Buying Advice Pricing an older backhoe

[GLAP2011]

I'm interested in purchasing an older (cheaper) backhoe for homeowner use. We own a wooded plot for future building site so will require some clearing of trees/stumps, foundation digging, etc. Currently looking at a late 70's Ford 420. Everything seems tight on the old girl. Runs well. Tires good, etc. What is a fair price range for something like this?

 

[willfick]

It's almost impossible to say. Even the stuff you can see condition-wise varies so much that anything I said would be wrong. I had no way to know the rear main oil seal on mine would go out after six months. Or that a tooth would snap off a gear a year later. I could see the engine overhaul coming after six or eight years, though.
I can tell you what I paid for mine, a 1967 Ford 3500D. I bought it twenty years ago, and it's ten years older that the one you're considering. So mine was ten years younger when I got it? Right?
I paid $7,200. Twenty years later I'm still using it, in fact I'm going as soon as it warms up a little today. But at a quick guesstimate I've got another $20,000 in maintenance. And I'm probably low on that, trying not to look too dim.
The thing is, at any point it's cheaper to fix than to replace with another worn out old machine that's going to need just as much work. And spending $30,000 on a recent one gives no certainty that it won't need a ten grand fix next week.
It's a slippery slope.
Anyway, whatever you get, and for whatever price, you've got to be prepared to average $1,000 a year on maintenance beyond fuel and lube.
But, heck, it's still cheaper than drinking and runnin' around. More fun, too, at this age.
Wm
PS I bought mine for one pond digging project, intending to sell it after. I finished the pond in 1994. Still have the backhoe. It's fun, I'm tellin' ya.

 

[GLAP2011]

Thanks for your thoughts & experiences I appreciate it. I too figure after I'm done with it I can sell it and recoup some of my money.
This 420 with around 4200 hours. It was originally owned my a local township and used in their cemetery. The fellow who currently has it used it very little and supposedly neither did the previous owner who bought it from that township.

This does have a recent hydraulic pump and one steel line on the hoe has been replaced. Asking price is $10,000.

 

[Tenn_Blue]

Fair price is what you are willing to give for it that the owner will sell for...:thumbsup:

With an older machine it truly is a crap shoot. If you are not familiar with this type of equpment, you may want to have someone who works on them go look at it with you. Backhoes are big, heavy, and often expensive to repair. While the systems on the older ones are fairly simple, they have lots of large, buky parts. It will take more than a 3/8 inch socket set and a few screwdrivers to work on them. If you can't do most of the wrench work yourself, it will nickle and dime you to death.

Look for slop (wear and play) in pins, slipping transmissions/clutches, hydraulic leaks on cylinders, hydraulic hose condition, previous welds and repairs, engine blowby, etc. Unless you are REALLY ambitious, bigger things mean professional help ($$$), smaller things (like hoses) you can usually fix, but they may be expensive (just replaced a $65.00 hose on an excavator..).

Then there is the size and weight issue. Most of the construction grade hoes are north of 13,000 lbs (some WAY north..) - probobly out of your ability to transport it safely. So figure on paying to have it delivered and moved for service.

It is usually better to spend a little more to get a machine in good shape than to buy a "project".

But after all that, I have seen some machines with many years and hours that just keep on running... Once you get more than about 10 years old, you are paying more for condition than model. But you are right, once you get one, it is amazing what you can find to do with them.

Best thing to do is see what machines in your area are going for - check craigs list, ebay, local used equipment yards, etc for price and condition - once you get a feel for what stuff goes for in your area, then find a machine in good shape that you can afford. You can also check the big auction companies (Ritchie, Iron house, etc) but they usually deal in recent/current models, and less in vintage stuff. If you have a CAT or JD (commercial) dealer near you, talk to one of their salesment and tell him what you are looing for - they occasionally get offers on trade in stuff and you may get lucky there. Hope that helps!

 

[GLAP2011]

While I have never worked on heavy equipment I am a fairly confident "backyard" mechanic who has rebuilt car engines, etc. This one has decent enough rubber for an old girl. Engine sounds good, no major leaks found and all the jionts look tight. Only play I noticed, while I watched the owner go through the paces, was some in the area where the cylinder connects to the rear bucket. I could not see anything excess in any other jionts, even at the bucket. I've seen some machines where large washers were being used to keep the rear bucket in place becaseu the holes were worn so large.

 

[tommu56]

I went trough the came cycle for my place up state.
I couldn't find any thing that I didn't have to add 50% more in it to fix it up.

I started looking new stuff settled on a BX23 and for my bigger stuff I rent a bigger machine.
The 23 will do alot it just takes longer! some times a lot longer
but when you got time and no money it it was clear to me.

tom

 

[GLAP2011]

My original thought was I could afford maybe around $5000.00. After doing some looking I've not gotten a little more realistic as I do not want or need something that I have to be wrenching on every week or before I can even use it the first time. I would still like to find something around $7500 - $8500. While I appreciate the suggestion about new I doubt anything, even smaller, like that will fit into my budget.

