Hi guys! I'm new here. I'm a mechanic, welder, machinist and have some experience with diesels and hydraulics. A buddy of mine has a very used but operational Case 1845 C. He's done with it and his wife is tired of looking at it. It was bought from a contractor who bought it from a rental company. He says it needs attention. I remember him saying the sprockets are pretty sharp. I believe the engine runs good. Any expensive, no go, items to watch out for. I'd like to rebuild it into a good condition serviceable machine if I can get it for a price that would keep the final project under $10k. Is that reasonable? Assuming sprockets, chained, and bearings are bad, about what would a good price be. Thanks...
No real ideas on prices but the main thing I would like to check out before committing to the machine would be how good the drive pumps and drive motors are. Those could be the biggest expense on that machine. Sloppy pins and bushing should be a simple task for a welder/machinist. I'm a little surprised that the sprockets would be "sharp" as they should be running in oil all the time, unless they never got adjusted! Ours usually got adjusted regularly as operators seemed to snap chains often enough! With even fair maintenance they seem to be a tough machine. Where I worked till a year ago last April we were still using a 1989 1845C for clean up around the stone quarry. Other than hoses, chains, wheel bearings and little things like starter, alternator and belt tensioner and of course tires. Don't recall any "major" problems. Well lack of grease did raise hell on boom and bucket attachment!
There are some youtube videos on how to change the drive sprockets and bearings on that machine. It looks fairly labor intensive, but certainly not out of the level of a skilled welder/machinist. Might call your local dealer to see what the cost of the sprockets are. Probably not cheap. You might want to remove the cover by the drivers feet on both sides and have a look (it just takes a minute to remove the cover). What you do is loosen the center nut (not all the way though), then slide the cover forward (or maybe it's backward) and you can lift it off and see the sprockets. Even if they are a little sharp, if you're going to use it lightly, maybe they aren't so bad and you can get away using it as-is for a while?? Just gotta take a look. Pins and bushings aren't cheap either. How many hours on this machine?