I just got a case 1838 that started on fire. The guy I got it from said the battery started on fire and then lit the dirty belly pan on fire. It burned for hours before he noticed, during the night and until about lunch time. I want to fix it and use it. It has 826 hours on it. I don't think it was a very hot fire, because the seat is still there. The hydraulics and wires are crispy/burned/melted. Tires are not roasted, and the chain case I checked didn't look or smell cooked. Would it be reasonable to put new gaskets/seals/bearings in the hydraulics, new lines, check the motor, rewire, and salvage the machine? I am trying to get an idea of what to expect.
Yes if you consider all that labor intensive and expensive work reasonable. However that's assuming the fire didn't get hot enough to distort hard parts like the vale body, pumps and motors, frame, etc. I love junk but imo burnt machines are a lost cause.
Oh’ boy. I’m all in on this one. Not practical or feasible considering labor and parts. Thinking about sourcing the parts for that project gives me heartburn, looking at the pictures. But, prove us wrong and share your success story when you are all finished with your restored skid steer.
Take the number of parts you think you need to replace and double that. Take the amount of money you think it will cost and double that. Take the time and effort you think it will take and double that. This will be closer to what it will actually take to get the machine up and running again. That being said, if you're mechanical and looking for something to work ON all winter, then go for it. If your really looking for a machine to use, than pass.
Guess it all depends on how much you paid or would need to pay for this Case. If someone was to offer it to me for a couple hundred I might take it as a fun project for the winter. But if I had a business to run and needed this machine to make me money between now and spring no way! Then again I spent many years working on various Case 1845 skid-steers so I have some idea of how they work and what to look at before even starting.
Its not easy to tell just what is burnt. If it was cheap scrap price and you could get used parts. But like pil314 says double may not cover it but until its cleaned up you dont know what you have.
What makes this a little different in this case, is its an older machine. Not near the level electronics involved if you burn down a current machine. I partially burned a CASE 465 while mulching. It wasn't bad to look at but it cost about 15K as I remember with the CASE dealer doing the work. I would feel somewhat better if it was an 1840 or 1845C. The 1838 isn't as desired as the other two. It sounds to me, as you stated, it couldn't have been very hot. You may get lucky.....or not.
Agree the 1845C the quarry finally sold a couple years ago didn't have anything electric wise that could not be replaced or worked around by someone with even basic electrical knowledge. Might not look as pretty as it left the factory but for the use I would be putting it to it would not matter.