Buying Advice L48 help

[DeWrecking Crew]

Hi guys...I'm relatively new to the forum and have gotten some good info already with some general questions about tractors, but now I have some specific questions about a specific tractor...

I have located a used L48 on CL, it is a 2003 with 2700 hours on it. Before I go look at it (120 miles away), I have some questions and am looking for some advice. First, he says it is a L48 HST, question one, did Kubota offer the HST transmission on the L48 in 2003? (I was under the impression the HST became popular around 2005). Second, this was owned by a plumbing company, so it presumably did a lot of BH work. How worried should I be about the 2700 hours knowing that it was used in a commercial capacity? If/When I go look at it, what are the key things I need to look for when checking it out. He claims in all the time he has owned it they have only changed two hydraulic seals, one on the BH and one on the loader and nothing else. He claims they religiously maintain their tractors. He's asking $18K for it. What say you, is it worth looking at?

 

[lamarbur]

I had one., an 03 and yes, they only came with HST. I would look at the pins of the hoe system, for being loose, which in turn causes the hoe operation to be somewhat sloppy and jerky,, I would look under the swing pins as deep inside is four grease points that many seem to skip over or don't realize they are there, and of course find something to dig in with the hoe to test the machine,, Midrange is slow,, so if in mid range and you don't think the machine moves fast enough,, it is normal, and of course have them show you how many times for filter changes , oil chaonges what were they using for engine oil and hydraulic oils

 

[gwdixon]

2700 hours is a lot on a commercial backhoe. My L48 had 1000 hours on it when purchased from a plumbing company. It was well worn - not worn out but you could tell that it was used hard but well maintained. Nevertheless, hard work is going to wear things out.

As lmarbur said, check all the backhoe pins carefully. First, move the boom by just pushing on it to see how much slop is in the pins. Then run it through its paces at all angles.

Inspect the FEL as well for bends and damage. Make sure the stabilizers work smoothly. Try them one at a time and both together.

Run the tractor in all three gears at full throttle to see if there is any slip in the transmission. Low is painfully slow, medium is a bit sluggish, high is absurdly gutless. Don't be surprised because it is a very heavy TLB and the engine is not huge. It was made for digging not transporting.

Personally met the owner and his shop, home, business vehicles, and property were well maintained. I think that carries over to the maintenance of the machinery. He had all of the service records as well.

Mine was $24K so $18K isn't too bad - depending on condition and maintenance.

 

[DeWrecking Crew]

As lmarbur said, check all the backhoe pins carefully. First, move the boom by just pushing on it to see how much slop is in the pins. Then run it through its paces at all angles.

I really hate showing my ignorance, but what the ****, it's just the interwebs This will be my first tractor, so I literally know nothing about them, please bare with me. Can the pins be changed if there is slop? To me, it sounds like the equivalent or a worn bushing, or even better a worn rubber stop in the steering of an old car. When its worn the steering is sloppy, but you can put some new rubber in and you've got tight steering again. Can the same be done on these backhoes? And is it usually the pins that are worn, or are the holes in the bucket, ect wallowing out?

 

[lamarbur]

Can the same be done on these backhoes? And is it usually the pins that are worn, or are the holes in the bucket, ect wallowing out?

I would say at least 90% of the time, it is pin replacement, then there are those who hammer on the machine so hard that not only pins need replacing, but the holes are rewelded, ( filled in) and redrilled for new pins,, This is beyond reasonably expensive. When you move the hoe to test it, get off the machine and visually inspect each pin and the hole each pin goes through, If both are excessively worn, I would think serously about looking at another machine. My L 48 as far as I'm concerned, was as bullet proof as they come., I let it go last year for tax and other reasons, not because the machine didn't do what I asked of it, and truth be known, I miss having it, I am hoping someday in the future to replace it with a new M59, which is a little bigger,

 

[DeWrecking Crew]

Thanks...one more question, the guy says on a scale of 1-10, its condition is an 8. I asked about the backhoe, and he said it is in great shape. Then he said that it does not have a wet kit for a hoe ram. What is a hoe ram, and what is a wet kit? TIA

 

[ryer]

Backhoe and loader pins and bushings are easily replaced and fairly cheap,you can do it yourself in about 15 mins a set.Your main concern should be engine and transmission,try to take someone familiar with Kubota or smaller type backhoes with you to look it over if possible.The hours are not too bad but a commercial unit beat up by employees who do not own the machine themselves can be a problem.Good luck,Ryer.

 

[gwdixon]

I'll give it a stab. But first, the guy is trying to sell the machine to you. He'll likely tell you anything to travel that far. The fact that it has not already sold to a local makes me suspicious about it being a good deal.

It has probably been power washed or steam cleaned prior to putting it up for sale. After running it and doing some digging, check every single fitting and all of the hoses for leaks. If it is leaking around the control box (where all of the levers are) be especially cautious. Once those leak (the spool area) you are talking big bucks.

OK, back to the question.

A "wet kit" I am assuming is a hydraulic fitting that will run a hydraulic ram for a thumb.

A "thumb" is just like it sounds. It attaches to the boom and can "close" its finger just like your thumb closes on your hand. It requires a separate lever and can be quite expensive to put on later if you decide you want one.

Maybe someone here can hunt down a You Tube video of a thumb at work. I'm too old to come up with that stuff.

 

[DeWrecking Crew]

Thanks GW...I'm familiar with the thumb, so that makes sense now. In general, what would be considered big bucks? Again, not knowing the tractor world, I can't figure out if that means $1000 or $10,000. I guess what I'm asking is how big of a mistake could I possibly make with this purchase? Let's assume the engine and transmission are flawless, but I ended up having to replace a bunch of critical hydraulic parts, seals and hoses, are we talking over $10K? Could my $18K tractor turn into a $28K+ tractor real fast?

 

[gwdixon]

It would be hard to imagine $10K worth of repairs. You would definitely notice that right off the bat. If it starts right up, engine runs without shuddering/studdering, all the hydraulics work (quickly at higher RPM), and all the transmission gears function fine then go for it.

Plan on $1000-$2000 in repairs just to be safe. You might even mention this in your bargaining to see if you can get a better price.

Here are some comparisons and other information from Google that may help with price:

Google