Caterpillar

Cat 260

$67,909before options, dealer-quotedVertical LiftWheels
Cat 260
Rated capacity of tipping load50%
3,160 lb rated6,321 lb tipping

The bright segment is what Cat 260 is rated to carry; the grey run past it is the rest of its tipping load. Bar length is tipping load drawn to the same scale on every machine on the site, so a short bar is a smaller machine and not a conservative rating.

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.

Suits: Replacing a 262D3 and wanting more lift, a far better cab, and modern tech in the same class Its vertical lift path reaches highest at full extension, for loading high-sided trucks and stacking.

Lifting and reach

Rated operating capacityWheeled rating convention
3,160 lbs
Tipping load
6,321 lbs
Lift height to hinge pin
132 in
Lift path
Vertical Lift
Operating weight
8,523 lbs

Power and hydraulics

Engine power
74 hp
Engine
Cat C2.8T
Auxiliary flowStandard circuit
20 GPM
Flow type
Standard
Warranty
2 yr / 2,000 hr

Fitted or available

What this machine can be ordered with. Some of these are standard and some cost extra, and which is which moves between trim levels, so check them against the quote rather than against this list.

Vertical LiftHigh-FlowEnclosed CabTwo-SpeedSelf-LevelingA/C & HeatA/CHigh-Flow Available

What owners report

Summarised from the sources listed below. Nothing here was tested by us.

Mid-frame wheeled work, done without the aftertreatment tax. What makes this one interesting against its bigger siblings is the engine: the 74 hp C2.8T clears Tier 4 Final with a diesel oxidation catalyst and no diesel exhaust fluid at all, where the 100 hp-plus machines above it carry the full package with a tank to fill and sensors to fail. For an owner whose machine does short, intermittent runs — exactly the duty cycle that gives filter-and-fluid systems trouble — that simplicity is worth more than the horsepower difference.

Capacity is where it improves most over the 262D3 it replaces: 3,160 lb rated, or 3,394 lb with the counterweight, up from 2,700 lb, and 132 inches of pin height that genuinely clears dump truck sides rather than almost clearing them. Torque is about 13% up and held across a wider rpm range, which operators feel backdragging and pushing. The one thing that went backwards is standard hydraulic flow, down to 20 GPM at 3,335 psi from the previous 23 GPM — a small change with real consequences for anyone bringing existing attachments across, and one that pushes buyers toward the 30 GPM high-flow option or the 34 GPM High Flow XPS package and away from the base price. Against a Bobcat S76 at the same horsepower it holds a useful advantage on tipping load, rated capacity and turning radius while weighing slightly less.

Solid pallet and bucket capacity on firm ground, plus the lowest-complexity engine Cat will sell in a machine this size, is what the owner gets. The trap to avoid is buying the base configuration and then discovering the hydraulics are short — price the machine with whichever flow package your attachments actually require, because that is the difference between the list price and what you will really pay. Be realistic about the alternatives too: a comparably equipped S76 usually quotes lower, so the justification for paying more here is dealer and parts depth rather than specification. And if you suspect you will want more than 74 hp within a few years, note there is nothing between this and the 270, so that upgrade is a large step rather than a small one.

What owners like

  • 3,160 lb of rated capacity — 3,394 lb with the counterweight — against the 262D3's 2,700 lb, a gain that shows up immediately handling pallets of brick, seed or fertiliser.
  • The 74 hp C2.8T meets Tier 4 Final with a diesel oxidation catalyst and no DEF tank to fill. The 100 hp-plus machines above it carry the full aftertreatment package, and on a loader that does short, intermittent, light-duty runs skipping it is the strongest running-cost argument in Cat's wheeled line.
  • 221 lb-ft of torque is roughly 13% up on the old C3.3B and is held across a wider rpm band, which shows up backdragging and pushing where the D3 would bog down.
  • 132 inches of pin height is a genuine truck-loading height for a mid-frame wheeled machine, clearing dump sides the 262D3 strained to reach.
  • Against a Bobcat S76 at the same 74 hp, it carries a 6,321 lb tipping load to the S76's 5,800 lb and 3,160 lb rated to the S76's 2,900 to 3,100 lb, while weighing about 90 lb less and offering a considerably tighter turning radius setting.
  • An 8 inch touchscreen with switchable ISO and H control patterns, a rear camera and telematics is available rather than reserved for a premium trim, and standard coverage is two years or 2,000 hours.

