8-10t loader purchase advice.

[Lagwagon]

Hi.
Im looking for an 8-10t machine to run a HD root rake/grapple.
So needs 3rd function hydraulics.

Machine will be used for a variety of jobs from feeding out hay, loading up hay, moving gravel and sand etc. but mostly raking roots and brush and loading out and stacking trees, roots etc after excavator has been through and made a mess.

I live in the remotest state in Aus and 5hrs from the city, choice of second hand machines is scarce And prices are inflated due to our massive mining industry. I want a low hr machine but that makes it even harder to find something, they just never seem to come up.

So I’m grappling with getting a high hr machine or a new Chinese.
I have tested a few Chinese and they seem ok to operate but as expected build quality is average. Plus is they all come with a quick hitch. I can get an 8t with bucket and pallet forks delivered for 50k, or I can get a nice Case 621b with 2900hrs for 70k, or a nice Cat 930g for 80k but with 12000hrs. There is also a Komatsu WA150-5 with 7000hrs for 75k. these three don’t have quick hitches.
The 2 local dealers I trust and like are Cat and Volvo.

Probably only put 200hrs a year on machine.
Any thoughts?

Tracked loaders Pritty much don’t exist here too.

 

[mowingman]

For almost 15 years, I used a Bobcat CTL for the exact same purposes. The first machine we had was a Bobcat T300. We got a new machine in 2019, another Bobcat. I forget the model but it had about 75HP. We did not want one with DEF, so did not get the bigger model. We cleared to bare ground, around 1500 acres of very heavy brush and large trees during these years. The ranch foreman also used it for feeding hay to the cattle. After we went through an area with the excavator or mulcher, we would use the root rake/grapple on the bobcat to clean out smooth everything up. I have pushed piles of brush so large, that anyone watching would think the pile was moving by itself, as the machine was totally hidden by the size of the brush pile. Also, with the rubber tracks, we never had a flat. We had a rubber tired tractor/loader, but it was useless, as it would have a flat every time you turned around. Don't overthink this purchase. You do not need a big rubber tired machine to cleanup and move brush and trees.

 

[BC Placer gold]

For almost 15 years, I used a Bobcat CTL for the exact same purposes. The first machine we had was a Bobcat T300. We got a new machine in 2019, another Bobcat. I forget the model but it had about 75HP. We did not want one with DEF, so did not get the bigger model. We cleared to bare ground, around 1500 acres of very heavy brush and large trees during these years. The ranch foreman also used it for feeding hay to the cattle. After we went through an area with the excavator or mulcher, we would use the root rake/grapple on the bobcat to clean out smooth everything up. I have pushed piles of brush so large, that anyone watching would think the pile was moving by itself, as the machine was totally hidden by the size of the brush pile. Also, with the rubber tracks, we never had a flat. We had a rubber tired tractor/loader, but it was useless, as it would have a flat every time you turned around. Don't overthink this purchase. You do not need a big rubber tired machine to cleanup and move brush and trees.

Have never owned/operated a ctl; that is an impressive example of what they are capable of.

 

[mowingman]

Have never owned/operated a ctl; that is an impressive example of what they are capable of.

Just a few photos to show how much brush you can move with a little CTL. We also combined a number of these piles into larger ones, before the grinder was brought in.

 

[BC Placer gold]

Nice tidy job! That Bobcat grapple looks well built.

 

[mowingman]

Nice tidy job! That Bobcat grapple looks well built.

Thanks. That Bobcat brand grapple was pretty darn expensive as I recall. We discussed buying a cheaper one, but went with the Bobcat brand. I did bend one of the grapples a little, trying to move a huge tree. Other then that, it has only needed a hose or two after all these years. The Bobcat and all the attachments were sent off to another ranch in south Texas a couple of years ago. It is still moving brush on a regular basis from what I have heard. Not bad for a grapple attachment that is already about 15 years old.

 

[Lagwagon]

Well CTL’s are not hard to come by here that’s for sure but I’m not a big fan of em. I initially tried to convince myself I needed one but when I started thinking of the jobs I do on the farm a loader fit the bill. I also will likely need to pull a heavy roller and 1.5t fert bin, I don’t think a CTL would be up for it. I also don’t like the idea of large piles of brush and tree trunks being so close to the cab, and then how do I stack them up into a burn pile? I can’t see myself lifting some of the stuff I clear and stacking into windrows because the CTL’s lack reach.

 

[davejo]

ingress egress would be better on a loader for me. Seems like I always have to hook onto a chain or look at the forks or bucket before doing something.