20 machines
Caterpillar skid steers and track loaders
Caterpillar has 20 machines here, 10 on wheels and 10 on rubber tracks, priced $46,000 to $142,446. The range runs from the Cat 239D3 up to the Cat 285 XE, listed biggest first by capacity measured the same way on every machine rather than as each brochure states it.
Cat's loader range is halfway through a generation change, and this page holds both halves. The older D3 Series keeps its letter-and-number names (226D3, 239D3, 249D3, 262D3, 299D3 XE and the rest). The replacements drop the suffix and use a simpler code: a model number ending in 0 is a wheeled skid steer, one ending in 5 is a track loader. The first two, the 255 and 265, were unveiled in October 2023 as a ground-up redesign. The 255 replaced the 259D3, and the 265 replaced both the 279D3 and the 289D3. In September 2024 Cat added eight more: the 250, 260, 270 and 270 XE skid steers and the 275, 275 XE, 285 and 285 XE track loaders, with the 285 pair the largest track loaders Cat has built. The XE badge marks a higher-output engine and hydraulic package, not an electric drivetrain.
The smallest frames have not been replaced yet, which is why the light 226D3, 232D3 and 236D3 are still the smallest wheeled machines here. At CONEXPO-CON/AGG in March 2026 Cat previewed a 253 track loader built on the 259D3's foundation, sized between the 249D3 and the 255 at 8,893 lb and a 2,023 lb rated capacity, with commercial availability planned from late 2026 into 2027.
Cat track loaders are built in Sanford, North Carolina, which started in 1996 and began producing the 255 and 265 in the first quarter of 2024. On September 30, 2026 Caterpillar announced a $1 billion investment in a new Sanford facility to raise production of track loaders and telehandlers. Since January 1, 2018 every new Cat skid steer, track loader and multi-terrain loader sold through US and Canadian dealers has carried a 24-month/2,000-hour full-machine warranty, and Cat Financial sells Equipment Protection Plans beyond it.
The dealer behind it, more than any spec-sheet win, is why most buyers choose Cat, and the recurring grumbles are about money and hydraulics. The jumps between frames are steep, standard auxiliary flow on the new 255 and 260 is lower than on the D3 machines they replace, so attachments that ran on a base D3 may now need a high-flow package, and the 100 hp-plus engines carry DEF and full aftertreatment that the 74 hp machines avoid.
Sources: projectplant.co.uk, grainews.ca, pitandquarry.com, constructionequipmentguide.com, news.ararental.org, spectrumlocalnews.com, cat.com
Caterpillar
Cat 285 XE
Dealer quote onlypeers $100k–$122k
- Engine
- 122 hp
- Aux flow
- 23 GPM
- Weight
- 13,669 lbs
The largest compact track loader Cat builds, in the XE hydraulic package: 40 GPM at 4,496 psi, well above both the standard circuit and High Flow XPS. Land clearing and mulching outfits are the buyers.
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Caterpillar
Cat 285
$122,000
- Engine
- 111 hp
- Aux flow
- 23 GPM
- Weight
- 13,497 lbs
No Caterpillar compact track loader has ever been bigger than the 285, which tops the next-generation lineup above the 275 and competes in a new class size against machines like the Case TV620B. Its 146.6-inch bucket pin height and 4,461 lb rated operating capacity let it load full-size trucks and hoppers that no previous Cat CTL could reach, with a 285 XE variant above it for maximum power.
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Caterpillar
Cat 299D3 XE Land Management
Dealer quote onlypeers $100k–$121k
- Engine
- 110 hp
- Aux flow
- 23 GPM
- Weight
- 12,764 lbs
A vegetation-management build of the 299D3 XE, carrying extra guarding and a heavier counterweight that lifts rated capacity to 4,340 lb. It is a configuration rather than a separate model, and it exists for mulching and clearing work.
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Caterpillar
Cat 275 XE
$142,446
- Engine
- 122 hp
- Aux flow
- 23 GPM
- Weight
- 12,705 lbs
Sitting above the 275 in Cat's large-frame track loader range, the XE adds the top 40 GPM auxiliary package at 4,496 psi and a higher-output tune of the 122 hp C3.6. Land-clearing and mulching outfits are the buyers; for anything else the premium buys hydraulics you will not use.
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Caterpillar
Cat 275
$112,000
- Engine
- 111 hp
- Aux flow
- 23 GPM
- Weight
- 12,401 lbs
Cat's large-frame CTL class gets the next-generation redesign in the 275, effectively succeeding the 289D3 and 299D3 with a 111 hp C3.6TA engine and a 4,156 lb rated operating capacity. High Flow XPS pushes 34 GPM at up to 4,061 psi, and a higher-powered 275 XE variant sits above it for maximum attachment production.
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Caterpillar
Cat 270 XE
$104,779
- Engine
- 121 hp
- Aux flow
- 23 GPM
- Weight
- 10,847 lbs
Caterpillar's XE badge marks the top auxiliary hydraulic package rather than an electric drivetrain: 40 GPM at 4,496 psi behind a 121 hp C3.6, above both the standard circuit and High Flow XPS. It is built for a wheeled carrier that runs a flow-hungry attachment most of the day on hard surfaces.
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Caterpillar
Cat 299D3 XE
Dealer quote onlypeers $92k–$114k
- Engine
- 110 hp
- Aux flow
- 23 GPM
- Weight
- 11,756 lbs
The outgoing D3 flagship track loader in XE trim, with the 40 GPM high-pressure circuit that the badge denotes. The next-generation 275 and 285 replace it, so it survives as dealer stock rather than as a current model.
