Bobcat 435?

[Diamondback]

I also own a Bobcat mini (430) and am beginning to wish I had found this website before making the offer to buy. Bear in mind I am a operator wanna be with little experience on excavators.

Already had a Kubota L35 TLB. Backhoe is OK but no comparison to a mini ex for most digging projects. Tried out a neighbor's mini to clean out about 1000 feet of ditch line and fell in love with the little digger.

First mistake, I bought a rental machine with 1900 hrs. Owner of the company was a friend of mine and assured me his rentals were in top condition because they were dilligently maintained by expert mechanics.

Second mistake, trusted my friend was truly aware of how his rental equipment was actually maintained.

Third mistake, after noticing some problems upon delivery I decided they were minor could be taken care of with little effort and expense.

Conclusion...do your homework and take a knowledgeble mechanic/operator with you to inspect prior to making an offer.

Not a knock on Bobcat. I have put 300 hrs on the unit and it has been very productive. Just wish I had done more homework before pruchase.

 

[Ryanrb25]

we have 4 435's ZHS fast track. 1 07 model, 2 08 models and one 09 model. hours range from 100 hours, 600 hours, 1800 hours and 2800 hours. All still fantastic machines. Never had an issue apart from the Dipper arm main pivot bolt tends to come loose, which could be bad but it's not hard to check it. They dig very well and are very fast. Kubota motors are faultless.

 

[landtekk]

I love to hear this. The bolt loosens up on mine ,but like you said it's an easy fix. Scotthttps://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/Forum/images/smilies/drinkup.gif

 

[DGODGR]

Have you gone up the chain to the district Bobcat rep, regional and factory rep? They should be able to get you some satisfaction even if they have to send someone down from Gwinner.
I had CAT reps come down from NC to help solve issues I had with a 272c skid. We just had to make enough noise. I certainly have had issues with some of my Bobcats but my dealer has been awesome though not perfect. I have owned about 13 machines in 12 years..I run 2-3 machines at a time and do all the operating myself. Seems like someone isn't doing their job at the dealer and Bobcat needs to know about it.

As you have noted in your post, you were dealing with CAT. I have, in the past, been in contact with the Bobcat rep. This was after filing out one of those surveys (that come in the mail after warranty repairs are performed). In the comment section I wrote how between 1400 hours of Bobcat use (435: 800 hrs; A300: 600 hrs) vs. 14,000 hours of CAT tractor use (416C: 11,000 hrs; 315CL: 3,000 hrs) the Bobcats had been in the shop at about a 20:1 ratio. Mind you, I did not actually keep score or anything but the difference is huge especially when you consider the amount of hours used on the Cats. Even if they were in the shop the same amount of times it would be way lopsided against the Bobcats because the Cats had 10X the hours. In the beginning the Bobcats could not even get 40 hours of use before they had another warranty issue. Imagine the hassle between movingthe machines bak to the dealer and having to try and get another machine to keep the job going. During the warranty period our dealer did offer a loaner unit but it was never the same unit (as the one being repaired under warrranty-skid vs AWS & tails swing vs ZHS) so we were always making adjustments to how we were doing things. I guess my point is that I have tired of fighting the good fight. The rep is not aware of the most recent problems that I have had with the 435 (or the A300 for that matter) but he has been aware of things up to the point of warranty expiration. Realistically, I have forgotten more of the problems than I can now remember and I get to the pointr that I am tired of even talking about it. Occasionally I get pissed and will begin to rant (see this thread) and eventually tire of it again. You are right. I should complain to someone who can do something about it. I think I have finally resigned myself to the fact that I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO GET THEM TO FIX THE BIG STEAMING TURDS that they sold me instead of the quality machine that they CLAIM to be marketing. Sorry, I felt as though I was about to blow just now.....I feel a little better now. After I calm down a little more I may try to contact Clayton (dealer rep) and try to remember the events and their sequences.

 

[strott]

Proabably be best to try and write down a timeline of events - don't rush it just start it with what you remember and then leave it. Then add things as you remember them.

You could also make copies of all documentation related to the warranty repairs and copies of all invoices for repairs carried out after the warranty expired e.t.c

Once your happy with your 'evidence' then have a chat with your rep.

 

[hprenovation97]

Dgodgr hey did ya sell ur 435 if so I think I have it now, im fixen it all the time , rams leak an blows seal if ya reach out to max, bogs down, I had my first 435 stolen so I had toget another 1st one was great no problems at all, this one o man , cant offard another one right now , otherwise this one be gone an I have another

 

[hprenovation97]

Yes I know im a view yrs late

 

[DGODGR]

Dgodgr hey did ya sell ur 435 if so I think I have it now, im fixen it all the time , rams leak an blows seal if ya reach out to max, bogs down, I had my first 435 stolen so I had toget another 1st one was great no problems at all, this one o man , cant offard another one right now , otherwise this one be gone an I have another

Yes I know im a view yrs late

Nope. I still have both of my Bobcats (an A300 & a 435 ZHS, both 2006 models). The 435 now has about 3,700 hours, the A300 has about 3,400 hours. The last repair I have made was track replacement. Excellent track life, no complaints there (way more than the comparable Cats I've seen). Before that I had to weld the boom (near the dipper mounts). This is a very common problem with these (just ask CD). I have actually had a lot of hours without any major problems lately. I need to re-seal both blade rams and will do so soon. I would have loved to replace them but the thought of the financial setback cooled my jets. Another noteworthy comment is that I recently covered for a buddy of mine. It was a simple exploratory hole to design a septic system. I used my buddies mini (a Cat 305 with 1,700 hours). I found myself wishing I had my mini. Oh, and his tracks were already torn and coming apart (parallel with the car body).