Hello again, I am still looking for my first track loader purchase and my budget is 10 to 20K . And I want to stay on the small to medium size range. I found a loader on Graig’s list that seems to be a real bargain. Is there any one here that lives near this loader which is located in Woodford VA? It’s over 5 hours driving time for me and I would like to ask if some of you would take look at this ad and give me your opinion. Or is anyone familiar with this machine? https://fredericksburg.craigslist.org/hvo/5231396125.html Is there anything I should be especially concerned about with this particular model? Thanks Johnny Walker
Pick a couple bigger ticket repair items and armed with the model and serial number try to get pricing and lead time for replacement parts. Water pump, cylinder head, turbo if it has one. Final drive gears. Drive sprockets. Things like that. Not sure how well supported it is. Don't take the sellers word for it, but do ask him where he buys his parts for it. Not very good pictures for details but from what I can see the undercarriage is not looking too happy.
You should have a dealer outside of Raleigh that can also give you some info, I'm like lantraxco on parts and service. They were a nice machine new but really not a big seller around here. They are a hydro- stat seem to recall, hours seem low. I he has the s/n you could find some history on it.
Liebherr loaders were actually pretty popular in my part of the country. I have even gotten to operate a few of them and they run out really nice. I like how they have their controls set up and it makes alot of sense. All the new skid steer loaders are doing the same thing now on the controls. from what little bit I have been around them if it has the cummins engine it is good. If it has the mercedes engine run. Not that there is anything bad about the mercedes engine other than $$$$$$$$$$$. On the track measure the chain pitch. I am pretty sure Liebherr used standard Cat sized undercarriage parts and will all interchange. Thats a bonus if it measures out that it will. Other than that I am not sure how hard parts are to get and if the main pump goes out it will cost more than the machine is worth. I have seen many in this area relegated to parts machines with a bad pump.
I concur. The undercarriage looks extremely shabby for a tractor with less than 3000 hours on it. If it's really as bad as the impression given by the photos then to me the alleged hours on the machine don't compute with the undercarriage wear and things would start to smell worse the 3-week-old fish .......
the only people that i have met that like the liebherr machines ether know how to work on them there self or have an in house mechanic that has been to all the factory schools. their is supposed to be a dealer here in charlotte thats always sold scrap handlers thats now supposed to sell dirt equipment but when I got prices from them they where more than the rest of the big 4 name brands.
Hello and thanks for your help. I do have the serial number and its 3331118 The seller thinks year is 1998. How would I get history? Thank you. Johnny Walker
Hello and thanks for your help. I do have the serial number and its 3331118 The seller thinks year is 1998. How would I get history? Thank you. Johnny Walker
Thank Mr. workshoprat92 for the reply. Mike Shillinglaw at LIEBHERR Equipment Source Raleigh, NC says parts are still available and what not in stock can be had rather quickly. Good advice about the main pump. That would be catastrophic for me, and I may never be able to afford to fix. I understand how truck drivetrains function from my experience as a heavy truck parts person,and I have seen pictures of gear drive loaders. I think gear drive loaders have ring gear and pinion plus final planetary drive gears? In comparison does a hydrostatic loader use the main pump to drive the final drive? Is the drive similar to a excavator? Thanks Johnny Walker
Thanks Mr. Nige for the help. I am concerned about actual hours more than anything . In fact that is the only reason I am considering a loader 5 hours away from me, is low hours plus low price, relativly speaking compared to others for sale across the US.. I have tried to find pictures of the hour meter that may have been OEM to that model,but I can;t find anything that proves one way or the other if it has original hour meter. How common is it for heavy equipment 15 to 20 years old to have hour meter changed? Thanks Johnny Walker
The type of hour meter you show in your photo is quite likely to fail at some point, in the course of 15-20 years I would say it's pretty much guaranteed to fail. In a big equipment fleet a defective hour meter would get changed pretty much as soon as it failed in order to keep track of maintenance. A privately-owned machine is less likely to get an hour meter changed if it went bang. How long has the seller had the machine, how many hours has he put on it while it's been in his possession, and does he know anything of its previous history from before he bought it..?
