Scat Trak ?

[pushcat]

I'm looking at buying a Scat Trak 1300C skidloader for my own personal use. What kind of experience has anybody had with these. I found it on the internet so I haven't had a chance to look at it in person. A 10 year old machine for less than $10,000 makes me wonder. But it seems like all Scat Traks have a much lower value than other makes of the same vintage. Also, what would this compare to in the Case line, an 1835 or 1840?

 

[bobcat ron]

They are crap, look up "scat" in a dictionary, it means "animal droppings". Volvo took over the PoopTrak line and they haven't sold nearly as much as they hoped and even our local dealer says they are the worst machine out there.

 

[Bentworker2]

I don't know anything about scat trak loaders.

That being said, I have a buddy who has a Gehl skid steer that is about 12 years old, he bought it for about 7k, used it for his project at his home, then had it disintegrate, the cost of paying someone to repair it exceeded what it was worth.

I have a 1987 Case 1835C with a little under 2400 hours, I paid 3K and have put about another 3.5K into it with a complete engine rebuild on the continental TMD20 diesel, some new lines, hoses and all new filters and fluids, and some bucket work on the 4-n-1.

With what I have learned if I was to shop around for an under 10K skid steer again, I would find a good used Case 1845C. A lot of guys will crack on the Case machines, but they are simple, and easy to work on for the most part. Also the 1845C is a good sized machine, has a Cummins engine, plus they sold a ton of them.

Make sure you look a machine over top to bottom, look for cracks, look at all of the filters, look in the belly and see how much crap is in there, look at the hoses, maybe take a jack with you and check for chain slop and the wheel bearings, don't get too excited about any machine. Usually you can find the best deal from a private party, but be careful of any scams. I found my machine on craigslist.org

Good luck,
Peter

 

[Twisted]

What do I know?

I'm sure you'll get lots of "opinions" here from brand-bias members but I happen to own/opperate one & would like to offer my $.02.
I have a '99 model 1750D. About 800 hours on the clicker. Use it around home for dirt, snow, rock, & logging opperations. For the size of the machine, the power is nothing short of phenomenal compared to other brands. Engine HP, hydraulic power, & wheel torque. The Perkins starts down to 0* with no assist. Very trouble free machine so far. A very simple machine to work on. It has a swing up cab that reveals all of the name brand components. I can go to my local auto parts store & purchase all of my filters, u-joints, hoses, etc.

I also operate a 247B Cat that I am very dissapointed with. Approx the same weight/class. Comparing the two (I know wheels vs. tracks) The ride on the cat is WAY better. I would love the joystick controls if you didn't have the lag time that seems like an eternity. Scat Trak is not as quick or smooth for finish work but the amount of hp it applies to the material is night & day.
They both have their places but for heavy "bull work", ease of maintainance, inital cost, and reliability, I'll take the Poo Trak any day.
If + or - 1/4" grade or operator fatigue is important, the Cat.

Like I said, this is just my opinion on the machines that I have enough seat time on to compare.
Good luck either way.
Twisted.

 

[shane]

I have had the opportunity to look over a ScatTrak of about the same vintage when it was new, and what struck me most was even though it wasn't as complex as more expensive machines, it did look relatively easy-to-work on.

Lots of hoses rather than tubelines, which don't last as long, but are definitley easier to replace. Simple, open layout.

I would say that the machine is great for a person who is not afraid to learn and do the tinkering.

Dealer support is the drawback. But if you don't depend on the machine day in, day out for your living, and are not working the guts out of it, it's for personal use, like you said, I'd say go for it. They are rare here.

 

[bobcat ron]

I also operate a 247B Cat that I am very dissapointed with. Approx the same weight/class. Comparing the two (I know wheels vs. tracks) The ride on the cat is WAY better. I would love the joystick controls if you didn't have the lag time that seems like an eternity. Scat Trak is not as quick or smooth for finish work but the amount of hp it applies to the material is night & day.
They both have their places but for heavy "bull work", ease of maintainance, inital cost, and reliability, I'll take the Poo Trak any day.
If + or - 1/4" grade or operator fatigue is important, the Cat. .

