I rented a Cat 246D at work today to do some grading around a new playground that has been built. It had just over 800 hours on it. You may recall I have a 2000 Cat 248 of my own, the same size machine which aside from the engine problem I've been very pleased with. I was expecting the 246D to be much improved over the 248 but that really wasn't the case.
To start, when I loaded the machine on the trailer there wasn't enough space between the boom and tire for me to reach the tie down loop and put the load chain through. Got my arm filthy trying to but ended up climbing up on the trailer and reaching down from the top with some awkward maneuvering. Once on the job I was grading with the bucket and it was much more difficult to see the edge of the bucket than with my 248, I really had to lean forward almost forehead against the door glass. Speaking of which, the curved plexiglass distorted my view of the work area, I really had to concentrate on the grade, determining what was really a grade issue or an illusion due to the glass. The controls were sluggish compared to my 248, it acted like my machine does on start-up in extreme cold. I had to anticipate somewhat what I wanted the machine to do before it reacted. After rough grading I was using a Harley Rake. The boom has to be fully lowered in order to open the door. With the Harley Rake attached, this meant having the quick attach plate in full curl before I could get out of the machine. This didn't leave any room for me to get my hands down between the plate and boom to release the attachment latches. I happened to have a bar on the truck that I used to latch and unlatch.
On the plus side, the machine was very quiet and had plenty of power. I was digging full buckets of topsoil from a stockpile all day with little wheel spin and just filling the bucket. I was able to grade as well as I can with my machine. Inside, the split lap bar seems convenient, the rear view mirror is a nice addition and sure saves strain on the neck. There's a whole lot more warning lights, I don't know what they all do but it seems you'd get plenty of warning if something isn't right.
While it was nice to run a new machine, I think in the end I prefer my old 248. With the exception of the new machine having A/C, I think my old machine is more convenient to run.
To start, when I loaded the machine on the trailer there wasn't enough space between the boom and tire for me to reach the tie down loop and put the load chain through. Got my arm filthy trying to but ended up climbing up on the trailer and reaching down from the top with some awkward maneuvering. Once on the job I was grading with the bucket and it was much more difficult to see the edge of the bucket than with my 248, I really had to lean forward almost forehead against the door glass. Speaking of which, the curved plexiglass distorted my view of the work area, I really had to concentrate on the grade, determining what was really a grade issue or an illusion due to the glass. The controls were sluggish compared to my 248, it acted like my machine does on start-up in extreme cold. I had to anticipate somewhat what I wanted the machine to do before it reacted. After rough grading I was using a Harley Rake. The boom has to be fully lowered in order to open the door. With the Harley Rake attached, this meant having the quick attach plate in full curl before I could get out of the machine. This didn't leave any room for me to get my hands down between the plate and boom to release the attachment latches. I happened to have a bar on the truck that I used to latch and unlatch.
On the plus side, the machine was very quiet and had plenty of power. I was digging full buckets of topsoil from a stockpile all day with little wheel spin and just filling the bucket. I was able to grade as well as I can with my machine. Inside, the split lap bar seems convenient, the rear view mirror is a nice addition and sure saves strain on the neck. There's a whole lot more warning lights, I don't know what they all do but it seems you'd get plenty of warning if something isn't right.
While it was nice to run a new machine, I think in the end I prefer my old 248. With the exception of the new machine having A/C, I think my old machine is more convenient to run.