ford 4500 backhoe

[dirt clod]

Have got 120 acres that needs refenced for cattle. need to clear old fence line. Fence is about 30yrs old. Mostly brush needs removed. Found a 4500. guy wants 3500. Says it is in good shape. Have not seen it yet. I'm told it has manual tranny not shuttle. I would think this would be better than the torque converter model for pushing. I know these torque converters get weak with age and use.I dont know yet if this is the newer model with the 3 cylinder or the older with 4 cylinder. I think this is built useing the 4000 model ag tractor. Anybody know anything about these old backhoes?

 

[FTCKUBOTA]

They are good machines getting old though. One thing to look at is how much wear is on the backhoe. For that price you should be fine if it is decent

 

[RickB]

Have got 120 acres that needs refenced for cattle. need to clear old fence line. Fence is about 30yrs old. Mostly brush needs removed. Found a 4500. guy wants 3500. Says it is in good shape. Have not seen it yet. I'm told it has manual tranny not shuttle. I would think this would be better than the torque converter model for pushing. I know these torque converters get weak with age and use.I dont know yet if this is the newer model with the 3 cylinder or the older with 4 cylinder. I think this is built useing the 4000 model ag tractor. Anybody know anything about these old backhoes?

A 4500 is a 3 cylinder. If it is in decent shape, $3500 is a swinging deal. They have very strong hydraulics. If you can handle a 4 stick machine, you can do a LOT of work with a 4500.

 

[dirt clod]

Never used a backhoe b4 so I got nothing to unlearn to use the 4 stick. Whats differant about it compared to other backhoe controls?

 

[RickB]

The backhoe controls are on 4 levers ijnstead of the now-standard two.

 

[dirt clod]

So if its in descent shape its worth the $ ?

 

[RickB]

So if its in descent shape its worth the $ ?

My first reply:

"A 4500 is a 3 cylinder. If it is in decent shape, $3500 is a swinging deal. They have very strong hydraulics. If you can handle a 4 stick machine, you can do a LOT of work with a 4500."

 

[wolc123]

I like the 4500's better than the 550's that replaced them. Same backhoe and a little lighter. The 555's were a step up with a significantly better backhoe (no chain). My biggest concern would be the condition of the engine if it has high hours (more than 7000) and has not been rebuilt. You can get a pretty good feel for everything else from a test drive. Too bad you were not up north where you could check how easy it starts in the cold (good test of compression). $3500 is a good deal if it is in good shape, so-so if it is in need of a rebuild.