Y’all I found two 953s both are late 80s one has had documented $30,000 worth of work over the last six months. The other is more of an original machine with not a lot of work done hours are similar about 7000. It might be a no-brainer to pick the wand that had all the work done, but I’m wondering why did that machine need all that work? Should I buy the machine that hasn’t had much done to it other than maintenance both are between 30 and $35,000 thanks.
Where was all of this work done and what all was done? If it was just him working on it under the shade tree on the hydrostatic system I would run away. If it was $30,000 for a complete Cat U/C is a different story. I would test drive it and take some SOS samples of both machines.
Need more info on both machines. Any pics?
I will try to get pictures and information All the work was done in a shop. I talked to him for about 30 minutes. The other machine is about six hours away. The one with all the work done is about 3 1/2 hours away.
Why would someone put 30k into a machine and then sell it for 30k six months later, someone is full of ****. If someone dropped that kind of money, why get rid of it 6 months later. I do have a bridge, that I am thinking of discounting later. lol
Probably some bs like oh yeah we rebuilt the engine and went through it 10 k in labor. Well what did you actually replace. An injector ... As to the ops question which to get. The only way to buy a used machine is to go work the heck out of it. Take a temp gun check the different parts. Put the time in working it. If it works well hot and cold starts with no issues, it rules out a lot of problems. Never allow it to be started before you arrive. Show up early in the morning. Check the temp before you turn it on. Pay attention to the smoke , long start short start. How does it track over distance. Once you really start digging does the power fade? Does the machine look like it was serviced correctly are the filters labeled. Is the oil clean or grimey. Check the radiator is it full... Don't buy a machine that you can't work. I know of a nice d7h near me for sale for a fair price. They won't let me work it, I am not risking my money unless I get to use it or the price is good enough it does not matter. Track loaders are easy to test. Dig a hole does it move good fully loaded. Try to stall it out. Will it turn the tracks if you are pushing against something that does not move. It should move fast enough loaded that you don't think it's slow. Basically it should work and move fully loaded and turn and counter rotate the tracks. And the work should never over whelm the motor. I have never stalled mine out I will.also say this i have found a few deals lately that have been seller "needs" to sell or must turn the money, sometimes guys take a hit to make a better move for their current needs. I bought 2 953as thinking one would be a parts machine for the other. Both so cheap compared to today's pricing. Both have easily made way more than 5 times what they cost. I still use both and they both are still working. I had someone offer me 3 times what I paid for one of them. I thought long and hard and decided I am still at a point with having a machine or good spare is worth more than the cost. I can do work others can run multiple jobs. I actually just got my first 963 21z The guy that tried to buy the tractor from me got talked into a new 100k skid steer. He does not even have a clue as to how much more a 53 can handle
I'll play devils advocate - Depends. Could be a legit scenario. If I had 6 month project coming up I needed the loader on but knew it probably needed an engine or whatever that was $30K worth of work but I could make $75K with it over that time then it's a no brainer. Gross $45K and have an operating machine worth $30k. Who knows but it could be possible. Put a $25K undercarriage on our 953 several years ago and it might have 400 hours on it since. I don't plan on ever selling it and figured this UC would run out it's life but i f I had to sell it I would damn sure say it has a new UC with 400hrs on it. To someone that didn't know that would sound like bs. Depends on what kind of work you do. My 279D's work 10x more than my 953C. Currently the 953 is on push off duty at the dump. We run our 2 - 279D's every day. Probably going to buy a 265 this year and still keep the 2-279's since we use them so much.
Your right. In this case it was for tree removal and land prep. He got the whole, it almost as much horsepower as the 953 and it moves faster.... and I can move it. I was polite and just said that it's nice. Inside i knew i could still can do work that he cant. If your still thinking about adding machines work must be good.
Work is steady. Building a decent backlog of work that should get us into mid summer. Usually we have a yearly plan to upgrade or replace 1 or 2 pieces of equipment or a truck depending on need, usage, hours, age, etc. This year's plan is a new dually for the main crew and another CTL. Last year was just a new mini. Year before that was a 325 which counted as 3 or 4 pieces. lol
Anything is possible but every time I see those ads for anything that goes, I got 50k into it, so asking price is 10k firm, I think FOS.
Usually is but sometimes there's a gem out there. That's the tough part of buying used iron.
Should have full receipts for all the work done and parts needed. Lifetime service records help to. I'm not sure how badly a 953 could be abused??
Oh you'd be surprised. One good thing about a 953 is the machine was more than likely an owner/operator or part of a small operation, at least here in the southeast.
He says he has receipts for all work done, according to him he used machine to work 1/2 mile road to build his new house he also said he didn’t mind putting money into the machine because he was quoted 120 grand for clearing woods and timber and building road. I do believe he’s scared of it though I would be too. I found a extremely clean JD 310 d but still patiently waiting for the right track loader
Well that makes sense. Why he is "scared" it? Scared of it mechanically or the machine itself?
I'd look at the receipts and see who did the work. You may be able to talk to them and get more info too.
I absolutely promise you that I’m gonna look at everything some machines just have trouble when others don’t As a work guy with shallow pockets, I have to make good decisions. That’s a lot of cash and then if there’s another major failure, that’s gonna sit for a while.
