John Deere 323e or Takeuchi TL8 or TL10

[CCW13]

I've pretty much narrowed my choice down to one of these machines. The TL8 is the cheapest and the TL10 is a little more than the JD323e. I prefer the Tak but the dealer is about a 40 minute drive from me and the Deere dealer is just a couple miles away. What is your opinions on the John Deere vs the Tak as far as quality, performance (i know the TL10 is a little bigger machine but the TL8 should be comparable) etc etc. The Deere is a vertical lift where both the Taks are radial. For my uses though I don't think it really matters. This will just mainly be used on the farm for feeding cattle, clearing brush and any other odd jobs I can find for it. And just in case anyone is wondering I have looked at the other brands and I'll quickly list why I'm not considering them:

Kubota - Priced the 75 and it was more than the TL8 and the Deere both and only a little less than the TL10. They don't have one in stock and it may be a month before they get another. Also I didn't know Kubotas don't have radios and are not wired for them.

Bobcat- They seemed to not really be interested in my business since I was only a private individual and not buying a few for a company. They priced me a 630 and it was the most expensive machine I have been quoted.

Case - Took me 2 days to be able to speak to the only guy that handles sales and then he never got back to me with a price. I called once again to see why and he was out again and not available and never received a call back. If it's that hard to get a price I definitely don't want to deal with that dealer and there are no others close.

These were the only brands with dealers near me.

 

[Rentalstop]

My vote is for Deere. 319 is a base model 323 if you want to save a couple bucks. Deere has a much larger market share and better dealer network. Parts and service are huge with these machines. Vertical lift may be better for resale. JMHO

 

[CCW13]

My vote is for Deere. 319 is a base model 323 if you want to save a couple bucks. Deere has a much larger market share and better dealer network. Parts and service are huge with these machines. Vertical lift may be better for resale. JMHO

Thank you for the response. I read somewhere that John Deere exaggerates their claims a little on their machines. Any truth to this?

 

[movindirt]

If you want a durable machine that will get the usual farmer abuse, then the Takeuchi is the one you want, Takeuchi's are about the toughest machines you'll ever run. As far as dealers, that something you'll have to find out for yourself, my local Cat dealer is amazing to dealer with, and it blows John Deere out of the water, drive a couple hundred miles north of me and you'll find plenty people complaining about Ziegler Cat. Point is see how you like dealing with the people at Deere and Takeuchi before you buy.

 

[chevy94]

I've pretty much narrowed my choice down to one of these machines. The TL8 is the cheapest and the TL10 is a little more than the JD323e. I prefer the Tak but the dealer is about a 40 minute drive from me and the Deere dealer is just a couple miles away. What is your opinions on the John Deere vs the Tak as far as quality, performance (i know the TL10 is a little bigger machine but the TL8 should be comparable) etc etc. The Deere is a vertical lift where both the Taks are radial. For my uses though I don't think it really matters. This will just mainly be used on the farm for feeding cattle, clearing brush and any other odd jobs I can find for it. And just in case anyone is wondering I have looked at the other brands and I'll quickly list why I'm not considering them:

Kubota - Priced the 75 and it was more than the TL8 and the Deere both and only a little less than the TL10. They don't have one in stock and it may be a month before they get another. Also I didn't know Kubotas don't have radios and are not wired for them.

Bobcat- They seemed to not really be interested in my business since I was only a private individual and not buying a few for a company. They priced me a 630 and it was the most expensive machine I have been quoted.

Case - Took me 2 days to be able to speak to the only guy that handles sales and then he never got back to me with a price. I called once again to see why and he was out again and not available and never received a call back. If it's that hard to get a price I definitely don't want to deal with that dealer and there are no others close.

These were the only brands with dealers near me.

CCW13,

I have never been a big fan of the Deere CTL's they seem to be underpowered and the one I ran was very loose/sloppy. (Granted it was a "D" series with 400hrs)

The Tak machines are animals pushing dirt, the only downsides to me were radial lift and the cabs are very outdated.

