I am not getting younger. Though I don't have money to blow I have been thinking of upgrading some of my old equipment. Specifically my Schaeff SKL 831 loader with the mighty Perkins Parma engine and my uber reliable Komatsu PC-40 that has done things no small excavator should do. I am leery though because of all the electronics on the newer machines. Electronic and electrical troubles that can render a solid machine into a boat anchor. I doubt seriously they would last even as long as I do without serious problems. My machines stay in the barn when not in use and the cats protect them from vermin and still I chase gremlins on things like the JCB 7 contact points safety interlock for starting the 210S. Is trading old and worn for new fangled with lots of bells and whistles I don't think I need or will ever use really a step up or down? The 210S gets new hoses, a bushing or two and a cylinder pack here and there. The old deep throw Perkins continues to reach down to the bottom of the barrel and lug away so long as I don't lock the emergency brake and the torque converter gets the right old Ford blue ATF. Nothing I have beats it for mobility, burying dead cows, cleaning out water crossings on the creeks, cleaning ditches and general heaving things around. I am looking at Case 331F and a 57 or 80 size hoe. Also considering the equivalent in Bobcat, JCB, Volvo, New Holland and Wacker offerings. Experiences of others I read are as I expect, chasing lots of gremlins in the electrical / electronics system. I have a friend that buys new equipment regularly to prevent repairs and downtime. His tactic seems to be working less and costing more since he can't fix a thing himself. He has been searching in vain for older equipment in good shape instead of new. Two events have driven him this way. One was a $30,000 wiring harness for the "space age" experience Cat grader and the other was $35,000 in repairs and a tech to come from somewhere for JD to reburn his computer with an after market fix to a screw up JD won't own up to. Tractor runs perfectly now. That computer fix was $5K after JD hit him for $30K for no solution. What happens to this new fangled equipment with lots of junk on it you mostly don't ever use or the engines that now more closely resemble a Formula I or Prat and Whitney F100 engine in complexity when it is not fixable way before the time the iron wears out? The only reason I can think of for computer based load management is the too small engines in some stuff and bad operators. Ditto for a computer that has load settings for different attachments. What is there to run that requires so many load management changes? Most used equipment I see has never had anything hooked up to the auxiliary hydraulics or the multi-pin connector anyway. The Wacker-Neuson whell loaders are loaded with hydraulics that never get used as they are eaten up loading fertilizer. Yeah, you really need all the bells and whistles to shovel salt don't you? How about compost and cow **** in a dirt yard? I may just keep my old stuff and argue with it until one of us dies. Your thoughts?
Old is okay until it is down for a small part that you spend 40 hours trying to find with no success, or when you can't find despite having the willingness to pay any help to fix something above your knowledge. Always a tough decision. Simon C
Steel I can usually find or make or make do. I can touch it, torch it, weld it, machine it. Electronics are another thing. Especially when they have no failsafe provision and you can't defeat them by wiring around. The seven contact point safety interlock on the JCB was easily fixed by running a wire from the starter switch to the starter solenoid Fixed!
By passing the safety system is good until someone who doesn't know hurts or kills someone else standing in the way. Seen too many bypassed close calls in my life to do other than to get into a shop. If you are alone all the time, you may get away with, but not recommended if multiple people use or are around. Simon C
2 things that stand out in your op. First is your age. Question, are you happy to saddle yourself with dept? Second, with TLC will your equipment last until your retirement? IMHO, if the answer to the 2nd question is yes then keep it and work it. Sure it may not sell for a lot when it time but it can earn the same rates as a new machine without the headache of servicing dept or fixing phantom problems. For me that's a huge plus for keeping.
Somewhere here that is a tale of woe from a guy who owns a relatively new Case backhoe (I think) that needs an brain for the transmission. This brain is about $8,000 as I recall and not available anywhere on the planet. So his hoe sits dead for 2 years. Found the thread May of 2024 HeavyEquipmentForums Transmission control module, not available so it's dead. Your old junk keeps on keepin on, so why replace it? Joe H
Osha don't live here. Neither does Karen. Somehow I've managed to not kill or injure myself in the last 7 decades without help.
