Hi all. Hubby and I are in the market for a used compact track loader, and so far, have kind of narrowed it down to either a Bobcat 595 or 630, Kubota Slv-75-2, or a John Deere 331. Have not sat in any yet, or had any experience with them. Did some research online, and we like how the door slides up on the Kubota, but have heard it’s noisier. Needs to be joystick controls, enclosed cab with heat&AC. Will be using it for snow removal, and some field work, nothing major. Heard the Bobcat is more cramped, and can’t open the door when bucket is up. Not sure about the JD, other than others like it. We did go to the Bobcat dealer, but they didn’t have any used models to check out yet. Our Kubota dealer, the same. Haven’t checked out JD yet, just haven’t seen many used in our area, so probably have to look farther out. Anyway, anybody have any pros, cons on these models? Would you buy it again? Thanks in advance, and sorry about the long post.

YouTube will be your friend for this.
There are many dozens of channel that will answer all your questions, either in the vids or in the comments section.

There are even dealers explaining each model and make.

Then there are that people giving you the real world nine or 12 month reviews.

I'm a little biased, but have you considered ASV/Yanmar? The factory is located in northern Minnesota in my home town and I have numerous friends that work there. My uncle owns a trucking company that hauls a majority of the loaders they produce. He also has an ASV RC-85 that is an absolutely amazing machine and has been used on my property a couple times. Most of the utility companies around here seem to use ASV's for keeping right-of-way's clear. Several of the contractors in my area also seem to have ASV track loaders. If you're in the market for a track loader ASV's are definitely worth looking at.

ASV has had a couple different partners over the years. I think they made some Bobcat and Cat track loader models prior to the Yanmar merger. Yanmar just invested a large amount of money in the community here for a giant factory expansion.

Can't speak to ownership, but as an operator I found rubber tire skid steers to be far more comfortable than equivalent tracked models. Operator comfort translates to less fatigue and faster production.

Have checked out youtube a lot, but it’s not helping that much. And I’d kind of like to stick with a brand that had a dealership fairly close. Do not have a Yanmar dealership close by. I was hoping to get personal experiences with any of these. Our field is very muddy, and tends to flood in the middle if it rains a lot. Wheels would get stuck faster. A wider track version would be a better choice for us I think.

I wouldn't worry too much about the door not opening with the bucket up, you're not supposed to go under a suspended load anyway, side panel would come off in an emergency. If you have a half days work around the property could you rent one? I would go with the Bobcat, tool rentals use them around here, they must be holding up pretty well.
The one thing I would consider is if they need a scan tool for diagnostics, some have onboard code reading to help with repairs.

Not much experience with this type of equipment ... But i do that if and when a tracked vehicle gets stuck it is stuck and boogger bear to get unstuck maybe compared to a wheeled version. ................. drill sgt.

Be very careful if you buy over the net. I mean very careful. I came very close to getting scammed for more than $30k on a mini excavator. And there would of been zero recourse. Some here helped me to avoid what would of been a devastating loss.

I would also look at Wacker Neuson also.

Also some of the ones you are looking at weigh in excess of 8000lbs. So if you need to move it that can be a challenge.

Sure you know you are talking about a $35k for a used machine.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: old rugged cross,

I would go to your local dealers and rent each of the machines you're interested in as needed. After running them you may find that you prefer one over the other for the work you're doing with it.

quote:

Originally posted by rizzle:
I wouldn't worry too much about the door not opening with the bucket up, you're not supposed to go under a suspended load anyway, side panel would come off in an emergency. If you have a half days work around the property could you rent one? I would go with the Bobcat, tool rentals use them around here, they must be holding up pretty well.
The one thing I would consider is if they need a scan tool for diagnostics, some have onboard code reading to help with repairs.

You hear this about the Kubota door from from people that have my spent a fair amount of any time in one.

I currently sell 2 of the 3 you are talking about and had the misfortune of selling the Deere as well. I worked for the Kubota and Bobcat dealer, left there for a position with the Deere dealer that was 10 minutes from home instead of a hour and a half away. A little over a year later they asked me to come back and I couldn’t wait to get back to selling Kubota. Why? Reliability was the biggest reason. I don’t have to make excuses for Kubota equipment as much as I do others. In 32 years of equipment sales of many different brands including Cat, Deere, Case, Ditch Witch, Doosan, and Bobcat of course. Kubota’s short term and long term reliability is second to none. That makes my life as a salesman easier because my customers are more satisfied.

