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I've had an A300 for 3 years and have nothing but praise. The learning curve is VERY short. For myself and main equipment operator I'd say it took only a couple of hours. One of my other foreman (who is equipment-shy) was intimidated at first but now he always goes for that machine first. Let's put it this way, the learning curve is much shorter than years ago when I went from a Kubota TLB to a Bobcat. Also, I bought a new S250 at the same time but now the A300 has four times the hours on it because it's much more versatile. I'll list others points below:
-I normally have turf tires on the A300, so I can run across someone's lawn with a 3,000 lb. pallet (or plant a tree with a 36"auger etc.) and leave hardly an imprint. Great for working in established residential work, not so important for new construction areas.
-I switch to heavy lug tires in the winter for snow removal. And the traction seems better than a skid steer. And remember you can always switch to skidsteer-mode with the flick of a switch.
-Less wear and tear on tires (and customers' blacktop) due to no spinning on pavement ( a favorite pasttime of many operators).
-The 2 speed drive is great on a large job to get from A to B. With my S250 I always feel like I want to get out and push it. I've noticed too that operators tend to run the S250 at much higher RPM's and I know it's because they're are used to the faster A300.
- I also use the newer quick attach backhoe with the A300. With that combination it works almost like an excavator. While in the seat for the backhoe, I can reach back and reposition the machine with the hand control without hopping in and out of the machine. This setup saved me from needing to purchase a mini excavator.
- A note to Stone. I originally had the same concern as you about rocks and debris getting caught up in the likage, but in 3 years it's never been a problem.
- For my situation (mostly residential design/install with 50%hardscape/50% greenscape) I've found the A300 indispensible on jobs where I need lift capacity and/or minimal property damage. I use the S250 with rubber- over-steel tracks for loading yard operations and down and dirty mud work. The combination work great for me. But if I were forced to keep only one machine it would definately be the A300.
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