THAT is the horror story I think about, a dead brain that can't be replaced, and why I'll probably just keep what I've got and maybe spring for a hystat pump and motor repair, maybe buy that older model of trackoe and keep the little Komatsu. I've told my son just to have an auction when I die since he wants none of it or the farm anyway. Who dreams up this insanity anyway? It sure isn't anyone who is thinking very much or maybe they are, just thinking about all that money they'll make.
I'm getting old enough, bold enough or senile enough to believe I can't take it with me and I'm getting tired of wrenching. I enjoy operating a whole lot more! Crawling around under stuff is getting to be less of a good option. I had my helper tie a rope on my legs so he could pull me out from under the dozer when I took the bash plate off of it to get to the bottom of the engine and clean out all the grease, sticks and crap. Even running up on railroad ties isn't helping like it once did.
SO, different question to anyone who is still listening or interested. Which compact equipment maker has the simplest machine? The one without the computer controlled transmission or load controller or remote monitoring system or key pad combination locks and so forth? Who makes the simplest machines that get the job done? Yanmar is still using the old Schaeff and Terex design for wheel loaders and their instruments are simple like steam gauges instead of digital stuff. I lean to that. I would not touch a new JD anything if for no other reason but principles. Wacker looks like a short circuit looking for a place to happen as do most others. I noticed one excavator that helpfully idles down after 3 seconds of inactivity and shuts off after another timer. What happens if the timer goes out or gets lost in the count down? What if I want to keep the engine at a fast idle to listen to it for a problem or just to keep warm?
Kubota or Takeuchi for the compact equipment, most are still hydraulic over hydraulic on the controls and simple in comparison to Cat, JD etc. I too share your sentiment on the new equipment, I own a new Kubota CTL and 5 ton mini ex but I keep my old 1980s-1990s equipment in good working order on standby. So far the new stuff has been reliable, but I’m not willing to put all my eggs in that basket. Same with autos, my main pickup is a 2019 but the ol ‘93 F250 with the 7.3IDI is still on duty. In your situation unless you are putting hundreds of hours each year on the equipment I would either keep what you have, or replace it with ‘newer’ old equipment. Now if you are running it daily for a business then at some point new equipment becomes a necessary evil.
Most things are really wants that are confused for needs. For most of 70 years I have managed to keep the two categories distinct seldom letting want take over. I drive a 20 year-old Dodge and the wife drives a car nearly that old. We seldom have ever bought new vehicles and I still have my first truck and still feel guilty for buying it new when I was 17. Threw a lost of hay and worked a lot of overtime to pay that debt off in two years. Never borrowed money for a vehicle again. I don't need to make a living with my equipment. It is for my use and pleasure only now. I am fortunate to still have my health and I want to enjoy that gift as long and as much as I can.
You need to look for equipment built in the 90's (80's maybe) would be my best guess. Some needed safety equipment but not a bunch of electronics. Anything with electronics back then seemed to have a lot of teething pains. I've got a 94 skid steer that is about as basic as you can get. It has a good seat bar which is a very nice feature. Some other brands were getting into electronic monitors and I've read of a bunch of issues with the early versions. However I've read of a lot of issues with the new electronics too.
I'm only a home hobby user and I only have a backhoe but I'm really put off by electronics and DEF. Both are enough to keep me from wanting anything much newer. If I had to go that route I'd likely rent something, so I could give it back. My 2003 New Holland is quite simple, no DEF, and no babysitting electronics.
Just think, you could be operating along and your machine says it’s time to stop and do a derate or what ever. Putting bat **** or guano in a machine to keep it working sounds insane. My brother is an electronics geek and has always been, so good to him. When I bought my backhoe, we were building a new house and being I was out of work, I wanted to do the 880’ driveway and the site work. I purposefully shopped for a backhoe, with no electronic junk. Only crap on it is lights, horn and a fuel solenoid. Was looking for a skid steer and bought an old clammer Scat Trak to fix up. I used to run equipment in my 20’s and 30’s and I remember no less than 10 times not being to able to run equipment because of the GD brain decided to take a crap. One time a 450 mile road trip to VT and the Damn Cat RR350 decided it didn’t want to drive off the low bed. I was able to operate my share of new equipment and it is awesome, when it runs. I will admit, a new machine that is so tight and quiet and smooth to run, just feels beautiful. An absolute pleasure to run and almost feels like fun, while making money. I want my equipment to be like my dog. Run when I want it to and talk back. Lol
I forgot about the quiet part. The backhoe I rented, in probably 2018, needed DEF but was significantly quieter than mine.
