Yesterday I found a 1998 Bobcat 763 with an almost new 709 backhoe attachment. The machine is in decent shape, 3k hours and has been owned by a local one man landscaper business. I have never operated one of these but it may be a decent compromise for my home lot clearing demands. Included are a couple of extra tires, some parts and of course the loader bucket. His bottom line price is 14k for the lot, about where the rest seem to fall for that vintage. Heater fan does not work but according to the owner all else is in good shape. OK, let it fly :badidea :duh :falldownlaugh Don
The backhoe attachment is in my opinion not worth the steel they are made of. Only if you are occasionally digging holes would I opt for one. If you plan on using one as you would a backhoe or mini ex I would not even consider it. Three K on the meter is plenty. I would assess if you really need the attachment. If you do it would be a so so deal. The skid steer is worth around 8-9 and the attachment used on an auction sale would bring 3-4K.
I have a 975 bobcat with a 914 backhoe. the hoe got me through the first 15 years of our business as a utility contractor. Also added with a 48" trencher, 4 different size buckets, pallet forks and using the bobcat to run a power ram for trenchless road pushes. I would not be ware I am today with out the backhoe/bobcat combination. the 14K is not a bad price for a low hour machine with hoe and other atchments in my opinion. But 3K hour is about 1/2 the life of a 763 series according to bobcat.
I've got a Cat 248 with a Bradco 611 hoe that has more power than my JD 410 did. It won't dig as fast as a TLB or mini ex but it will dig. I've had mine 7 years and I've never been sorry with my purchase. It's a bit inconvenient to climb in and out of the cab when you need to move, but with a variety of attachments you can do a number of different jobs with the same power unit.
Thanks for the information! The machine alone he will sell for 9500 so he is a bit high there. Since I have no need to rush into anything I can wait for the best option to come along be it backhoe, a mini-x or whatever. I have a couple of other items on the burner as well and pretty much have written off that JCB unless the price drops about 5k.
I have a hoe for my Case 1840. Of course a mini-ex is better for digging, but I have dug miles of ditches & footers with my hoe. I think it has more power than some mini's. I dislike taking them on & off, but for the amount of work the combo can do it is hard to beat. With that said, I have not used my hoe on the 1840 for almost a year (since we bought the Bobcat430) but it more than paid for itself.
New Prices The guy called me today and he has it down to 13k for the machine with hoe. I am thinking 12k would be the buy it price for me. Also see the two BC 132 mini is down to a decent price at Carroll Equip. Going over to look at the Case 480 that a new member has posted in the for sale forum here. He is asking 14k for that.