Head to head
John Deere 334 P-Tier against Cat 270 XE
The Cat 270 XE saves $13,026; the Cat 270 XE carries 15 lb more once both are rated the same way; the John Deere 334 P-Tier moves 2.0 GPM more through the auxiliary circuit.
| Spec | John Deere 334 P-Tier | Cat 270 XE |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $117,805 | $104,779 |
| Rated capacity, as advertised | 4,000 lbs | 4,015 lbs |
| Rated at | 50% of tipping load | 50% of tipping load |
| Tipping load | 8,000 lbs | 8,029 lbs |
| Capacity at its class convention | 4,000 lbs | 4,015 lbs |
| Engine power | 118 hp | 121 hp |
| Engine | Yanmar 4TNV94FHT | Cat C3.6TA |
| Auxiliary flow | 25 GPM | 23 GPM |
| Lift height | 132 in | 135.4 in |
| Operating weight | 10,264 lbs | 10,847 lbs |
| Lift path | Vertical Lift | Vertical Lift |
| Rubber tracks | No | No |
| High flow available | Yes | Yes |
| Enclosed cab available | Yes | Yes |
| Two-speed travel available | Yes | Yes |
| Self-levelling available | Yes | Yes |
| A/C and heat available | Yes | Yes |
| Warranty | 2 yr / 2,000 hr | 2 yr / 2,000 hr |
What owners say about each
John Deere 334 P-Tier
- With 118 gross horsepower it's the strongest skid steer Deere has ever built, an 18% jump over the 332G, and operators running cold planers say it holds engine speed where the old machine would lug.
- The 4,000 lb rated operating capacity and 8,000 lb tipping load put it at the top of the wheeled class, handling loaded brick pallets and full buckets of wet material without drama.
- The optional 44 GPM / 4,000 psi high-flow package delivers hydraulic power that rivals dedicated milling machines, making it a favorite for asphalt planing and heavy mulching on firm ground.
- The 35.5-gallon fuel tank is enormous for a skid steer and supports true dawn-to-dusk operation on high-load hydraulic work without a mid-day fuel stop.
- Wheels beat tracks on pavement - for road work, demolition cleanup, and concrete yards it out-runs and out-lasts CTLs while costing far less in undercarriage wear.
- The 132-inch hinge pin height with vertical lift loads tri-axle dump trucks cleanly, and self-leveling keeps pallet forks flat through the whole lift path.
- At over 10,000 lbs before attachments, it needs heavy-duty transport, and the days of hauling your skid steer behind a pickup are over at this size.
- The extra horsepower and big hydraulics burn fuel quickly under load - owners running planers report consumption closer to a small excavator than a typical skid steer.
- It's brand new to the market, so long-term reliability of the higher-output engine tune and 4,000 psi hydraulic system is still unproven.
- The physical size that enables the capacity works against it in tight residential lots where a mid-frame machine maneuvers much more easily.
- Tier 4 Final aftertreatment with DEF adds running cost and complexity, and regens interrupt work more often when the machine idles between milling passes.
- Wheeled machines fall short in mud and on slopes, so mixed-surface contractors may be pushed to the 335 P-Tier CTL and its higher price instead.
Cat 270 XE
- The 40 GPM XE circuit at 4,496 psi is the largest auxiliary package Cat offers in a wheeled skid steer, beyond even High Flow XPS on the standard 270.
- Its 4,015 lb rated capacity is the highest in Cat's wheeled line, 458 lb above the standard 270 on the same frame.
- The step up from the standard 270 is hydraulic, not just incremental: 40 GPM at 4,496 psi against the standard circuit's 23 GPM, which is the difference between running a large cold planer and struggling with one.
- Cat publishes $104,779 as the starting MSRP, so the premium over a standard 270 at $88,201 is a known number rather than a negotiation.
- On pavement a wheeled carrier still beats a track loader for milling and sweeping, with tyre costs in place of undercarriage costs.
- $104,779 before options is track-loader money for a wheeled machine, and it only pays back if the attachment runs most of the day.
- 121 hp means the full Tier 4 Final aftertreatment package - DEF, DPF and regens - that the 74 hp machines below it avoid.
- At 10,847 lb it is heavier than several compact track loaders, so the wheeled machine's towing advantage is largely gone.
- Some dealer pages quote 134 hp for it; that is the ISO figure with a high-flow attachment connected, not the SAE J1995 gross rating of 121 hp, so expect to have that conversation at the counter.
- Wheels still cannot follow a track loader onto soft ground, however good the hydraulics are.