You must have been using MapQuest to take 450 miles to get from NH to VT...
Ah yes. Mapquest, Google Maps and all that convenience. I can't remember who it was told me, and I was skeptical of it, that one young fellow was using the navigation system to drive to work and back home from Fort Smith to somewhere towards Fayetville, he used the navigation system in his car every time??? You gotta be kidding. I worked drilling rigs all over the place for most of 42 years and never once used a navigation system. Just a county road map or directions. One common one was to go west of Weatherford to the blinking light, turn left or right and then a series of left and right turns on county roads, look right or left and north or south into. That was all we got. After looking all the way up to 12 ton units I've about decided the 6 or 7 ton is all I really need. They seem to get stingy on power in many of the the 8 tonners for some reason. Don't understand that. To all in this thread, thank you for your contributions. You confirm my thoughts but I'm still tempted by the bright and shiny new things. Maybe I should paint? I hate painting.
That was round trip, as I had to drag it off the low bed with a 988. Had to wait for Cat to come out and put a new ECM in it. That was a disaster of a job.
2003 is the newest I have in construction, the Dozer. The oldest is a '94 I think. The Perkins Parma is a tiny engine for the wheel loader and it is a OHV with a timing belt. Used them a lot in sailboats and the Rover car in the UK. It whirs away with all it can muster while the Hydro transmission heats up and then gets slower and slower and slower as it leaks more and more and more. Motor, pump, bypass could be just about anything. Whatever it is the machine is a pig when it gets hot. It is also from an age when auxiliary hydraulics were only for push pull of a cylinder and it just does not have enough pump to spin much of a motor.
Just a lousy way to start anything isn't it? Reminds me of Blowout Preventers that are only as good as their last test. You would think that something that robust, so seemingly simple would be consistently reliable but NOPE, too many moving parts. That said, I hardlly ever saw one fail when used in anger and correctly. The testing is usually more extreme then the using and you always want to keep things that way. Sounds like a lot of my days, I spend longer working on some things than I do working. Service calls to anyone are not in my budget but evenif if they were I would not be happy with most of their work. It is frustrating when I want to accomplish something but the truth is, most of what I do can wait and if I don't get it done before I die it won't matter to anyone else. Different topic but related, there are only two kinds of hydraulic components, the ones that are currently leaking and the ones that will soon be leaking. Speaking of, here is a lesson learned that took a long time to register with me and seep through my thick skull. Dozer seals on the cap to rod are finally leaking so bad they need replaced. I have avoided that for some time and now can't. There has always been oil on the tracks at the lify cylinders and I always have to add oil when it sits for a bit. I went by and saw the oil was not visible in the sight glass on the tank. Lots of oil gone onto the rock of th barn floor. I went about my business but wondered how that could happen. I caused the loss. When I park I lower the blade and put it in float position. The spool is slightly below the full tank level so oil runs through the spool and out the cylinder leak. Even when the tank level is below the spool it leaks by siphon? I won't be leaving things in float anymore. Lower in float then return to valve closed after shutting the engine down with pressure releived.
Hi tech nightmare part 1 part 2 If he'd stand still it wouldn't cause sea sickness Joe H
Watched both videos, couple good reasons for me to never buy one that brand. Less computers means less chance of star connector failure. Wonder how much it costed the owner. Thanks for posting. Simon C
Seems like bunch of operators/owners on the thread, trying to justify their masochistic urge to expose themselves to boat load of frustration, monetary loss and heartache, in the name of “niceness” and quietness! I didn’t read any opinions from the people who actually work on that junk. I’m one of those who does work on it, not a dealer tech also. I can diagnose electronic side of thing, probably can repair the ECM also - I just didn’t try because I’m getting murdered with amount of work bestowed on me every day! Don’t know what opinions rest of the people who work on things have, but here’s mine: I would stay away from anything having electronics in it, because whatever money you save on that equipment being efficient for couple of years - you’ll loose and spend some on top of that loss, when that crap will start going out. And most of you have no idea how to take care things made out of metal - let alone electronics. And if you think finding parts is difficult for old equipment - find out how fast parts becomes obsolete and unavailable for the new crap!!!