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Caterpillar
Cat 270
$90,000
- Engine
- 100 hp
- Aux flow
- 23 GPM
- Weight
- 10,441 lbs
Cat's 270 tops the next-generation wheeled skid steer line, replacing the 272D3 with a 100 hp C3.6TA and a 3,557 lb rated operating capacity at a 134-inch pin height. High Flow XPS is available at 34 GPM and 4,061 psi, and the 270 XE sits above it with a 40 GPM circuit for attachment-heavy work.
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Caterpillar
Cat 260
$67,909
- Engine
- 74 hp
- Aux flow
- 20 GPM
- Weight
- 8,523 lbs
Anyone replacing a 262D3 wheeled skid steer gets the direct next-generation answer here. The Cat 260 lifts 3,160 lbs to a 132-inch pin height - both meaningful gains over the D3 - and pairs the 74 hp C2.8T with High Flow XPS hydraulics up to 34 GPM in Cat's new sealed, pressurized cab.
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Caterpillar
Cat 265
$95,000
- Engine
- 74 hp
- Aux flow
- 23 GPM
- Weight
- 10,492 lbs
Larger of the first two next-generation Cat compact track loaders, the 265 replaces both the 279D3 and 289D3. Its turbo after-cooled C2.8TA delivers a 43% torque increase over the outgoing models, and the vertical-lift arms reach a 132-inch pin height, with High Flow XPS pushing 34 GPM for demanding attachments.
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Caterpillar
Cat 262D3
Dealer quote onlypeers $60k–$68k
- Engine
- 74 hp
- Aux flow
- 23 GPM
- Weight
- 8,296 lbs
The largest of the outgoing D3 wheeled machines at 2,700 lb rated, on the same 74 hp C3.3B as the two below it. The next-generation 260 replaces it, so it is a stock machine rather than a current one.
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Caterpillar
Cat 250
$60,493
- Engine
- 74 hp
- Aux flow
- 20 GPM
- Weight
- 7,829 lbs
Launched in late 2024 alongside the 260 and 270, the Cat 250 is the entry point to Caterpillar's next-generation wheeled skid steer line. The C2.8T engine delivers 74 hp with peak power held across a wide RPM range, and its 124-inch lift height is 3 inches taller than the outgoing D3 machines it supersedes.
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Caterpillar
Cat 255
$75,362
- Engine
- 74 hp
- Aux flow
- 20 GPM
- Weight
- 9,578 lbs
Replacing the hugely popular 259D3, the Cat 255 is the first of Caterpillar's ground-up next-generation compact track loaders. The new C2.8T engine holds peak power across a wider RPM band, and versus the 259D3 it delivers 24% more rated operating capacity, 36% more tilt breakout force, and class-leading lift height in a sealed, pressurized one-piece cab.
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Caterpillar
Cat 242D3
Dealer quote onlypeers $52k–$63k
- Engine
- 74 hp
- Aux flow
- 20 GPM
- Weight
- 7,138 lbs
A mid-frame vertical-lift wheeled machine from the outgoing D3 line, sitting below the next-generation 250 that replaced it. Cat still sells it, which makes it the cheaper way into a 2,200 lb Cat if a dealer has stock.
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Caterpillar
Cat 246D3
Dealer quote onlypeers $52k–$63k
- Engine
- 74 hp
- Aux flow
- 23 GPM
- Weight
- 7,478 lbs
Radial-lift sibling to the 242D3 at the same 2,200 lb rating, trading top-of-stroke reach for digging force lower down. Cat's D3 line is being replaced by the 260, so this one sells on price rather than on being current.
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Caterpillar
Cat 232D3
$49,910
- Engine
- 67 hp
- Aux flow
- 18 GPM
- Weight
- 6,514 lbs
Caterpillar's 232D3 sits one frame step above the 226D3, trading that machine's radial boom for a vertical lift path and 350 lb more rated capacity on the same 67 hp engine. It suits owner-operators who load pallets and trailers more often than they dig, and who want the Cat cab at the bottom of the price list.
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Caterpillar
Cat 236D3
$55,225
- Engine
- 67 hp
- Aux flow
- 20 GPM
- Weight
- 6,567 lbs
Radial lift and a 20 GPM standard circuit make the 236D3 the digging-oriented member of Cat's small-frame D3 trio, with a 122.9-inch pin height that is unusually tall for a radial boom. It fits contractors whose day is trenching, backfilling and grading rather than loading trucks.
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Caterpillar
Cat 249D3
$59,392
- Engine
- 67 hp
- Aux flow
- 18 GPM
- Weight
- 7,831 lbs
Cat's smallest current track loader pairs a 67 hp C2.2 CRDI with a vertical boom on a 7,831 lb frame. Landscapers and hardscape crews buy this size to get onto finished ground and through gates that stop a mid-frame CTL.
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Caterpillar
Cat 226D3
$46,000
- Engine
- 67 hp
- Aux flow
- 18 GPM
- Weight
- 5,849 lbs
Caterpillar's entry-level small-frame radial-lift wheeled skid steer, the 226D3 is a lightweight, agile machine popular with rental fleets, homeowners, and light-duty contractors who value the Cat dealer network.
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Caterpillar
Cat 239D3
$58,000
- Engine
- 67 hp
- Aux flow
- 18 GPM
- Weight
- 7,434 lbs
A fully-suspended undercarriage sits under this small-frame radial-lift compact track loader. The Cat 239D3 is compact and low-ground-pressure, popular with landscapers and rental yards wanting a Cat CTL that fits tight sites.
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