60xt

[marc21]

I am looking to buy my first skid steer and eventually start a business. I will be back filling, loading dirt into trucks, digging basements, cleaning corralls and all sorts of other work. My question is, is a case 60xt big enough to do that kind of work or should i go with something bigger? Thanx in advance for you help and opinions.

 

[KSSS]

I was with you right up until you said dig basements. I have dug five full basements with a skid steer and numerous crawl spaces. I have even dug some of them with a CASE 1840. The 60XT would do it but it will take some time. You would have approx. 74 hp and 1800 pound of ROC. The 60XT is a good all around machine. If you were going to have a steady diet of intese digging like basements and you wanted to use a skid steer I would step up to a 90XT with a set of steel tracks. Also a Rezloh edge on your bucket will help immensely. With a 95XT I could dig a 74X30 crawlspace approx 3-4 feet in the ground in about 4.5 hours. Ground conditions here are real rocky. It was pretty effective on the crawl spaces.

 

[marc21]

ok, the dealership here has a couple 60xt's and i think one 90 or 95. I don't plan on doing alot of basements, but i would like to be able to if it comes up. My friend has an 1845 with well over 7000 hours on it, very reliable machine. I'm going in on friday to demo the case machines, i will let you know how it goes.

 

[stuvecorp]

Case skids are good and reliable, I like to grumble about some things. On the whole you would probably be happier if you went with the 90XT. If you want to do more excavating type stuff and treat it as a small dozer. KSSS has it right, get some steel over the tire tracks because for the money they work pretty good. I like the Loegering brand for the easier removal. Good luck

 

[marc21]

do think a 90 or 95 will still be nimble (for lack of better word) enough to get into small places or do backfilling around houses. i also was reading somewhere about the pins on the 90 or 95 and them wearing fast. Heard anything about that.

 

[KSSS]

I believe what your refering to is the loader slap that is common on the 90XT very similiar to the slap found on the 1845C. The 90XT is radial lift but a complicated linkage. The cycle times are very quick due to the loader arm/bucket cylinder design (similar to the CASE backhoe). It is a heavy machine slightly shorter wheel base than a 95XT. It has a rather unimpressive ROC of 2450. However its excavating ability is very well respected. Weighing around 9500 pounds with 85ish hp and 268 footpounds it can flat move material. Two speed is standard on these machines. Ride Control is a great option. Not a great lift and carry machine. Nimble does not come to mind with the 90 or the 95. They are big and heavy. After you demo them you will see what I mean. I have never bought a 90XT although I would like to. I have had 2 95XTs and currently have a 465. Great machines from a production standpoint. Lacking in the cab comfort area. A good all around machine in my opinion would be the 440 or the 435 if you wanted a vertical lift. The older series would be 70XT or 85XT.

 

[marc21]

thank you for your input ksss and stuve you have really anwsered my questions perfectly. You really know your stuff ksss.
Marc

 

[marc21]

so a 90xt wouldn't be very good for moving dirt from pile to truck and stuff, it's more of a digger and pusher? is the load slap a really bad thing, if so can it be fixed?

 

[KSSS]

I should have qualified that statement about lift and carry. If you plan on using it to move palletized material that is heavy, rocks, big trees etc. that would be considered lift and carry type job tasks. If the material will fit in the bucket it will do just fine. When you put the pallet forks on and look for the pallet 3600 pound retaining blocks it will struggle with that type of operation. There is nothing wrong with that slap. You can bush the linkage if you like but it does not effect the operation. If demo a 90XT with some hours on it you will see what I mean. Its not a deal breaker.

 

[marc21]

thanx for the clarification, I'm either going to buy a 90xt or a cat 246, the cat is a much nicer machine but lots more exspensive and case seems to be very reliable which is important since i won't have any sort of backup machine.

