i'd like it better too

[Ryanrb25]

We have 3 x 435's. One AirCAB and two with just the open cab. One machine has 2326H and the other two have between 800 and 1300. Superior machines. Very minor problems. Worked reasonably hard aswell. The Zero swing is great one the blade is put down. Without the blade down they tend to rock a bit. Tracking speed is great.

[FUJINAMI304CCR]

i have ran a cat 305c Cr and i love it is smooth fast and great for small spaces run it at full throttle for easy operation let us know which you get