New Guy looking at a 110 TLB

[OHANA]

Hello all, I found this site while I was looking for some info on 110 TLB
So first post is a question.

I'm looking at a 2005 with 2600 hrs (lot of hours, but looks really clean and not abused)
It has a cab, backhoe, hydraulic thumb, three rear hydraulics, loader, front hydraulics,

The guy is hard and fast at $28,000

I've been looking and others with no cab and 1,000 less hours are going for 2-3,000 less

What do you guys think?

I'm also a little nervous about cracking bell housings, Should I be?

Thanks in advance for your help

 

[Industrial Toys]

Just know that it is a 4000 series tractor underneith the yellow paint. I ALMOST bought one, quite a few years ago, until I discovered that. I still have the file a couple of inches thick at least on the matter.

 

[OHANA]

Is that a good thing or Bad thing?
I just haven seen any hoe that are as beefy as the one on the TLB's

 

[Industrial Toys]

Yes, it is a really nice hoe. And a nice loader. But the machine is a typical landscaper/homeowner level tractor, dressed up to look like "contruction" equipment, and it's not. Not saying not to buy one, but just know what you are buying. I could show you how very decieving the JD Ad material was, in suggesting a connection to their other real, construction line of equipment.

 

[OHANA]

Ah, OK
I looked at a few "real" hoes but to big for my needs
I had a CAT mini excavator, but that was kind of limited
I just always get nervous buying used things

 

[Industrial Toys]

You generally have to pay a lot for a good used construction grade machine. In truth, something like the Kubota L48 was a better machine, although not NEARLY as sexy as the 110.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Just the fact that the 110 hoe had the NEW at the time curved hoe, gave it much curb appeal. Also, a lot of slick options like hydraulic remotes front and hoe, and quick attach hoe buckets. My God, those options really added up!

 

[fried1765]

You generally have to pay a lot for a good used construction grade machine. In truth, something like the Kubota L48 was a better machine, although not NEARLY as sexy as the 110.

"something like the Kubota L48 was a better machine"

BINGO!

I began looking at both the JD 110 TLB, and the Kubota L48 last Fall.
The JD is definitely a sexier looking machine, but it does have the checkered bell housing history.
I bought the Kubota, because I was absolutely convinced it was the mechanically better built/designed machine.

I bought mine this past June, in Deer Isle, Maine.

2006 Kubota L48
250 hours - bought from original owner.
Hydraulic thumb.
Complete 3pt hitch linkage
Quick attach hoe bucket (24")
3 - rear remotes - will likely never use any.
1 - front remote
Front remote diverter
(diverter permits hydraulic lock/unlock of loader attachments from the seat - really sweet!).
No cab - I specifically did not want one (no hot Summer or cold Winter machine use).

Paid 32K
It was an upgrade from my 49 year old Ford 3400 TLB with only 1850 hours, that I had for 33 years.
Would I do anything differently?
Yup.....I sure would!
I should have looked for an L48 MUCH sooner !

For a piece of equipment.....I LOVE MY L48,...... It is just for play type work. I have hardly used it yet, but I have repainted some of the Mary Kay pink parts.
Going to Florida Nov. 1st, and will be leaving my L48 baby in the barn, with a Battery Tender, for the Winter..
Currently have the factory bucket, and EA forks.
Will get a full width single lid 66" grapple in the Spring.

 

[V1BuzzBomb]

Back in 2013, I was considering a CUT to improve my ability to load and unload pickup and trailer of heavy items and to move pallets of firewood. This would have been done via forks. It was not necessarily the case that it was a backhoe that I sought. I encountered a SIMS cabbed L48 and cabbed 110 TLB late in the search. I did not own any tractor prior to.

Having bought the 110, I can say the following. I use the backhoe almost exclusively to load and unload things and relocate things over short distances. The machine doesn't have to move to move things. Also with the backhoe, I have any ballast I could ever want to counter when I do carry things with the forks. I'm glad I bought a backhoe loader.

Nor was it the plan to necessarily purchase as such with a cab, thumb, front and rear auxiliary hydraulics, but that's what I got. Here's my afterthoughts on that...

Heated cab...I can operate dry in the rain and winter conditions. Machine is fantastic for moving snowbanks.

Front auxiliary hydraulics...I bought a 78" CAT MP (clamshell, 4-in-1) bucket, requires the hydraulics, handy for grappling trees and backdragging snow piles. I open up, push stick to right, float loader, back drag open and finally curl and close bucket simultaneously. Leaves hardly a stripe of snow.
Additionally, I've adapted a DR splitter mounted to 1 yard 88" Bobcat bucket for firewood processing, run off front hydraulics.

Thumb...with backhoe bucket not a true grapple but can do most of the tree trunk moving stacking that I need.

Rear auxiliary hydraulics...have never used them.

The 110 I bought had 10 years prior use with a landscaper. It was generally in tact and operational but I have redone a lot of the previous maintenance to my standard.

I can't compare it to other machines that I have never owned. I'm fairly gentle with my equipment and used infrequently with property chores, so I expect good longevity.

I have become aware of some shortcomings and idiosyncrasies of the 110, some related to vintage. I think the run is 2002-2012. I believe many improvements/enhancements were in place starting in 2006. I've been implementing/introducing/retrofitting them on my 2004.

 

[Industrial Toys]

But the cab was aftermarket too. JD had a hard time selling the open station 110. A factory cab would have been an almost impossible sell.