Hello all, I have started window shopping for a backhoe. I probably won't buy one until next year, but I am trying to decide what I want. I have never owned one before, and honestly don't really have much experience with them. I originally was thinking about a mini trackhoe, but have decided a TLB would be more practical for me, and a lot easier to scoot around from place to place. I am looking for something to do basic land maintenance, maybe the odd hire job here and there and maybe push some snow with in the winter. I would like to stick with Deere or Cat, but I know Case made some decent hoes too. A few basic things I am looking for imput on - How much do I want an extendable stick? I feel like like this is a weak point and heavy maintenance point? Those of you who have run both, would you be without that extra few feet of reach/depth? I also want a thumb and the way some sticks telescope makes putting one on look rather difficult if not impossble. On the subject of thumbs, do most hoes have provsions to add aux. hydralics on the backhoe? Or is this something that I better make sure I find before I buy one? What is "a lot" of hours on a hoe? Your basic passenger car is pretty shot at 200k - whats that translate to in backhoe hours? I know all applications are different, but whats a decent rule of thumb? Do most newish machines have a differential lock? Or is this something else I need to look for? I will probably think of more things to bounce off you all as time passes, but if anyone has thoughts, comments or reccomendations, I would love to hear them. -Andy
if you plan on using the loader.......4wd is a MUST!!! in my opinion.......yes most newish machines have DIFF. lock but i rarely use it since it is a weak point on hoes (test your hoe many the diff lock is sheared due to spinning tires during lock).....i personally would prefer a thumb to a extendahoe........if your planning on pushing snow a cab heat/air is the way to go... most cats have a extra hyd valve in the stack for extendahoe or thumb that can be plumbed if needed........i would assume other brands would too
Hours?? My friend has a JD 310E with 3xxx hours. It is completely worn out. Today I saw a 310SE. Didn't notice any leaks, good tight machine that ran very well. I was surprised to see it has 6xxx hours. Before ever using an extendahoe, I didn't see much use for it. After running one and going back to not having one, I realize how much I like the extendahoe. But how does it compare if you had to choose between that or a thumb? Depends on the application. I would rather have extendahoe myself.
It all depends on how well it was maintained. A well maintained 6k machine will be tighter than a 3k machine not greased regularly.
What causes one to leak so much hydraulic fluid? Overworking it?
Lack of maintanance, aged hoses. failure to fix leaks till there are many accumulated, (see lack of maintanance). Many leak at valve spools which are not easily fixed requiring removal and reinstallation of bodies. Back in the day the old commercial valves would get grit down past the spool and groove the spool and destroy the seal. Newer Cases have dirt seals to keep that from happening and valve spool leakage is rare. A simple powerwashing would keep grit from accumulating on cylinder rods and eventually wear out wipers seals. Having worked on case my whole working career I have seen many old cylinders with deteriorated wiper seals and not yet, but the odds are that moisture will get in and rust the gland interior even making rebuilding a chore. Standard operating procedure was to clean the gland interior on a 6 in. lathe with emery cloth or in extreme cases using tooling to knock off the rust Mel
Somebody once told me if a machine was going to sit for a while to wipe grease on them
For me 6000 hrs would be the maximum for me . Taken care of or not I have big issue with torque converters and transmissions .These parts are the hardest to get out and the most to fix . 4000hrs and lots of documentation would let me sleep at night . But I suppose it all comes down to your budget .
I'd say to figure out what you want to use it for. .private or commercial. For private use (farm etc) you could get by with one that has more hours on it than one that would be used to make a living with. And then, how well was it taken care of is another question, regular maintenance or was it beat to hell and maintenance ignored? All the pins tight or loose, cylinders leaking/weeping, weak hydraulics etc. Dealer close by for parts? And then as has been mentioned, your budget. I've seen some real creampuffs that when you worked 'em a bit you'd find all sorts of problems and I've seen older ones that weren't as pretty but had been well maintained and worked well.
Even though you are new to backhoes, don't be afraid to show it. Get on the machine and put it under load. My father bought a Cat from an auction and everything worked, bucket raised/lowered and curled/dumped, all backhoe and outrigger functions worked. But after getting it home and using it, there were a couple issues with the front loader as well as the backhoe bucket. The front loader bucket was weak, and the backhoe bucket sometimes won't dig at all like it is being bypassed. My friends 310E 4x4 is only 2wd. So check the machine thoroughly and if you aren't comfortable or familiar then take someone along that operates a backhoe. Best of luck to you in finding a quality machine. There are a lot out there.
Thanks for the replies so far. I have seen a lot of machines listed with 8 or 10k hours on them. I am gathering thats retirement age for the most part. As far as my budget.... 25K is about my ceiling unless I save another year, make some amazing stock picks, or win the lotto. I mostly want this for use on my own land, but would like to be able to put a snow pusher on it and make some money in the winter with it if I choose to. I have decided I want something nice. I am mechanical and love working on equipment, but this time I want to buy something I can take care of as opposed to tear apart from the beginning. Even if it means having to dream about owning one for a while longer. I have a CAT and Deere within walking distance from my house. So parts for those would be no problem. Case I am unsure of where to get parts locally. Part of why I am leaning toward CAT or Deere. I really need to get out and play with some machines. Look at wear parts and loose pins and all that good stuff, but I hate to bother people when I am not quite ready to buy. There is the Richie Brothers auction coming up in Dec. not too far from me. I might take the day and attend that if some backhoes show up on the listing. Just to play with them and look them over.
Quick querstion - I notice the booms on most newer machines are curved a bit and the older ones stright. Is there a reason/big advantage/disadvantage here?
I think the reason why the booms are arched is for a bit better angle for digging, more depth, and more bucket clearance in a full curl or in stowed/transport position. I believe Cat was the first to do this design with the 416B, possibly Ford/New Holland since theirs has been like that for a while as well. John Deere jumped on that design recently as well as Komatsu. Even Case has slightly redesigned their booms a bit on the M and N series backhoes.
In contrast to the original thread topic, I'm considering selling my hoe and have done some research online as to prices. Is there a "NADA" equivalent for heavy equipment/backhoes? I've got a 1987 JD 310C, 2WD, E-hoe, 3100hrs, new rubber on the front and good rubber on the rear. Full glass cab, heater, radio, Front loader I assume is as big as this unit comes with, 3 Wain Roy buckets, 12, 18 & 24", auto-leveler, Very dependable and starts right up even on coldest WV winter day. Outriggers have slow leak (seals I presume). Otherwise, a fine hoe. I'm seeing pricing for somewhat similar but not exact matches ranging from $10-25K. I've a pretty good idea as to what I would have to get for it, but am still looking for a little more data.