Hi all, newer member here. Thanks in advance for your knowledge. Im going to look at some backhoes this week at an large equipment auction. Don't have too much experience with a backhoe but going with someone who knows a couple things about general equipment maintenance, diesel engines, etc. Are there 3 or 4 main components to check on a backhoe that I can look at quick in say 5 minutes to see if the machine is worth even looking at more? Certain areas like pins, hoses, etc that are the " check here first or dont waste your time " type items? All machines can be started and driven but no "digging" Thanks much!
check all the booms for cracks . when you operate check for wear in the bushings like sloppy movement . I normally check all fluids but they normally have the machines running during the auction so turning it off and checking the fluids should work but levels wont be consistent. check for how well it was greased if it was well greased it would have grease coming from all the pivots. look at the filters and try to figure out when it was last serviced. Check for any major leaks or noises . remember tires cost a pretty penny so for worn out tires its gonna cost ya at least 2000 dollars for a nice set of tires depends . check the buckets good for wear cracks . set a budget dont over bid on something thats not worth it. im sure I missed some stuff but im sure someone will chime in and make sure i didnt . Ive checked a lot of machines for people and find some freaky stuff yeah machines are not new but something that can be a couple thousand repair and then overpaying for the machine sucks.
If you have any starting issues on the engine, drive train or brake issues it is usually better to walk away. Probably the first issue after checking fluids and starting the engine is the condition of all the implement joints. If the machine was primarily used as a loader then look for loose joints up front and cracks around the boom foot pins on the machine. If the backhoe was the primary use than check for slop in the turret and boom foot. You will have to decide how much slop in the joints you can tolerate.