Korean diesels? Bobcat tractors?

Wile E · Mar 21, 2013

I saw an advertizement for these tractors.
Does anyone have one of these? They appear to be robust, but they could be junk. When I think Korean diesels I think Kioti. Was Bobcat bought by the Koreans? The prices on the new Bobcat machines are better than Deere or New Holland.
I am not interested in buying one, I was just wondering. The closest dealer is over an hour away.

JimEvans · Mar 21, 2013

Bobcats are Kioti. and Bobcat ended the agreement with them a few months ago, so you better have a Kioti dealer nearby if you want to buy a Bobcat.

MSM · Mar 21, 2013

BobCat is owned by Doosan Infracore an American subsidiary of Doosan a Korean company.

jm. · Mar 21, 2013

Jim is right all the BobCat tractor is is a Kioti tractor painted white. Things are in turmoil there now and not really sure how it is going to play out. Parent company Dosan just has a lot going on right now and tractors are not really high on the list . They are struggling to maintain market share with the BobCat skid steer
New Holand,Case,Cat ,and now Kubota are getting a larger share of the skid steer market.

Dalet · Mar 21, 2013

It sucks to be in a business run in the ground by corporate types. Bobcat is an American brand. Like Kleenex. Too bad it's not anymore. I didn't mean to be political, but its sad to watch US A let it happen.

G1355 · Mar 21, 2013

Don't know about tractors, but definitely have best skid loaders no questions asked, if the tractors anything like there skid steers it will be good.

GregCO · Mar 21, 2013

I bought a Branson (built in Korea) in 2004. Been a great machine. It looks like it was built on an old John Deere platform that Deere quit building years before. Gear driven, as they did not offer hydrostatics at that time. Has a step through platform, 12 speeds forward and 12 in reverse with a shuttle shift, live two speed PTO and live hydraulics, locking diff,and additional hydraulics on the rear for whatever attachments you want to run, and front wheel assist. All of the body is steel and starts in the cold great without being plugged in.

I looked at Kioti and didn't like them. Entire body was plastic. One good winter bashing around in the snow and I was thinking it would all be gone by spring. They were also having huge warranty issues at the time. Engines and gear boxes leaking that could not be sealed up, and hydraulics that leaked and were not smooth. Guys had loaders and three points that would not stay up while traveling. I saw one tore down and the gear boxes were full of sand. Thing only had 10 hours on it. Seems the cases were not getting cleaned out well after casting and before assembly. Dealers wouldn't take one on trade at any price.

Greg

Anonymous-0 · Mar 21, 2013

AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

720lyle · Mar 21, 2013

Bought a ct345 4 years ago and have 500 hours on it and it has been a great buy. I have a JD a year older and if given a choice I will choose the Bobcat. They had super deals on them and they were sold with most every optiom at no cost including the loader. Has very fast hydraulics, easy on diesel and trouble free. The agreement ended saidly but Bobcat will continue to service them.

Anonymous-0 · Mar 21, 2013

Best is a matter of opinion. I'm sure Bobcats market share has gone down since Cat, JD, Case, Mustang/Gehl, Kubota, Takeuchi, Terex/ASV, NH, etc. all put out good machines with improved features and durability. Bobcat is owned by a Korean parent company.

Anonymous-0 · Mar 22, 2013

I concure,
If you buy a tractor you would want to be able to buy parts when stuff eventually breaks. No dealer and the parent company is gone.
Makes for a PITA.

Kent Petersen · Mar 22, 2013

Mustang and Gehl are both made at Madison SD they are the same just branded diff. plant owned by a France co

G1355 · Mar 22, 2013

Yes I know, why do people go into dealers saying how much is that bobcat, referring to CNH, or Deere, also our local deaer sell case and new holland along with bobcat, they say buy the bobcat, they say there the only one that goes trouble free, and the case and new holland tend to bend there booms, and they haven't ever had a bobcat do that. And for deere, there's a dealer a half hour from me, they sell John Deere and bobcat, they also say buy the bobcat, they have had numbers of people put a hole in the radiator backing into something since Deere puts the radiator on the back door and bobcat leaves it up top.

Everyone knows a bobcat skid loader by name, and knows there great, tractors could be a different story, never owned or operated one.

Texasmark1 · Mar 22, 2013

Had a Bobcat dealer in a nearby town and handled Kioti. All I know about them.

I shopped the name brand colors in the spring of '05 and found nothing to suit me. In September I was rubbernecking one day and saw a row of red tractors off the interstate.

Checked it out and bought the Branson 6530 MFWD with cab and loader. Engine is Cummins 65 hp built in Japan under license by Komatsu.....the other yellow earth moving equipment you see along side Cat. at construction sites. The engine is amazing at it's economy, naturally aspired 4 cyl.

Mine has the F-R shuttle shift and creep giving me 24/24, flat floor and high back air seat, just like 18 wheelers have.

Then had about 250 national dealers then, no idea today. My nearest dealer is about 40 miles away and is very responsive.

I shattered my right cab door with a rock from my mower last summer and in just a few days I had one at the house via UPS. They had 6 in stock at one of their warehouses in Plainview, TX., having that one and at least another in Georgia.

Very happy with it.

Mark

Anonymous-0 · Mar 22, 2013

I sell ag equipment at a 77 year old Case I.H, dealership and we took on the Branson line 2 years ago and left McCormick. They are very well built machines and the Cummins based A series engine has been a plus. They are all metal hood and fenders and will match up feature for feature with anything out there and then beat the price by 20 percent. We sell at least 1 or 2 a week at our stores. I am trying to trade in 3 bobcats right now for new Bransons because the rental store does not know what to do for future service.

Anonymous-0 · Mar 22, 2013

Bobcat has the name but that's just like all bulldozers being called Cats. It doesn't mean Cat is the best either. Let me guess, you have a Bobcat? They're good machines but they aren't the be all end all of skid steers. The JD dealer says to buy Bobcat, yea right.

G1355 · Mar 22, 2013

Yeah I do, cat dozers are probebly the best to, never ran a dozer, and yes one of our John Deere sells both bobcat and John Deere, they do tell you the bobcat is better. Why would I lie about that?

Texasmark1 · Mar 22, 2013

I had the local (30 mile distant) Case IH field rep/salesmanager out to the place one day and the Branson was sitting there. He was eyeing it real good.

I said the keys were in it, take if for a spin. He did and when he got out of it and came back to me he said: " We don't have anything on that tractor". My answer was: "I know for if you did, red and black, rather than red would be sitting where it's parked.

Mark

Anonymous-0 · Mar 23, 2013

Just cause YOU own a particular brand doesn't make it the best. I wonder how JD feels that one of their dealers says Bobcat is better? For some things they might be but for other things the JD might be better. All I know is they all break down and cost money to fix.

"Why would I lie about that?"
Cause you own a Bobcat and not a JD?

G1355 · Mar 24, 2013

Well when the John Deere/ bobcat dealer tells people what the better one is, I think there right they sell both, and will tell you what one is the better one and is more trouble free, and I gotta say they've been right so far, all that we've had to do is change oil and put in fuel.

Korean diesels? Bobcat tractors?

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