What are the two models that your Bobcat dealer carries in their fleet?
Last summer, right after I got my operator's license (so take what I say with a grain of salt
) I used a new BL570 made by Ingersoll Rand which is the big brother to the B300. (
http://irutilityequipment.irco.com/default.aspx?MenuItemID=77)
I had a couple weeks use on it on at a landscaper mainly using it with forks to rearrange their tree nursery and load trucks with a 1 yd bucket- pretty light duty use I would say. I was however, really impressed with its maneuverability as I had to squeeze down rows of trees literally just as wide as the machine and pick out selected trees to move with forks. Then I had to negotiate a obstacle course in getting the trees into a display area in the nursery that was surrounded by other plants, fixed sprinklers and buildings. Definitely not the most appealing job for a green operator to be doing, but the boss trusted me and was impressed with my skills so he gave me the job. After that exercise, I will say that the four wheel steering really impressed me and made the work relatively easy. Otherwise, travel speed was pretty good and made short work of traveling a couple hundred ft at a time on short load and carry applications- though it was bouncy at times even on flat ground. Loading trucks was a breeze compared to the Bobcat 863 we had at the shop as the machine was really stable with the bucket in the air, even on uneven, rutted ground. Also, visibility to the bucket and forks was pretty good, but I don't have anything else to compare it other than a Komatsu 380 wheel loader that I run now
In terms of trenching ability, I took I out in the abandoned field behind the nursery and played around for a couple hours. Seeing as how it was my first attempt at ever using a backhoe or trenching for that matter, I was stilled impressed by its relative strength for its size and its ability to quickly cycle. I found it very responsive to the controls (almost a bit too jerky sometimes- probably due to my lack of experience
) but otherwise very tight and precise in movement. Repositioning was relatively quick and simple and I was able to dig a 10 ft deep trench in a matter of mins with one repositioning to make the trench 15-20 feet long. It's hydraulics were plenty strong as I was able to easily pull the machine several feet with the stick if I dug in deep.
I hope this helps alittle, but do take it for what its worth coming from a green operator. If this machine is a good representation of the other models Bobcat and Ingersoll-Rand make, I think one of these machines could be a economical option for your application if you still have the room the maneuver a machine as it still is bigger that a skidsteer and mini-ex- no matter if it has 4 wheel steer.
Good luck with everything, and sorry for the long post!
