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Thinking of getting a Cub Cadet/Yanmar ex3200 tractor?
- Thread starter Melensdad
- Start date
No.
Any idea who makes the loader for Bobcat? I know its not a Korean import, its got different specs and claimed to be made in the USA.
Cowboy
Wait for it.
Have you checked with Koyker ? Specs on tractors are just that IMO , just because they set limits dont mean it wont far exceed them of what they are capable of without doing any harm . Just my opinion though .
I guess it depends on if you need to move a 1500 hundred lb rock or a 1600 hundred pound rock & how often you need the extra capacity . The extra 100 or so lbs capacity can make it worth the extra money in daily use situations , IMO
Link to Koyker http://www.koykermfg.com/index.php/products/loaders/
Dealer just hauled away the Bobcat ct235 after my demo.
First off I am impressed with the value of this machine. Great price for a very capable machine. There were lots of easy to reach dipsticks and filler ports that did not require a contortionist to find or access. The loader control was in exactly the right spot, most of the controls were in good locations, the steering tilted and adjusted within a wide range, the suspension seat was a WONDERFUL feature... just like Charmin, it was soft but got the job done
Probably best tractor seat I've ever had the pleasure of sitting in, it was apparently adapted to this tractor from some of the commercial Bobcat equipment. Levers for PTO, 3pt, etc were in good, but perhaps not perfect locations. I'd have preferred them moved forward a few inches but that could be just nitpicking. The loader is not the same loader as the Kioti loader, not sure who makes it, but apparently its being redesigned. Perhaps waiting until the next generation would probably eliminate the current loader incentive. I gathered that the supplier was having trouble getting them loaders and that is the reason they are changing, so a change is not performance based.
Secondly I am critical of several points, and some of them may be deal breakers. There is a hydraulic filter that sticks down under the tractor that is exposed and vulnerable to be knocked off. Is it likely it would be knocked off? Probably not on my property, but if I was a commercial buyer I would seriously consider that as a problem. The hydraulic quick connectors are under the right side of the loader arm, parallel to the ground, at the bottom of the framework and MIGHT be vulnerable to being knocked apart, hit, etc by branches, debris, etc. I think working in the woods could be an issue with this tractor if it was used for clearing scrub, etc.
One thing that I really did not like, seriously think is a design flaw, is the lever to engage the 4wd. It is 1" above the floor in front of the left foot. You have to take your eyes off your forward travel and reach WAY DOWN to engage the 4wd. That is a problem. I found it very very awkward. Another problem with this location is the proximity to the differential lock. Its located right next to the differential lock at essentially the same elevation. I honestly think that it would be pretty easy, when trying to engage the differential lock, to accidently put your foot on the 4wd lever and disengage the 4wd when you actually needed the added traction afforded by the differential lock.
Now those bad things aside, this was a comfortable tractor to run. Even if the ergonomics are "last generation" compared to the New Holland 2030/2035, the tractor was still powerful, capable, comfortable and clearly will do what I want done. The engine ran as smooth as the engine on the New Hollands and was actually quieter than the engine on my TC24d.
Overall I'm favorably impressed. I'd say the odds of buying this tractor are 60% in favor, 40% opposed.
First off I am impressed with the value of this machine. Great price for a very capable machine. There were lots of easy to reach dipsticks and filler ports that did not require a contortionist to find or access. The loader control was in exactly the right spot, most of the controls were in good locations, the steering tilted and adjusted within a wide range, the suspension seat was a WONDERFUL feature... just like Charmin, it was soft but got the job done
Probably best tractor seat I've ever had the pleasure of sitting in, it was apparently adapted to this tractor from some of the commercial Bobcat equipment. Levers for PTO, 3pt, etc were in good, but perhaps not perfect locations. I'd have preferred them moved forward a few inches but that could be just nitpicking. The loader is not the same loader as the Kioti loader, not sure who makes it, but apparently its being redesigned. Perhaps waiting until the next generation would probably eliminate the current loader incentive. I gathered that the supplier was having trouble getting them loaders and that is the reason they are changing, so a change is not performance based.Secondly I am critical of several points, and some of them may be deal breakers. There is a hydraulic filter that sticks down under the tractor that is exposed and vulnerable to be knocked off. Is it likely it would be knocked off? Probably not on my property, but if I was a commercial buyer I would seriously consider that as a problem. The hydraulic quick connectors are under the right side of the loader arm, parallel to the ground, at the bottom of the framework and MIGHT be vulnerable to being knocked apart, hit, etc by branches, debris, etc. I think working in the woods could be an issue with this tractor if it was used for clearing scrub, etc.
