Hi all. New to the forum here, but really impressed so far. I am in the market for a 4wd backhoe such as a Case 580, JD 310 etc. I want something in the 1998-2008 range, with an extendable hoe. I have been looking at a few machines nearby, but made no commitments yet. My question to you guys is at what hour reading would you become concerned? I have a fair bit of experience with skid steers and cable skidders, and have owned several of each but I have very limited experience with loader/backhoes. I understand that an hour meter is only the beginning, and operator maintenance may be the priority. Many of the backhoes I see on the Internet are in the 6000-10,000 hour range, which I consider very high. What are your thoughts? Last, I found a nice 1998 Case 580L, Series 2, 4wd extenda-hoe with 4 in 1 bucket, heated cab but no a/c. Hour meter reads just under 4000 hrs. I would rate at a 7 out of 10. Any idea on value? Thanks a lot. Looking forward to your comments.
I think a 580L like that will be your best bet and best bang for the buck. A 580L is what Im looking at when the time comes and many consider the L's the best Case backhoe made yet. As you pointed out, hours are really just a number (of course there IS a point where hours does raise a flag). A hoe can have 8,000 hours and be extremely tight and well taken care of, as well as a hoe having 4,000 hours and beat to hell barely alive. It really comes down to the operators who ran the machine before as well as past PM's and services. I can say that when I will be looking for mine, I will be looking to stay under 6,500 hours but will also give consideration to well taken care of hoe's up to 8,000 hours. I would say run the hoe and see how it feels. Do a thorough inspection and spend a few hours checking everything from hoses, pins, to even grease zerks. If you like the way the machine feels, runs, and looks, then request past logs and service docs and see whats been addressed on the machine already. If it doesnt feel good or feel right and there are no documents supporting well taken care of hours, then step away and look for another hoe. Usually gut instinct plays a great part in this process. Best of luck, post some pics of the new addition when you get her!
Look at the local market and what they are paying. Last month a guy in Montana was paying $10-12K for a machine that would sell around me for $8K tops. So what we think the machine is worth isn't much help for you. My neighbor for example, bought '98 JD 310, with the extenda hoe, 4 in 1 bucket, 4wd, no cab and that was $39K when he bought it 10 years ago from Hertz Rentals. I'm sure that would be considered too much in other parts of the country. But was market here.
Thanks a lot for the suggestions. Can anybody tell me what the "L" series indicates on the 580? What makes it different from other 580 models of the same year range? Thanks again.
Case k,L(95-01?),m just gen 1,2,3 etc- SL super L more power. Deere would be 310E & up for the years you are looking at
I used to work for a guy who had a 710 he bought new. Put 10,000 hrs on it before trading it in. No issues at all, he was very particular out maintenance on all his machines. Grease every morning, oil changes every 250 hrs on the dot, etc. I bought a 1998 NH 675 a year ago with only 460 hrs. Had to rebuild every cylinder due to the seals drying out. Like others said, it all depends on how it was taken care of.
I have looked , just to be passing time at different backhoes. I have a 416C with 4750 hrs on it. I always thought 6000 to 7000 hrs was getting up there on a backhoe until I started looking at 416C to see about what mine is worth. I seen one that had 16000 hrs on it and they wanted 30 grand for it. I'll agree the Case L models are about as tough as they come as well as the Deere machines. Several I have seen have 10 to 12 k hrs on them. I would use caution on one that high. Some of them were on road sites where they would sit and idle 10 hrs a day too.
^ This. The 580K's I believe run from '87-'94 and L's went from '95-'00 (I think the M's started in 2001 or 2002, cant remember). Regular 580L's are your run of the mill, as Deere500a mentioned, you get a bit more performance out of the Super L's. 590L's are a bit bigger, bit more digging depth and a bit larger front bucket as well as wider rear tires and outriggers. As with the 580L's/SL's, the 590 Super L's will have a bit more power. Best thing about L's is that you can find a gem for under $30k and most of them are around $25k or lower. Seen some higher hour machines that looked in good shape for around $20k.