Caterpillar 289D vs ASV 75- Battle of the 74 hp skid steers 

Biggest thing I saw is one operator is way better than the other. The approach he took to some of the challenges and how he moved material made for the win.

Good lord that forestry head is insane.

Great video Stanley. I'm glad you brought in Travis. He is an awesome source for the forestry/land clearing business.

DM I really am enjoying all of your videos comparing equipment. Had no idea ASV was even still around! ASV was a trac machine before anyone even offered tracks on skid steers... love the videos, thanks for taking me along!

You know it’s a good video when a 20 min video feels like a 5 min video.

We had a 100HP ASV for REA Utility work we used to do way way north Alberta. The ASV kicked every other skid steer to the curb. We use to use CAT and CASE, replace both machines with the one ASV, production stay the same. They are the only machine if your serious that is. Great video, great test.

Not having operated, owned or ever even used a skid steer, I am now in the market for an ASV. Great Video!

I love the skid steer stuff!

I still use the ASV 2810! It's the go to machine for so much. It's so versatile

Great video, I like all the head to head videos you have been doing lately.

I love the editing style!! Awesome video!!

Thanks I’m definitely going ASV

Looks like a lot of fun, and hilarious to watch! :D Thanks!

Great video, I love these types of content. Shine on

Really good comparison review,I’m subscribed!

I have been looking at used skid steers at a big auction and I must say the ASV has the smoothest controls out of the all the ones I operated. They are just so smooth and feel great.

I would say this was a really cool video but the guys that's actually out there running these is where the honest reviews come through still a cool video no doubt about it 👊👊👊👍👍👍👍👍

Interesting,very well put together.We run Deere and never have tried a ASV.Kubota isn’t bad.We thought the Cat cab was small and hard to get in and out.

That was an awesome test! Nice job👍

guy in the cat looks like it was his first day operating a skid, also would like to see a cat with the asv track system compared to an asv, both seem like great machines though!

Can't believe you picked the first cousin of the terex pt30 that you love so much...

guys thanks this did help me a lot did not know what to buy but I do now.

That was wicked You guys deserve respect It was a real clash ❤️ IT

Very nice video, love your videos. Me and my dad have 2 Bobcats on our farm and are very pleased. Greetings from Sweden.

yup pushing the piles back was good test

Hi Guys, Good video. I've been reading in the comments that alot of guys worry about the Plastic and rubber rollers on the ASV/Terex machines. You can buy all the Idlers and Bogies made from Alloy from Bair Products in Kansas. We found it much less expensive to run with no problems.

Great video. Thank you for sharing.

We have a 289D with a gyro trac 400 mulching head on it and it balances well, yes it’s a little ass heavy with just a bucket but full bucket or mulcher and it balances well. I would like to see the 277 against the ASV as they have the same style undercarriage.

awesome video! i love your channel! thanks for sharing!

What a character- love it ! Very entertaining

Great comparison!👍 I’ve got a Cat 247B Track loader with a Cummings engine and ASV track system? Lots of power and traction !

That forestry head is WICKED! I want to play with one for awhile.

Cool how the ASV could turn 180 within it own tracks.

I ran a asv about a month ago it was new only 16 hours but I must say I went full throttle for week hauling and pushing dirt tried to stall it out and it took all i gave it and it was impressive never had a skid even twice the size put out the work I got from the asv

What I have found here, in North-East Iowa, is that Cat's skid steer service is spotty. If the "big" stuff is running your screwed on getting a skid steer serviced. The skid steers are Cat cheapest item so you can understand the focus. I owned an ASV 15 years ago. It was total junk. I know they redesigned them but I am still leery of the product. I know lots of folks talk up every other brand but I have owned about all of them and Bobcat still makes a pretty darn good product.

I’d really like to see what you think of a Kubota skid loader. Your mentioning that the cat has a lack of/slow power. I operate a kubota svl 65 and that thing is super smooth, lightening fast, responsive, and has tons of power. We use it for firewood production so it’s moving solid oak logs all day. The frosting on the cake is we have a great kubota dealer in our area as well

ASV is going to be a big contender in the skid steer market for sure

great video, and quite informative as well.

I noticed that the cat had standard tracks instead of the multi terrain tracks like the asv

Super cool video i love cat so seeing stuff like this is fun great video i have seen a few from you now hope for more in the future

I like watching how much dirt the Cat looses while moving compared to the Asv. In my opinion, the suspension alone makes the Asv better.

I’m going to have to go with cat

Loved the CAT 297D at my last job. The backup camera was probably the best feature of it, as well as the HVAC cab.

I totally agree. No matter the pros and cons you gotta go to a place with costumer service.

I’d like to see the asv rt 120 vs cat 299 d both with forestery packages

Did I miss the forestry head on the CAT portion of the video? Seeing the difference between hydraulic flow rates would be useful.

11:45 the workers in the back are like- hey guys so are we going to build this house or what?

