Compact with 150 hours on it, never been serviced. Avoid?

[tallguy104]

Yeah I was actually going to buy the same model brand new.

I do hope no-one has been fiddling with the hour-meter. Besides the worn front tyres, which I'm hoping is down to over-inflation, any thoughts on whether the rest of the machine's condition could be in line with ~150 hours of use? I believe he has been mowing a lot of lawns with it primarily (his own few acre property, plus several neighbours and friends).

He's selling it for ~65% of the new price. So around here they sell for ~$21,000 new, and he is looking for $14,000 (Aussie dollars). Sound like the right price?

 

[fried1765]

Yeah I was actually going to buy the same model brand new.

I do hope no-one has been fiddling with the hour-meter. Besides the worn front tyres, which I'm hoping is down to over-inflation, any thoughts on whether the rest of the machine's condition could be in line with ~150 hours of use? I believe he has been mowing a lot of lawns with it primarily (his own few acre property, plus several neighbours and friends).

He's selling it for ~65% of the new price. So around here they sell for ~$21,000 new, and he is looking for $14,000. Sound like the right price?

Considering the obvious neglect, I would shoot for 50%

 

[beckmurph]

By the rust around the bolt holes, I would think there’s been something attached to the front frame.

 

[beckmurph]

Rust around bolt holes on front frame suggest something mounted on the front.

Mower deck pulley covers missing.
Side discharge cover missing.
Top half of ROPS missing.
Cross brace behind set bent.

Looks like it was rode hard and put up wet.

 

[tallguy104]

Rust around bolt holes on front frame suggest something mounted on the front.

Mower deck pulley covers missing.
Side discharge cover missing.
Top half of ROPS missing.
Cross brace behind set bent.

Looks like it was rode hard and put up wet.

He said he has the rest of the ROPS, and I think he mentioned something about some deck covers he has set aside. I will check.

It does indeed look like it's been knocked around a lot in its short life. Quite a lot of scratches and dings in the paint work.

 

[tallguy104]

The previous owner had to drive it along a bitumen road a lot, to get to other properties, so I'm guessing this explains the tyre wear (?)

 

[Wagtail]

The previous owner had to drive it along a bitumen road a lot, to get to other properties, so I'm guessing this explains the tyre wear (?)

Well there's your answer... turf tyres + bitumen = more tread wear than usual.

Very simply put; R1 (Ag tyres) have the 'deepest' tread and are designed for pulling traction and are ideally designed for 'field work'. R4 (Industrial tyres) have a not-so deep tread, are wider and 'softer' than a R1 and can handle asphalt/bitumen surfaces better. The tractor you're looking at has R3 (Turf tyres), the softest of tractor tyres and the least 'aggressive' tread.

So, you need to be honest with yourself and what you want to do/accomplish with the tractor you need. R1 tyres do not fit R4 wheel rims. I can't honestly say that R3 rims would fit an R4 tyre, but I doubt it.

 

[mikester]

He said he has the rest of the ROPS, and I think he mentioned something about some deck covers he has set aside. I will check.

It does indeed look like it's been knocked around a lot in its short life. Quite a lot of scratches and dings in the paint work.

Would you want to live where the seller lives? If the rest of the sellers stuff looks used and abused that's a good indication of what you are buying at the fire sale/auction.

 

[fried1765]

Would you want to live where the seller lives? If the rest of the sellers stuff looks used and abused that's a good indication of what you are buying at the fire sale/auction.

"Would you want to live where the seller lives?"

That is often the BEST way to assess the condition of used equipment!

 

[Captain Dirty]

As the OP is a new member, I was able to quickly review his postings. His original concern was saving time mowing a 3-acre former sheep paddock, and the consensus was that a zero-turn would outperform a tractor. So far, he has not broadened the proposed scope of its use. In fact he reduced the scope as snow removal is out. From the pictures and observations of others it appears the OP's characterization of "unloved" was spot-on. In my mind the questions are: At what point does a bargain on a less-than-ideal machine become viable? If time is important, will the machine in question require more attention than the OP is willing to devote?