Buying Advice 1 of these is mine,wich one if it was you?

[kuboman]

Yep, 4240. Easy choice in my opinion.

[94BULLITT]

The L4240 would be my choice. All 3 of the tractors you mention loaders preform about the same.

[PAPPASMURF]

= L4240....The Backhoe attachment is the hands down winner everytime with those low hours.

[culvers]

Ok so its unanimous. the 4240 is the choice,that being said,its used, in hillman,mi.and sold "as is".Anything i should look for as far as backhoe, loader ect.Cannot afford to get burned.Not real sure on telling if backhoe is ok or not.Going this sat if possible.Anyone in or around hillman,mi?Again thanks for all replys.

[crazyangel]

Ok so its unanimous. the 4240 is the choice,that being said,its used, in hillman,mi.and sold "as is".Anything i should look for as far as backhoe, loader ect.Cannot afford to get burned.Not real sure on telling if backhoe is ok or not.Going this sat if possible.Anyone in or around hillman,mi?Again thanks for all replys.

Generally speaking I would look for signs of good maintenance and care (indications of regular filter changes, fluid levels, no big dents or signs of impact, etc). Pop the hood and look for signs of mouse damage, etc. I would look for leaks in the cylinders and hoses. If you can get the machine on some pretty flat ground, do a quick check on the loader to make sure it is not twisted or bent. Do this by lowering the bucket down until it almost touches the ground, and look to see that you can see the same amount of daylight on the right and left sides of the bucket. For example, if the left side is 1" off the ground and the right side is 3" off the ground, you have a problem. I do not have a back hoe, but have read posts on TBN suggesting that you check for slop in the pins as an indicator of wear. If they are really sloppy you could be looking at some significant overhaul expense; with hours that low it should not be a problem though. You can do a search for more details on that.

[Grandad4]

See if there is any way to actually try out the FEL and the BH by digging a little, etc. You can get a sense of whether everything is OK a lot better by actually working it. Even if the owner won't let you dig up his wife's petunias, at least operate all the FEL and BH functions and drive the tractor around for a while. Otherwise you're largely going by appearances and instinct. It should operate as a virtually new tractor. Watch for any signs of major repair or damage.

[case245]

what others have said plus check the grease fitting to see if they are greased

[culvers]

Thanks or advice.The real test is getting time off to take a trip up to see it.I n the meantime i spend countless hrs reading/learning on tbn,an looking at other used tractors for sale.Seems like that whole set up is unusually cheap with so few hrs,or am i wrong.At least compared to just a 4240 with fel.Thanks again.keep you posted.

[Grandad4]

You're right about the price, I think. There are a couple of low hour '09 L4240's on the market at the moment with asking prices in the $24-25k range for tractor + LA854. Maybe that's a bit high, but one with a backhoe ought to be someplace closer to $30k. Either a distress sale, damaged unit, uninformed seller, maybe even a scam (if an online ad). If it's legit, maybe a really good deal.

[Grateful11]

L4240 hands down.

I agree. The ergonomics alone would be enough for me.