You can look at specs and ratings all day, until you run it in the task you need, you will never know if it will do what you want.
Ratings are ratings and seldom give a real world feel for what the machine can accomplish for what you want to do.
I would never buy another piece of equipment without a demo, just like you would never buy a car without a test drive. If its brand new and its something you already have and know works, thats different. But if you are switching brands, models, or something else, it is always best to demo it. If they refuse to give you a demo that is an indicator of their service/support. If they have machines on the lot and simply wont let you try one without any sort of reasonable explanation that shows you how well they will treat you for years to come. If they do not have machines on the lot at all that shows one of two things. Either they don't try to sell many or can't sell many or they sell so fast they can't keep them around. If the reason they don't have one is because they are "sold out" look into the details. if they are "sold out" because they had one machine sitting there for a year and just sold it and now decided to restock, their parts and service dept likely follow the same pattern for that line as does the possibility of getting a loaner/rental.
Try to get both machines out for at least a couple hours and use them for your most demanding tasks that you are worried about, things that require a lot of pushing power, breakout force, lifting ability (weight,reach forward, reach height), hydraulic flow/power, tight spaces you may be concerned about, stability etc etc. Beat the snot out of it if needed, but make sure to take the time to get used to the controls and features in each machine so that you can decided which one has the most functional and/or nicest ones. Don't forget service. Look at the layout of the machine, will things like preventative maintenance (fluids,filters,cleaning,grease,etc.), basic repairs (starter,alternator,belt(s),water pump,hydraulic hoses), and maybe even advanced repairs be easy to do. Remember time is money. Even if under warranty, your machine is still down until the repair is completed and if its that much easier to work on, the tech will finish sooner. The cost savings are even greater for those doing their own repairs. Don't be scared to grab the wrench and flip the cab up and/or take some of the sheilds/skid plates off to see how things might come apart.
Once you see how they perform in the real world, how nice they are to operate, and the serviceability of them, come back to the dealership themselves. Which one values you and your time more? Could be as simple as the one who drives out to meet with you versus the other one doing business at the dealer. Tour their parts dept, and shop. Talk to some of the people there(especially mechanics), talk to the others in the area about the dealer. GOOGLE them, you'd be surprised what you find, but remember a lot more people come online to vent about issues than people who come on to talk about how great everything is. Many of the 5 star reviews are not from actual customers.
I don't know Deere well on the construction side, but I will say that both CAT const. and John Deere Ag. seem very alike at levels above the dealership. Both believe in large multi-location regional territory dealerships, highly advanced speedy parts systems, offering the full line-up, putting there name on every little piece of the machine, immense quality control, catchy marketing, brand recognition, and making you feel warm and fuzzy so you spend more. Both companies are essentially control freaks. Now I do not know about Deere const. but I do know their Ag. division seems to have a next day mentality for parts. They can have it all the next day however they don't keep much at the dealership. For some people this works, however for some pieces of equipment such as Forage harvesters and balers, where the crop can't wait till morning, this policy does not work.
Weigh everything out to make the final decision. If possible, have a couple of your better employees or a good friend or two go through the machines with you as well for alternate opinions.
Real world functionality (don't get blinded by the looks and comforts)
Operator comfort
Added features
Serviceability
Model History (Cat track issues, Deere issues etc)
Resale Value
Warranty Period and Coverage
Dealer Sales Service
Dealer Machine Service
Dealer Parts Service
Dealer Policies (maybe they do free or discounted loaners)
Dealer Location Convenience (15 minutes away versus 30 minutes away, but maybe the 30 minutes away has a parts drop 5 minutes away or delivery.)
Dealer Hours Convenience (Service and Parts, may not be as important in your business but in Ag it means a lot to be open longer)
Emergency service/parts (if you break down at 2 am can they get you going again and how much extra do they charge.
Cost of ownership (Service intervals, fuel useage,wear parts, etc)
Once you weigh out the pros and cons of each, revisit the numbers and decide how much the machines are worth. Maybe you don't even feel the Deere is worth what they quoted you or maybe you feel the Cat is worth the price gap, maybe you think the Cat is way overpriced or the Deere is way underpriced. Once you decide on these things, get down to dealing. Explain to each salesman what you like and don't like and why you have chosen the value of their machines. Work each one of them as low as you can on price, then work them lower on other things. Maybe the deal will end up with one CTL being 4K more than the other but you feel it is only worth 2K more than the other machine, ask for some little things like filters and fluid for free, or some other things like buckets or other features at cost. Remember at cost doesn't cost them anything. Maybe they can make the deal by selling you a machine without A/C,radio,power-attach etc and then adding those back in at cost.
At the end of it all, you'll know which one is right. Good luck.
