I have been reading all of the threads on "what is the best to buy", but my question is; How should I say no to the hour meter in negotiating the sale price? When should I say no to the amount of hours, if at all? Essentially I found a Cat 303 for sale with over 4200 hours on it. I haven't driven it yet and critically looked at it, but I did do a walk around visual inspection. At a quick look it looked OK, but the bucket cylinder has a severely leaking seal and the bucket basically swings freely. I don't mind a minimal repair, but the hours....... Your thoughts? Thanks, Dan
I don't know that hours by themselves is always a good indicator on what is good buy or what isn't. However generally speaking smaller equipment (mini ex's, skid steers) doesn't age as well as larger equipment. If I was looking for a mini ex for occasional use 4200 hours might not be as big of a deal if the machine was in good general condition. If I am going to be relying on it as a critical piece of equipment I would search for something with less hours.
In my opinion 4,200 hours is very high hours on a mini excavator. However, I'll agree that you can't base your decision and price solely off of hours. I've seen 300 hour machines look like hell and 2,000 hour machines that were taken care of look great. But of course on that 4,200 hour machine anything as far as seals and pins and bushings, if they haven't been replaced, I'm sure they need to be. It also comes down to it's role, personal use, main machine in your business, etc.
4200 is high for a mini hoe. it must have worked a lot. should be worth roughly $15,000