New Holland skid steer

going to an auction Saturday to look at an L779 New Holland skid steer with a perkins engine. supposed to be in operating condition. any comments on this unit. have never operated this model before. Thanks, Bob

It's an older unit, I'd guess early to mid 80's. I drove a similar unit but it had a Deutz engine. The BIGGEST problem I had with it was that you sat down inside it. Skid steers are great for landscaping and bucket work because on most you can see the cutting edge of the bucket. Obviously not on a snow bucket but how are you supposed to do fast precision work when you have to guess what your bucket is doing? I also found it a little jerky but that might be because of the long wheelbase. It will pick up more with the longer wheelbase. Much lighter weight for the operating capacity compared to something like a Bobcat though.

The New Hollands of that era were more suited for farm applications than landscaping/construction. The "Super Boom" had a lift that went straight up/slightly forward as you lifted to give more reach at the top. They were also built out of mostly formed sheet metal like other NH equipment. When used harder/commercially it wasn't uncommon to have cracks in the boom and/or other areas. There was one spot in particular that was a problem with cracking but I can't remember exactly where. Somewhere behind an axle if I recall. The NH skid steers worked on a 50/50 weight distribution. Most conventional skid steers work on a 70/30 weight distribution but longer wheelbase machines are getting more common. If you're interested, try it out and check it over really good. I don't know what parts are like for the older machines.