Cat compact a success formula for landscaping veteran

He’s also readily identified the tools of trade needed to ensure his business maintains its course.
So it comes as little surprise that he has recently chosen to trade in his old skid steer for the latest model Cat® 216B2 – a compact machine Steve is sure will deliver the reliability and performance needed to see him through the coming decade before he winds down toward retirement.
Steve’s initial investigation was thorough, as the machine must see him through his business plan.
“I went right into checking them out. It’s a big commitment and with my plans this will be the last machine I buy so I looked right into it: even checking out the servicing requirements.
“You most definitely get more for what you pay for with Caterpillar. I summed up all the machines as I’d made a mistake last time going for the cheaper machine. In the end I got myself in a horrible situation because it wasn’t worth much money and when I’d bought it I was told I’d get service and all that,” he said.
Dealer support wore out too
Although his previous machine gave him 13 years service over around 3000 hours, Steve was disappointed to discover its residual value was negligible. Also, parts and service support from the dealer deteriorated as time went on, even though it was from a leading manufacturer.
“It was a good machine and I never had any major problems with it, but toward the end I had trouble getting parts for it and they couldn’t support the motor in it and told me to go to a diesel specialist.
“The Cat skid steer loader came over a lot better,” Steve explained. “I looked at a number of brands and this came up the best. Even though it wasn’t the cheaper option it is the last machine I want to get.
“It is the ideal combination of the skid steers I looked at. It is one of the lightest machines (at 2.8t) so it won’t break pipes and crossings when we are landscaping, but it is tough as well. It is a much heavier built machine with bigger pins and bushes. And then you can add to that the Cat dealer support – I think their service and attitude to what they sell is a lot better than other brands,” he said.
Generous range of features
The Cat 216B2 also offered a generous range of features by comparison, Steve reckoned.
“It’s got the pilot controls. I wanted to get away from the long reach and foot control mechanisms and this is just like using a computer game. You can also set the hand throttle where you want it, but then if you need to speed up a ramp or over a fast stretch you just hit the foot accelerator. We’ve never had that feature before and it is really good and a real advantage.
“It’s been one of the things to surprise me about the Cat machine,” Steve said. “I just thought it was going to be a bit of a gimmick but it’s been really great.”
Powered by a Cat C2.2 37kW (49hp) engine, delivering high torque, the 216B2 allows part throttle operation to reduce fuel consumption and lower sound levels. At just 3.3m long from the multipurpose 4 in 1 bucket tip (on the ground) and 1.6m wide, the machine is powerful yet compact enough to deal with Steve’s landscaping demands.
“It’s definitely got more power than the other machine and it is easier to operate full stop. It sits on the ground better and has less of a topsy-turvy feel to it when operating. It is physically much easier on you and easier to operate: on the old machine the pedal controls were really quite hard on your body after a while.”
“The Cat skid steer loader is just the best package out of the lot of them.”