What's the disappointment if I may ask?

 

[humboldt deere]

I sat in a scat trak at an auction once. I thought that the view to the cutting edge was poor and the cab was not very comfortable. Have never run one, but yes you can find them very cheap. I bought an 01 thomas 2200 last year fo $5,000 with brand new tires on it and around 4000 hrs. it has a kubota turbo diesel 87 hp. for rough grading, bulk dirt and gravel moving and forklift use it works great. It has tons of power and has'nt had any problems yet, so I think I got a good deal.

 

[pushcat]

I've been running and wrenching on skidloaders for nearly 20 yrs, and in that time I've run all the major brands. The first ever skidloader I ran was an old Bobcat, these days I'm in a Cat 236B or a 297C. Other than the fact that the 297 is new, it is an absolute miserable mother to try to get any work done productively. I believe that the Case 1845C is the best skidloader ever made, and I'll go head to head against any machine that claims to be better. They're just indestructible animals, no way around it. I'm looking to replace my, don't laugh, Hydra-Mac 8C at home. It's been a good machine, but it's time to upgrade. I need one to load manure and hay bales, an occasional landscaping project, and push some snow. Maybe a couple hundred hours a year at most. I have some clearance issues that makes an 1845 too big, so I'm thinking 1835 or 1840.
Thanks for all the input. I shot him an offer via e-mail and haven't heard back, maybe I offended him. Thinking I should just spend a little more and get a good Case, that's what I want anyway.

 

[95zIV]

They are crap, look up "scat" in a dictionary, it means "animal droppings". Volvo took over the PoopTrak line and they haven't sold nearly as much as they hoped and even our local dealer says they are the worst machine out there.

Ron,

Have you ever run a Scat Trak? We had one on the quarry where I worked and that machine ran everyday, didn't break down. It was never plugged in or covered. It was a fantastic machine.

 

[Twisted]

What's the disappointment if I may ask?

Very poor starter in the cold (50* or cooler). Needs to be parked inside.
Low drive torque.
Low engine torque. Easy to stall.
Terrible lag time in the joystick controls. If they work at all. Very dangerous!
Low lift caqpacity for its class.
Had to turn down the hydraulic pressure because of bending lift arms.
All this at a premium price.
That's just off the top of my head.

On the other hand if you are interested in just cruising around on one & looking cool, they are great.
Smooth ride.
Joysticks. (When working)
Yellow, I guess.


Twisted

 

[kmcraig]

My first machine was a scat trak 1500d and I had no problems with it ,I put over 2000 hrs on it with very minor problems. I will till you that viability is not as good as alot of other machines out there but if your just using it around the house it will be a great machine for you. Scat Trac was started by a couple engineers that left Bobcat mad and they used alot of the same ideas(hint the motor sitting sideways with belt drive). Volvo bought out scat trak a couple years back and any volvo dealer sells the parts and works on them. A good majority of them had kubota motors so getting filters is as easy as your local parts store(nape,oriely,ect..). The Volvo's looked just like the scat trak wehn they came out other then the color. they were grey instread of orange. I am out of the loop as of recently but 4 years ago when i owned it I was happy with it overall. I would call a local Volvo dealer and talk with them, I dealt with Van Keppel out of Kansas city but I am sure there are many other good dealerships out there. I will say they are a breeze to work on and service. just my opinion so take what is worthy to you and disregard the rest......hope it helps

here is a link to volvo http://www.volvoskidsteers.com/

 

[kmcraig]

forgot to mention as far as a 1500lb machine i was impressed that it had a 65hp turbo kubota engine so the power was much better then the 743 my brother owned but his may have just been a slug so don't beat me up all you Bobcat lovers out there (if there are any left)

 

[bobcat ron]

Ron,

Have you ever run a Scat Trak? We had one on the quarry where I worked and that machine ran everyday, didn't break down. It was never plugged in or covered. It was a fantastic machine.

