Found a local dealer with over 20 years of service selling a 1991 JCB 1550B backhoe for $18,000. It has 4000 hours on it. The engine is a 4 cylinder turbo charged Perkins. The unit has a cab with heat, 4 wheel drive and the extend-a-hoe. It is a 2 owner farm used machine that this shop sold them years ago and have done the maintenance to over the years. It was always stored inside and is in very nice shape. I tried to find the retail value on the NADA site but was unsuccessful. Any thoughts about the price? Apparently these machines are used worldwide and have a great reputation for durability and reliability. Does anyone have any horror stories about JCB machines? Thanks in advance!
4000 hrs is alot!!! of farm work
Well.... Only 15 hours a month over the 22 years it has been in service.
22 years is a lot of years for an $18,000 JCB backhoe! It does sound like a clean machine, and that's what I would expect a dealer to ask for something like that. If you plan on them being in business as long as you own the backhoe, and bringing it back to them for repairs, then you could probably do a lot worse. If you do your own work, and/or don't believe they'll be around that long, then you could find something much cheaper that will have the same risks as this or any other machine this complicated that's 20+ years old.
Thanks Delmer. Do you consider this machine more complicated than some of the other brands? Do you have a favorite brand? I am open to any and all input. I don't mind working on whatever unit I buy but I don't want to buy a backhoe that is fussy and known for reliability issues. And...no... this dealer is too far away for practical transport for repairs. I live way out in the country and will be doing repairs myself.
I've never worked on JCBs. I have no idea if JCB is more complicated. Limited experience with ** and Deere only. I don't have a favorite brand, and I'm sure they all made some good machines. I was going to add that "the big three" Cat, Case, Deere (even Ford, and even **) have an advantage of being slightly more familiar to more mechanics and/or buyers, especially in farm country. That's important for reliabilility, and even more so for resale value. After reading your other post, I think you'll be lucky to get $12,000 for this machine when you go to sell it as a private party (but I've never seen the machine, don't know the market in your area, don't know what the used equipment market will do in the future, etc.) If you buy a similar Ford for $10k, you'll lose a lot less money when you resell it (unless you have major repairs of course!). From this site and what I've seen, Fords are solid machines that sell cheaper than Cat, Case or Deere, but I would prefer any of those for what you are looking to do.
I have never owned a JCB but I used and worked on a 1995 similar model. I know that every single wire (and there are lots) under the dash are yellow. Yes, every single one. You can imagine the trouble shooting knightmare. Other than that, it was a solid machine althought quite clumsy to use compared to my 1992 JD.
Thanks again Delmer... I should have done this earlier today when I joined this fantastic site but for the last hour I have been going thru every post relating to backhoes on this site.... I am beginning to get interested in Case 580's from the postings. I have a lot more to read and learn. Thanks again!!!
hello Freddy., I am from the UK and am an experienced BHL operator.The JCB brand is sold throughout the world.In many countries it is a market leader.My own experience of JCBs is using the backhoe as an owner operator.They are well designed, well built and reliable with few issues unlike some other makes! Buy this machine with confidence, you are buying a great machine, good luck
that age machine will be when they DID build good backhoes , and yes every wire is yellow ,but all numbered too 4000hrs is nothing
We have sold plenty of that era machine, most go for around the $20,000AUD mark, depending on specs They are fairly simple. I imagine it would be shuttle shift? Forward and reverse on the steering column and 4 on the floor? Does it have 4-1 bucket? Don't be worried about the wiring loom, if you have a copy of a wiring schematic I would say it nearly makes them easier to diagnose. Trust me those things don't have any where near the amount of wiring the current models have. What do you plan on using it for?
I personally think that is overpriced. I think that machine should be in the 10-12k range. With that being said I wouldn't overlook it because its a JCB. Overall I've been very happy with my JCB backhoe.
That was my thoughts as well. That's a $10K machine because of the age.
I agree that it is not over a 10000$ or 12000$ machine.
We have an 88 1400b. It is a very good machine. We have had it for eight years and have had almost no problems with it. The hour meter doesnt work but read 5600 hrs when we bought it. Probably has well over 10000 hrs now. I live in Canada but I wouldnt sell it for less than $15000. The perkins motor is bullet proof. My buddy has a 580 case and he likes how much more stable the jcb is. I wouldnt fear buying a jcb, after all they invented the backhoe first. good luck.