1973 CASE 580 w/Extendahoe

[edkemper]

I am going to look at a Case 580 with extendahoe. It has just over 4000hrs. It's said to have a slight seepage on one bucket ram. I believe it is the backhoe bucket. It is also said to have a slight smoking when running. It seems a little high asking $8000 OBO but that is perhaps workable. What do I need to look for when I check it out tomorrow?

Thanks in advance.

 

[GManBart]

Check out post #9 in this thread....it's pretty much a checklist of what to look at on a used backhoe.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/construction-equipment/319817-solid-backhoe-35k-possible.html

 

[edkemper]

Printed out the appropriate info. Thank you. You will be thought kindly of in the morning.

 

[GManBart]

Good luck!

 

[edkemper]

Just got back. One hydraulic cylinder for the front bucket is leaking. Will need to be re-built. He claimed that it smoked a bit. Heck, my JD210 smokes more than this backhoe and it's solid as can be. Pins are "tight enough" to make me feel it hasn't been abused. The seller is a straightforward type of guy. New front tires he just bought, rears are at least 70%. Extendahoe is nice. Both narrow and wide backhoe buckets. Some misc. maintenance parts along with the engine manual, parts manual and repair manual. I think it's a done deal. Just waiting to arrange to borrow a trailer from my neighbor to get it tomorrow. Best shape I've seen for this old a unit. 580BCK.

"Former" mechanic. Says a sleeve kit is only about $600-700. Hydraulic pump seems to be in fairly decent shape also. Only thing is? About a hundred control sticks to operate the backhoe. (Okay, maybe a little over estimated)

Thanks for the help.

 

[Billrog]

Ed I had a 1974 case backhoe for a few yrs. with over 15000 hrs. on it and it ran great never a mins. trouble with the motor . btw the hr. meter only worked when revved over 1200 rpm. It did take me a wk. or 2 before I got the hang of the controls. I don't remember it smoking but I remember it always started good summer and winter. One thing the spline on the top for the front wheels had a nut that often came loose until I used a wrench and a 12' pipe to tighten it. Happy digging.

 

[GManBart]

Sounds like a solid buy and reasonable condition. The good thing is that you can get darned near any part you could ever need for a 580, and the fact that there are a lot of them still running around keeps parts prices reasonable.

 

[edkemper]

Billrog,

> It did take me a wk. or 2 before I got the hang of the controls.

I'm excited to learn. A new toy. Only one problem really, my little 5' 100# wife is more excited than I am and she's driving me crazy. Won't be able to retrieve it until the weekend or early next week. Gotta arrange transportation. But I am looking forward to using it.

> One thing the spline on the top for the front wheels had a nut that often came loose until I used a wrench and a 12' pipe to tighten it.

Forewarned. I'll look at it when I get it home.

GMan,

The guy I'm buying it from used to have a truck yard a few miles from where we both used to live in Sacramento. Smile. He's a retired mechanic and told me a sleeve kit is only about $600 if I am so inclined. I'm happy to acquire a 580 for the very reason of easily acquired parts. A good buy for sure. It'll do anything I need it to do even if I never put any work into it. I'm pleased.

 

[BXpanded]

One of my favorite machines. Spent several thousand hours in the seat of one back in the day. I remember that one cost just under $14,000 new in '73. Just over $12,000 without the Extendahoe. They run forever.

The old Case controls are still my favorite. You can operate the BH with one hand and your feet, while operating the FEL with the other hand. Really useful in deep mud or difficult terrain when you need to actually pick all 4 wheels off the ground to move. Can't really do that with joysticks since you can't control the boom and dipper with one hand. For those that aren't familiar with the Case controls, the BH has 3 sticks. One stick for the boom, one for the dipper and one for the bucket curl. The Extendahoe has an additional stick. The BH swing is controlled by foot treadles. Of course, it has two additional sticks for the outriggers.

The BH boom has a lock that holds it in the over center raised position. The lock almost always broke.

 

[edkemper]

My logger neighbor informed me that he rebuilds his own hydraulic rams. So the leaking ram on my BH will be repaired by me with his help. A teaching moment for sure.

Went to visit my BH again this morning. Won't be able to get it delivered or picked up, yet. But I came home with a 32' 5th wheel travel trailer to live in a few days a week so I can get more work done on the property. Gotta get this party started and get my house built. Also got a 30-40 Gallon Propane tank that looks new with a connecting hose and a complete Oxy welding setup with both large owner owned tanks (full) and a nice cart, both additions came to $300 total. The set came with cutting head, about 4-5 welding/heating heads, goggles and not sure what else.

Very appreciative and almost feel like a thief. Except that the guy knows exactly what he was doing.

So far, all the stuff I got doesn't come up to what I thought I'd be spending just for a BH.

Life is good.

Thanks again y'all for the help.