New Holland

New Holland L318

$45,000before options, dealer-quotedVertical LiftWheels
New Holland L318
Rated capacity of tipping load50%
1,800 lb rated3,600 lb tipping

The bright segment is what New Holland L318 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.

Super Boom vertical lift comes down to the 1800 lb class in the New Holland L318, a small-frame wheeled skid steer powered by a 60 hp FPT diesel. It offers truck-loading reach that radial small frames can't match.

Suits: Small operations that load trucks and stack pallets but don't need a mid-frame machine Its vertical lift path reaches highest at full extension, for loading high-sided trucks and stacking.

Lifting and reach

Rated operating capacityWheeled rating convention
1,800 lbs
Tipping load
3,600 lbs
Lift height to hinge pin
120 in
Lift path
Vertical Lift
Operating weight
6,230 lbs

Power and hydraulics

Engine power
60 hp
Engine
FPT
Auxiliary flowStandard circuit
20.6 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.

Vertical-lift geometry in a small, cheap frame is the trick this machine pulls off, and it pulls it off better than the spec summary suggests. It reaches 30.8 in at 90.7 in of dump height, which is further out than the larger L320 manages, and it swings the boom up in 2.8 seconds - the quickest in the whole L-Series. For a buyer whose job is filling trucks from a machine that fits through a gate, that combination is hard to find elsewhere at this money.

Where it gives ground is grunt. The 60 hp engine makes 135 lb-ft at 1,800 rpm, less than the smaller L316's 139 lb-ft despite carrying 860 lb more machine, and the weight also means you tow it with the same rig a mid-frame would need. The cab is the same wide 300 Series unit with the 8-inch display and camera used further up the line, which is a genuine advantage over stripped-out small-frame rivals. The faults owners of this generation report are electrical rather than structural - display and camera trouble, short-to-power codes at the boom and bucket valve drivers - and every one of them needs the dealer's diagnostic software to chase.

At around $45,000 it earns its place if you load trucks more than you dig, your loads sit under 1,800 lb, and cab comfort matters to you more than badge resale. Skip it for the L320 if your pallets are heavier, because the capacity gap is the real difference between them and the reach gap runs the other way. Before signing, weigh a typical pallet, confirm the dump height off the spec sheet rather than the web page, and work out how far you are from a dealer with EST software.

What owners like

  • Super Boom vertical lift in a small frame is genuinely unusual, and the numbers back it up: 90.7 in of dump height with 30.8 in of reach - more reach than the larger, more expensive L320 manages at 29.8 in. For loading high-sided trucks from a 6,230 lb machine, that is the standout feature.
  • Quickest boom in the line. It raises in 2.8 seconds and lowers in 2.3, faster than the L320 at 3.5 and the L328 at 4.5. On repetitive loading work, seconds per cycle compound into a real difference by the end of a day.
  • The 1,800 lb rating uses the ordinary 50 percent of tipping load convention that every maker applies to wheeled skid steers, so it can be compared straight across to a Bobcat S64 or a Cat 236 figure with no arithmetic - unlike New Holland's track loaders, where the same 50 percent headline flatters the machine.
  • It carries the same wide 300 Series cab and 8-inch LCD display with integrated backup camera as the machines two sizes up, where small-frame rivals typically hand you a stripped-out cab and a row of idiot lights.

What owners complain about

  • Torque is the weak spot and it is measurable: 135 lb-ft at 1,800 rpm, which is actually less than the smaller, lighter L316's 139 lb-ft while hauling 860 lb more machine. The 60 hp engine is working harder here than anywhere else in the line, and it shows when you crowd a pile.
  • New Holland's own published numbers for this model disagree with each other - the page blurb claims 93.7 in of dump height while the Super Boom specification on the same page says 90.7 in. Work from the downloadable spec sheet, not the marketing copy, if you are matching the machine to a specific truck.
  • At 6,230 lb it is heavy for a small frame - only 240 lb under the substantially more capable L320 - so the trailer and tow vehicle you need are the same ones a bigger machine would demand. You pay the transport penalty of a mid-frame without the mid-frame's capacity.
  • 1,800 lb still falls short of a full pallet of many landscape materials, which is precisely why a lot of buyers who start here end up on the L320. Work out what your actual pallets weigh before deciding this is enough.
  • The electrical faults reported across this generation of New Holland and Case machines apply here too - display and camera trouble, short-to-power codes at the boom and bucket valve drivers - and all of it needs CNH's dealer-locked EST software to diagnose.
  • Resale for the badge trails Bobcat and Cat small frames, and New Holland's construction dealer network is thin in many regions, so the purchase-price advantage is partly a deferred cost rather than a saving.