It’s got me thinking real hard about a big skid steer maybe 100 hp Kubota or Caterpillar something I can put a lot of hours on before worrying about failures something with under 2000 hours Vs a big track loader that could burn your wallet up I know there’s no comparison, but I could take a little bites with the skid steer. I’ve got a nice backhoe. I just need something to push with and grapple with
As much as the track loaders are so sexy and masculine at the same time, I like your train of thought at the moment. A 95 HP skid, especially tracked, will do a lot of work, better at fuel and easier to operate. Done deal!
That is a very tough call, have replaced a lot of $10-15000 fuel systems on skid loaders. The common rail fuel systems are very susceptible to water in fuel and destroying the entire system. Have a Kubota in shop right now that another guy is working on. Had an injector hang up and burned a hole in the #3 piston. Complete O/H and fuel system is just shy of $40000 from what I heard after parts labor and machine work. When I was at dealer first thing they told us to do was to swab the common rail for rust and if they had more than 3 water in fuel codes warranty was denied. You also start getting into emissions failures. While they are becoming less and less common as technology progresses it is still another maintenance item. The nice thing about the older track loaders is that you can almost always find good used parts or aftermarket available. I have put a lot of used and aftermarket parts on older cat equipment that holds up really well as long as you aren't putting a ton of hours on.
No skid steer will not push anywhere near what a 953 will. Nothing beats steel tracks if working in brush and stumps and rocks.
Well, that’s exactly what I’m looking for. Y’all ain’t making it easy. I’m 64. I always lean towards older stuff because I’m old I guess. Maybe a 450 John Deere loader wait for one with fairly low hours and treat it like a queen. When you ain’t rich, it’s a tough decision
450's are great machines along with any of the smaller cats. They are simple and relatively cheap to maintain and repair also.
This is definitely 953 work another guy that this lady hired only had a skid steer. He made a complete mess of her lot left all the stumps all the piles in the wrong places since I sold her the lot she contacted me. I gave her a fair price on doing the work and she found somebody cheap, and I told her that the cheapest price is the most expensive
In that case IMHO maybe the first decision to make is "should I be doing this at all.?", not which machine would be best for the job.
Got a lot of land to take care of and I don’t like renting equipment just getting ideas and I enjoy the heck out of it. It’s not work for me.
CTL's are sure handy but they are no comparison to a dozer or track loader. Even my small 70hp dozer will out push a 100+ HP CTL by a fair margin. If a track loader is what you think you need, I'd also look at the other Cat model, JD and Case. The 455G and 555G series Deere's were good performers and durable. Case 855D/E, 1150D/E were all good models as well, a little larger than the aforementioned JDs. I'm not as up on the Cat machines, but I think the 931, 939, etc were also pretty popular. I also wouldn't rule out a dozer, a dozer with a tilt blade and root rake can do a lot of work cleaning up land. Would open up a lot more potential machines.
Old JD 450C's transmissions are very expensive to repair and parts are getting scarce but I think the newer G series are good machines. Case has some decent machines too as mentioned above. Cat has 931B and C, 935, 933, 939 and then the rear engine hydrostats 943,953, etc. Most Cat machines are pretty good and newer models of (933,939) are hydrostatic. A good hydrostat is more productive but more expensive to fix. I think it would be good for you to talk to the service manager at a Cat dealer to get an idea of what machines have the least issues. If he said something like avoid the early 939's because they were known for problems, you could take that off your list. You could also ask if you could pay him or one the mechanics to inspect a machine for you. A seller with a good machine may agree to take it to the dealer so it can be properly inspected the same way you would a used car. $500 or so for a proper inspection could save you from spending thousands on a worn out pile of scrap needing repairs exceeding it's value. Sometimes dealers know contractors or people looking to sell their machines too and/or on consignment.
Absolutely I agree on the dozer versus the little track loaders I’ve run enough to know that for sure that’s great advice on taking it to a dealer and paying somebody to inspect. It can save thousands of dollars, every time I’m on my land trying to get work done on my backhoe, I’m always wishing I had a bigger machine . Honestly the only reason I don’t own one of the bigger machines already is because of the horror stories of Repair bills. For example, it’s taking me most of the week to clear up a 2 acre lot with my Backhoe and Tractor if I had a larger track loader, maybe two days at the most
When it comes to land clearing or mass excavation, it never seems like you have a big enough machine, regardless. When you are trying to haul it, work on it, or pay for it you are always wishing for something smaller lol. I often wish for bigger equipment, but when I really start penciling it out it doesn't make sense. For the few jobs a year I do that I need big stuff I rent it. If you aren't putting at least 200hrs a year on each current piece of equipment, something larger isn't going to pencil out, at least on paper. That said, if you have the cash and just want something bigger then go for it.
MG I live on about 140 acres pine trees creeks hardwoods plus a 2000 foot long driveway plus I do some small developing Land clearing . I would definitely use a bigger machine almost makes sense getting one. I could be a lot busier what you’re saying definitely makes sense , spent three days clearing a lot digging stumps pushing up piles with the backhoe with a 25,000 pound track loader the same job probably about six hours say on a 953 Caterpillar.