Hello all, After peoples thoughts on picking up a cheap 731. There is a local guy selling one for A$3.5k and that is cheap for a bobcat in Australia. It does have a few issues that I will list below: - The left forward/back handle does nothing till its right at the end of travel and then kicks in hard. The old guy was told this was the pump and quoted just over $1k to have this fixed. Does this sound right? - Its ether got a fat oil leak or has been leaking for a long time. The thing is caked in wet oil. Something I am willing to sortout if I do buy this. - Exhaust has snapped at the flange. This is something I can weld up so no issue. - The 4 in 1 bucket has a leaky hose. Again this is something I can sort out cheap. - Park brake is missing. No issue for me at this time. - Hour meter stopped at 4500h I plan on just using it around my small farm however I don't really need it as I do already have a s100 so I'm really just thinking of getting this because it seems cheap lol I'd love to hear what people think and if it would be a good buy or not. Thanks. Photo below
I'd run away from that machine. It's clear it was never taken care of if the belly pan is full of oil. I'd guess a new hydro pump is closer to $2500, maybe more. There could be other problems too like the wheel motors going out. All the rust is likely going to cause bolts to break when you try to remove them. It's a cheap price for a reason.
Thanks for getting back to me, I took your advice and ran lol
What is this machine worth over there if it didnt have that problem?
Unsure on what a 731 goes for as there currently isn't another one up for sale at the moment however, There is a few 741s for sale around 20k AUD mark with the cheapest within 500kms of me is rough 10,000 machine for 16k.
If you realy needed it it sounds like a ok price. I needed a skidsteer bad they go from $8000.00 to $10.000 . Then there are some real old or worn out ones around $5000.00. I got very lucky the dealer had a Case 1830 he was selling for a guy. I got it for $3500.00 i think 4 years ago i replaced the waterpump and 1 hose. I use it almost every day it will need several hoses before long. I like it it could use a bigger engine if i had the extra cash i would get another just like it and put in a bigger engine.
I stumbled across this outfit the other day. Sounds too good to be true… a lot of the gear they advertise is only half market value. If you’re near Sydney it would be worth a look. https://www.jgemachinery.com/listings/2005-bobcat-s300/