This was cool, I enjoyed it. I bet these opportunities don't come along very often, but what about putting the ASV against a Kubota, Deere, Volvo, Bobcat or a Takeuchi, then a 5-6 way test, That would really be something. JMO. Keep Em Coming.

Asv looks like alot smother tracking unit. Would make a big difference in a 10 hr day

ASV makes a solid machine. They are comfortable and have traction that is superior to most other brands. They were made for the forestry industry and to be used in remote situations where getting stuck or stranded could make or break you. I switched over this year from John Deere and the pros definitely out weigh the cons. My only real complaint is the visibility while using the forks attachment for delicate loads. Overall ASV is great. The Deere was also a solid rig and reliable just older. I've ran a few cats they were like Cadillac's on the inside with every bell and whistle. You definitely pay for that stuff I think a comparable ASV is more affordable and the new ones are very impressive.

Im not a huge fan of CAT but that ASV weighs about 1,300lbs less then the CAT and they both are at the same HP level. Its by nature going to be slower in movement & less responsive, its moving 1,300lbs more around the whole time. The CAT 259D is a more comparable machine. With that said youd think it would have been able to drag the ASV around when they were hooked up? Another fun video Stan! Well worth the watch!!

I have a cat 289C and have operated ASV as well. I will give it to the ASV as far as smooth operating ability. Visability out of the rear of my cat is fine. The bar does not bother me unless i am looking for airplanes. My only problems with ASV tracks is they are high maintanance. And even though they are lighter on their feet which has its advantages. Its a huge disadvantage in the snow.

The guy on the cat doesn’t look like he has much experience

It’s easy to make a machine look bad when you want too. Cat is by far the best machine, best service and hold their value far more than ANY other competitor

This is not a rip on the guys, but they both need more seat time in a skidsteer for this to be a fair test. Would of also been cool to see what machine could lift more. I enjoyed the video tho. the head to head push test was pretty cool. Keep up the good work!

ASV for sure , great and fun video .

It would be good to see the CAT use the mulching head too! Great Video Guys. Good Commentary and Good comparison

Stan Awesome video!!!!! More like this please!!!!!

Once again Late to the channel. Had a snow day today (we don’t snow plow in okc)and did nothing but watched your videos on learning better business practices etc. watching this video and seeing the ASV machine I’m Impressed(especially coupled with all the other ASV videos you’ve done). Our local dealer is a big truck thermo king dealer(refer trucks/trailers). Are all ASV dealers set up with multiple lines of equipment? I’ve always run Bobcats outside of rental machines and this next year I’ll be buying a machine. I’m a pool builder/landscaper. Thanks for all the info!

Thanks for the video stan the man. Would you still recommend the asv ?

Its my personal opinion of course. If the operator of the machine knows his machine and he is skilled at his craft, makes all the difference when you put equipment of equal performances together. I own a tree service and I prefer to run Husqvarna chainsaws over any other brands. I do own Stihl chainsaws and I have run Poulan chainsaws. I was a wild land fire fighter in the state of California for 8 years and i was a 1st sawyer on a type 1 hand crew. Our function was to put a "freeway" thru the forest with hand tools. A crew composed of(1) Fire Captain, (2) Sawyers, (2) sawyers pullers(hardest job on crew), (5) Pulaskis, (5) McLeod's , Drag spoon and Swamper. I was stationed in Northern California and I have over 2500+ fire hours on a Husqvarna 372xp chainsaw w/24" bar running usually full comp chains. We cut a lot of brush and fell a lot of tree's. When we weren't fighting forest fires we were brushing back state roads in Mendocino county of fir trees. I lived with a saw in my hands year round. 372xp our fire saw and a 371xp as our grade saw. I got a little time on these . People ask me what about Stihl's 660 or 440...Those are good saws also. They are equal in some specs.....but I have run the 372xp. I know my saw...I can break it down in the dark, I know where my 'bar tip' is at all times. I know how to hold it and where to hold it in all types of brush or trees I'm dismantling. Basically my saw is a 3rd appendage. long story...sorry. What I want to convey is its usually the operator that makes the difference.

It may not seem intuitive but, if you put the spout on top of the pour jug in stead of the bottom it will pour smoothly with out splashing or burping. This works with oil, antifreeze, water, Hydraulic fluid containers even gas cans. Try it.

Come back in 5 years and compare these two machines.

We take our asv to cat all the time and they always work on it, a lot of the parts are interchangeable.

Put 2000 hours on each machine and try it again. You will have exactly what you paid for.

Hey Stanley if you ever get the chance to come to Wisconsin you should check out delaneys surplus I know you would love it. It’s not any old surplus you could even make a video!

my local council have bean using ASV for years they seam to never have a problem with them. but i like my JCB.

Do the push and pull test on hard pack dirt

It would be interesting to know the long term maintenence cost of running each one are. I looked after a terex pt100g working inforestry with a fecon drum mulcher working mostly in sand for several years & undercarriage costs were horendous. Not to mention hyd pump drive coupling failures every 1000hrs.

