Hi All,
I am new to the forum, and new to this line of work. I am looking for opinions on two items:
Cat vs Bobcat? (they and Case are the only dealers local to me so other ones like Tak and Kabota don't matter)
259D/T590 vs 289D/T650?
The first one is obvious, and I know it will come down to a matter of my own opinion and what I find most important. Please provide any thoughts regarding Cat and Bobcat and why one company is generally better than the other, in your opinion. This will help me confirm, or change, my opinions as they currently stand.
Second, I am torn between the two general model sizes represented by the 259D/T590 and 289D/T650 so any thoughts on that would greatly be appreciated on why one is better than the other.
I am a sole operator of the company and have been running it as a hauling company while building up business. Now I am at the edge of taking the step into the Compact Track Loader world so I can do work more in line with my interests such as cement removal, grading, debris removal, and the like.
The machine I buy, from either manufacturer and of any of the four models, will have:
- Cab with AC (I am in Florida, and it is damn hot here)
- Wide tracks (Florida sand is everywhere)
- Regular flow hydraulics (no plan on running bushwhacker and such, however a god deal could get me into Hi-Flow as a future growth)
- Joystick controls
- Advanced displays
- Power attachment connector
Attachments I plan on buying:
- Industrial grapple
- Hammer/breaker
- 6 way dozer blade
- Bucket
- Possiblly a bushcat/mulcher for land clearing
All of the above being said, any advice on anything you can think of to help me get started would be greatly appreciated.
I have a BigTex 14ET-16 equipment trailer rated at 14,000 pounds (or 11,500 leftover once subtracting trailer weight) It is being pulled by a Ford F700 dump truck so towing and stopping the trailer and CTL will not be an issue I imagine.
As for attachments, is it better to by the name brand Cat/Bobcat stuff, or is going 3rd party like Bradco the better option? I like being able to finance attachments at 0% as part of the main purchase so that is nice, but not sure if the added cost is justified v third party items..
I have a demo of the Cat machines this Friday and I have previously driven the Bobcats over the years, including the T590 and T750.
Any thoughts on the above would be great, as would any comments about things i have not even mentioned or thought of that some of you may have gone through when starting out.
Thanks!
Dave
I am new to the forum, and new to this line of work. I am looking for opinions on two items:
Cat vs Bobcat? (they and Case are the only dealers local to me so other ones like Tak and Kabota don't matter)
259D/T590 vs 289D/T650?
The first one is obvious, and I know it will come down to a matter of my own opinion and what I find most important. Please provide any thoughts regarding Cat and Bobcat and why one company is generally better than the other, in your opinion. This will help me confirm, or change, my opinions as they currently stand.
Second, I am torn between the two general model sizes represented by the 259D/T590 and 289D/T650 so any thoughts on that would greatly be appreciated on why one is better than the other.
I am a sole operator of the company and have been running it as a hauling company while building up business. Now I am at the edge of taking the step into the Compact Track Loader world so I can do work more in line with my interests such as cement removal, grading, debris removal, and the like.
The machine I buy, from either manufacturer and of any of the four models, will have:
- Cab with AC (I am in Florida, and it is damn hot here)
- Wide tracks (Florida sand is everywhere)
- Regular flow hydraulics (no plan on running bushwhacker and such, however a god deal could get me into Hi-Flow as a future growth)
- Joystick controls
- Advanced displays
- Power attachment connector
Attachments I plan on buying:
- Industrial grapple
- Hammer/breaker
- 6 way dozer blade
- Bucket
- Possiblly a bushcat/mulcher for land clearing
All of the above being said, any advice on anything you can think of to help me get started would be greatly appreciated.
I have a BigTex 14ET-16 equipment trailer rated at 14,000 pounds (or 11,500 leftover once subtracting trailer weight) It is being pulled by a Ford F700 dump truck so towing and stopping the trailer and CTL will not be an issue I imagine.
As for attachments, is it better to by the name brand Cat/Bobcat stuff, or is going 3rd party like Bradco the better option? I like being able to finance attachments at 0% as part of the main purchase so that is nice, but not sure if the added cost is justified v third party items..
I have a demo of the Cat machines this Friday and I have previously driven the Bobcats over the years, including the T590 and T750.
Any thoughts on the above would be great, as would any comments about things i have not even mentioned or thought of that some of you may have gone through when starting out.
Thanks!
Dave