Large-Frame Compact Track Loader Shootout: Hyundai HT38 vs. Bobcat T770 vs. CAT 259D3

Large-frame compact track loaders are one of the most cross-shopped categories in construction equipment, and for good reason — the difference between a mid-size CTL and a large-frame one is often the difference between a machine that struggles with a mulching head and one that runs it all day. Three real contenders sit in this class right now: Hyundai's new HT38, Bobcat's long-running T770, and CAT's 259D3. All three finance every day through BFC, and all three deserve a straight, spec-by-spec look rather than a brand-loyalty argument.

The Spec Sheet, Side by Side

• Operating weight: Hyundai HT38 — 12,785 lbs. Bobcat T770 — 10,327 lbs. CAT 259D3 — 8,987 lbs.

• Rated horsepower: HT38 — 115 hp. Bobcat T770 — 92 hp. CAT 259D3 — 74 hp.

• Rated operating capacity: HT38 — 3,806 lbs (at 35% tipping). Bobcat T770 — 3,475 lbs. CAT 259D3 — 2,010 lbs (at 50% tipping) with a 5,745-lb tipping load.

• Standard hydraulic flow: HT38 — 22.7 gpm, with a 40 gpm high-flow option. Bobcat T770 — 23 gpm at 3,500 psi relief pressure. CAT 259D3 — loader hydraulic power rated at 39 hp.

• Max lift height: CAT 259D3 — 121 inches to the bucket pin at full lift. Bobcat T770 — 6.8 feet (81.6 inches) to the cab roofline, with an 80-inch bucket width. Hyundai does not publish a directly comparable lift-height figure in its released materials.

• Top travel speed: HT38 — 9.2 mph. Bobcat T770 — 10.7 mph high range.

What the Numbers Actually Mean on a Jobsite

Read those side by side and a clear pattern shows up: the HT38 is the biggest, heaviest, and most powerful machine of the three by a real margin, not a rounding error. It carries roughly 2,450 pounds more operating weight than the T770 and nearly 3,800 pounds more than the CAT 259D3 — weight that translates directly into stability when you're loaded up and pushing into a pile, or holding ground on a slope with a full bucket. Its 115 horsepower also outpaces both established competitors by a wide margin, and its rated operating capacity beats the T770 by roughly 330 pounds and the CAT 259D3 by nearly 1,800 pounds.

It's worth being honest about what that comparison does and doesn't prove. Bobcat and CAT didn't build the T770 and 259D3 to be the biggest machines in their respective lineups — both manufacturers offer larger CTLs above these models, and a fair fight against Bobcat's or CAT's actual flagship-class machines might look different. What this comparison shows is that Hyundai's new flagship, when placed directly against two of the most commonly cross-shopped large-frame CTLs contractors already know, isn't a follower spec-wise — it's leading on the numbers that matter most for production work: weight, power, and lift capacity.

Where Bobcat's T770 Still Wins

The T770 isn't outclassed here — it's simply built for a slightly different balance. Its 10.7 mph top speed beats the HT38's 9.2 mph, which matters on a large site where a lot of the workday is spent repositioning rather than digging or lifting. Bobcat's dealer and rental network is also the deepest in North America for this equipment class, which means parts availability, service loaners, and attachment inventory are rarely a bottleneck regardless of which region you're working in. For a contractor who already runs an all-Bobcat fleet, or one that leans heavily on rental backup during peak season, that network depth is a real, non-spec advantage that doesn't show up in a horsepower column.

Where CAT's 259D3 Still Wins

The 259D3 is the lightest and most nimble of the three, and that's a deliberate trade-off, not a weakness. A lighter machine puts less stress on finished surfaces, transports more easily on a smaller trailer without hitting weight-rating limits, and can access tighter spaces where a 12,785-pound machine simply won't fit or won't be welcome. For interior demolition, finished-site cleanup, or any job where ground protection and maneuverability matter more than raw lift capacity, the 259D3's smaller footprint is the right tool, not a compromise. CAT's dealer network also carries the same reputation for parts and service depth that Bobcat's does, which matters just as much as the spec sheet when a machine goes down mid-job.

The Case for Hyundai Here

What Hyundai brings to this comparison that neither established competitor offers directly is a single-manufacturer ecosystem tied together by Hi-Mate telematics and, increasingly, a growing dealer network across North America. If you're already running Hyundai excavators or a Hyundai wheel loader — or if you cross-shopped Hyundai's HX210L against a CAT 320 and came away impressed — adding the HT38 means one more machine on a fleet-management platform you already know, serviced by a network that's been actively expanding rather than standing still. That consistency has real value even when the individual spec-sheet gaps are modest.

It also matters that the HT38 isn't Hyundai's first swing at this category. The HS120V and HT100V proved out the platform and the service relationships over the past several years before Hyundai stepped up to a true large-frame competitor. A buyer isn't betting on an unproven newcomer here — they're buying the flagship of a lineup that's already been running on North American job sites long enough to build a track record.