Drawn from construction.newholland.com, skidsteerforum.com, aglist.ca.

What buyers ask

Why does the L318 reach further than the bigger L320?
Different boom geometry for different frame heights. New Holland publishes 30.8 in of dump reach at 90.7 in of height for this machine, against 29.8 in at 91.7 in for the L320. It is a small difference but it runs the opposite way to what buyers expect, and it means stepping up a model for reach is the wrong reason to spend the money - step up for capacity instead.
Is 1,800 lb enough?
It depends entirely on what you lift, and the honest answer is that many landscape pallets sit above it. Sod, wet stone and full cement pallets commonly exceed 1,800 lb, which is why buyers who start here frequently end up on the L320 at 2,000 lb. Weigh a typical load before deciding, because this is the single most common regret with small-frame machines.
How does the 60 hp engine hold up under load?
It is the hardest-worked engine in the line. At 135 lb-ft at 1,800 rpm it makes slightly less torque than the lighter L316 does while moving 860 lb more machine, so crowding a pile or running an auger in hard ground loads it down more than you would expect from the horsepower figure. It is adequate for bucket and forks work; it is not the machine to pair with a demanding attachment.
Does the rated capacity need adjusting to compare with other brands?
No. Wheeled skid steers are quoted at 50 percent of tipping load throughout the industry, and that is what this 1,800 lb figure is, so it compares directly with a Bobcat, Cat or Deere wheeled machine. The conversion warning that applies to New Holland's C-Series track loaders - where a 50 percent headline sits against rivals quoted at 35 percent - does not apply here.
What should I look at on a used one?
Cycle the display, camera and every auxiliary function and scan for stored codes first, since electrical faults are what this generation actually suffers. Then check the Super Boom linkage pivots for slop, because it has more grease points than a radial arm and shows neglect there first, and inspect hydraulic hoses at their crimps - hose failures at the crimp have been reported on the larger machines in the same family.

Put the New Holland L318 against

New Holland L316JCB 215New Holland L320

Machines in the same range

The rest of the New Holland line
New Holland L320

New Holland

New Holland L320

$48,000

Vertical Lift · wheels
2,000 lb rated50% of 4,000 lb
Engine
67 hp
Aux flow
20.6 GPM
Weight
6,470 lbs

2000 lbs of capacity, standard dual-range travel, and a 91.7-inch dump height put the New Holland L320 at the sweet spot of the smaller 300 Series frames. It's a mid-size wheeled skid steer with the patented Super Boom vertical lift and a 67 hp FPT diesel.

Full sheet & owner reports
New Holland L316

New Holland

New Holland L316

$39,000

Radial Lift · wheels

Also sold as the Case SR160B

1,600 lb rated50% of 3,200 lb
Engine
60 hp
Aux flow
18.4 GPM
Weight
5,645 lbs

A light 5370 lb frame and narrow footprint make the L316 a value pick for landscaping, barns, and tight-access work. It's the smallest wheeled skid steer in New Holland's 300 Series, a radial-lift machine powered by a 60 hp FPT diesel.

Full sheet & owner reports
New Holland L334

New Holland

New Holland L334

$65,000

Vertical Lift · wheels

Also sold as the Case SV340B

3,400 lb rated50% of 6,800 lb
Engine
90 hp
Aux flow
24.2 GPM
Weight
9,100 lbs

The New Holland L334 is the flagship wheeled skid steer of the 300 Series, pairing a 90 hp FPT diesel with the patented Super Boom vertical lift and 3400 lbs of rated capacity. It's built for heavy truck-loading and high-flow attachment work.

Full sheet & owner reports