Thanks for all the advice. It seems going with the 110TLB is a no brainer. Based on what I have seen online if I can get it for anywhere close to 20k it is a good buy. I'm couldn't get together with the guy today, so I'm going to see him tomorrow afternoon to go over the machine.
Hello, I've been posting on tractor subjects for years and AKfish will probably remember how some 4 years ago I was torn between the JD110 versus the Kubota M59.
Anyway, here are some thoughts just to kick around.
Like so many others we've ended up with two tractors and find it very convenient. With the hoe on the M59 and a loader on the JD 530 there is cat II capability all around. I was surprised how often the backhoe is used to load something into the loader bucket of the JD. Having two is worth it for that alone.
After trying both used and new ones...and participating in this forum.....my opinion on the JD 110 is that it is an excellent machine. However, like the M59 it lives in an odd TLB world positioned between small landowners and and true construction machines. That's an area where condition is particularly important. Good as the 110 and M59 are, neither can match the durability of a construction TLB and shouldn't have been used in the same way.
The 800 hours is nothing, the price is good, and the 110 is a fine tractor. I would run towards a clean one at that price and run just as fast away from it if it had been obviously used hard.
So be diligent about checking the condition. T Dew as soon as you see it with your experience I've a feeling that once you look at it your gut and instincts will tell you the answer long before your brain works though all the data.
A couple of other things....
On these midsize TLBs the price is good only if the condition is excellent. I've seen other 110s for sale around here in that range (low 20s), and we do not have any lack of construction work in Colorado either.
Also.... 4 years ago when I was pricing a new JD110 I was surprised at how much $$ their optional equipment added to the cost. Extra hydraulics, buckets, lights...in fact everything added on was oddly expensive. That counts too.
And of course the thing you really want is a hydraulic thumb. Just trust me on that. A backhoe is wonderful, but a thumb makes a backhoe into a whole new tool. Regardless of what backhoe you end up with it sure would be nice to work a thumb into the deal.
good luck, rScotty