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the best hoe

Dirtman2007

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Joined
Sep 30, 2007
Messages
1,202
Location
Raleigh, North Carolina
Occupation
Heavy Equipment Operator
OK boys who makes the best hoe? cat:beatsme komatsu:beatsme deere:beatsme

They all have their good sides, but those are probably the three most expensive brands from what i've seen. I really like the 210 Volvo that I run.

it's it just me, but do the deere's in the cl version sound so much louder than other machines for the same size?
 

JimBruce42

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2006
Messages
965
Location
Pennsylvania
Occupation
operator
I've only really ran Cat's and Komatsu's, of those two I would say I prefer Cats hands down. That being said I hear from a lot of guys that the Deere's are hard to beat for stability and power.
 

Leadfoot

Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2008
Messages
10
Location
Canada
I prefer Volvo, I like the fuel economy and cab interiors and those really nice pilot control joysticks!
 

Dirtman2007

Senior Member
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Sep 30, 2007
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1,202
Location
Raleigh, North Carolina
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Heavy Equipment Operator
I prefer Volvo, I like the fuel economy and cab interiors and those really nice pilot control joysticks!

Their smooth arn't they! Try dragging a brick across a concrete pad or slab. most likely the tooth will never hit the concrete, try with some other brands and you'll see some teeth scrape marks!
 

brandt pc400

Active Member
Joined
May 5, 2008
Messages
37
Location
omaha nebraska
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opearator
Their smooth arn't they! Try dragging a brick across a concrete pad or slab. most likely the tooth will never hit the concrete, try with some other brands and you'll see some teeth scrape marks!

Are thay relly that smooth? I have never been in a volvo I would like to get in 460lc. thay say it is comparible to a pc400:beatsme
 

stretch

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2008
Messages
784
Location
Southington, CT
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gopher
Those 460's seem real nice...Stamford Wrecking here in CT has two and one on order...a friend of ours who works for Tyler Equipment (dealer) says they are pretty happy with them. Here's a video of one of them working:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj-lK-ldjxc

From what I hear, Volvos are pretty well favored around here. I'd have to say that the majority of contractors, large and small, seem to enjoy the quality of them. I can personally attest to how smooth and quiet they are-when one was working next door, I did not wake up until the alarm clock did. And that was with the windows open.
 

biggixxerjim

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2007
Messages
446
Location
New Jerz
They all have their good sides, but those are probably the three most expensive brands from what i've seen. I really like the 210 Volvo that I run.

it's it just me, but do the deere's in the cl version sound so much louder than other machines for the same size?

yeah when we demo'd a 330clc the motor was super noisy
 

AtlasRob

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2008
Messages
1,982
Location
West Sussex UK
Occupation
owner operator
Their smooth arn't they! Try dragging a brick across a concrete pad or slab. most likely the tooth will never hit the concrete, try with some other brands and you'll see some teeth scrape marks!

They have thier Friday machines also. Same as most manufactures its a bit like statistics, you can make them show whatever you want :D
An ex employer had 2 Volvo 210lc delivered on the same day. 1 was a joy to operate, the other was a complete nightmare. I am reliably informed the 140B are a nightmare to grade with, everything else about them are great but an owner op I know says :Banghead when it comes to final trim or grading. :beatsme
I operated a Volvo 360lc and found it a very capable machine.
 

AtlasRob

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2008
Messages
1,982
Location
West Sussex UK
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owner operator
OK boys who makes the best hoe? cat:beatsme komatsu:beatsme deere:beatsme

To pinch somebody elses quote on another thread, the best one is the one thats 'paid for' :)
Personally I think you will have to agree to disagree as each and everyone of us will have a favourate depending on what we are trying to achieve and as most of us haven't had the chance to do a side by side size comparison it will be difficult to judge.
BUT fire away anyway :popcorn
Me, C@t 245 long lever funny cab :stirthepot :ban no cant say that as I dont think they make the BEST exc.
 

JimBruce42

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Jan 15, 2006
Messages
965
Location
Pennsylvania
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operator
Are thay relly that smooth? I have never been in a volvo I would like to get in 460lc. thay say it is comparible to a pc400:beatsme

They are about the same size, though the Volvo might have a little more weight, those as well as the Cat 345 and JD/Hitachi 450's are in the same class. We've demo-ed a new 460c, they definitely look impressive, with a boom stick that look much more robust than our 345's. Could be why I hear it's a little front heavy.:beatsme

Are all Volvo's rebadged Samsung's or just some ?

I believe the "A-series" were, as far as I understand it, the B's and new C's are Volvo.:confused:
 

cat 385

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2007
Messages
346
Location
west jordan,utah
i like the cat hoes, never ran a volvo hoe, but i have a volvo truck and loader the only deer hoe i've ran was a 750,it was quick but the pump noise drove me crazy.
 

Rockbreaker

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2008
Messages
298
Location
Norway
I like Volvo and CAT the best but...

Neer run other brands for more than a week so i haven`t really the expirience to tell so much about them ( Or maybe best to let it be gone?):rolleyes:

And i totally understand that what makes you happy to drive could be long from my likes too:IMO:exactly
 

dirthog28

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2007
Messages
135
Location
Illionois
Try dragging a brick across a concrete pad or slab. most likely the tooth will never hit the concrete, try with some other brands and you'll see some teeth scrape marks!

You sure can't do that with a Volvo backhoe, you'll be replacing that whole concrete slab. And know it ain't just me!;)
 

Burnout

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2008
Messages
1,448
Location
Edmonton AB
Occupation
Operator at Sureway Construction
Whoever wondered if the C LC versions of the Deere machines are louder than their counterparts by other companies..... yeah they are. It's a John Deere thing. I got re-acquianted with our 270C LC Deere the other day and rememebred what its like to run a real hoe. Most of our fleet of excavators is Cat... as in 5 of about 50-60 machines are Deere. We also have 1 Link Belt and 1 Case, and some Komatsu's mixed in as well.

The Cat's are the best in most guys eyes. I watched our mainline hoe operator who runs our 385 the other day jump in the 270 and the first thing he complained about was the swing was too fast, hydraulic too jerky and the engine was too noisy. I jumped back in it for a bit and continued digging. After lunch we had to move some topsoil, so we had a little dig off. The 270 against a 330CL Cat. Both machines have relatively the same bucket, both machines are right around 7100hrs and the little Deere made that Cat look silly.

I will definately take a Deere anyday of the week. Komatsu makes a nice machine but even with our PC1250's I find the cab cheap and noisy. The Cat's are nice but someone tell me why the decals and paint are coming off a '07 385CL and yet a '77 245 still has decent paint (under 4" of grease).????
 
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