One thing that I really did not like, seriously think is a design flaw, is the lever to engage the 4wd. It is 1" above the floor in front of the left foot. You have to take your eyes off your forward travel and reach WAY DOWN to engage the 4wd. That is a problem. I found it very very awkward. Another problem with this location is the proximity to the differential lock. Its located right next to the differential lock at essentially the same elevation. I honestly think that it would be pretty easy, when trying to engage the differential lock, to accidently put your foot on the 4wd lever and disengage the 4wd when you actually needed the added traction afforded by the differential lock.
Now those bad things aside, this was a comfortable tractor to run. Even if the ergonomics are "last generation" compared to the New Holland 2030/2035, the tractor was still powerful, capable, comfortable and clearly will do what I want done. The engine ran as smooth as the engine on the New Hollands and was actually quieter than the engine on my TC24d.
Overall I'm favorably impressed. I'd say the odds of buying this tractor are 60% in favor, 40% opposed.
rback33
Hangin in Tornado Alley
Sorry for the delay. It's a rhino loader. You knew I would know that answer.
Apparently it is for now, but not for long.
I was told today that a loader company in North Dakota will probably be the new supplier building loaders for Bobcat.
Cowboy
Wait for it.
I'm not sure, but what I was told was that its a firm located very near the Bobcat headquarters in N.D. It is possible I misunderstood.
BTW, it is interesting that there are quite of few minor differences between the Bobcat and the Kioti tractors. The differential lock pedals are different, the throttle controls are completely different, there are minor differences in the pedals and controls and several different features.
BTW, it is interesting that there are quite of few minor differences between the Bobcat and the Kioti tractors. The differential lock pedals are different, the throttle controls are completely different, there are minor differences in the pedals and controls and several different features.
New Holland 2035 w/loader $27,135
Bobcat CT235 w/loader $21,921
Those are list prices of the two tractors I'm looking at buying. The New Holland is laid out much better in terms of ergonomics, the Bobcat, by comparison appears to be a much older design. Both will provide the same functions, do the same jobs. The New Holland is easier to operate and overall I believe will be the more comfortable machine to operate for long hours.
But here is the rub, that Bobcat price actually comes down another couple thousand dollars below the list price because of the free loader. New Holland is offering free financing, but I'm not planning to finance.
If I was a commercial buyer who owned a landscaping company or any sort of operation where seat time on the tractor would be 15+ hours a week then I'd buy the New Holland. Honestly I think that layout and placement of the controls of the New Holland is superior enough that for a user who requires a lot of seat time, the New Holland will actually be faster to operate and would save a commercial user time, which in the long run, would save money.
However, as a homeowner, I can't justify the huge price difference.
There is a price difference between the two on list prices, and both dealers will deal down. So the 'spread' pretty much remains the same. Then there are incentives offered by the manufacturers, and that is where Bobcat brings over $3000 to the table that NH doesn't. So in the end the after haggle price difference is in the $8K range, but the NH dealer is tying to find some money so that may erode back down to something more reasonable???
I'll openly admit that NH is the better designed tractor for doing a lot of work. There is no question in my mind about that fact. NH is the better tractor if you live in the seat of the tractor and need to make it do what you want. The controls fall perfectly under your hands, they are color coded, some are even shaped differently so you can tell just by feel what you are grabbing, no need to even look down at the controls. For speed of work, ease of working, ergonomics on the NH are vastly superior. I get all that.
But I don't live in my tractor seat. And that is a whole lot of money to talk about.
I have really come to appreciate my little New Holland, it has PROVED TO ME that is really was a very wise choice the last time around when I moved to a smaller tractor. I know that because this search for a larger machine has required me to really find a machine that would offer real advantages and most of the larger machines only offered very marginal, if any, improvements in capacity. Some actually had less capacity despite being on larger frames and with more horsepower. Now I need to move back to a bigger tractor.
So here I sit, knowing darn well that the New Holland is really the better tractor. I have a prime example of that sitting on my front lawn right now in my current New Holland. This is NOT a 'brand loyalty' thing because I'm the last guy in the world to be loyal to a brand. I'm loyal to quality and specs.