Regarding the door, once you’ve used that overhead door and then run anything with a swing open door you’ll realize how valuable it is. Just because you can get out with the loader arms in up position doesn’t automatically mean you’re going to do it. A machine without a cab door has the same potential for danger which is very minimal. 25 years ago, yes that was a concern. With the loader arms all the way up. With Bobcat or Deere as soon as the arms are raised 3-6 inches you can no longer open that door. So many times you are using the loader for lifting. More often than not when lifting you’ll want to get out and manipulate or move something. Carry a round bale up to a gate you have to go through. You can’t lower the loader all the way but with the door on the Kubota you can easily get out. Bobcat or Deere you can’t get out so drop the bale and back away.

If you went with a Kubota it’s going to be a struggle to find one for a bit. Kubota introduced the SVL75-3 about a year ago at their dealer meetings. With Covid slowdowns already happening and the lengthy transition to the -3, Kubota hasn’t really been shipping any SVL75s for about a year or more. We have 64 new -3s on order and just got our first ones. Over 50 of these are already sold and those at the tail end will probably be waiting until spring. My point is with the new models trickling in, so do the trades Bobcats aren’t much better though they didn’t have a complete stop shipments.

New to new Bobcat prices have really gone up. Kubota had gone up too but not as much. This means used equipment values, especially lower hours, will also be higher. Because a Bobcat T66 is now $80-$85K and an SVL75-3 is in the mid upper $60s, a used T595 will have a higher price than a comparable SVL75. Kubota is just a great value.

Bobcat does offer a nicer fit and finish and a lot more options with switchable controls, suspension undercarriage (don’t get hung up on having to have this) ride control, reversing fan etc. the T595 is very popular. The t630 & T650 are both real workhorses as well. Bobcat serviceability is hard to beat.

Kubota controls are unique in that they are true pilot controls meaning there is a hydraulic control valve at the bottom of that Joystick. Bobcat and Deere and almost all others are electric over hydraulic. True pilot controls give you a better feel than elec/hyd. However elect/hyd give manufacturers the ability to do other things like speed management, programmable drive and loader control etc, stuff most people never change. The speed management is nice when running attachments, makes it much easier to control the speed and maintain RPMs.

I know some happy JD owners. I also no many unhappy. While is was 11-12 years ago I sold them, it left a sour taste in my mouth. That’s all I’ll say.

For those that say wheels are better than tracks because of a smoother ride or they get less stuck, boloney. They only place a wheel machine has the advantage over tracks is in the snow and even that is a maybe depending on the track pattern. Even wheels aren’t that great - it’s in the name “skid steer”. It has to break traction to turn.

All that said, living skid steers day in and day out, if I were spending my money in that budget area, I’d Certainly have Kubota at the top of the list as a general rule of thumb with the T595, T630 or T650 a suitable second if the right deal came along.

What do I own? A Bobcat S250 wheeled machine and a 5600 Toolcat :green: however I envoke “right deal came along” clause. If I could justify $40K + I’d have a Kubota in the stable and still might some day.

Feel free to look on our website www.lanoequip.com. We are the oldest Bobcat dealer in the world and Kubota’s largest construction equipment dealer in Minnesota.

BRL, thank you! That does help a lot. I know we are new to these, and your input and your experience with these helps tremendously.
And everybody else, thank you as well. Been trying to be careful on internet sales, already found one scam. Found some decent deals off EBay, but they sold before we made a decision. Also checking personal for sale ads, that we could go look at it too. We will keep looking, hopefully a good deal will come along and we can find the right one for us.

I shuttled eight tri-axle loads of fill dirt around a friends barn using his bigger size CAT skid loader. It didn’t take long to get the hang of it. Side visibility was terrible, rear visibility zero. It has a color backup camera to watch. The AC barely kept up. The loader controls seemed sensitive (maybe adjustable?).
I’d definitely chose a track machine. Moving all that fill did trample the place but after a point it stopped getting worse. I doubt so many trips with a wheeled machine would have been so easy on the ground.

I own a Kubota SVL 75-2. I use it for moving logs, piling wood chips, and cutting fields of brush and small trees with a 72 inch rotary brush cutter. I have not had any problems with it. The hydraulic system gets a few complaints from people because it it a little sluggish when turning. The new SVL 75-3 solves that problem with a new system that is more efficient at splitting power between the boom and tracks. The SVL 65-2 has this newer system and can do almost as much work as the SVL 75-2.

The overhead door is a huge benefit. If you have to communicate with someone while performing a task, the open door makes it easy. As BRL mentioned, with a conventional door, if the boom is raised even a few inches, the door is blocked. Several times, I have had to open the door and climb over the bucket or attachment. In one instance, I was travelling through a wooded lot and buried the front of the machine in a hidden bog. The loader was stuck in a nose down position and it was impossible to lower the boom. I would not have been able to open a conventional door. I also own a wheeled skid steer with a swing out door and have been stuck in it when the motor died and the boom was up. Takeuchi also makes a compact track loader with an overhead door. A friend owns both Takeuchi and Kubota loaders and he prefers the Takeuchi. They cost more, though.

