I am looking at buying a 580 SK case. I would like some feedback on these machines before I lay down the money. Do they have any known weaknesses, or recurring problems?
what year ?
They rot horribly, and the wiring harness had major issues. I owned 2 of them and they were a nightmare right out of the factory never mind 10-15 years down the road. Look for a 580L I had great luck with them.
I might look for a super L, but I wanted something cheap.
well i had 3 of them ....if you clean them.and change the battery poss so it don,t run over the trans they are great......they do rust when working loading salt,,,great machine.as you know never buy any machine with 2000 hours that is plummed for a hammer or hoe pack..cus they are dun
I can add a few pointers but only from what I have heard. Check the frames for cracks in the area of the hydraulic tank fill and diesel tank fill. Some will leak both, also check the frame just above the rear motor mount for a crack. I have heard that the fuse panel is vulnerable to corrosion, also the big relay nearby, and the ground connection close to it also. If you end up looking at a K, I believe the early K's with the gearshift on the floor, correct me if I'm wrong, had the early transaxle and were not as strong. Rusty doors, floors and fenders really knock down the value by thousands of $. Phil
Phil is right about gearshift location: floor = 580k right fender=580sk (superk). The sk is far stronger. The only big weakness I've seen in my sk's is the electrical system. I just replace the instrument cluster w/ a fabricated panel w/ aftermarket gauges. make sure you put in an alt. light or alternator will have to be manually excited every time. Don't get me started on the turn signals! except for fuse block corrosion,gauges, and turn signals the sk is an excellent machine
I still have my high hour k, they don't road very well, other then that been a very good machine, lots of aftermarket parts and the 390 will go for 12000 hrs if taken care of. They do rust though.