Biggest cheap tractor I can find for the money?

[p0opstlnksal0t]

I've held off on buying anything thus far but I got ahold of the guy with the 580c 2wd and he still has it. He's in no hurry to sell but he said he would take 7k cash for it. It's a mid to late 70s, new brakes , only light surface rust, less than 2k hours and he says everything is tight and in great working order. All lights, heat, and mechanical systems work good. No leaks and he said there's extra hydraulic controls because it was used as a town lawn maintenance machine with a hydraulic powered side mower. I don't really see many deals on big commercial machines in this good of working order less than 10k. I think I might jump on this one. It will also come with a 1400lb counter weight.

I have a 10k pound equipment trailer, will I be overloading it with this machine?

 

[Old Red]

I have a 1974 IH 674 70hp (62 PTO) 2wd tractor. The tractor and I were born in the same year. It has 2,400 hours on it I believe. Runs like an absolute top. I have discovered that I love working the 7 foot grader scraper with it. It is so smooth, and that 4 banger just purrs like a kitten. I paid $5,500 for it in June 2009. I bought a used 6 foot Bush Hog Brand Cutter for $600. I have replaced a ground wire and tightened up the front end and put a new batter in it. That is all. Very east to start, pulls my 10 foot disc like it isn't there and is just so handy to have. I bought it when I first bought my farm and needed everything but had nothing. I don't think I will ever sell it. I bought a cab kubota 62 PTO Horse tractor to pair with it. But that wasn't a necessity...more of a luxury really.

 

[George2615]

I have a 10k pound equipment trailer, will I be overloading it with this machine?

I've read the 589C with BH weighs in the area of 17-18K. Even without the BH I think you'll be over the 10K limit of your trailer. There are a few 580C's around my area and all are hauled on at least a 20K trailer pulled by a large dump truck.

 

[p0opstlnksal0t]

Hmmm that might be a problem...

I read somewhere a guy mentioned his 580c backhoe was listed at 11500lbs in his owners manual

 

[George2615]

When I deduct the weight of my 14K trailer (3860lb.) that leaves me a little over 10k for max load. Does your 10K trailer have a max load of 10K or is 10k the max weight including the trailer weight and the load on it.

 

[rScotty]

I've held off on buying anything thus far but I got ahold of the guy with the 580c 2wd and he still has it. He's in no hurry to sell but he said he would take 7k cash for it. It's a mid to late 70s, new brakes , only light surface rust, less than 2k hours and he says everything is tight and in great working order. All lights, heat, and mechanical systems work good. No leaks and he said there's extra hydraulic controls because it was used as a town lawn maintenance machine with a hydraulic powered side mower. I don't really see many deals on big commercial machines in this good of working order less than 10k. I think I might jump on this one. It will also come with a 1400lb counter weight.

I have a 10k pound equipment trailer, will I be overloading it with this machine?

Sounds good. Fair price, no shortage of power, and the seller is saying all the things I like to hear when looking.
This isn't the one with the noisy throw out bearing is it? That bothered me because I know I'd want to fix it and it would be more work than I'd want to get into by myself.
Sounds like this machine will be over the limit for most 10K trailers. Especially with that humongous couterweigt. Not just for the trailer, but the tractor/trailer combo will overpower whatever you are pulling it with unless its a dump truck. Might get away with it for short hauls at low speeds. No way would I take that much weight on the highway on that size trailer.....sorry, but on the other hand the tractor itself sounds good. And it probably gets down the road pretty well on its own for local work. As been mentioned, not much market for those older medium big tractors. So the question becomes....Does it look like what you want for a keeper?
rScotty

 

[2458n]

The 580 case backhoe was considered light for pipeline work ,but the company I worked for used them and nothing else. Light enough that a good operator would not get stuck in the mud. After 5 years everything was sold to a buyer who shipped everything in containers to India. Made money because of cheap labor, and parts. Get one if you can find one reasonable. Most farmers get one to do some projects on the farm. They always have a to do list and keep them till they die. The farmer not the tractor.

 

[p0opstlnksal0t]

My trailer is this one but not 18' its 16' #22 - 215 On The Road for sale in Warren ME

the 18 footer weighs 2100lbs im guessing my 16 footer is a few hundred pounds less. maybe 1800lbs.

I talked with the tractor owner again. he says the tractor without the counterweight weighs in at 7900lbs

This may be do-able if I take the counter weight off and pick it up in a different load. I may even take the FEL bucket off for good measure. this would put me right under my 10k (trailer + tractor)

 

[crazyal]

A 2wd without a backhoe, I would think you would be around 8k without the counter weight. I don't know how the weight will be centered though. With the backhoe all the weight is on the rear so you need to keep it loaded mostly in front of the trailer axles so you can get the needed tongue weight. A 16' trailer doesn't give you a lot of room to move it around but I think you'll be ok.

When I bought mine a friend with a 1 ton and a 18' 12k 5th wheel trailer swore up and down it wouldn't be a problem helped me move it. My 580k is a backhoe and when going up his ramps the front put almost no weight on his trailer but when the rear tires started going up the ramps it lifted his rear axle off the ground. His ramps didn't have legs that sticks down, almost a must for larger equipment, that would of prevented it. Overall his trailer handled the weight just fine but we couldn't move it far enough forward to get the needed tongue weight so after a few miles we decided to unload it at a large park and ride where I had a guy with a lowboy trailer haul it. While unloading one of his ramps started to bend. But being a backhoe there's a lot of weight on the rear tires.