I was looking for opinions on the td20c with the 573 IHI engine. I dont want your opinions on how cat is the only brand there is just from people who have OWNED one or run one for a while. I am not too familiar with them, as I run a Komatsu now. This is a totally different class of machine then my little Kommie though. Is the 573 engine decent? The machine looks really well kept, and they are asking 15000 for it. is that reasonable for one? Thanks!
The 250C is the loader version of the TD20C . Both have the 573 which I can tell you is a little rough on fuel. I am told the the engine had problems with the cylinder liner orings leaking but I've had no problems with mine. Parts are not as available as cat but some are available thru Komatsu. I can't give you much advice on the price except to say the under carriage is ussally the deciding factor in determining the value on a machine that old. All that said I would like to have one w/rippers to go along with the 250 lol.
The first equipment dealer I worked for was the International dealer. The 573 was a power house and worked well in its day. Today it is all but impossible to get parts for as far as I know. There were other issues as well with these machines. The hard nose is a part of the main frame, so removing that engine is a super pain in the hind end. As I recall just pulling the starter required taking the enigne loose and picking it up a couple of inches to get the thing out. The second item was the steering system and bevel gear is all under a single plate that covers the tub. If you have to fix something in there, you have to pull everything on top of it. ROPS, seat structure, hydraulics, transmission and steering linkages and so on. As I recall the 20 has a planetary final drive that didn't require huge press gear to pull it apart. The things unplugged from the main frame. They also were the first machine I worked on of that size that used a dead axle or pivot shaft to hang the track frames on. A huge improvement over the TD25 and even the D8H Cats. That price might be reasonable if there are no major issues coming up. Lots of blow by on the engine, a worn out undercarriage, slipping clutches in the transmission or steering and brake issues will turn a bargain into a black hole. Good Luck!
I believe it is rather easy to the replace the IH 573 with a IH 466, which is a pretty easy engine to find and find parts for. I believe we have done that with some older TD 20C. It might be possible to put a Cummins 505 in, but that could be a head scratcher. More than likely the transmission, engine, and or under carriage will not have much life left in them. Having said that, it is very possible to find a TD-20G with an L10 Cummins motor in good condition in the $30-40K range. They are much easier to find parts for and is a lot more powerful machine with about 225 HP. The machine weight is about 53 k lbs. The 20G has an external planetary drive like the 175C loader, but the 25G's, 15E's, and 12C's have internal. If the 20G is too much of a beast for you, a TD-15E can be bought in the $25-40K range and again have a machine in good condition. They have the Cummins 505 engines but can be considered under powered and do not have the external planetary final drives. Just my thoughts.