Get your boilerman's credentials. *
that might be overkill, but in certain cases it’s a good solution.
That made me dizzy. Almost as bad as that Scotty guy for obnoxious. Who did this and why? They intend to make vehicles that need to be replaced every very few years even if they are in decent shape and otherwise serviceable. I see a budding business in deprogramming machinery to make it run without "benefit" of all the electronic crap on it. Take a machine that is junk because it is not reparable and strip it of all the crap that made it fail. It has to be something that can be done. You can bet that the trend of all this complex crap and planed failure is not going away. Mistakes and money making deals don't just stop because people know what is wrong. The great Bel Aire fire of 1961 prompted this investigation and video from 1962 and again in 1978. All the causes of the fires in LA and no water in hydrants were observed, explained and solutions suggested. Did anything change as a result? NOPE. I think I'll just keep my old equipment. I learned a long time ago that the two best days of owning a boat are the day you get it and the day you sell it. Looking forward to a thing can sometimes be a whole lot better than actually getting it. We have a saying in the oilfield, "If it Floats, Flucks or Flies, Rent it." Think I'll stick to that and add somehow add electronic machinery to the list. Oh my!!!!
My most reliable machine is my 1965 MF135UK with a 3 cylinder Perkins diesel with Lucas HD starter and original generator. I had to put a bearing in the generator about 40 years ago. Have had it since about 1980. Just last year had to replace the top rad. hose. I think it was original!
I like the idea of someone figuring out how to de-electrify things. If someone could figure that out for heavy equipment and/or cars trucks they could make buckets of money. I'd be inclined to go buy a brand new truck and de-electrify it, but instead I'm more likely to buy an old beater and throw all new non-electrical parts in it. I'd like my electronics to be ABS, fuel injection, heated seats, and maybe cruise control. The rest can eat it.
Power windows are pretty handy, AC couldn't live without it. Joe H
The ECM would probably have to stay. Might be hard to get rid of relays. They have fallen in love with relays and I can't understand why. The little CaseIH 50A has about a dozen of them. Claims as to why relays have become so common are weak, smaller wiring required is one claim. I can't see it. We managed to have everything we needed ans some we didn't need in the past without relays or routing through a computer control module. Who makes the least electronic and least features machines? Someone in this thread has said Kubota and Takeuchi. I know from experience JCB is out of the running. They could make a light switch complicated. Same for Deere and probably Cat and probably most German made stuff. Case? Lots of it is made in Italy now or Turkey but I can say about design. I know the Wacker stuff is wired up like a bowl of spaghetti. New Holland is just another Case. Bobcat? Yanmar maybe since they are old Schaeff designs for the most part it appears. One of the things I often had to do was to simplify flow manifolds. They are often not well thought through. By the time you build a "From To" diagram and Process table you can sometimes cut out somewhere from 1/4 to 1/2 of the valves. Testing time is reduced, maintenance time reduced and reliability increased and operation is made safer and less prone to mistakes. One of the problems is that there are so many low amperage circuits. They need near perfect connections or the 4-24 mA currents will not plow through. Subsea projects I have worked on had this problem addressed by fiber optics to a subsea control module and then to the low current signals. That was for other reasons like speed but it also added complexity and things had to be perfect all the time. Are manufacturers actually using proportional electric controls for work functions like hydraulic congrols instead of pilot operated controls? That is a lot of solenoids if they are. Pilot controls aren't easy either, lots of plumbing, but they seem reliable enough. I have also seen a lot of problems traced to sensors and sometimes they are the root cause of failure. We see that in simple systems even with things like oxygen sensors. My '05 Dodge is without a horn and drains the battery if I don't isolate it. 3.25 amp draw through fuse #25 that goes to the radio but routes through the panel display as does everything it seems. If anything goes wrong on those circuits the whole thing goes haywire. I replaced the contact pad once with one from a Corvette because Dodge only sells the air bag and horn module or you go buy one from a junk yard that has the same history as the one you are replacing. May be related to the horn pad, the clock spring or who knows what? Anyway, yes, a simplification program offering would probably make buckets of money and provide a public service. Wish I knew someone who had a good background in electronics. I guess one could start with a wiring diagram but I hate wiring diagrams. Oh well, headed out to make wind break for the neighbor's cows and the coming cold weather. I managed to break the stinger on bale spear yesterday so I don't see how I could ever expect to keep an electronics loaded machine running. I know what happened to that though, heated up too many times to straighten it.
