2003 JCB 214-4T (92hp) 4x4 w/Shuttle Shift Originally a United Rental. Had 1700 hrs, digital meter went out, added a manual meter showing 540hrs. Appears to be Original back tires at ~20%, and based on condition - 2,000-4,000 hours seems likely. Hay farmer owned for farm use and did occasional fence row, digging, and horse burying to make the payments. A Stick got lodged against transmission bell housing and seized up the tractor. Farm Bureau covered it, and he had new OEM parts installed, ($6,800) He's had no trouble outside of that; One stabilizer needs a rebuild (see pic); I think a boom cylinder is leaking too; Something was done to the electrical system (See Pic) There's a small leak in a boom arm hose, which he has offered to fix along with a new battery for the sale. It was not washed so buyers could see what it looks like dirty, the asking price is 20K I'm using this backhoe to build an earthbag home ( http://earthbagbuilding.wordpress.com/ ) which requires shuttling around about 1,200 yards of sand, clay, and gravel over the next 2 years (reason for 4WD). I also plan to get a band sawmill and use the backhoe for dragging and loading the blow downs and standing dead to the mill. The farmers at the store are worried about parts/service. Dealers are in Dallas, Longview, and Texarkana - all about an hour drive. A local Massey dealer can work on the engine, hoses, etc. I read every post with JCB in the title. From what I can tell: Sourcing parts back in 2006 was a bit of a problem but dealer says they can get them in 1 day from GA plant. Hydraulics use BSP, so I plan to buy some fittings and adapters to have on hand. Boom is big and obstructed view can cause operator to sit on the edge of the seat/have trouble seeing. New Parts are expensive, and used can be hard to come by Lack of power compared to JD or Case. (Owner says this will push more than either of his 100+ hp tractors) Some operators don’t like the controls setup Machine seems pretty tight and solid. I’m having a mechanic look It over, and dig with it since I’m new to all this. Seems like a good machine for my purpose. The similar JD’s or Case machines run 30-40K for this age, condition, and hours. So I’m thinking this will be a good machine over the next 2 years, until I trade it for a tractor. Resale may be tough/take a while. I think the remote dealers means I’ll likely be down for a week at a time waiting on parts. I’m very interested in your thoughts, comments, or suggestions (especially beyond JCB Sucks). What am I missing? Am I paying to much? Would it really be worth waiting and paying more for a Case or JD? Sorry for the novel, and thanks for reading!
A few more Pics A few more pics. There are also a few cosmetic problems, work lights didn't seem to come on, (Emergency flashers did). Windshield has long crack running across from something hitting roof, lower Left window pane is broken out, and one tail light is broken. Rubber boots around some wobble sticks are torn, rear fender ripped off 1 bolt and hanging a bit low, plastic panel covering control panel from outside cracked letting elements into wiring, rear brake/turn signal broke off, and one front work light hanging (easy fix). I'm wondering - The loader has a metal rod on one arm with a sensor at the top. Is this an self leveling bucket or some kind of safety feature?
FWIW, I have never owned or operated a JCB but have owned 3 John Deeres. I bought my 301G 4x4 last year with about 1800 hrs. on the clock. It too was a rental in past life so it was ridden hard. What I like about the Deere is that the manuals are available for a reasonable cost if you download them and resale seems to be good. Mine is all original except for a wain roy bucket and has performed well. Only problem right now are both stabilizers leak and need repaired. When time came to sell the other Deeres, both sold within a month and I did not have to fire-sale them. I paid $23K for mine from a private individual.
Thanks TXGeoSolarPro, I agree with your points. I'm fine with buying a Case or JD. I've been looking for over a month, and I need to get started. I would be happy to spend up to 25k, but I just haven't found that deal yet. (I found the service manual and have a copy)
We had a 1400 JCB which I think was the old version of the 214. I think they are good backhoes for the money . I also believe that they are the number one backhoe world wide. It could take 3 days to get parts where as you can walk into Cat and pick up what you need. They are somewhat popular around here in central KY. So it has around 2500 hours or so, thats not bad. I'd buy it for a starter , if you don't like it sell it and find something else. 20K is not bad but 17would be better. See if they will give you a weeks use and if you don't like it get your money back. Most will do this.
My uncle came by to yell at me for wanting to get the JCB. He said I can't get hoses for it. I tried to explain I can buy adapters and spares to have on hand, but he kept interrupting me saying I don't want to listen -eventually driving off on his JD tractor. (how anyone can expect someone to listen to them when they are unwilling to do the same is beyond me) Anyway, I decided to drive out to Canton to the tractor ranch to look over the case, Cat, and JD machines. They have a huge selection of machines, I was not very impressed with the sales guy. #1 A 1998 JD 410E - A '97 with 1800 "original" hours, complete with Hertz rental stickers and an Ohio Site management company. I asked how much the windows would cost to replace, he said, "the windows are all there", and I walked him over and pointed out the two broken windows. I asked how the AC worked, and he said great it was real cold when I drove it. I tested it and it blew hot air. He said it probably needs freon. I said there's no way this is 1800 hours being a rental and a commercial company. He said, "It does have the stickers." Then he tells me, to be honest with you I don't think that's the original meter, but it still has a lot of power and speed. That was true, fastest hydraulics, but he said it didn't have extendaho, when it was broken and non functional. When I moved the boom side to side it shook back and forth 2 times before coming to a rest. This machine was well used @$25K http://www.machinerytrader.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=7978405&dlr=1&pcid=2849327 #2 A 2000 JD 310SE Turbo This was fairly nice but 5,200 hours seems up there for $25K. The boom was a little loose, but it had power, extendaho was nice, cab was complete, A/C was cold. It had some new hoses, some hydraulic fluid around the cylinders (not quite leaks), and the boom was only a tad loose. The hydraulics were slower than the 410 especially on the loader. http://www.machinerytrader.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=7956319&dlr=1&pcid=2849327 #3 A 2001 Case 580M This machine was tight and clean. boom stopped on a dime, hoses were in good shape, No cab, Interior plastic all cracked up, no leaks anywhere I could see. 2800 hours and a price of $24.5K I liked this one, but it's also the least powerful of the bunch. http://www.machinerytrader.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=7993139&dlr=1&pcid=2849327 I'm going to pay $400 for delivery, and about $35 in taxes since it's farm use. I'm still a bit partial to the JCB, but the 310SE looks good, and the Case might be okay. I'm very interested in your opinions on the relative value. I took lots of pictures if anyone wants to see more.
you might want to go attend a ritchie bros sale if there is one in your area, the north east md sale was very informative for me when I was lookin for a dozer. Ended up gettin one from a local contractor looking to upgrade at a good deal.
I wouldn't hesitate because its a jcb. The British hydraulic hoses are not as big a deal as some make them out to be. Half of the hoses my jcb has needed were made at my local napa auto parts store, the other half were made at a hydraulic shop 45 mins away. I've never had to special order anything related to the british thread. $20K doesn't sound like a bad deal, but like mentioned before I think $17-18k would be a great deal. That 580m doesnt seem like a bad deal either, although the only 580 I've been on had the case controls and I didn't care for those.