Interesting thread. How do you figure out what to pay for these disasters as you have no idea how expensive the parts may get ? I learned long ago JD doesn't give anything away. Should be a nice unit when fixed.
That is a good question. If I were a businessman who did automotive or
tractor repair to make a living, none of these projects could be justified.
This particular machine is very unusual for me in that every major area of
the tractor needs work. So I can look at the machine as a hulk with a
salvage value based on its servicable parts. Last year's B21 project had
a good engine and backhoe, which gave it considerable value as a parts
machine. This 4300 has some peripheral parts value (alternator, radiator,
front axle, rear tires, wheels, and probably the HST). I could not verify
anything, but I know my contact at the rental company very well. I also
know how much JD parts (and Kubota parts!) cost, so I figured the hulk
was worth only a thousand or so, and I would be spending at least $3500
for parts. I expect to put 50-100hr into repairs, so you can see that a
project like this is profitable only if my time is cheap. Finished, this machine
is worth $10-12K. I do plan to mount a new hoe to it with custom subframe
and add a PB loop, as well as one rear AUX valve. That will push the whole
unit up to about $16K in value. I get to indulge my creative energies on
those projects.
In previous months, I have looked at and made offers on a few other
project machines, but nothing came through. Some were skidsteers, and I
found numerous cheap machines out there. The big problem with the
least expensive ones was that the owner had already taken them apart.
A $3500 project Bobcat 753 becomes a $1500 project when you take it
apart and throw all the parts in boxes or leave it open to the elements.
Even if nothing is lost or damaged in dissassembly, I do not know Bobcats,
so I need to take the machine apart myself to analyze how it works, how
it failed, and how it goes back together. That's a big part of the fun, too.