I’d take open station over AC, and I’m on AL Gulf Coast. When AC goes out -you get cooked in that insulated cab. My brother-in law does tree service. None of his bucket trucks have AC working. He and his crew staying healthier that way. But!!! Long truck drivers - AC is a MUST.
Aighead was talking about a new truck, not equipment. Joe H
Cars & pickups---most all is standard equipment these days--there are options but on high end. I can remember when heated seats were relatively rare as a option {only high class sphincters got those} and now almost standard. Manual windows--ran out about 2008. AWD is so common, most all are SUV's. There is no manual anything in a class eight anymore, I remember if driver had control of passenger side window with air operation---that was big stuff. * The majority of consumers wanted these items so the industry made sure to market them. The heavy equipment manufactures followed suit---the electronic engine controls well that's each brand of engine.
New is great, but you need lots of work to pay for it, and to make repairs. There is a new $675,000 966 Cat sitting in the yard at work. It's the off season, so it sits. They say it has like 7 computers. Monday morning, a 2017 Link belt derated with 14 trucks sitting waiting for armour rock. Our guy couldn't do a thing with it, so it was a service call from the dealer $$$$$. One of our Volvo loaders, an L110H, shut down this fall. It was a dealer call, but he couldn't officially work on it as all the emission control stuff was missing, and the DEF tank was filled with washer fluid. Crazy meth heads$$$$$.
It's going to be hard in the very near future for acreage and landowners just wanting personal machines to find decent machines they can afford. Right now you can still find decent simple older machines for a reasonable price. Those machines won't exist in a few years. Somebody wanting a machine they can afford will have to buy something that needs a lot of work. I don't think the electronic machines will last as long and getting the electronics repaired will be difficult if not impossible to get replacement parts for.
30 years in operation. Mostly a 1 or 2 man operation. I'm old now, so I downsized to 3 machines. 50K lb excavator, 40 ton articulated truck and a D5 size dozer. I rent when I need other items. At one point in my career, I owned 14 pieces of heavy equipment (D9-D3 size)................ALL where pre-def machines. All were used when I purchased. Just hire a competent mobile mechanic (135hr-185hr plus travel time) to make the small repairs before they become major repairs. In the event of a major repair, he can fix those too.
Most people can't afford to have a mobile mechanic come out unless it's a simple problem. Not much is ever simple on a newer machine with some hours on it. The other big issue is good mobile mechanics are few and far between. There are a few really good ones on here but in say 10 years good mobile mechanics will be especially hard to find.
Yes, and thats why I said, all of my equipment has been pre-def. (simple)
Your previous post was a little confusing. The simple machines are running out and mechanics that know how to work on them and diagnose problems are too. The land owner that wants to have a dozer, skid steer or backhoe won't be able to afford it. Good basic Ag tractors will be hard to find too. Even the small compact tractors are an arm and a leg. I think it raises the value of good older basic tractors. My 1965 tractor is worth a lot more now than it was new although it's a very sought after tractors.
