Used CAT telehandler. Yay/nay?

[alomy75]

I've driven an industrial spec 531/70 JCB - don't go there! Too much compromise to be useful. No auxillary hydraulics, no pickup hitch, air con, little wheels, plumbed differently - the joystick is up, down & boom extension, tilt is on a seperate lever, etc etc. Stick with Ag spec

We have a semi industrial 530/70. All depends on the spec. We upgraded from an old 520 so it’s amazing compared to that but 2005 for 10k we couldn’t say no. Normal joystick, aux lines, air con, normal wheels and I added a puh. The only visual difference is a set of tree guards on the cab (which I’ve removed) and it doesn’t say farm special. I believe it has a smaller turbo than an ag spec. Absolutely fine for an arable farm like us; it just loads wheat and loads the drill. Prob won’t be quick enough hydraulics if you want to go tearing around in it.

 

[2wheels]

Been having a quick look at a few second hand kramers while waiting for the lamb lorry there, the plus side being the dealer is just 5 minutes down the road. Probably a bit more money than I was really looking to spend but if I can catch the old man in a good mood you never know! They certainly look to be cheaper than the comparable jcb's

no doubt netherton would give you a good deal if you push the right buttons.

 

[AngusLad]

no doubt netherton would give you a good deal if you push the right buttons.

Never seen a good deal there yet

 

[egbert]

Sounds like all second hand machines then tbf, some good and some bad. Just got to take the plunge and hope the one you've bought isn't a stinker..

I'm fairness it's getting to be more than a few coos and have other projects in the pipeline that a handler would be a big benefit for.

Have any of you any experience with industrial types? Too slow for ag work? Not overly bothered about 40k etc but more in terms of hydraulics and break out force

no experience with industrial spec

 

[serri]

Looking at buying a used telehandler and I've seen a couple of Cat forklifts at fairly handy money, one TH406c with5500 hours that I really like the look of. Any recommendations? Always thought cat had a fairly good reputation for build quality?

I had a TH330b new in 07and ran it to 12000 hrs, shifting muck , bales and grain. In that time it cost over £20,000 in repairs, gearbox, hydraulic valve control bank(7k plus fitting) and endless electrical issues. When it was running it was brilliant, stable and powerful, and quite manoeuvrable for its size. The TH62 we had before was faultless and went to 7000 hrs with very few problems.
When the 330b s gearbox gave up for the second time a couple of years ago I traded it in for the slightly smaller TH336c which so far has performed really well with very few problems.
I have an independent Cat specialist look after the machine now who is excellent, I wouldn’t of entertained the idea of another Cat if I had to rely on Finnings for service.