Does anyone here have anything good or bad to say about these older machines? I'm looking at one currently that seems to be a rarity. It's being sold by the original owner, under 2000 hours and never worked in manure or gravel, and no major repairs in the past, doesn't even appear to have any dents in the engine door. It can be had cheaper than a newer unit with similar hours so I am intrigued. I don't mind the primitive cab or older engine as long as it will start and work reliably (heat is nice in the winter, but I can do without). Anyone have experience with these machines? Any known issues to look for or expect?
Only worked on one tl26. I was impressed with it's simplicity. I was not impressed that it had bent the rods in all 4 cylinders. A friend's dad bought it used and it was seeping oil on all 4 cylinders. He ran it a while and it quickly turned Ed to steady leaks. When I rebuilt the cylinders we checked the rods and found all 4 we're bent. Talking with his dad the previous owner told him it did a great job of pushing trees if you raised the bucket up about the top of the cab and got a good run at them.... You can fix stupid, it was just expensive that day. John
I don't plan doing anything like that with it. How was the lift capacity for it though? My needs are about 40/40/20 for base prep/lift and carry/tear out, respectively. No major demo work, sidewalks mostly. The vast majority of it is new work though.
I had a tl126 and it was a very capable machine, plenty of power and reliable. I think that it would not turn in place (counter rotate the tracks) as being a big con for me
So when you are sitting still if you turn left or right it only spins that respective track like dozer with double sticks? That might take a little getting used to.
Yes, it took a little getting used to but still workable
Like said above it didn't counter rotate. Power and digging ability were fine for a machine that size once we rebuilt the cylinders. I wouldn't expect to grab a full pallet of wall block off the back of a truck, but pulling a 66" tooth bucket ripping up sidewalk, cutting subgrade and laying base it should be sufficient. I'd say they would compare to any machine of that age with the benefit of a CTL machine. John
I'm gonna pick it up this week. It's a 26-2. Thing appears to be in very good condition for the age. No employees, just my dad, so I'll be the only one running it. No plans on beating on it, just going to use it for mostly base prep and lift and carry. Hopefully it pays for itself before it needs a major repair.
I've had a couple chances to use it. So far I'm enjoying it. It's right up my alley, kind of like the older tractors on the farm. No electronics or creature comforts, just the basics. I moved 4 loads of stone in about an hour the other day, it's a good balance of size, weight and power for my needs. It needs new bushings on the bucket attachment, I have them, just need time to do them. It also has a union leaking under the cab and I can't reach it with a wrench without removing a bunch of other lines, so I'm gonna send it into the shop for that project when I get some down time so they can do all that, I don't trust myself to not make it worse.