I forgot to post on this thread As far as new equipment goes I'm interested in sunward, Japanese and supposed to be simple, but their closest dealer is in Oklahoma for me, I don't care about that but a lot of people do
I think there will always be home owners, owning machines, the damn compact tractors and mini ex’s that can be hauled with a 3/4 ton or 1/2 ton if you’re brave are too popular. Seeing more and more cheap crap showing up with chainsaw engines. I have never used AC in a vehicle, unless it was someone else’s. Power windows are a must. I did just put heated sheets in my Jeep JK as I was freezing my ass off. lol
As per my original post, I'm still a big proponent of the simple pre emissions equipment, but have some new equipment and vehicles too. As a one man operation that also does 95% of my own mechanic work, the biggest downfall of keeping the old stuff running is GOOD parts, the biggest downfall to keeping the new stuff running is access to software/diagnostic equipment. (Although so far the new stuff has been pretty reliable, knocks on wood) I'm lucky that most of my Case, Deere, and International equipment still has some parts availability from the dealer, despite being 30-40-50yrs old. In my experience aftermarket parts are pretty awful and I only buy them as a last resort. Usually they are worse than the 40yr old worn out part I took off, if they even work at all. Its even worse for cars/trucks, the stuff you buy at Advance/Autozone/Oriellys/NAPA is complete garbage. It's infuriating to buy the same made in China piece of **** part over and over again to keep a vehicle or piece of equipment running since there's nothing better available. As for the new stuff, it just takes a different skill set to work on it. I'm trying to learn all I can about it and not be afraid to dive in head first on 'complicated' repairs. Most of the time the problems on the new stuff arise from the same things as on the old: contaminated fluids/fuel, broken part, neglect, etc. The difference is the old stuff often soldiers on until it's eventual demise, the new stuff freaks out and wont let it run or causes other erratic behavior. I've been playing with fuel injected cars/trucks my entire adult life, and its very rare that the ECM is the root of the problem. IF its electrical related at all, its usually just a loose connection, bad ground, broken wire or sometimes a faulty sensor, but often the problems are still mechanical in nature. Everyone is just so quick to condemn it as 'Somethings wrong with the EFI or computer.' With all that being said, the reason I can keep the older fuel injected cars running is because I can do 100% of the work on them myself. I have the scan tools, the shop manuals, etc. Right to repair is going to determine the future of this new equipment. If they'll let us have the 'proprietary software' and diagnostic tools (and decent parts) I'm sure a lot of it will still be running for decades to come. I don't really enjoy working on the new electronic stuff but I can see the writing on the wall for the future.
I worked in automotive long enough to know that about 95% of the time a "bad PCM" diagnosis simply indicates that the mechanic couldn't figure out the problem. They do fail, but rarely. When they do it generally takes a top shelf Mechanic to prove it.
All of this electronic equipment is only one rodent invasion away from being totally destroyed. I would like to have a mini excavator but seems like few were made before electronics. If I see a led screen I run.
They are more likely to fail when old (leaky caps, or H2o intrusion). And when your talking a few atoms separation in some IC circuits it won't take much to punch that component out action. To me the only place for electronics is radio's and TV's and only vacuum tubes too boot, those old sets seemed to start faster than some of this new digital crap. Yeah I know if that was the case we would not be here talking about this.
The diagnostic tools to identify what's wrong with new equipment are often cost prohibitive for most people. Not many want to spend $2K on a diagnostic computer for what could be a $200 fix. With everything run by computers you never know if it's a major problem or minor problem so it's hard to justify spending a lot on the diagnostic tools to tell you.
I kind if agree and kind of don't. All parts have a useful service life. All seals go bad, all hoses go bad. 2000 yr made machine now have 25 year old parts. So the machines need to be redone . My metal lines on my track loaders have wear inside the metal the are from the 80s. Parts constantly rot and fail. If the hydrostatic drive breaks most likely the loader will become scrap. Cat does not carry sell the parts now. I see nothing wrong with some new machines get one that has an extended warranty. Use it make sure it works. Let them deal with the issues if it has any. The whole trade it in every 3 years has merit if you have money and don't want to chase bs, spend it on something nice. I would absolutely stick to the common stuff construction companies use. They have more support and knowledge. I can actually call the service department or drive down to takeuchi dealer walk right into the back and the mechanic will spend 5 mins talking to me about my issues and even pull up the service manual and say look here and here and here. I have never taken my machine in. I would buy a new one in a heartbeat beat. You can look at the rental yards the big ones. They beat the heck out of those machines. They have issues but they try to get things that give them less issues. I talk to there field techs all the time to see what they says about this and that. Anyway good luck. My favorite day is getting in a new rental machine. Every time I do i see how slow my old ones actually are.But every old machine I own has paid for itself many times older.
My machine is from 1965 1965: Truck frame Rear axles probably Draworks Mast Unknown but old: Twin steer front axle Cab Allison 750 drd (1980's 855) 1990: Cummins n14 2019: Transfer case Making money daily
I see yards full of expensive equipment doing nothing and can't see how they can stay in business. A day not worked is a day you can never get back.
Our crushing, prep and paving season is shut down from December to mid May. There is some work, but not like the summer months. There is a lot of stuff sitting
I work hard enough the rest of the year that I can take off the winter months. I learned in my younger years sometimes it isn't worth it battling the weather. Now I spend 2-3mo in the winter just working around the farm, doing stuff in the shop, spending time with friends and family, etc.