 

[George2615]

Around my area used backhoe are hard to find. Most owners don't sell them but when they do older 60's-70's smaller backhoes go for $5500-7500. I've been looking for a long time myself. I don't know if you have a tractor but I figure if someone wants $5500-7500 for a 40 year old machine that I'll probably have to repair I might as well buy a new BH attachment for my tractor for the same price.

 

[ruren]

I bought my 310C John Deere backhoe a year ago for $12,500. It's around a 1990 model, two wheel drive, standard hoe, cab and heat. The hours were around 4,450 when I bought it. $10,000 sounds a bit high to me for a 35 year old machine, but it's hard to say without more details.

You can get some perspective from web sites like machinerytrader.com on what dealers are asking for used machines, although probably not many of that age.

If I were you I would look into how easy it is for you to get parts and/or service for an old Ford backhoe. Things will go wrong with a backhoe. My John Deere was a well maintained small town public works machine before I bought it and in good condition for it's age. In the year I have owned it I have replaced a busted plastic window latch (it cracked in half while getting trucked to me after I bought it), done the 4,500 hour 'replace every fluid and filter' service, welded a piece of the cab window frame where the weld snapped, replaced a $200 hydraulic hard line that mysteriously started leaking at the fitting, and had three $100 service calls to fix flat tires (one rock puncture, one bad valve stem, and one ten year old repair that let loose on otherwise decent tires). The $1,000 dollars per year someone else mentioned is not unrealistic for a machine you use a lot.

Luckily I can order pretty much any part for it from the Deere dealer down the road, and apart from the tire repairs, I was able to do the repairs myself without much trouble. If I do need to have heavy repairs done that I can't handle the nearest 'yellow market' Deere dealer is 60 miles away so I will have to pay a trucker to haul it there and back or pay for their mobile service truck to come to me. I don't know how hard it is to get late 70's Ford parts or heavy repairs on one, but I would find out before buying.

Thanks for your thoughts & experiences I appreciate it. I too figure after I'm done with it I can sell it and recoup some of my money.
This 420 with around 4200 hours. It was originally owned my a local township and used in their cemetery. The fellow who currently has it used it very little and supposedly neither did the previous owner who bought it from that township.

This does have a recent hydraulic pump and one steel line on the hoe has been replaced. Asking price is $10,000.

 

[Slackdaddy]

When I built my house 2001, I bought a used Case 580E 4x4 opencab (1986?)
Had 3600 hours, paid 7500.00 (it was missing the front drive shaft)
Changed all the fluid/filters, put new rear tires on it, other than that it ran great for the 7 years I had it, sold it for 10K in 2008.

Just saying

 

[Soundguy]

look a backhoe over good. I've een in the market for a cheap one..and anything I cn afford leaks soo bad and is sooo sloppy and welded up that I pass onit..

soundguy

 

[Giles]

I know very little about a Ford backhoe. Over the years, I have owned an IH 3400 series A that was used on construction. I worked on it a while and used it a while. Owned it for about three years and sold it for a $3k profit. Probably saved 4K with the work I did.
I now own a Case 480D (standard backhoe) with 2,200 hours. I paid 9.5K and have done about $3K of work with it. I have sepent about $300.00 in repair. I have it sold for $11K when I get through with it--which will be this spring.
Everything works--lights---gauges and even the back-up warning horn.
I said all this to suggest you get the best machine you can afford. If you can do the work yourself, that is a blessing.
Without a major breakdown, you should be able to get all your money back and maybe a profit if you are lucky!
Just realise that an older machine has already depreciated a great amount, and should hold ther current value for quite some time.
Of course that is the reasion for your post--you don't want to pay too much:thumbsup:

 

[JoelD]

Thing to keep in mind with these full size machines is that when they break it is a full sized break

I purchased a John Deere 310 dozer I paid what it thought was a great price at 7k or so got it home and within three weeks had to replace the reverser at 3k then the brake bands started to go later that year etc

If you loose a clutch or Main seal or injector pump or crank bearing or or or you can quickly spend huge money

Another thing to keep in mind Is that you need special tools or another piece of big equipment to split a full size hoe should something go wrong

Just want to be the devil's advocate

Not always I buy for 5k do 50k of work and spend 5 dollars on repairs and then sell for 10k

Not saying it can't be done

Joel

 

[Ford tractor]

Real hard to price without a detailed inspection. You will probably be well served to check out machinery trader dot com and search there.

You can get a 555 ford with less hours for 10k I saw a 420 with under 2000 hours for 6900.


After you find one, pay a skilled heavy equipment tech to inspect it for you.