 

[greywynd]

Anther thought, depending on your uses, would be to look at the 60 you originally were looking at, and if you only plan to do one or two basements a year, rent a larger machine, or an excavator to do those. I've thought about buying a skid myself for probably three (or more) years, but the work I do I seem to be able to do with the mini excavator I have, and my one ton dump. I rented a skid last year for 1/2 a day in total, this year, even though I did more excavating in general than last year, I still haven't needed a skid steer at all.

Three years ago the rental company and I were very good friends though, seemed like I had a skid out at least once a week for a day or so. It all seems to depend on the work that you have and are doing. In my case, I have enough truck and trailer that I can easily transport the skids that I need and rent, though timing can be an issue sometimes, it does keep the rental costs down.

 

[marc21]

I think me and my friend are going to be doing alot of corral cleaning, he's going to provide tractor and sh** spreader and i'll do the skid steer work. I understand what your saying but my point of view is to buy something bigger and if i need something small for lawn work or something i can rent something small. My theory behind that is, bigger equipment costs more to rent. So instead of own small rent big and pay 200 a day when i need to rent i can own big and rent small and pay 150 a day. does that make sense, i have a feeling i'm babbling.:beatsme

 

[greywynd]

Makes sense, as long as it makes sense to you. Like I said, it all depends on what you're going to be doing. If it's mostly cleaning corrals and the like where a larger machine will be of help, then get that, since that is the focus of your work. In my case, I focus on small excavating work, so that's what I have. When I need larger, I rent or bring in another contractor.

I also have worked with other contractors in the past, if they have equipment that compliments mine.

 

[KSSS]

Marc. The 90XT and 246 are not in the same class. The 246 specs more along the lines with the 60XT. As far as the cab goes the older XT machines were more spartan compared to the newer CATs. The 90 is much heavier built (weighs about a 30% more than the 246. They are both radial lift which is about as much as they have in common. You are wise to purchase the larger machine and rent smaller if needed. Large skid steers are difficult to find to rent and they are more expensive. Smaller skid steers are a dime a dozen. What year of 90XT are you looking at. Does it have ride control?

 

[marc21]

it's a 2001 i believe. You are right, the cat is 2000lb roc, and the 60 is 1800, but the cat wats 600lbs more. I haven't had much of a chance to look at the 90 as the deals is doing work on. which is probably a bad thing. but i like the linkage on a the 90's. I is quite a bit heavier the the 246, around 2000lbs. I'm not entirely sure what i need. the cat guys told me i should get something heavier for the corral cleaning and dirt work, i just don't know how heavy i need.

 

[marc21]

a cat in the same class as a ninety would be expensive.

 

[marc21]

i'm gonna try out a 400 series case and make my decision then. i'll let you know what i decide.

 

[kyle]

If you are still looking at the 2001 90xt. I just wanted to mention Case had some issues around that time with quality control. See if you can talk to the previous owner. Not all machines were bad, but a few had all kinds of hydraulic, and electrical problems. The 90xt is my favorite machine. Listen to KSSS it sounds like he really knows his Case skidsteers. I would absolutely agree with everything he has said on this thread. The 90xt will move dirt faster than any machine on the market, however it does not have the greatest lift capacity for it's weight.
The loader arm slap on the 90xt really isn't a big deal as far as I know. If the loader arms are real loose, you can shim them up and try to take some of the slop out. We have also welded blocks down where the loader arm braces against the frame to take some side to side play out when you are in digging position.
Overall the 90xt's have been great machines. So don't let me scare you off. It's just that around 2001 there were a lot of little annoying problems which started to give some dealers (and customers) a lot of headaches. I would assume by now that any problems should have been fixed by the local dealer a while ago. I would just check to make sure everything electrical functions the way it should, and check the machine for leaks.

 

[marc21]

the 90 sounds like a perfect machine for me, heavy for good digging and and moves dirt fast, 2400lbs should be plenty for lift. Thanx for your input

 

[Fieldman12]

So load slap is that like boom sway on the 200 series and 300 series Deere's? Im taking it that they are worn pins and bushings from what KSSS said? Is it side to side movment your talking about??