I am in the market for a used skid steer for my place in the Texas hill country. Will be mostly used to remove cedars that are taking over, plus piling dead brush etc. So, I'm planning to purchase a brush cutter and grapple to go with the skid steer. I know very little about skid steers other than renting one a few years ago and talking to friends so need some advice.
A local dealer has a 2014 CAT 246D with 1150 hours coming in that I want to consider purchasing. It has enclosed cab with AC, doesn't have high flow, and he says it has rear weights which makes it equivalent to a model 262.
I have several questions. Will this machine handle the type of work and attachments I'm getting? Does it sound like a reasonable price? Do I need to worry about the hours being turned back? Is it possible to check maintenance records? Is there anything in particular that I need to be checking?
Thanks, and I'm looking forward to any advice.
I have an older (early 2000's) 246 that I bought for the purpose of clearing cedar. The brushcutters I've seen are pretty expensive relative to what I paid for my 246, so I just use a grapple bucket. Also, the brushcutters will leave a stump because you don't want to be running the cutter into the ground.
Since cedars (aka ashe juniper) don't root very deep, if you use the right technique, small to mid-sized cedars will come out using a bucket with not too much effort. I try to get the bucket as high on the main branches as possible (as to not break them) and try to push forward, using the tree itself as a lever. A smaller tree will come right out. If the soil is soft, there's no limit to the size of cedar you can unroot. The larger ones require more work. Sometimes I have to dig around the base to loosen the grip the roots have into the soil. But, if you have the time and patience, a grapple bucket will take care of all of them.
Unless you just have the money to spend, I'd just try using a grapple bucket and only buying a brushcutter (or mulcher or forestry cutter) if that isn't working out.
Does it sound like a reasonable price?
How much are they aksing?
Do I need to worry about the hours being turned back?
The meter could be replaced and the true hours hidden. But, if you thoroughly inspect the machine, you'll have a good idea of what you are looking at. If it looks beat up and ran hard, then it's probably gonna have more than 1150 hours.
Is it possible to check maintenance records?
From my understanding, those records are maintained by each individual dealer. Or the previous owner might have performed the routine PMs themselves.
Is there anything in particular that I need to be checking?
You can take fluid samples of the engine oil, hydraulic oil, coolant, and even the fuel.
Make sure there are no cracks or welds on the loader arms.
Make sure all of the controls work.
Inspect the hydraulic cylinders (leaks, dry rot, damage).
Look under the ROPS and behind the rear door and look for leaks from the hydraulic lines and engine.
Take it for a test run. It should have equal power to both sides. The machine should have no problems lifting itself.
Make note of the smoke, white smoke at startup is okay - but it should eventually clear up. Any other color might indicate a problem.
There are very few things that are cheap on these - the parts and labor to work on these are expensive. Make it a point to stay on top of the preventive maintenance schedules.