Please....NO pix.....
Complexity----trouble starts the first time it's used, perpetual wear out machine. Cost 800K and up depending on header--a flex header can run 170k by it's self. These set average of 10 months out of the year. *
Have never heard of steel hydraulic tubing wearing out just from use. It can spring a leak but that's normally because of another issue like rubbing, over pressure or maybe vibrating but if the line is vibrating it should have more supports to hold it. Making up new steel lines isn't a big deal though unlike electronic issues that can be the death of a machine.
It is common, especially in the 90* turns. The lines look like they were polished. The accessory drive circuit probably has a fair amount of dirt in the oil I would guess. Or maybe after 14000 hours of use just the oil does it. Also every hoses tiedown point has wear and any where the lines sit in dirt they will rot.
Rotting because they are in dirt is not the same as wearing out internally. Air in the lines or turbulence could lead to failure. If lines can move can cause them to fail but properly clamped lines shouldn't move. Steel lines generally have a 3 or 4 times system pressure safety factor but 14,000 hours on a track loader working in all kinds of environments is a good lifespan for an exposed steel line especially if you don't know the complete history of the machine. If filters and oil are changed at recommended intervals there shouldn't be much dirt at all. Most systems also have suction strainers to filter out larger particles. 100 micron is common. I had a steel line on my skid steer leak because it rubbed on another part. It was a factory fault that caused it. I was able to load the machine on a trailer to figure out what happened and fix it. When I got back to the job the GC remarked how easy the oil was to clean up on a cement driveway. He said the oil was so clean it was easy clean it up with no stains at all. He said oil spills generally leave a stain. I change the hyd. filter every 500 hours or less. When I replaced a drive motor I ran new oil through a filter cart several times to ensure the system was as clean as possible. I didn't have catastrophic failure but the motor was leaking into the chain case. I chose to put in a new motor because an experience shop said it's rare that a motor will just need seals. There's usually an internal issue to cause the seals to go out. Was $285 just to carefully take the motor apart to examine what was wrong. The other motor had already been replaced for the same reason and wasn't cost effective to rebuild. I saved the $285 and put it towards the new motor. I may have the old motor inspected if I have any other issues.
Cats are your friend. Spayed female cats are the very best hunters. They usually are on the job from early morning until after sundown. The guys are mostly lazy except when it comes to protecting their territory. They need to be neutered as well or they will spray everything in sight. Without cats the packrats are like coons, what they don't tear up the mess on.
Hydraulic motors and pumps are difficult for me to replace unless I just go to Bosch and get the right one with matching numbers no matter how much it costs. There are just so many different variations in a given pump or motor making it hard to find something less expensive than from an OEM supplier. No real solution but to bite the bullet or try to find a good reman shop. I have never even found a shop that will give a most likely or most likey high cost.
I have had lines spring a leak from a hole from vibration fatigue. Last one was at a point of the bracket weld to the tube. The one before that was a weld of tube to Type 62 fitting where the line was cantilevered too far without support. I had a fatigue study done one time on riser termination joints. At relatively low stress the count to fatigue failure is something like 57,000,000 cycles. Only partially related, Dad had Oil Gear pumps for the system that swung the miter gates on the locks. They had some point in the system that would set up a high frequency vibration and wreck the piping all up and down the system. Sometimes it was so bad you could feel it in the concrete of the dam.
Using the maps app on an i-phone driving a familiar route makes sense if you are in a hurry as it warns you of speed traps ahead. On all the electronics on new equipment I share your sentiment, old and less of it is better and in the long run less expensive!
Best thing to do is drive the limit--then you don't need a electronic devise to save your law breaking rear end.
There are several routes I frequently drive where traffic conditions can be very impactful. I won't necessarily use the app enroute, but I'll check it before leaving to be sure there isn't a 30 minute delay on what would normally be the fastest route.
pilot control levers and basic seem like they can always be repaired with hose and know how. but over time eventually the blocks and spools etc aren't out there. but its still a longer time span then electronics . some items simply cease to exist and other used high hour parts are the only option. having less power and speed but avoiding 100k in debit might be a decent calculation. a maze of hoses but off the shelf check valves and joysticks feel like the last advance that doesn't reduce longevity or repairability. all my machines are orphans i can machine or modernize most items without breaking the bank but downtime is costly.