From what I understand, Cat and Deere have the better machines. I’m probably looking at 70-80s models in my 10-15k budget. There’s a 977L for sale but it may be on the larger side of what I need. I have about 20 acres of land that I’m need to prep for building a house in a few years. Have a bank by the Hwy to take down and an old pond to rework. Have it drying out now. My questions are, what the best way to check transmissions and engine condition? Is there a stall test? I’ve never run a dozer or track machine, only farm machinery and a backhoe so I want to make sure I don’t buy junk and have astronomical repair bills. Undercarriage: check idler wheels for nonroundness, feel for flat spots on bushings on track sections, sprockets shouldn’t be “pointed”, check roller wheels, check for master link. What else do I look at on the undercarriage? In general, I know how to check for hydraulic leaks but how do you test the pumps, I know they aren’t cheap. Any other checks you can think of would be greatly appreciated. I plan to run any machine I buy for a good 30-45’ to warm the oil and truly see what I’m getting into.
Get a 953a model... Look for overall appearance. Don't buy it unless you can spend 30 mins to a hour digging with it. Pay the seller for the time if you decide not to get it. Use the hydraulics and dig... push into a pile and stop the machine from moving see if the tracks keep moving... see if it tracks in a straight line as you drive it foward and backward. Does it spin right and left and feel like it has the same power going each way... Do the tracks counter rotate under a full turn each way... Load the bucket completely with dirt... drive the machine around. do the bucket pins and arm pins seem tight...do they take grease... take a grease gun and see... if they dont the owner does poor maintance.. Does it start up... does it smoke while running... Does it crank easy when hot ... ask to see it first started up when you come to look at it. open the radiator look at the fluid ... is it low is it the right color... does the machine have oil spots under it where it is parked.... Do the foot pedals and levers move easy and free... One of Mine has more than 14,000 hours on it.... it keeps on workin... If the engine and the hydro work well... the main cost is hoses and under carriage.. the front idlers can be moved foward one time which gets you about another 1000 hours of use. Go look at a new machine don't look at the fancy junk on just look at the front idler wheel, the bottom rollers, the carrier roller, the sprocket segments, the track pads and the rails that they bolt too, ... feel them with your hands and then take a few pictures once your out looking... you will be able to see the wear if you just look at that... it wont tell you how much it has left but it will give you an idea of what it could look like.. look at the bolts how worn are they? I never realized how worn mine was until I bought new parts... Check the under carriage most all the machines are about worn out in your price range but if you can get 1000 hours out of it you are still ahead of the game... Dont expect new just try to find some thing that has useable life in it before you start dumping $1000.00s into it to get it to do more work...
You shouldn't be asking the same question on multiple forums but on a 953A one of the biggest concerns is the 3204 turbo engine. Cat tried to squeeze as much horse power as possible out of a 318 cubic inch 4 cylinder engine. A non turbo puts out around 65 HP. The turbo about 130 HP. The 953 turbo engines were known for more frequent rebuilds so that is something you'd definitely want to fully check out. A 953 is also hydrostatic so you'd want to check that out as well and would likely cost money to do. A hydrostat piles up and it will cost more than the machine is worth to fix it.