John Deere 244 P-Tier vs. Bobcat L85: Sizing the Entry-Level Compact Wheel Loader

Not every wheel loader purchase is about maximizing bucket capacity. A lot of landscaping companies, nurseries, and small site-prep contractors are buying their very first wheel loader, and what they actually need is the smallest machine that genuinely covers their daily work — not the biggest one they can qualify for. John Deere's 244 P-Tier and Bobcat's L85 both compete directly for that buyer, and they rarely get compared against each other directly, so here's the honest breakdown.

The John Deere 244 P-Tier: Deere's Smallest Wheel Loader, Still a Real One

The 244 P-Tier delivers 71 hp, an operating weight of 12,258 lbs, a bucket capacity of 1.0 to 1.4 cubic yards, and a pivot-pin lift height around 10 feet 7 inches. It's the entry point into Deere's compact wheel loader lineup, sitting below the 324 and 344 P-Tier, but it's still a genuine production wheel loader — not a scaled-down toy. V-pattern truck loading, bale handling, and general yard and construction material handling are all well within its range, and as a P-Tier machine it inherits the cab upgrades Deere brought down from its larger wheel loaders along with access to over 100 attachments in Deere's portfolio.

The Bobcat L85: A Recently Updated Machine With a Lighter Frame

Bobcat's L85 was substantially updated alongside the launch of the all-new L100, and the current version runs 68 hp (50.7 kW), an operating weight between roughly 10,573 and 11,307 lbs depending on configuration, a bucket capacity around 0.8 cubic meters (roughly 1.0 to 1.6 cubic yards depending on bucket style), and a rated operating capacity near 3,257 lbs. That's a notably lighter machine than the 244 P-Tier — close to 1,000 to 1,700 lbs lighter depending on exact spec — which plays out as better maneuverability in tight landscaping and nursery rows, at the cost of a bit less planted stability on a full bucket.

Bobcat built its compact wheel loader line specifically to fill the gap between a skid steer's tight turning radius and a full-size loader's capacity, and the L85 sits at the smaller end of that range alongside the L65 and below the L95 and new L100.

Weight vs. Horsepower: The Real Trade-Off Here

The 244 P-Tier carries more horsepower (71 vs. 68) and a heavier frame (12,258 lbs vs. the L85's roughly 10,573 to 11,307 lb range), which generally means more stable truck loading and a slightly larger top-end bucket option. The L85 counters with a notably lighter, more nimble machine that's easier to maneuver in the tight rows and confined yards that define a lot of landscaping and nursery work, where a wheel loader with a smaller footprint and tighter turning circle can get into spaces a heavier machine simply can't.

Neither machine is objectively better — it depends entirely on your site. A landscape supply yard stacking pallets and loading mulch by the truckload benefits from the 244's extra weight and stability. A nursery or hardscape contractor working narrow rows between container stock or finished hardscape benefits from the L85's lighter, tighter-turning frame.

Both Brands Have Been Compared Elsewhere — Here's the Direct Match-Up

We've already covered how the 244 P-Tier compares to New Holland's W80D and broken down the full 244, 324, and 344 P-Tier lineup separately, and we've covered Bobcat's full L65, L85, and L95 compact wheel loader range elsewhere on this blog. What hadn't been written yet was Deere against Bobcat head-to-head at this specific entry-level size — the comparison that matters most if you're deciding between these two brands rather than shopping within one.

Who's Actually Buying at This Size

This entry-level compact class is where a lot of landscaping companies, wholesale nurseries, hardscape installers, and small general contractors buy their very first wheel loader after years of renting or borrowing a neighbor's skid steer for material handling. It's also a common second machine for a site-prep contractor who already owns a skid steer or track loader but needs something with better ground speed and tire flotation for moving bulk material between a pile and a waiting truck.

A Real Jobsite Scenario: Working a Wholesale Nursery's Growing Rows

Picture a wholesale nursery operation moving container stock and bagged soil between narrow growing rows, where the aisle width between rows of trees or shrubs was laid out for a tractor or a skid steer, not a full-size loader. This is exactly the scenario where the L85's lighter frame and tighter turning circle earn their keep — the operator can work an aisle, turn, and move to the next row without clipping container stock on either side, something a heavier machine with a wider turning radius would struggle with on the same layout. Now picture a landscape supply yard instead, where the loader spends its day moving between a mulch pile, a soil pile, and a loading dock for outbound pallets on wider, open ground. Here the 244 P-Tier's extra weight and horsepower pay off more directly — faster cycle times on bigger scoops, more stable truck loading, and less concern about tight clearances since the yard itself was built around full-size equipment movement. The honest takeaway is that the site layout itself, more than either spec sheet, often decides which of these two machines actually works better for your specific operation.

First-Time Ownership: What to Ask Your Dealer Before You Sign

For a lot of landscaping and nursery operators, either of these machines will be the first wheel loader they've ever owned rather than rented, and that changes what questions actually matter at the dealership. Ask about the specific attachments you'll realistically run — pallet forks for nursery stock, a bucket for mulch and soil, possibly a broom for cleanup — and confirm the quoted machine actually comes attachment-ready for what you need on day one, rather than requiring a separate coupler purchase you weren't expecting. Ask what routine maintenance actually costs in parts and labor over the first few years, not just the purchase price, since that's the number that tells you the true cost of ownership. And ask specifically about loaner or rental-backup availability from that dealer if your new machine needs service — a nursery or landscape operation running daily material handling can't afford to have zero equipment on hand while a repair gets scheduled, and knowing your dealer's backup plan before you need it is worth more than almost any other factor at this ownership stage.

Rent-vs-Own for a First Wheel Loader

This is exactly the size class where the rent-vs-own decision gets made for the first time in a lot of growing businesses. If you've been renting a compact wheel loader more than a handful of times a season, you've likely already crossed the point where owning either of these machines costs you less over a year than continuing to rent — on top of the convenience of having it parked and ready on your own schedule instead of waiting on a rental yard during everyone else's busy season. The one honest exception is a business with a single short seasonal push that genuinely doesn't justify year-round ownership; for everyone else running regular material handling, ownership wins the math.

Financing Your First Wheel Loader

A first equipment financing decision is often the hardest one for a growing landscaping or nursery business, because you don't yet have years of equipment-ownership history for a traditional bank to point to. BFC works with first-time buyers on both the 244 P-Tier and the L85, structuring the deal around what your business can actually support rather than requiring the kind of track record a conventional lender typically demands before saying yes.

Ready to Add Your First Wheel Loader?

Whichever of these two fits your yard, apply for financing to get the process started, browse our equipment for sale and financing inventory, or head back to our home page to see everything else we finance. For more comparisons like this, subscribe to the BFC blog.