Equipment review: Gehl track loader

[Okrafarmer]

I ran this machine for one day Thursday:


 

This machine, a Gehl CTL 70, was brought in and I used it to clear a small plot of land, maybe a quarter acre or a little less. It had just under 1,000 hours on it. As you can see, the tracks were shot. In the picture, there are two buckets, a tooth bucket and toothless. This is as they delivered it.

[Okrafarmer]

First, the ergonomics and controls. I was thoroughly satisfied with the seat, controls, and roomy cockpit layout-- except I could have done with some kind of armrests. Oh-- the one thing I found annoying about the controls was that the horn button was located on one of the joysticks and was far too easy to beep by accident.      :

The crawler had plenty of oomph for the job I was doing. I plucked up numerous small hardwood stumps (8" and less) and a fair number of rotten pine stumps (10-12" range). However, it seemed to lack power in reverse for some reason. Also, the track geometry meant that even small stumps could stop it in its tracks-- a jarring halt. That can't be good for things...

I had two major beefs with it. First, it seemed to be poor at counter-rotating, which I consider to be the holy-grail of skidsteer operation. I just couldn't seem to get that single-hand joystick controller to make it counter-rotate properly. Maybe there is a trick, but I didn't find it. However, other than that, the steering and forward and reverse were highly intuitive.

The second major beef I had was a slow response time on the boom controls. I am accustomed to much faster operation on the Bobcat 751 I operate regularly, and other various Bobcat, John Deere, and New Holland models I have operated in the past. (All wheeled skidsteers). A lot of my bucket tricks were hard to perform with this machine because it didn't seem capable of fast, inertia-harnessing boom and bucket maneuvers I have learned to rely on with the 751 and other machines.

Still, for all that, it did the job adequately. Even though I had two beak-downs, but these were predictable. The bucket was fractured by a previous user (toothed bucket, which was the only one I could effectively use for what I was doing), and the tracks were shot already. So, my bucket came apart and they had to bring me another one, and also one of my tracks came off the front idler and the rental owner/manager came out and fixed it himself. I was tempted to try to fix it myself, but didn't dare lest liability come down upon me.  >:( The guy told me apologetically, that some people had rented it out on demolition and torn the machine up, especially the tracks, and they hadn't had the money to replace the tracks yet. Well, anyway, I spent an enjoyable day between the sticks. 8)

A note about the company, GEHL: this was my first time using one of their loaders, but I have used a bit of their farm implements. My overall impression of the company is that the stuff works really well until the day after the warranty expires, then it all falls apart and can be difficult to repair. I hope that's not unfair, but that was my assessment based on using a disk mower, manure spreader, and forage harvester they built. YMMV.

[beenthere]

And the review?   ;D

[red oaks lumber]

running something like  a track or skidsteere for a few hours isnt enough time to give a honest review, let alone a used machine.  imho

[Okrafarmer]

running something like  a track or skidsteere for a few hours isnt enough time to give a honest review, let alone a used machine.  imho

Well you may be right about the short use period. But it is far better to write a review using a used machine than a new one, since most things work quite nicely when they are new, but you really need to know how they do once they are starting to get worn out.

Anyway, this isn't an "official" review, I'm not Consumer Reports or  "Loader and Operator."   ;)

[Taylortractornut]

That Gehl  is really a Takeuchi track loader.    They invented the CTL.  I think the last renters really screwed it up as they have almost the same pushing power as a small dozer.        Most CTLs wont do the inertia type stuff as the tracks  dont let them rock.    Im not sure why the loader would be low but a few of them are slowed down to enhance grade work  on the CTL machines.      Im also not sure why the reverse is slower.

The counter rotation sould be all the way left or right.    Somtimes on topsoil they have trouble turning if the tracks dig  and they side load  like a dozer on loose ground.    It mostly happens on a worn set of tracks though.     Ive run most makes of them  alot.   I run most of the BC models  both Takeuchi/Gehl/mustang.    JCB  Cat  AVSPositrac   Now Terex.      and Case.        THey are a whole different animal than a  standard skid loader.             

Ive found that a standard skid steer on steel OT tracks will do a bit better in rough and muddy ground.   They have more bite and traction.   

[Okrafarmer]

I did not realize the Gehl was the same as a Takeuchi. I have used a Takeuchi before, and liked it. Yes, I tried counter-rotating by going hard left or hard right with the stick and it just wouldn't do it, internally, so I guess they must have messed it up pretty good.  I wonder what you have to do to a machine to mess it up that badly in 1,000 hours, and still have it work? It seemed to run fairly smooth and the steering was smooth too, it just wouldn't counter-rotate. I think I saw it was doing it once.

I generally didn't have any trouble with traction even though the tracks were chewed up. The ground was medium firm.

[okmulch]

We run CAT track loaders and when the hydraulic motors on the tracks wear down they hesitate or do not turn as fast. I believe it is because the motors wear lets oil by pass through and they lose some pressure. Ours did not do it at 1000 hours but over 2000 hours.

I did have one motor disinegrate  at a little over 1000 hours and had to put a new one on and flush the system.
We are about as hard as anybody on these track loaders, and all and all they have held up pretty well.

[Bandmill Bandit]

The loader you tried out is a Takeuchui painted Gehl and is no longer available from Gehl unless it is old inventory.

http://www.constructionequipment.com/gehl-rt175-rt210-compact-track-loaders

These are the new ones and they are new Gehl machines from the ground up. I spent about 2 hours in the seat of the RT210 and I have to say the only other one that compares is the new Case TV series. Spent a couple of hours in the seat of a TV 380 as well. On those 2 it would come down to a push for push lift for lift IMHO. Both are great machines and resolve a LOT of the previous model issues.
Link

If you are in the market take hard look at these 2. I think you will come to the same conclusion that I have.     

[Taylortractornut]

THe previous renters probably cavitated the pumps and over heated them.      I couldnt be an euipment renter I used to help a friend that had a rental co in town.     Folks would abuse them as they knew they would turn them in.     They either over heated them and not wated the temps,  or could have blown or had a leaky line and run it dry theyres just no telling.    Ive made alot of folks mad about not loaning or renting my  skid steer or mini ex.       I had a friend that  bought a Jinma  dozer one time.     we were doing a clean up and I was running a rented Gehl loader.    I had  a blade installed on mine at the time and  I actually  pushed the little dozer back till it spun down on its frame.       Ive been running a Bobcat  with hand controls and  the  vertical lift  arms loading a standard ten wheeler.