Hey guys- new user here at heavyequipment forums. I have been on the fence about whether to buy a compact utility tractor first, or to buy a backhoe, and have decided that I want to move mountains, not piles - so a backhoe it is! I've decided that I need 4x4 (my property has steep muddy roads on it) - and am wanting extendahoe and 4-1 bucket. Willing to compromise for the right backhoe and/or deal/price. This backhoe will be for occasional use, not everyday or for-hire work. Because of that, I'm considering backhoes in the 1990's range. One of the machines I'm considering is an early 1990's Case 580K with 4x4 and extendahoe (GP bucket, not 4-1). Here's what I know from talking with the owner on the phone: - Runs great - No hydraulic leaks - Does use some brake fluid (indicated not a wheel cylinder, probably master cylinder related) - Ready to work - Actual hours unknown As you can see from the attached images, it looks like original paint on this one (a good thing). Also looks like it will need tires before too long. Some questions: - If everything checks out after running the machine (as the owner stated) - what do you all think is a fair price for this well-used-but-good-running backhoe? (assuming no frame/link cracks, reasonably tight pins, etc) - Do any of you see any issues from viewing the photos?
Welcome to the forums. More knowledgable types will be along shortly but if it was me, run its attachments for an hour or so, get her warm, drive it around a fair bit too, just before stopping, then pop the diffs and smear oil on paper to see if it has sprinkles, or milky, ditto the other oils. I'm more of a skidder/excavator guy but those things may have a slew of some kind maybe and definitely hydraulic oil and gear box and engine oils. Would also see if you can get its wheels up and check bearings. The results of a thorough test drive would give you a vague idea of what its worth.
good used 4x4's go for $14,-21,000
For my 2 cents worth .From were I come from a heated cab would be a must . I sold My Case 580 SE with 9000 hrs on it for 12 grand .It went to a farmer . Machine worked well but needed work . Anyway is the old hour meter in the machine show how many hrs it had on it before it stopped working .I know I would be a fool to rely on a hour meter but its a start , service records etc . Like Logan said run the machine for at least an hour and take a guy that can run one well.Ya like clintm said 15ish . If Iived in Washington a no heated cab would be a deal breaker .Just looking at your pictures you would need a raincoat to run it.
I wouldn't want to get more than 15 into it for sure. It looks like a decent older unit. I'd check to see that it will lift the back end up at idle, pins, bushings, slop in the e-hoe... rubber is rubber, and as long as the cords aren't showing run it.
Good advice Bill. When the sun is shining and the grass is green like in the photos a cab doesn't seem real important. That TLB won't look as desirable in the middle of winter with a couple of inches of snow on the seat.
From what I see it looks fairly straight. Those hoes were tough as nails. My uncle bought one new , with multiple operators it was sold unknown hours still in operating condition. They pounded the crap out of it. If it was mine and they treated it like they did , they would have been job hunting. The machine you put pics up of looks to be a 12 to 14,000 machine to me. Some SLs are selling at 20 now.
Hi Gavin, Welcome to the forum Since you want it for 'home use' an open cab is not that big of a deal, my 'home use' backhoe is open and I just don't move dirt in the rain/snow unless I have to... now for regular work machines it is a different story if you're going to be out in the elements all day long it can get pretty miserable without some glass and a heater Having 4x4 is definitely required if your property is like mine and you want to build some trails and jumps... it just makes things a whole lot easier and quicker especially in the winter months. As for the extend-a-hoe... same on my home machine don't have it... doesn't really stop me from doing things in the 'home use' category, however on job sites it helps out a lot... great for setting and picking stuff, handy for going deep when you need it... just a time saver for most operations. The main thing I would check is fluids in the rear end as I see quite a few 580's around these parts that go swimming... and that can lead to major expenses down the road if not taken care of, like others have said run it for a bit and see how it feels and if things change when it gets warmed up.
Thanks everyone for the advice! I'm actually hoping this is a "Phase I" 580K because of the simplified transmission situation (looks like you can get a rebuilt unit for $2500-3000, better than the Phase III super-expensive job). Yeah, the open cab seems fine for occasional use. (yes, wiping snow off the seat to clear the road is not optimal - ha ha). Appreciate the opinions on price as well. I realized when reading up on these units that they come with essentially the Cummins 4BT 4-cylinder diesel engine (except this one is not turbo). That's a huge selling point for me as Cummins is the reason I bought my Dodge truck. I'm looking forward to testing out the machine and will make sure I have it running until the engine, transmission, and hydraulics are fully warmed up (hopefully an hour). I'm also going to insist on a dead-cold start (overnight without running) so that I can evaluate the cold cranking and smoke-during-startup situation. How common is it to have a block heater on one of these? I like the idea just to make starting easier... Does this engine (Cummins/Case 4-390) use glow plugs, or a grid heater like the 6BT in my Dodge has?
no glow plug's or grid heaters 's the ones in my neck of the woods. you could always stick a block heater on it.
Interesting- what do people normally do for -30 deg F type cold starts?
If it ever get's that cold here we won't be going out side . we hardly ever get to single digits then only a day or so then we stay inside.
clintm I wish I could say the same about our weather
Or you can plumb the radiator line with a convection heater. Will get all the radiator fluid nice and toasty...and circulating, this heating the block and oil. I've plumbed two of them and wouldn't use anything else (other than the intake heaters on mu Cats).
OK, finally tracked down the seller, arranged a time, and tested out this backhoe. It's definitely a solid old machine. Got there before the owner, so was able to verify a dead-cold start at about 32deg F, he shot some ether onto the intake hood (not into it) and it fired before much cranking. It did not smoke at startup at all, and ran good while I tested it out. Rough around the edges, but almost everything worked great on it. Tires were better than expected, and there's plenty of clearance for chains (a big bonus). It is a 580K phase I (transmission shifter on the floor) which I think is a good thing. No hydraulic leaks, and just a small bit of tie rod end play (front axle tight when off ground). A few questions: 1. The fuel gage needle was pegged up vertical (beyond full) - is that normal if it's full, or does that mean the gage needs work? 2. I had to tilt the front bucket down to get the front wheels off the ground - is that normal? (had to be tilted down to provide enough travel/clearance to lift the machine) when I did that, plenty of lifting force. 3. The serial # is JJG00007184 - can anyone help me to determine what year it was manufactured? 4. I didn't see a button on the shifter - how do you shift gears while moving on this rig? I was surprised at how tight all of the pins were (in the loader, and in the hoe) - does not seem to need any fixes before going to work. Appreciate all the help guys! I may buy this thing!
the only thing is did he shoot the ether before even trying to crank it if so it's most likely addicted to it. When it got good and hot how was the blowby. the fuel gauge is most likely broke. I think all of them had a disconnect button on the loader lever. when shifting it just put the F/N/R in N then shift the main.If the lift cycld was all the way in then thats ok
Thanks clintm- should a 4-390 be able to fire quickly at freezing without ether? What's the disconnect button on the loader lever? Regarding shifting- that's what I was guessing, thanks for confirming.
transmission disconnect (neutral). they will crank when cold but anytime the first thing someone does is squirt starting fluid before trying to crank an engine is not a good thing.It's normally a last resort for me ( I do have an old 7.3 yard truck that need's glow plugs that we only crank about twice a month that takes a snort to fire off). the 580K's was pretty tuff machines
it is a phase one the shifter run tru the floor not by the console frist thing i wold do is flush the reverser oil and put proper fluid so many guy just poor atf in thos and blow the foward clutch like the ex onwer of mine did