Kubota's are very nice machines, whoever told you the Kubota's were not wired for radios was incorrect. Looked at a brand new SVL75-2 at a farm show and the salesman showed me the speakers in the cab and the punch-out where the Jensen radio wires right in. The track frames are also very nice and easy to clean out.

Ever since Bobcat switched to Doosan engines, I have been hearing a lot of people are leery of them but I do not have personal experience in the newer machines.

Can not say very much about the Case products.

Cat makes good equipment, parts availability is usually very good (can next day most items), I am not a big fan of the swing-out door and their EH controls however.

See if you can demo a couple before you ultimately choose, dealer support is paramount but so is your comfort in each machine.

 

[CCW13]

CCW13,

I have never been a big fan of the Deere CTL's they seem to be underpowered and the one I ran was very loose/sloppy. (Granted it was a "D" series with 400hrs)

The Tak machines are animals pushing dirt, the only downsides to me were radial lift and the cabs are very outdated.

Kubota's are very nice machines, whoever told you the Kubota's were not wired for radios was incorrect. Looked at a brand new SVL75-2 at a farm show and the salesman showed me the speakers in the cab and the punch-out where the Jensen radio wires right in. The track frames are also very nice and easy to clean out.

Ever since Bobcat switched to Doosan engines, I have been hearing a lot of people are leery of them but I do not have personal experience in the newer machines.

Can not say very much about the Case products.

Cat makes good equipment, parts availability is usually very good (can next day most items), I am not a big fan of the swing-out door and their EH controls however.

See if you can demo a couple before you ultimately choose, dealer support is paramount but so is your comfort in each machine.

Chevy thanks for the reply. As far as the Kubota, the salesman didn't know much about the track loaders at all. He basically didn't know any questions we asked. They only had the SVL95 so I didn't hang around long but I did sit in the cab to see how roomy it was. I noticed no radio and that's what I was told. I didn't notice speakers but I didn't look around inside a lot. But somewhere around 56-58k for the Kubota without a radio kind of killed my enthusiasm. I did like the spaciousness of the cab though. I think I'm leaning towards the TL8 or TL10. I'll probably spend the extra and get the 10.

 

[JNB]

Chevy thanks for the reply. As far as the Kubota, the salesman didn't know much about the track loaders at all. He basically didn't know any questions we asked. They only had the SVL95 so I didn't hang around long but I did sit in the cab to see how roomy it was. I noticed no radio and that's what I was told. I didn't notice speakers but I didn't look around inside a lot. But somewhere around 56-58k for the Kubota without a radio kind of killed my enthusiasm. I did like the spaciousness of the cab though. I think I'm leaning towards the TL8 or TL10. I'll probably spend the extra and get the 10.

Yeah, you talked to a Kubota salesman with no clue. The SVL95's and 2016 SVL75's are radio ready. I don't believe the 2015's were. The price he gave you for a 75 is also bit high. I don't think you'd be disappointed with a Tak. I wanted a SVL90-2 or TL10 and would've been happy with either. I chose the 90 because of the relationship I have with the dealer.

 

[CCW13]

I called another Kubota dealer a little further away and they have a couple in stock (SVL75-2). He's supposed to get me a price tomorrow morning. I do have one question to those of you with the Kubota.....did I read the specs correctly and it is only 15 gallon a minute? I want to make sure I can run a brush cutter with whatever I get. But that would be the lowest rating of any of the machines I looked at.

 

[JNB]

The SVL75 standard flow is 18.8 gpm. I've run several cutters on the 75 and as long as they're tailored to the flow it works fine.

 

[HRPServicesTX]

I'll 2nd on getting either the Kubota or a tak. My 90 has been amazing with every task I throw at it.

 

[CCW13]

Let me ask a question. Does John Deere inflate their specs or can you believe them. Their smaller track loader has better specs than a lot of the bigger track loaders.

 

[JNB]

I don't know how Deere specs them, but they are know for their lifting power. If you're comparing a radial lift machine to a vertical, pound for pound (and horsepower) the vertical will typically have more lifting power and a higher tipping weight.