If I had to replace my SVL 75-2, I would buy an SVL 65-2 because it is lighter and can lift almost as much weight. I would have no problem buying an SVL 75-2 again or the new SVL 75-3. I think they are the best value. Other machines are a lot more expensive. Plus, Kubota offers 0% financing.

I don’t have a lot of direct experience with compact track loaders, my info comes from watching many, many hours of construction videos. Kubota, Deere, and Bobcat all have their horror stories. In all the channels I follow or videos I watched, the one brand that seems to be loved by all their owners is Takeuchi. So, I would definitely give them a look.

I don’t own either a skidloader (with 4 wheels) or a track version of the same type of machine.

I have driven both, both John Deere, both not new.

My nugget is that the tracked machine has zero suspension. Driving it on solid ground, paving or concrete - it runs like it has square wheels. The seat will be the only suspension.

I have plowed snow with one, six or eight hour shifts. The firmness is notable.

Service costs? I am thinking the wheeled skid steer will be cheaper than the tracked one.

Suppressed, thank you! We are kind of leaning toward a 75-2, mostly for the pros of the door, and the hydraulic over hydraulic. Found a nice 95 advertised, but not sure if that might be too heavy for us. Our property has a creek running thru it, and the field on the other side of the creek gets very muddy, and you can see where you drive over it. That area is quite a bit lower than how our home and yard around it is. Wasn’t sure about the 65, as hadn’t found many of that. Would be used mainly for snow clearing, and working in the field, we’ve been trying to add dirt to level it a bit, and help it drain more. To put it a bit more plainly, hubby mowed the field yesterday, one week from last mowing, and that grass was tall, compared to our area which had not had grass grow at all since it’s been so dry. So that area gets a lot of moisture even in dry spells. Any opinions on a 95? Since we found a really nice one?

ASV's Positrack undercarriage is a multi-point torsion suspension. At work, our contractors use them for clearing brush and they say the suspension makes a big difference for working all day.

i do not recall you saying exactly what you plan to do with it. How many hours you plan to put on it in a year. But the 95 is a way bigger machine than what most would do with one I am thinking. What is your budget? I do not recall seeing that either.

I love kubota also. I own two of their machines. But buying one because of the door I feel is not a good reason.

There are a lot of good machines out their.

If you do not have any or much experience with skidsteers I suggest rent a couple. One wheeled and a track machine. YOu might be surprised which meets your needs the best. Also there are several really good brands.

Old rugged cross, our budget is about 40k, if we found one for less, that would be great. But we are realistic, as we of course want as low hours as possible too, and hand controls. Mostly snow removal, possible help with tree trimming and brush moving, and like I mentioned, going onto that field we own, and trying to level it more so it doesn’t flood like it’s prone to do. It isn’t even, it has a kind of dip in the middle and that holds water. High on the sides, so we want to sculpt it so it drains off the edge so to speak. We thought the 95 might be a bit much for what we want, as well, especially might be a bit heavy for the ground in the field. The creek is about 10 ft or so below that field, and we live on the other side of the creek, and we are higher yet. The creek is a small one too, not very deep, and a mucky bottom.
Edited to add: and, we kind of want to stick with a brand that there is a dealer close by. Here, we have JD, Kubota, or Bobcat that isn’t over an hour away in case any repairs are needed, etc. as for hours, not sure. We had a 2016 JD 3038e tractor, bought new, and we only had 250 hrs on it as of this year. And we’ve put feelers out on the Bobcat dealer, that we are looking for a good used one as well. The Kubota dealer didn’t have anything in what we were looking for at the time.

Thanks for that. I understand. A 40k budget is very good and you should be able to get a great lower hour machine for the kind of $

You are going to pay a $10-$15 premium for a tracked machine vs wheeled.

I would not get stuck on a track machine. They do somethings better than wheeled, but wheeled machines do many things better than a tracked one.

You can get a really good set of tracks for a wheeled machine for $3k that would help you in the mud area's.

I would rent a wheeled machine for a few days to determine if it would meet your needs.

As far as a dealer is concerned. Any const. equipment mechanic worth his or her weight in salt can work on and get parts for any major brand.

Personally I would not worry about dealer support to much. Find a good heavy equip. person in your area and make a visit and chat them up about what you are thinking and they can help steering you in the right direction.