I am looking at a these backhoes and i have heard that they do give problems in the transmission. What are the common problems that occur in these machines. Is there also a testing scheme to determine the health of the transmission and hydraulic pumps easily when i go to have a look at the machine?
The summary is: the K model series III can be more difficult and costly to repair. The shuttle in the other K's is independent and isn't that overwhelming. Wet brakes vs dry brakes could be another consideration as opposed to focus on transmission. I favor the early K (series 1) all things taken into consideration and I have some good transmission stories to report. As to the hydraulic pump, I presume you are referring to the main system...check for leak on seal, operate and drive it, run it until it leaks. This is the response I got when I inquired of this.
So i went and ran an E 4wd model a couple of days ago, the bloke said that the TQ and shuttle had been reconditioned. So when i went into a spoil pile from a recent excavation it could not fill the front bucket. This was running the bucket with the teeth inclined slightly to dig in, in first gear and the front wheels engaged. It did not matter if i went for the top of the pile, the wheels seemed to just stall out. Should machine to easily fill a bucket full fairly easily?
Absolutely, it should fill a bucket with loose dirt easily in 2nd gear, and should stuff the bucket into the pile and spin once it can't go deeper in first. Incidentally, my favorite would be the SuperK, or K phase III. They did have some issues with the electrical circuits, but other than that, they are solid. You really can't go wrong with a Case hoe, as long as it's in good shape.
Mitch, the bloke also said when i questioned about the slop of the front driveshaft out of the front of the transmission, he said that 1/8 of play with the yoke on the spline was normal for that age of machine... There is a K phase three i had a look at and is in great condition, all of the lining in the cab is in fantastic condition, here is the link, i would value your input on it. Everything on the machine runs really good, all switches and guages are in great nick, no oil leaks i could find, 3 buckets, no bubbles in the rad, good oil levels, no play in wheel bearings, no real wear in sideshift slides. Only some wear, where the steering cylinders are pinned to the outer yokes on each wheel. No slop in front king pin, started and drove really well http://www.constructionsales.com.au...&seot=1&__Nne=15&trecs=262&__sid=1409DFD91A96
I have a K series 1 and it has run well with a minimum of repairs for 9 years. You should be able to fill a bucket to overflowing on a loose soil pile. I have loaded a lot of dump truck loads with mine with never an issue. Traction can be a problem if it is smeary but then I just kick the 4WD in and go. The only complaint I would have is it bounces when roading but so do other brands. I usually try to fill the front bucket about 1/2 full when roading.
Farmer Alex, Obviously the shuttle on the 480E was patched & not fully overhauled. Do they have a invoice showing the repair bill or a parts bill? Was the convertor replaced / repaired? + As you probably know, there is a big difference in the hoe configuration between a 480 & 580. Re the 580K - it looks like it has had a boom repair at the dipper pivot, if done properly, it should have a plate wrapped around the end of the boom. Most of those models did break the end off the boom......
The weld was not fully wrapped around the boom Alrman, it was only welded between the cylinder and stick. The only question i have about this unit is how do the TC's go driving wise, i cannot test the pushing power where the unit is, we drove it round a tight residential street and left it in third gear the whole time, i pulled off quite well from a start on a slight up slope. Going up a pretty steep little hill the unit did slow down through the TC but it kept going quite well. I also am wondering what a fair price for this unit is? The bloke is asking 22.5K with three hoe buckets. Comes with 600 500 and 300 toothed buckets. With a lick of paint it will be a great unit, there was next to no wear on the sideshift slides, brakes were great, rear wheel bearings i couldn't find any slop.
Here is a job i have just done, The client now wants the fence line fully cleared, the mulcher couldn't mince all of it up, without taking the fence out.
You did a good job FarmerAlex. That's great!
Thanks for that, the customer was happy with the work and i had a great time doing a good job
What are the Case SLE's like? I will be looking at a 1996 model, 6000hrs in good cond. It has a shift issue on a really hot day where it sometimes doesn't want to shift into FWD. 90% of the time i am told you wouldn't even notice it. The shift solenoids were faulty and replaced however the bloke hasn't had a hot day to test it. Any thoughts?
SLE's are a great model. One of the best for sure. Is the transmission powershift or shuttleshift? Any type of hesitation in a transmission is not good. The powershift is not as reliable as the shuttle model & as most repairs nowdays, expensive to repair.
It only does it on a really hot day the bloke says, and once every now and then. I'm pretty sure it's a shuttle shift. He was saying about the top plate where the solenoids go into the transmission should need to be replaced. He could still road it 40km no problems pushes fine so I'm not sure about this one. He says it has 6000genuine hours which I believe him.
Tomorrow is D Day, i have the choice of a spot on K with all the goodies with 5500 hours, or i can get a SLE with 6000 hours but with an intermittent trans problem. The K comes with 3 buckets, i have looked over it twice and couldn't find any faults with it. The SLE i am looking at tomorrow comes with 5 hoe buckets and next to new tyres. Reckon it's worth taking the risk with a newer and better machine? Parts for the K are fine, the SLE is some what questionable other than through Case.