Back in 1996, when they first came out, the Bobcat was the winner in the demo, out of all three of us that tried it, all common complaints were the cab was cheesy and visibilty to the tires (front or rear) was poor and there were no grease fitting anywhere, greaseless pins? Oh C'mon.

 

[humboldt deere]

forgot to mention as far as a 1500lb machine i was impressed that it had a 65hp turbo kubota engine so the power was much better then the 743 my brother owned but his may have just been a slug so don't beat me up all you Bobcat lovers out there (if there are any left)

743 has around 40 horse and 1300 lb rating so not a very fair fight. Ron are they really lacking zerks?

 

[95zIV]

743 has around 40 horse and 1300 lb rating so not a very fair fight. Ron are they really lacking zerks?

No, every moving point on them has a fitting.

 

[kmcraig]

Ok Ok i knew someone would take that wrong, I am not a bobcat man so i dont know the sizes/hp ratings but from what i seen when i was looking the bobcats had the least hp rating to enigine hp of most o the machins out there. Bottom line is my brothers machine works fine and i was just stating i like the power of mine a little more at the time. I now own Cats but i never had any issues on my scat trak was all i was getting at , mine had grease fittings at all the normal spots but it was a newer one so they might have changed in the last couple years of there production. I was guessing he would want a past owners perspective too along with all the guys chiming in that have never owned and/or used one. they are far from fancy and dont ride the best but overall i dont think they are bad machines and for someone with a tight budget it may work out for them. Hope this helps without ticking anyone off

 

[humboldt deere]

Ok Ok i knew someone would take that wrong, I am not a bobcat man so i dont know the sizes/hp ratings but from what i seen when i was looking the bobcats had the least hp rating to enigine hp of most o the machins out there. Bottom line is my brothers machine works fine and i was just stating i like the power of mine a little more at the time. I now own Cats but i never had any issues on my scat trak was all i was getting at , mine had grease fittings at all the normal spots but it was a newer one so they might have changed in the last couple years of there production. I was guessing he would want a past owners perspective too along with all the guys chiming in that have never owned and/or used one. they are far from fancy and dont ride the best but overall i dont think they are bad machines and for someone with a tight budget it may work out for them. Hope this helps without ticking anyone off

No offense taken just giving my opinion I think if the machine is just for personal use, who cares if it is not comfy or a productive grading machine. Just get what you can afford and what will do the job without breaking down daily.:drinkup

 

[95zIV]

The one that I ran was either a 97 or 98, before it came to the quarry it was used with a sweeper and cleaned the yard at the readymix plant. I was down in the quarry sometime in march and that machine was still up and running. They may not be the top of the line machines, but I never had a problem with visibility and comfort. But then again I tend to like the less complicated machines because I tend to be a function over form kind of person. Yeah Cat and them may make a high dollar machine that looks good sitting on a job but for some people the less expensive route makes more sense.

 

[bobcat ron]

They also had this super dumb quick attach, you kicked these paddles on top to release the wedges, and curled the bucket in to pop them down, they jammed up with sand real fast on our demo!

 

[pushcat]

Very poor starter in the cold (50* or cooler). Needs to be parked inside.
Low drive torque.
Low engine torque. Easy to stall.
Terrible lag time in the joystick controls. If they work at all. Very dangerous!
Low lift caqpacity for its class.
Had to turn down the hydraulic pressure because of bending lift arms.
All this at a premium price.
That's just off the top of my head.

On the other hand if you are interested in just cruising around on one & looking cool, they are great.
Smooth ride.
Joysticks. (When working)
Yellow, I guess.


Twisted

Amen bother! I could sit here for an hour and start naming complaints, but what's the point. I'm sent out with it to get jobs done, and that's what I do. My main complaint is that it must have been designed by a group of overachieving super-geniuses that have never worked dirt for a living. It's just way too complex. When you have to read the operator's manual to figure out where the basic machine controls are located and how to use them, it's gone too far.