Skid Steer vs. Crawler (was Re: [AT] Deere Model 350 Questions

[Cecil E Monson]

> Those negatives aside, I agree that the skid steer is a lot more versatile 

than a crawler and easier to store (but watch the weight - they are heavier

than they look and can exceed the load rating of a trailer, even though there

is plenty of room). I sold a number of them, new and used, before I retired,

and I never had a customer complain or say that he wished he had gotten a

crawler instead.
> 
> Mike 

	Mike worked for a dealer in New Jersey who did a good business in
there machines. I got my look at skidsteers when I built my new shop a couple
years ago and was on the user end of them. I also have a lot of time in the
seat of a crawler.

	Both crawlers and skidsteers ride rough but that is not a problem
unless you want your wife to run it while you watch. ;-(  It is what they
do for you, not what they do to you that counts.

	I, personally, being frugal by nature and one who hates to pay the
full shot for anything, would not buy from a dealer if I can help it. Mike
knows the dealer he works for bought low and sold high and it is better you
do the same if at all possible. I don't know about New Holland skidsteers
but almost all of them come with detailed instructions for maintenance and
repair and you can do most of this yourself. Also, there is a helluva weight
difference between anything on a crawler and what is on a skidsteer. Just
the A frame on my JD 420 crawler that the lift arms attach to weighs a full
ton and is very hard to pick up off the tractor for maintenance. Fixing
anything on a crawler usually starts with these words "remove the bucket,
lift arms, main lift cylinders, tracks and final drives" and never have so
few words involved so much heavy stuff. On a skidsteer, it usually begins
with "fold the seat forward". I didn't say they were easy to work on as
things are pretty crowded. Like Mike said, things are tight. Tires on skid
steers are not prone to having flats when used in and around a yard like they
are on construction sites. I think the tires on mine are 10 ply.

	In my travels thru the Midwest, and I am sure those of you who live
out there already know, there are literally thousands of good used skidsteers
for sale across the country. I have seen lots of small dealers who seem to
specialize in them and the prices looked a lot more reasonable than those out
here where most dealers seem to sell to construction companies. Maybe it is
because those Midwest dealers sell to farmers who are more careful with their
money.

Cecil

-- 
The nicest thing about telling the truth is you never have to wonder
what you said.

Cecil E Monson
Lucille Hand-Monson
Mountainville, New York   Just a little east of the North Pole

Allis Chalmers tractors and equipment

Free advice