 

[CCW13]

I don't know how Deere specs them, but they are know for their lifting power. If you're comparing a radial lift machine to a vertical, pound for pound (and horsepower) the vertical will typically have more lifting power and a higher tipping weight.

True the JD is a vertical and the TL10 Tak is a radial but the TL10 seems like so much more machine. The specs just don't seem to show it. I'm new to this so I'm learning as I go on buying one.

 

[JNB]

Here's a site that lets you compare machines side by side using the drop menu. Sorry, it's a Case site and it works about as well as my machine did http://www.casece.com/en_us/Comparison/Pages/CompareSpecifications_Results.aspx?eqId=2&mn1=TR%20320&mn2=279%20C%20Series%202&mn3=TL%20240

 

[CCW13]

Here's a site that lets you compare machines side by side using the drop menu. Sorry, it's a Case site and it works about as well as my machine did http://www.casece.com/en_us/Comparison/Pages/CompareSpecifications_Results.aspx?eqId=2&mn1=TR%20320&mn2=279%20C%20Series%202&mn3=TL%20240

Thank you that is handy. Looking at that again makes the John Deere 323E look like a more capable machine than the Takeuchi TL10. The TL10 is a 90hp machine and the Deere is a 70hp. I need someone with real world experience to help me out here. I need a CTL for the farm for brush cutting, feeding cows and moving some dirt. Which machine should be more all around capable and be able to handle a larger brush cutter?

 

[JNB]

If it were me and the choice was between the Tak or Deere, I'd choose the Tak hands down. In my not so humble opinion it's a tougher machine. The Deere shares the same frame as their skid steers, the track system is bolted on. Taks are fully welded and purpose built as a CTL and have been from day 1. The only thing that would steer me towards the Deere is the height. The Tak is a lot taller which may be an issue in a farm scenario.

 

[CCW13]

If it were me and the choice was between the Tak or Deere, I'd choose the Tak hands down. In my not so humble opinion it's a tougher machine. The Deere shares the same frame as their skid steers, the track system is bolted on. Taks are fully welded and purpose built as a CTL and have been from day 1. The only thing that would steer me towards the Deere is the height. The Tak is a lot taller which may be an issue in a farm scenario.

Thank you again for responding. I appreciate it. I can't think of a scenario where the height would be an issue. It would go in any of the barns I have. I can pick a new TL10 with cab for 58k. I'm leaning that route. The only thing that stinks is that dealer is about 25-30 miles away while the Deere dealer is just a couple miles.

 

[Mark13]

I would lean toward the TL10 as well. I've run numerous deere skid steers (D series being the newest) and they've never impressed me a lot and I generally can't wait to get out of them. I have a Tak TL230 (older but similar to the TL8) and it's an animal for it's size. I think the Tak's are under rated as well, what the book says they'll do and what they'll actually do is quite a bit different. The fellow I bought my TL230 from replaced it with a TL12 and it's a monster. It's pretty hard on buckets though, he had a 96" grapple built and it lasted less then a day before the machine tore the bottom of the bucket out. I have a 72" version of the same bucket and they're not built light.


Edit. Couple pics I found of my machine picking things up that it shouldn't going by the book.

Chevy Venture van. Google says 3,840lbs. It was missing all the wheels and tires and fluids so say 3,500lbs. I tried picking up a Chevy C20 4x4 with it one day, I think the machine would have lifted it enough to scoot it around if I had longer forks. I couldn't get under it far enough from the side with 48" forks to keep the truck from tipping away from the machine and the far side tires digging into the ground.


3,000lb pallet of salt. It would lift it over the bed side if I really wanted to. It was still very stable even with the pallet 4' off the ground or more.

 

[CCW13]

Very cool. Thanks so much

 

[HRPServicesTX]

The only reason I didn't go with tak is my nearest dealer is around 90 miles away. I would've definitely bought it if only an hour away. So I felt the Kubota was next best since its also a CTL purpose built machine, not skid steer frame with tracks bolted on. I'm sure you'd be very pleased and impressed with that tak.