Attachment Compatibility Across All Three

All three machines use a universal skid steer attachment mounting standard, so the attachment inventory question isn't really about compatibility — it's about which flow rate your attachments actually need. The HT38's 40 gpm high-flow option is the standout here for anyone running mulchers, cold planers, or heavy-duty augers regularly; neither the T770's 23 gpm standard flow nor the 259D3's more modest hydraulic package is specified with a comparable high-flow circuit in their published base configurations, though both manufacturers offer high-flow packages as options on other models in their respective lineups. If your attachment roster leans toward genuinely high-flow-dependent tools, that's a real point in the HT38's favor worth confirming against current configurations at your local dealer before you commit to any of the three.

For lighter-duty attachment work — buckets, forks, brooms, standard grapples — all three machines handle the job capably, and the decision comes down more to weight, maneuverability, and dealer relationship than to any hydraulic bottleneck. It's worth test-running your specific attachment mix on each machine if you have the option, since published flow specs don't always capture how a particular attachment actually performs on a particular loader's hydraulic circuit.

Undercarriage and Ground Conditions

Heavier machines generally mean more ground pressure, all else equal, though track width and contact-patch design change that equation significantly. Bobcat publishes a ground pressure figure of 4.2 psi for the T770 with its standard configuration, which is a genuinely low number for a machine in this weight class and reflects Bobcat's long track record refining undercarriage design specifically for soft or sensitive ground — turf, wet sites, environmentally restricted areas. Hyundai and CAT don't publish directly comparable figures for the HT38 and 259D3 in the materials we reviewed, so if soft-ground performance is a make-or-break factor for your typical job conditions, that's a spec worth confirming directly with a dealer demo rather than assuming based on operating weight alone.

Fuel Systems and Long-Term Maintenance

One detail that doesn't show up in a horsepower-and-weight comparison but matters over years of ownership is emissions architecture. Hyundai's HT38 runs a Tier 4 Final engine without a DEF tank or selective catalytic reduction system, relying instead on cooled EGR and a turbocharger — meaning no DEF fluid to keep stocked, no risk of a DEF system freezing in cold-climate work, and one less consumable line item on every service visit. Bobcat and CAT both offer Tier 4 Final compliant engines across their compact loader lineups as well, with configurations varying by specific model and displacement; confirming which aftertreatment approach a specific T770 or 259D3 configuration uses is worth doing directly with your dealer, since it affects both your day-to-day fluid budget and your cold-weather reliability profile.

Whichever machine you land on, the maintenance intervals and DEF-or-no-DEF question should factor into your total cost of ownership calculation as seriously as the purchase price does. A machine that needs less babysitting in the field — fewer fluids, fewer regeneration cycles to manage, fewer things that can go wrong on a job site three hours from the nearest dealer — saves real money and real downtime over a multi-year ownership period, even if it doesn't show up as a line item on the initial spec sheet comparison.

Cab Comfort and Operator Fatigue

A large-frame CTL is often the machine an operator spends a full eight-to-ten-hour shift in, day after day, which makes cab comfort a productivity issue and not just a nice-to-have. All three manufacturers have invested heavily in cab ergonomics on their current generations — improved sightlines, better-positioned joysticks, reduced cab vibration, and in many configurations, pressurized and climate-controlled cabs as standard or available options. The practical advice here is the same regardless of brand: if you can, spend real time in the seat of each machine before committing. Fatigue differences that don't show up on paper show up very clearly after six hours of continuous operation, and an operator who's less fatigued at the end of a shift makes fewer costly mistakes and works more efficiently through the last few hours of the day.

The Rent-vs-Own Math Doesn't Change by Brand

Whichever of these three you're looking at, the financing math is the same. Large-frame CTLs in this class rent at a premium over compact-class machines, and the jobs that actually need this much capacity — land clearing, heavy site prep, high-volume material handling — tend to run long enough that a rental bill adds up to real money fast. Every week spent renting is a week of margin that's gone for good, with nothing to show for it once the job wraps. Financing any of these three machines instead means that same job builds equity in a piece of equipment you can put straight onto the next contract, instead of returning it to a rental yard and starting the payment clock over from zero on the next one.

For more on how Hyundai's expanding presence in North America affects parts and service support specifically, see our breakdown of Hyundai's growing dealer network.

Bottom Line for Contractors Deciding

If raw production capacity — weight, horsepower, lift — is the deciding factor and you're not locked into an existing Bobcat or CAT fleet, the HT38 makes a legitimately strong case on the numbers alone. If travel speed and the deepest possible rental-backup network matter more, the T770 still earns its reputation. If you need the smallest, lightest machine that can still call itself large-frame, the 259D3 remains the right call. None of these are bad decisions — they're three genuinely different answers to "how much machine do I actually need," and the honest answer depends on which trade-off matches your actual jobs rather than which name is more familiar.

Ready to Finance Any of These Three?

BFC finances Hyundai, Bobcat, and Caterpillar equipment every day — whichever machine wins this comparison for your business, we can structure financing around it. Learn more on our home page, apply directly through our equipment financing application, browse current listings on our equipment for sale and financing marketplace, or subscribe to the BFC blog for more head-to-head comparisons like this one.