what to look for in a high our machine?

[chrisdvorak]

I am in the process of looking for a full size backhoe for a very reasonable price and in good condition. I just came across a john deere 310c with 8,400 hours 2 wheel drive and standard backhoe with full cab and they say that it is in very good condition (except for paint) I was just wondering if there is anything major that I should look for when I go to see it? or should I stay away from it?

-they are asking 11,500 for it

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I am in the process of looking for a full size backhoe for a very reasonable price and in good condition. I just came across a john deere 310c with 8,400 hours 2 wheel drive and standard backhoe with full cab and they say that it is in very good condition (except for paint) I was just wondering if there is anything major that I should look for when I go to see it? or should I stay away from it?

-they are asking 11,500 for it

Look at pins and bushings, oil leaks on the hydraulics and condition of the hoses. It doesn't sound like that good of a price to me. We paid 9k for a 580 Case Super E with extendahoe, had 7400 hours on it. Only 2wd though and no 4n1 bucket.
With things the way that they are now, I think that you should be able to get a lower hour machine for less $$$$ than what your looking at now.

Just my opinion, good luck.

 

[chrisdvorak]

I hope that I can find a lower hour machine for less money, that would be great but I have been looking nonstop here and can't seem to find anything less than 11,500 most of the ones that I see are between 13 to 20,000

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I hope that I can find a lower hour machine for less money, that would be great but I have been looking nonstop here and can't seem to find anything less than 11,500 most of the ones that I see are between 13 to 20,000

Just because the asking price is a bit higher than you want to spend doesn't mean that they won't take less. The guy we bought from wanted 12k. These machines are sort of in limbo, to warn out & old for a business to buy and to expensive for the weekend rancher-farmer. You can usually get a good price on a 6k+ hour machine. Around here 20k will get you a top of the line tractor that you could take out and work all day everyday. Remember how much these cost new, the used ones really are a deal IMO. Maybe see if you can tell how long they have been for sale, usually can get a better price for something that has been for sale for awhile.

Good luck, maybe look a little farther away. I would go and look at some of those 13K and 14K machines, see if they will deal.

 

[chrisdvorak]

yup, I have tried to negotiate with the machines in the 15 to 20,000 range and they don't seem to want to budge at all on their prices I have not tried to negotiate yet with the lower priced, higher hour machines but I will try. I did want to get a machine that I could use on a daily basis and could also resell it when finished with my projects, that is my problem, I am very tight on money now and need the cheapest machine possible but also need one that I can be confident in resale if need be.

 

[hawkeye08]

yup, I have tried to negotiate with the machines in the 15 to 20,000 range and they don't seem to want to budge at all on their prices I have not tried to negotiate yet with the lower priced, higher hour machines but I will try. I did want to get a machine that I could use on a daily basis and could also resell it when finished with my projects, that is my problem, I am very tight on money now and need the cheapest machine possible but also need one that I can be confident in resale if need be.

I think that most of us are in that position, money is tight and we want top resale dollar and it can't break down and if it does, it should be cheap to fix.

There are some tractors to steer clear of (many problems, hard to get parts, expensive to repair) and others than seem to run forever. Some is just the way they are built, some is how they are used, some is how they are maintained. Generally you can only see how much it was used (if the hour meter is accurate) but you have to inspect the mechanical parts to determine if it is worn out.

Depending on how you are going to use it, one that is worn out and wouldn't be a wise purchase for a business might work fine for your use for several years....

Hope you find a good one, patience and research is key, but you have to be ready to jump if the right one comes along.

 

[chrisdvorak]

what brands of machines would you steer clear of? And what do you think are the brands that would be easy to get parts for ect?

 

[scoutcub]

Too bad my Dad won't sell his, he's right up the street from you in Uxbridge!
We looked around quite a bit and I found him a JD 310C in very nice shape. Can't even remember the hours, but well under 4000. It's been a great machine, but as his age advances the use of the machine declines.....he's lucky to put 50 hours a year on it now!
I've always liked CAT and JD hoes, Case probably the most popular, but as I recall they weren't made as beefy as the CAT/JD. Lots of CASE machines would have welds on buckets/booms, etc. Now this was many years ago, only opinion only on what we saw, just a small inkling of the market.
I was recently shopping for an excavator, and looked at a Kobelco 160....very nice machine, Cummins motor just purred....pins/bushings/undercarriage tight/nice. BUT, it had 9500+ hours.....as others have said, it could last a lifetime, or it could last a few weeks. The bigger the equipment, the bigger the repair bill....so I walked away. Ended up with a Cat 312 w/4800 hours, absolutely love it.
I would advise you get as smart as you can about the equipment you're looking for, and consider a local equipment dealer's mechanic check out a piece of equipment you're seriously interested in. Follow him around and ask questions, learn all you can quickly! I did this with the first excavator I looked at, very glad I did cause the seller was trying to snow me. Cost under $200, money well spent.
Good luck!

 

[chrisdvorak]

I just found a ford 555D backhoe, full cab, standard hoe, 2wd with 4,300 hours, I am going to look at it this week anything major to look for, does ford make a good machine? easy to get parts for? I like the looks of it and the price and just wondering if it would be a good backhoe to go with or if I should try to stay with the "big" brands like case or deere?

 

[hawkeye08]

what brands of machines would you steer clear of? And what do you think are the brands that would be easy to get parts for ect?

Sorry I missed your post.. I was looking for a backhoe 17-18 years ago, we saw many Case 580 BH around, but the price was too high for us. We looked at a JCB (I think that is the brand), liked the price and asked a friend that sold construction machinery. He said that JCB was a good brand when it was running but there are no local parts (no dealer).. things change. Find out where you can get parts locally. Ask around those with problems.