What owners complain about

  • Standard auxiliary flow dropped to 20 GPM at 3,335 psi from the 262D3's 23 GPM. If you already own attachments, check their flow requirement before assuming a base machine will run them properly.
  • Getting back above that means paying for the 30 GPM high-flow option or the 34 GPM High Flow XPS package, so a 260 specified to run a cold planer is not the $67,909 machine on the price list.
  • 3,160 lb is quoted at 50% of tipping load, the wheeled convention — do not read it as equivalent to a compact track loader's 35%-based figure, which leaves far more reserve at the same number.
  • At 8,523 lb it is a couple of hundred pounds heavier than the 262D3, nudging a loaded trailer closer to 10,000 lb once attachments come along.
  • Buyers wanting more than 74 hp in a wheeled Cat face a large jump in price to the 270, because Cat offers nothing in between where several competitors do.
  • It is the more expensive way to buy 74 hp. A comparably equipped Bobcat S76 generally lists below it, and the case for the Cat rests on dealer and parts depth rather than on the spec sheet gap.

Drawn from cat.com, westernstatescat.com, allmachines.com, machinerytrader.com, zeppelin.cz, compactequip.com.

What buyers ask

Does the 260 need diesel exhaust fluid?
No. The 74 hp C2.8T meets Tier 4 Final using a diesel oxidation catalyst, so there is no DEF tank to fill and no fluid to buy or store. Cat's 100 hp-plus machines like the 270 carry the full aftertreatment package including a DEF tank, so if low-complexity running costs matter to you, this engine class is the place to stay.
Why is standard hydraulic flow lower than the 262D3 it replaces?
It is a real reduction, from the 262D3's 23 GPM down to 20 GPM at 3,335 psi on the base machine. If you are moving existing attachments to a new 260, check each one's flow requirement before ordering, because some tools that ran acceptably on the old machine will be underfed on a base-spec new one.
What does it cost to get the hydraulics back up?
You have two steps available: a 30 GPM high-flow option, or the 34 GPM at 4,061 psi High Flow XPS package for the most demanding tools like cold planers and wheel saws. Either is an extra above the roughly $67,909 starting price, so a machine specified to run high-flow attachments should be budgeted well above the list figure.
How does it stack up against a Bobcat S76?
Favourably on the numbers. At the same 74 hp, the 260 carries a 6,321 lb tipping load against the S76's 5,800 lb and 3,160 lb rated capacity against 2,900 to 3,100 lb, while weighing about 90 lb less and offering a noticeably tighter turning radius setting. The counterpoint is price — a comparably equipped S76 generally lists lower, so the Cat's case rests on dealer and parts support.
Is its 3,160 lb capacity comparable to a track loader's?
No. Wheeled skid steers including this one are rated at 50% of tipping load while compact track loaders are rated at 35%, so the same printed number means substantially less reserve on the wheeled machine. When you compare this against any CTL, check the tipping load figures rather than the rated capacities.
What if I need more than 74 hp later?
It is a big step rather than a small one. Cat's wheeled line goes from this 74 hp machine straight to the roughly 100 hp 270, with nothing in between and a substantial price gap, where some competitors offer an intermediate size. If you think your work is trending toward higher-flow attachments and heavier loads within a few years, it is worth pricing the 270 now rather than planning to trade up.

Put the Cat 260 against

Cat 250Cat 255Gehl V275

Machines in the same range

The rest of the Caterpillar line
Cat 250

Caterpillar

Cat 250

$60,493

Vertical Lift · wheels
2,689 lb rated50% of 5,378 lb
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.

Full sheet & owner reports
Cat 236D3

Caterpillar

Cat 236D3

$55,225

Radial Lift · wheels
1,800 lb rated50% of 3,600 lb
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.

Full sheet & owner reports
Cat 232D3

Caterpillar

Cat 232D3

$49,910

Vertical Lift · wheels
1,900 lb rated50% of 3,800 lb
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.

Full sheet & owner reports