There is a 90 Cat 416 4x4 backhoe that I'm seriously considering making an offer on and would appreciate any opinions and or advice/thoughts. I'm a newbie with construction equipment, I am familiar with most agriculture equipment how ever so it's not all that foreign to me. The basic machine specs: 1990 416, 5700 hours, standard hoe, 4x4. I've ran this machine a few times now(loading trucks and site work) and have had the chance to take a good look at it. The hydraulics are strong(backhoe, loader and stablizers will lift machine at idle), it always starts right up, I couldn't detect any slop, everything seems tight, no welds, cracks or questionable repairs, newer teeth on bucket and cutting edge on loader, the tires are pretty good and the parking brake works well. The owner of the machine is a fairly meticulous guy, the machine appears to be regularly maintained, and well kept. Now the issues; the brakes consistently groan and also squeek while the machine is warming up; all that said the machine stops fine. There appears to be a transmission leak (see pic), the whole trans housing is wet ,yet the trans fluid level is not low. I have nothing to compare it to so maybe it's me, but in 3rd gear, 4wd engaged, unloaded driving up a long consistent moderate uphill gravel road the machine seems a bit sluggish, is this typical? The cab floor is a bit rusty, but I can take care of that without much trouble(I work in auto restoration and metal fabrication) The owner has not named a specific price, based upon what I've seen similar machines go for over the last six months or so I figured $15 to $16k would be reasonable offer. Thanks in advance.
A couple more pics. A few things I forgot to mention before, it looks like there is some leaking around the left brake linkage on the rear axle (see pic) and the right tie rod has some play in it.
Any comments at all?
Those leaks look like they could get worse and you could potentially have some mechanical issues...Might be worth it to have a mechanic take a look ...Find out what you are getting yourself into...Maintenance costs can easily out strip what a machine like this is worth...Hope it works out...
Thank you BulldozerRay for the advice, much appreciated.
For a 20 year old machine that has 5700 hours, it looks like it has been well taken care of and professionally operated. It's hard to diagnose leaks from pictures so you will need to use your judgement and a second opinion from a mechanic as to the cost of repair. For around $20K I think you could find a newer machine with less hours, just my $.02.
CM1995, it seems to be pretty well cared for and operates well(except for the noisy brakes). I will be looking for an equipment mechanic. Thanks for the input