Well first question is what type of engine is in the unit? if it is a 98 there is a possibility it is an electronic controlled engine. If thats the case then there is a chance you might be able to get actual engine hours out of the ECM with a reader. There are lots of other ways to judge the time on a machine. look at bucket wear. Is it as bad as the track? how about pins and bushings on bucket and arms? has holes been worn in the floor mat indicating that someone has set in it for many hours? look at wear around the operators station. Is there anything worn flat that takes many hours of use to wear that way? As a general rule I never go by what an hour meter reads even if it is correct. You can have a low time machine and the operator beat the snot out of it everyday. Ignore the hour meter. Take a good long look at the machine itself and asses the condition of the machine. It may be even worth your time to hire someone experienced in pre buy inspections to give you a detailed account of machine condition. Then you will truly know if this machine is worth the money or not and wont be taking a gamble on the hour meter. There is a good chance this is a good machine that needs an undercarriage. I have heard it said that the hours seem low for the wear the undercarriage has on it. I think that is all up to interpretation of what environment the machine runs in. If it has spent its life in soft soils no rocks like in IL then yea that wear may be high. Here in the Ozarks where you cannot turn a shovel full of dirt without hitting flint rocks that wear is pretty normal. Now if it is the case that this is a good solid machine that needs an undercarriage then again I think they used cat sized parts for undercarriage. do some research and see. if this is the case then track and undercarriage parts wont be hard to get. this will give you a better idea what your gonna need to put into it if you do buy it. don't be afraid of it cause the UC is worn out. Undercarriages wear. that's what they do. Even if you buy it and it had a good undercarriage at some point your gonna replace it. Do your homework and make a well informed decision.
workshoprat92, I agree with your posting 100%.
Thank you for the advice. My continuing to judge equipment based on hour meter is probably causing me to overlook a good machine. Unfortunately for me the loader sold the day before I was to look at it. In hind site I could of sent a deposit to hold it, but just to risky for me without looking at the machine. If the loader was geographically close to me I would have stood a better chance of being the owner. This is the second great deal I have missed on Graigslist. Oh well the hunt resumes. Thanks again to all of you that responded. Johnny Walker
If there is a good deal on Craigslist you need to move fast or lose fast. Lots of folks looking. To me 5 hours one way is an easy day trip. There will be more if you keep watching. Good luck.
Thanks old-iron-habit. Yes I have learned that if you find something on Craigslist and the seller is motivated you better act fast. Still with that said I was just nervous about buying something that distance that I could not drive home. And I have had good luck on Graigs list. Bought my tractor, 1/2 dozen implements’ etc. And I did not mind the distance. Let me tell you driving home in the middle of the night with a tractor that is too heavy for a single axle trailer, with a borrowed pickup, and far from home can be a memorable experience. Especially at 2 AM when the alternator quits, and you’re slowly watching your lights dim. And just when you get half way up that hilly Tenn. back road you lose ignition as well as all forms of light. Scarred my poor wife half to death, and me to. If it were not for a Good Samaritan that gave me a jump start,I would have been in real trouble. Long story short, got to level ground and cell phone service, called a tow truck and spent the rest of night in Advance Auto Parking lot waiting on them to open.
One thing for certain. With todays vehicles if the alternator quits and you are lucky enough that it is still turning, you better be finding a place to get of the road. They will not go far.
FYI, theres a guy in Chattanooga that has a decent early 80's IH 175C track loader with the DT466 engine. I looked at the machine when I bought a dozer from him, didint look that bad. I already have a track loader and wasnt that interested, but itd make a good machine. He's just relisted it on CL for 12k, but I think you can get him down some. It currently has a ripper with a single shank on it, but he may sell the machine without it if yoru wanting to save some money.
955H CAT tracks I am in need of some tracks for my trackloader, it's a CAT 955H. If anyone has any or knows of any for sale please let me know. I live in Tennessee ridge, tn. Thank you