CAT 257B opinions?

[SHF315]

Hello All - New to the forum and new to skid steers as well. Looking at an 04 Cat 257B with a newer
clam shell bucket 1700 hrs. U/C looks about 80%. Price 23000.00 Will be using it for site work on my own home building project in the rocky soil of southern Maine
Lots of rock, dirt and gravel to move as well as brush and cut trees to move.
Little pavement use but would be using for snow pushing on gravel roads in winter. I think it is the right size machine for what I need but have heard both good and bad about the 257B Any opinions or advice is appreciated thanks

[Tigerotor77W]

I might say first that it's going to depend highly on how you operate the machine. If you plan to use it in gravel as you would use a SSL in gravel, you're going to pay out of every money source you have to keep the UC working.

If you use it gently and, well, slightly slower, it'll be okay for gravel.

I wanted to get that first statement out before people start ripping on the 257 and Cat's UC.

[SHF315]

Thanks I guess initially the 1st year anyway. its going to be used on mostly raw land with lots of rock ,tree limbs and small stumps. Gravel roads consist of a couple of long driveways.

[Scag48]

First of all, $23K is overpriced for that machine. Well, I guess it's not too bad, but my dad was offered an '04 257B with a cab and A/C with 500 hours on it for $22K last year.

The Cat undercarriage, I feel, is a good unit in certain applications. Rock, however, is not an application that favors the Cat undercarriages. Sand and loamy dirt is about the only application I would suggest Cat MTL's to be used in. If used in heavy rock, I'd wager your UC will be shot at 800 hours or less. Depending on parts and labor, you're staring down $7-8K worth of repairs.

[bobcat_ron]

Any blasted, crushed or shot rock over 3" in size will chew up the tracks fast, and getting the rock into and around the rollers will eat them even faster, I can drive over any crushed stone that is no bigger than our imfamous British Columbia 3" minus Sumas Mountain gravel, but I can't drive through it, big difference, take care to avoid getting the U/C buried in gravel, but soil and mud they just love it.

[SHF315]

Thanks Guys
.I anticipate all sizes of broken ledge and field stones mixed in with sandy forest dirt. also will be running over exposed surface ledge at times. I wont be in a hurry Because its my own project. So that sould help keep the tracks alive for a while.

[dozerman21]

Do you really need a tracked machine? By the sound of what you'll be doing, I'd go with a wheeled machine with a 2-speed for plowing snow. I think no matter which CTL/MTL you go with, any kind of sharp object will eat those tracks up.

As far as the 257B, I too think it's overpriced. I've never ran that model, but several guys on here have and they don't get very good feedback.

I would take your time and shop around for a better deal. If you're not sure that you need a CTL, you can always add OTT tracks to a wheeled machine, or go with a VTS system. I'd be afraid of running any kind of rubber tracks though if you'll be in rocky, sharp areas. Just my $.02. Good luck.

[qps]

Unless there giving to you I would run the other way as fast as possilbe, I bought a 05 257B (new) and it was a underperforming machine..(I'm being nice ) maybe I just had a "bad one"...but it was a POS....since I have a new CASE hat now I'm pro CASE...you should buy a CASE product....

[Fordsuvparts]

I would stay away from the 03 and 04 cat machines, they have changed the undercarriage since then and the machine you are looking at was one of the bad years. We had a 2003 247b and it spent more time in the shop and on the job because of the track problems, and you should learn to say bogie because they go bad more often than you put fuel in it.

[BIGBEN2004]

Unless there giving to you I would run the other way as fast as possilbe, I bought a 05 257B (new) and it was a underperforming machine..(I'm being nice ) maybe I just had a "bad one"...but it was a POS....since I have a new CASE hat now I'm pro CASE...you should buy a CASE product....
Your not the only one. My buddy's 257B is the same way. It feels very underpowered for it's size. The hydraulics are weak and the engine grunt is minimal.


I also agree with some on here that the kind of work you will be doing would be just fine for a wheeled machine at a fraction of the price. Now if you said heavy dirt pushing, and allot of grading in dry and muddy conditions then I would say a CTL/MTL would be a great choice.

[ksss]

I would stay away from the 03 and 04 cat machines, they have changed the undercarriage since then and the machine you are looking at was one of the bad years. We had a 2003 247b and it spent more time in the shop and on the job because of the track problems, and you should learn to say bogie because they go bad more often than you put fuel in it.


Are you reading BC ron? After your done practicing the word bogie and not practicing Ahole. You might try CASE. Rolls off the tongue and you get a lot more work done with a lot less maintenance. Hey, just trying to help a brother out who is having a bad day.:waving:

[bobcat_ron]

Are you reading BC ron? After your done practicing the word bogie and not practicing Ahole. You might try CASE. Rolls off the tongue and you get a lot more work done with a lot less maintenance. Hey, just trying to help a brother out who is having a bad day.:waving:


Bogie???? Where are the Bogies? The 247 and 257 don't have that option, I wish they did though.

But I do feel much better now, I just got in from running my brush mower on the Cat, what a huge difference from gear pumps to piston pumps on standard loader hydraulic flow, that little flail mower just eats wood now! :laugh:

[KPS]

I wish they would put a motor with a little more jam in the 257, it probably feels plenty potent in the 247, but the 257 got even heavier this past year and the horses never followed. the U/C looks much improved and the fit and finish inside is great. It is the quietest machine that i have ever run and wicked smooth.

[bobcat_ron]

I wish Cat would bring back the 267 in the smaller frame with the radius path loader, it would be really nice to have an MTL with 1800 lbs of ROC with a Radius Path loader.

[KPS]

Yeah that would be awesome. sometimes the large framed mtl's are just too big but the small frames don't have the capacities or the guts to perform as well as you'd like.