HELLO All, I have been lurking on the fringes of the forum but have just joined because I am thinking of buying a Ford 4500 backhoe and need opinions. The one I am looking at has 2900 hours on it and the guy who is selling it says it is in great shape mechanically. No Leaks anywhere, pins are tight he has changed the backhoe hoses & a new battery & a new rear tire & there are no cracks or welds & no play in the swing of the backhoe. I have spoke to him at length & I trust what he says. I am basically going to use it as a second home machine doing some stump digging & dirt moving. It has a 4 speed shuttle shift tranny, & it is a gas machine. The price is $4500 delivered. My question is, is this machine suitable for what I am going to use it for & what should I look for when I inspect it? Thanks in Advance For your Help & Input. The Dog Semper Fi
That is a pretty fair price for that machine, It sounds like it is in good shape if everything in your post is accurate. (not really much left to inspect) It will work well for tasks around the house, I don't know a lot about the gassers, but my 4500 has been a pretty good machine for jobs around the home place. From my experiences the weakest point of these machines is the shuttle shift but if you treat it right and don't use it like a d6 you should get along fine.