Nothing against you guys but I have spent a long time running an ASV with a forestry head and you are being very unsafe around that. Those can pick up rocks and hurt and even kill people if they are hit by them. You shouldn't be walking around there when that thing is running and having another guy in a machine without the proper protective cage is dangerous.

Work in muddy conditions with wet clay in the winter and see how bad that asv freezes up and will not move. Or if it can move you will smoke the wheels and destroy the rollers. They are great for final grading and great floatation but for very heavy hard work the undercarriage does not hold up well and is 3 times the price for parts.

I like the foot pedals in a skid

No ASV dealer in our area. Central Valley in California. Our Cat dealer is awesome to work with,

ASV hands down ! (or would that be bucket down?)

pretty fun to watch, regardless of who won

So even though the ASV has "way more power," it stalled in the dirt test, which is what I can't stand about ASV, they're gutless. The reason the Cat has the bar in the back is for the vertical lift feature. Good luck loading a full-size truck with the ASV. Also, don't bother using the ASV is gravel, because it will destroy that rubber and plastic roller system.

It is well known in the industry that the asv style undercarriage has more flotation. Cat sales their version and clearly markets it as the major difference as well. The standard undercarriage on that 289 is more rugged, and cheaper to replace, but less flotation. Not an apples to apples comparison, as I think the 259 cat would be more comparable, but close. I have a 299d2 and love it. I like the way the new asvs are going and hope they continue to do well.

When it's all done. Each machine has it fetures they both do good a cross operator comparison was done for the most part. Look at it another way. If your trying to do clean up next to a wall or something that your trying to go slow and easy with machine is less jerky and smooth. That might change the whole perspective.

Faster controls and better speed is great... but which one has the run time without failure?

"Chain for what"...Good question your with Stan.

Haven't seen you talk about AFE's SS ECO Mulcher. It's very dangerous. Best disk rotary mulcher for sure.

The undisputed champion ASV!

To be honest its operators choice to which what machine you like. I love our cases at work and there amazing machines!

As soon as I saw them digging with a finish bucket I did not need to watch anymore.

I've always thought a typical skid steer dirt bucket was half a yard range. A brief search only turned up one yards in the light material bucket range. I may be wrong but I don't want people getting screwed but thinking their bucket is bigger than it is. Also can you explain how it's right to sell dirt By the ton...vs buy the yard...cause the amount of dirt in a yard is the same wet or dry. A ton with water in it in my mind would be less volume than a dry ton (rain storm vs drought) Just ranting from a guy who's local gravel pit went from selling by yard to ton and price doubled at least.

I've never heard of asv before, looks like a good machine but what is the dealer network like

You should do that with Ventrac & Steiner Tractors.

COMPARE THE ASV 120 VS CAT 299D2XHP/BOBCAT T870

When I need a skid steer or mini excavator it's a cat rental it's close to home comes on a trailer. 299 cat for 200 a day. 305 mini both cabbed for 250 sip fuel. And best part avail able. 24/7 with a quick call due to working relationship with rental dealer.

Great video and points very helpful, now I am about to get the ASV 120F but the question is will the Cimaf head work on the 75 versus the 120 any feedback greatly appreciated.

I gotta say I've been leaning towards either a Cat 289D or a Kubota 95-2 but having watched some of your vids I'm getting more convinced to go with the ASV 75!

It would have been nice to see a drag race or some kind of a race course to see which one would be faster otherwise awesome videos thank you!

When I used an ASV for several years it had a Cat Motor. Is this the same or this ASV? The power disruption that you are experience never happened for the years I ran an ASV?

I thought the ASV performed faster than the CAT. I have often wondered what a comparison between these 2 machines be like. Now I know. I used to own an MD-70, POSI-TRAC.

So you're comparing open cab vs enclosed. Radial lift vs vertical lift. And 2 completely different track systems. Just because they're same horsepower let's compare them. BTW why try a 287D cat same track system as ASV. Surprised most of the time your videos aren't so off.

Check out the difference in ground disturbance around the 16:00 mark.

Get all skid steers together, from all makes in the same horse power, then do test, because you can't put a shredding head against a bucket on land clearing test that's like putting a spoon against a track hoe. The other tests when the ASV has a bucket on was alot better.

Bobcat has the same rear cross member as the cat, so it really isn’t worth continually commenting on. It’s how they accomplish their vertical lift geometry. Not a big deal. Cats problem is their rear end is significantly taller blocking all back and down visibility.

Interesting video. Now, it's not fully scientific as there are many variables, but I appreciate the effort to try and keep it as fair as possible by switching operators and using same size buckets. I also enjoyed the video from a purely entertainment aspect, so I rate it about 13 out of 7 hardhats.

Funny thing is. Asv has alot of cat parts. Look at the serial# plate, most likely says (a caterpillar affiliate) I work on alot of these things.