New to ownership - need advice

[steve whiteside]

I have been chewing on which type of unit would be better and appreciate all of your opinions. It has given me a lot to think about. I think the JD210 with a box blade would work a huge amount better at grading the road than the Bobcat. However, the 210 won't be nearly as capable in the off road, steep sections Ive got. You guys like the attachments that come for the Bobcat. I agree but don't see too much utility for me. The attachments are a nice to have but only very occasionally. The other thing you guys brought to my attention is the portability of the Bobcat. I can see how I could buy a dump trailer, put the trailer on the receiver that came with my F350 truck and transport the Bobcat myself at almost no cost. I don't see a good way of doing that with the 210 unless I get some sort of 5th wheel trailer rated for 15K pound payload. I have 2 properties that I could use the machinery at the 160 acres of mountain and 2.5 acres where I live. I am still looking at both types but am leaning towards the bobcat mostly because of the portability. For instance:

https://www.rbauction.com/2012-BOBC...d=9957825&id=ci&auction=SACRAMENTO-CA-2017187

thoughts?

 

[Metalman 55]

I still maintain that a skidsteer would be a better choice than a tractor with a box on the back, because of their versatility & portability. Having a dealer nearby to support both parts & service is an important consideration as well. We have a 272D wheeled skidsteer and are amazed at the versatility of this machine.......our first skidsteer. Re the grading of roads, once you get onto it, it does a very nice job of grading, not to be compared with a road grader like you hired, but will certainly do a great job of spot repairs here & there, plus a great machine for carrying out a multitude of jobs around on rural property. A CTL is perhaps a better choice over a multi terrain unit, because of their more rugged construction. A CTL also costs more.

 

[steve whiteside]

I have come around to agreeing with you! Maybe every 5 years I will get professional to grade the whole road and other than that I will repair as needed using fill and then backing down with a tilted blade to spread things out. Ive been looking at the T650 and the T770 thinking bigger is better. Are either of those CTL? How can I tell?

 

[Metalman 55]

I am not sure about the Bobcats, but with the Cat's the multi terrain units have rubber bogie type bottom rollers, whereas the CTL style have more like a solid steel bottom rollers.

I copied a link for one that I found that illustrates the Cat CTL type. Much more rugged & it will cost more too. I hope you can open this ok.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=cat+299d&tbm=isch&imgil=6OsmRdGA14bJqM%3A%3BgioBEtsfM6NqhM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.tractorbynet.com%252Fforums%252Fland-clearing-equipment%252F243024-new-cat-299d-xhp.html&source=iu&pf=m&fir=6OsmRdGA14bJqM%3A%2CgioBEtsfM6NqhM%2C_&usg=__kkR9WwE6z9JkTxVcnkfbF3kKXgk=&biw=1920&bih=955&ved=0ahUKEwjps5-WqozUAhVI6oMKHW2mDEUQyjcITg&ei=W3onWamaI8jUjwTtzLKoBA#imgrc=6OsmRdGA14bJqM:&spf=1495759456335

BTW we have only a bucket for our Cat 272D that we purchased used & it acuually does a nice job grading. The blade may not be necessary in my opinion.

 

[Metalman 55]

Here is a link for the Multi Terrain type of skidsteer with the rubber rollers. Not as robust.

http://www.cat.com/en_US/products/n...n-loaders/multi-terrain-loaders/18484359.html

Also, see the photo that shows the quality of grading you can do with a bucketed skidsteer.....CTL units do an even better job of grading than wheeled units do like the one we have in my opinion too.