Hey, fellas Just purchased a Case 680K 1987. My first Hoe. Luckily have good friends who have been in the heavy equipment business for generations who helped with testing/looking over the Hoe. Anyone out there know how reliable the hour meter is? I've heard there is a debate to this. If it helps the Hoe was state owned/operated. For how long I don't know. Everything is original, showing just under 3,000 hours. The seat is in great shape as is the entire machine. I'm using it to move snow and basic road word and a bit of digging. So I'll ask one more critical question: Generally, how long does the engine last/tranny? It appears that this Hoe has been treated gently enough: no dents at all, grease points all good, strong hydrolics. All info is helpful. Thanks much!
Congratulations on your purchase, sounds like you found a good one. You've got a pretty hard question there, the glib answer is as long as you're willing to keep pouring money into them. I'd guess there are some out there that have gone over ten thousand hours without being opened up, but yours could fail at any second. I'd tend to trust the hour meter if your experts didn't think it was replaced, and/or it was bought directly from the state. With those hours are the tires original? I wonder if tires weather faster in NM than in the rust belt? Hopefully somebody will reply with specifics to your engine, and reverser.
Thanks, Delmer Yeah it can go at any min. And I'm preparing myself for that. Got a good feeling though, knock on metal. The tires are really warn out, back ones anyway. The reason I brought up the seat is all the ass wear is a good indication of use logically, and it is original. The hour meter, we think, is not tampered with and is accurate, hopefully. Even the hoses have original paint. Hope to get some wise ones out there to give me their knowledge.
Sounds like you got a pretty good deal, 3,000 hrs is pretty low for a 87. And as there are no dents, and everything is tight I'd say is should run until the cows come home. (What ever the hell that means...) B-) A friend of mine has one that he beats the living **** out of (He's had it since probably 88-or 89) and he has at least 12,000 on it, still running like a champ. Whats key is, he always maintained it well. Fluids, seals and the like. His tin is far from straight though....
Jilllie, thanks for reply. That is the truth: regular maintenance. I looked at a 98 Cat, forget the model, it was beat to **** and the fluids were stank. So I have a good feeling about this one. And the bitch is so huge and weighs so much I can't imagine it's seen too many owners. We're guessing the county had it the majority if its life. The guy I bought it from got it from auction, he owns a rig salvage business, and sense my best ability is cutting through a man's poker face, I hope I guessed his cards right with this machine. He'll, if I get 200 hrs. Out of her I'm happy. But if whatever the are doing I prefer not to know and keep truck in'. I'm trying to find answers to the reliability of the hour meter, you got any knowledge on the matter? I know maintenance and proper operation is key, but this hour meter thing is itching at me.
Are you worried that the hour meter has been tampered with? Generally I find them about as accurate as an odometer. (Close enough for government work, but I wouldn't bet my life in it being accurate to the minute.) There are different kinds as well, for example, my b7300 kubota hour meter is cable operated. My cable broke at the beginning of a 12 acre brush hogging session, so I know for a fact that I'm shy of at least six hours on the clock. Being pretty diligent on maintenance I replaced it the following week, but there are others that are less diligent. My lawn mower has an electronic hour meter, the only way to screw with that is to cut the power to the meter, so that would not be an accidental thing. I guess my rule of thumb would be to rely less on the hours, and more on the condition of the machine. I've seen low hour machines that I wouldn't buy........ And high hour machines that I would...
Just tying to understand. I know, or have heard, the hour meter being primarily a gauge for timely maintenance, but why emphasize the hour meter when selling? If, with your experience it is indeed as accurate as a mileage gage that makes sense to me. But I agree, the most important thing to go by is the condition.
I've never seen an hour meter that was counting wild, they are either working, or not working. (Unless someone has doctored it in an effort to make more money on a machine. And in that case there are generally other tell tale signs as well.) Like any clock, it could run a little slow, or a little fast. But like an odometer, its all you have to go by as far as usage measurements go. Looking at the fluids and general over all condition will tell you a lot more about a machine than the hour meter. It could be 1000hrs of idle time, or 1000hrs of rolling down a mountain side into a gravel pit.
Thanks much for the information. I really appreciate it.