This is my first skid steer so I have limited experience with them. I've been wrenching all my life, but never with these machines. I'm about to buy an L553. It's got 2 issues. Main issue: the lift arm will not go up. The owner says that the machine was running 100% before this issue. There is also a decent leak at one of the lift cylinders. My best guess is that the hydro level got so low cuz of the leak that the arms stopped working. Question: Where is the reservoir on this machine and how to I check the level? Can I just add some generic hydro fluid to test if the lift arms work? What are your other thoughts on this issue and what else am I missing that I should look at. The second issue is that it's got an intermittent starting problem. The ignition looks like it's been changed recently (but maybe they didn't do a good job fixing it). How complicated is the wiring on these machines? I would imagine that it shouldn't be to hard to fix whatever is causing the electrical issue. P.S. the machine is super clean and got 3k hours on it, no engine leaks or smoke, new tires. I can probably get it for just under 5K so to me it's worth the risk of buying a machine that's not 100% working. Unless I'm missing some big thing that could be a huge problem. Your input is much appreciated, thank you. P.P.S. do I need to buy a manual for it, or someone can e-mail me a copy, thanks.
Is this one of the older NH machines where you sit down in the machine so low you can't see the bucket edge? If so, it's not a good machine for doing precise grading. You need to see what the business end is doing to get the most out of a skid steer.
Did it sit for a time? Foot control? Does the bucket curl?Check and be sure the linkage from the foot pedal to the valve for the boom isn't stuck from sitting up. I've dealt with that before. If there's no electrically controlled parking brake button ( I don't think there is) It should be live at startup.