Bobcat E245 vs. CAT 323: Which 25-Ton-Class Excavator Fits Your Jobsite?

Bobcat spent decades being the brand you called for a skid steer or a mini excavator, not a 25-ton machine. That changed when Bobcat rolled out the E245, and it's created a genuinely new question for contractors shopping in this bracket: do you stick with the excavator that's owned this weight class for years, CAT's 323, or do you take a serious look at the new challenger from a brand you already trust for compact iron?

We've already covered the full E220 and E245 launch and what makes them Bobcat's biggest machines ever, and we've put the CAT 323 up against the Hyundai HX220A L in this same weight class. This time we're putting the 323 next to the newest entry in its own bracket: Bobcat's E245. Both are real 25-ton-class machines built for the same jobs. Here's how they actually compare on the numbers that matter, and which one fits which crew.

The Specs, Side by Side

Start with horsepower, because it's the biggest gap between these two. The E245 runs a 189-horsepower Bobcat diesel. CAT's 323 runs a Cat C7.1 engine rated at 172 hp net (ISO 9249) or 174 hp gross (ISO 14396). That's a real difference, roughly 17 horsepower in the E245's favor on the net rating that matters most for sustained digging and lifting work.

Operating weight tells a different story. CAT's 323, in the configuration CAT lists with its long undercarriage, reach boom, and heavy-duty bucket, comes in at 55,100 pounds (25,000 kg). The E245 is also marketed in the 25-ton class. These are genuinely comparable machines on the scale, not a mismatch dressed up as one.

Hydraulic flow favors the E245 slightly: 117 gallons per minute against the 323's 113 gpm main system maximum flow (429 L/min). On a machine this size, that gap is noticeable mainly when you're running a high-demand attachment like a large hydraulic hammer or a mulching head, where every extra gallon per minute translates into faster cycle times.

Dig Depth and Tail Swing: Where the Real Jobsite Differences Show Up

CAT's 323 digs to a maximum depth of 22.1 feet in its standard configuration. The E245 digs to 21 feet 11 inches. That's close enough to a wash that it shouldn't be the deciding factor for most contractors, though if your work regularly pushes right up against maximum reach, it's worth confirming the exact configuration against your typical cut.

Tail swing is where these two machines genuinely diverge, and it's arguably the more important difference for a lot of real jobsites. The CAT 323 runs a conventional tail swing, where the counterweight extends past the tracks on a full rotation. The E245 runs a reduced tail swing, keeping the counterweight tucked closer to the tracks through the swing arc.

That single design choice changes which jobsite each machine is actually suited for. A conventional-swing 323 gives you a lower center of gravity and generally better lift stability on open ground, mass excavation, pond digging, large pad grading, where nothing's within swing radius to worry about. The reduced-swing E245 trades a bit of that stability for the ability to work close to a retaining wall, a property line, or parked equipment without needing a second set of eyes on the counterweight every pass.

Emissions and Engine Design: A Quiet but Real Advantage

Both machines meet Tier 4 Final emissions standards, but they get there differently, and it matters on a working jobsite. CAT's 323 meets Tier 4 Final, EU Stage V, and Japan 2014 standards through its Cat C7.1 engine platform. Bobcat's E245 meets Tier 4 Final without a diesel particulate filter at all, a genuine engineering difference rather than a marketing point.

Skipping the DPF on the E245 means no forced regeneration cycles eating into productive time, and one less component that can clog, derate the engine, or need a service visit over the machine's life. That's a real advantage for a contractor running the machine hard, all day, at the kind of sustained load mass excavation and utility work demand. It's not a reason to write off the 323, whose engine platform is well proven across CAT's medium excavator lineup, but it's a legitimate point in the E245's favor worth knowing before you buy.

Specs at a Glance

• CAT 323: 172 hp net (174 hp gross), Cat C7.1 engine, 55,100 lb operating weight, 22.1 ft max dig depth, 113 gpm hydraulic flow, conventional tail swing, Tier 4 Final/Stage V

• Bobcat E245: 189 hp, 25-ton class, 21'11" max dig depth, 117 gpm hydraulic flow, reduced tail swing, bucket digging force 35,464 lbf, Tier 4 Final without DPF

• Shared ground: both are genuine 25-ton-class machines built for mass excavation, utility, and site-development work

• CAT backs the 323 with its long-established medium excavator dealer network; Bobcat backs the E245 with more than 660 independently owned North American dealer enterprises and a 3-year/5,000-hour full coverage warranty

Grade Technology and Operator Comfort

CAT builds genuine grade-control technology into the 323 as standard equipment: Cat Grade with 2D, Cat Payload, and, on applicable configurations, Auto Dig Boost and AutoHeavy Lift. For a crew doing finish grading, utility trenching to depth, or pad work where hitting elevation the first time saves real rework hours, that standard technology package is a meaningful advantage baked into the 323's price rather than sold as a pricey option.