And so I look at the Bobcat and I see some excellent specs, specs that, by anyone's measure are a statistical dead heat with the NH 2030 and 2035 specs. The engine sounds good, the loader control valve was a bit quick to jerk up the bucket but that was probably because I was unused to it and it would likely mellow under my hand with practice. 3pt was smooth and powerful in lifting. Mechanically it had lots of nice features that are homeowner friendly (easy to get to filters, fill points, dipsticks). I didn't like that I had to lift the loader arms, raise the hood, and flip down a side panel to clean the radiator filter screen. But most things were easy to access. The controls are not in the right place, they are just a bit too far back, even with the seat all the way to the rear, the control levers were a bit too far back. The fit and finish of the Bobcat was not as nice as the New Holland, the Cub Yanmar or the Kubotas that I looked at but it was pretty darn good and better than anything that was on the market 5 or 6 years ago. So every quality tractor brand has improved in that regard. The Bobcat lacks some detail points that NH excels upon, but those are really more cosmetic than anything else so they clearly are not disqualifiering points.
And I guess that is my problem, I see a tractor that is "darn good" and clearly it is "more than good enough" but it is not "as good" as the other brands in many little ways. But it is a whole lot cheaper, especially with current incentives, and its a pretty nice machine as it is. So I am leaning toward buying it.
Not sure if I can get him to throw in a free hat.
Bobcat CT235 w/loader $21,921
Those are list prices of the two tractors I'm looking at buying. The New Holland is laid out much better in terms of ergonomics, the Bobcat, by comparison appears to be a much older design. Both will provide the same functions, do the same jobs. The New Holland is easier to operate and overall I believe will be the more comfortable machine to operate for long hours.
But here is the rub, that Bobcat price actually comes down another couple thousand dollars below the list price because of the free loader. New Holland is offering free financing, but I'm not planning to finance.
If I was a commercial buyer who owned a landscaping company or any sort of operation where seat time on the tractor would be 15+ hours a week then I'd buy the New Holland. Honestly I think that layout and placement of the controls of the New Holland is superior enough that for a user who requires a lot of seat time, the New Holland will actually be faster to operate and would save a commercial user time, which in the long run, would save money.
However, as a homeowner, I can't justify the huge price difference.
There is a price difference between the two on list prices, and both dealers will deal down. So the 'spread' pretty much remains the same. Then there are incentives offered by the manufacturers, and that is where Bobcat brings over $3000 to the table that NH doesn't. So in the end the after haggle price difference is in the $8K range, but the NH dealer is tying to find some money so that may erode back down to something more reasonable???
I'll openly admit that NH is the better designed tractor for doing a lot of work. There is no question in my mind about that fact. NH is the better tractor if you live in the seat of the tractor and need to make it do what you want. The controls fall perfectly under your hands, they are color coded, some are even shaped differently so you can tell just by feel what you are grabbing, no need to even look down at the controls. For speed of work, ease of working, ergonomics on the NH are vastly superior. I get all that.
But I don't live in my tractor seat. And that is a whole lot of money to talk about.
I have really come to appreciate my little New Holland, it has PROVED TO ME that is really was a very wise choice the last time around when I moved to a smaller tractor. I know that because this search for a larger machine has required me to really find a machine that would offer real advantages and most of the larger machines only offered very marginal, if any, improvements in capacity. Some actually had less capacity despite being on larger frames and with more horsepower. Now I need to move back to a bigger tractor.
So here I sit, knowing darn well that the New Holland is really the better tractor. I have a prime example of that sitting on my front lawn right now in my current New Holland. This is NOT a 'brand loyalty' thing because I'm the last guy in the world to be loyal to a brand. I'm loyal to quality and specs.
And so I look at the Bobcat and I see some excellent specs, specs that, by anyone's measure are a statistical dead heat with the NH 2030 and 2035 specs. The engine sounds good, the loader control valve was a bit quick to jerk up the bucket but that was probably because I was unused to it and it would likely mellow under my hand with practice. 3pt was smooth and powerful in lifting. Mechanically it had lots of nice features that are homeowner friendly (easy to get to filters, fill points, dipsticks). I didn't like that I had to lift the loader arms, raise the hood, and flip down a side panel to clean the radiator filter screen. But most things were easy to access. The controls are not in the right place, they are just a bit too far back, even with the seat all the way to the rear, the control levers were a bit too far back. The fit and finish of the Bobcat was not as nice as the New Holland, the Cub Yanmar or the Kubotas that I looked at but it was pretty darn good and better than anything that was on the market 5 or 6 years ago. So every quality tractor brand has improved in that regard. The Bobcat lacks some detail points that NH excels upon, but those are really more cosmetic than anything else so they clearly are not disqualifiering points.
And I guess that is my problem, I see a tractor that is "darn good" and clearly it is "more than good enough" but it is not "as good" as the other brands in many little ways. But it is a whole lot cheaper, especially with current incentives, and its a pretty nice machine as it is. So I am leaning toward buying it.
Not sure if I can get him to throw in a free hat.