Bobcat has been building out its own technology stack across the excavator line, including telematics and machine-monitoring tools, but CAT's specific grade-control suite on the 323 has a longer track record in this exact weight class, with more documented real-world use on finish-grade work. We'd rather say that plainly than overstate what we can confirm about the E245's grade-technology options at this point, since Bobcat's published specs for the E245 don't break out the same level of grade-control detail CAT provides for the 323. If precision grading is central to your work, that's worth confirming directly with a Bobcat dealer before you commit.

Attachment Versatility and Hydraulic Demand

Both machines are built to run a full range of attachments at this tonnage, hydraulic hammers for demolition and rock work, compaction plates, thumbs, and mulching heads on the right carrier. The E245's slightly higher hydraulic flow, 117 gpm against the 323's 113 gpm, gives it a modest edge running the most hydraulically demanding attachments, where every extra gallon per minute shortens cycle time on a hammer or shortens the pass count on a mulcher.

That gap is real but modest enough that it shouldn't be the deciding factor on its own for most contractors. Where it matters more is for demolition subs and land-clearing contractors who run hammers or mulching heads constantly rather than occasionally, since that's where sustained high-flow demand actually shows up in productivity over a full day rather than in a spec sheet comparison.

Dealer Network and Parts Support: The Question That Matters More Than the Spec Sheet

On paper, these two machines trade wins back and forth. In practice, the decision for most contractors comes down to a question the spec sheet can't answer: which brand's dealer network already has your back? CAT's medium excavator lineup, the 320, 323, and 325, has been the default choice in this bracket for so long that most regions have deep, established CAT dealer support, with technicians who've worked on hundreds of 323s and parts inventory built around decades of volume.

Bobcat's case is different but not weaker. A contractor who already runs Bobcat skid steers, compact track loaders, or mini excavators has a real relationship with a Bobcat dealer's parts counter and service techs already in place. Extending that relationship into a 25-ton excavator means staying inside a warranty and parts ecosystem you've already tested, rather than starting from zero with an unfamiliar CAT dealer just to get into this weight class.

Who Actually Fits Each Machine

If your work is genuinely open-ground mass excavation, pond and lake work, large pad grading, borrow pit loading, the CAT 323's conventional tail swing and established track record make it the lower-risk default choice, especially if you're already running other CAT iron and want parts and service consistency across your fleet.

If your work regularly puts you close to a property line, a retaining wall, an occupied structure, or parked equipment, utility contractors working in tight rights-of-way, site-development subs on urban infill lots, demolition contractors clearing tight commercial sites, the E245's reduced tail swing and DPF-free engine design are worth real weight in the decision. And if you already run Bobcat compact equipment, staying inside that dealer relationship while moving up to this tonnage is a legitimate reason on its own to lean E245.

The Rent-vs-Own Math at This Size

A 25-ton excavator is a different financial animal than the compact equipment most contractors finance first, and that changes the rent-vs-own math in ownership's favor faster than most business owners expect. A machine this size commands a serious daily or weekly rental rate, and general contractors, demolition contractors, and utility subs who find themselves renting a 23-to-25-ton excavator two or three times a year are usually well past the utilization threshold where financing beats renting.

The scheduling risk compounds the pure cost math. Rent a machine this size and you're at the mercy of the rental yard's availability the moment two customers need the same class of excavator on the same Monday, right when your crew is standing by waiting to start. Equipment financing on either the 323 or the E245 puts the machine on your lot the morning a job starts, builds equity with every payment instead of handing that value to a rental counter, and leaves you with a real resale or trade-in asset once the loan's paid down.

The warranty coverage on both machines is worth factoring directly into that financing decision. The E245 carries a 3-year/5,000-hour full coverage warranty from Bobcat. CAT backs the 323 with its own established factory and dealer warranty programs built around decades in this exact weight class. A financed machine that's still under full coverage through most of its early productive years is a materially lower-risk asset, both for the lender underwriting the deal and for the contractor making the payments.

Getting Approved for Either Machine

Business owners moving into a 25-ton excavator for the first time are often surprised by how much the underwriting conversation focuses on their job pipeline rather than a flawless credit file. A demolition contractor or utility sub with signed work already lined up, whether that work is in Florida, Texas, or anywhere else nationwide, is a fundamentally different conversation for a lender than a speculative purchase with no contract behind it.

BFC works with construction companies, subcontractors, demolition contractors, and utility crews moving into 25-ton-class excavators like the CAT 323 or Bobcat E245 every week, for startups and established businesses alike, with good or bad credit. Whichever machine fits your jobsite and your existing dealer relationships, our team structures the deal around the work you actually have in front of you, not a one-size-fits-all approval.

Neither machine is the objectively "right" answer here. The 323 is the proven, conventional-swing default with a deep established dealer base; the E245 is the newer, reduced-swing, DPF-free challenger backed by a brand a lot of contractors already trust at the compact end. The honest answer is that the right choice depends on your ground conditions, your proximity-to-obstacle work, and which dealer counter you'd rather be calling five years from now.

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