Hello! As you can see, I'm new here! I have an opportunity to purchase a 2003 Thomas Pro-tough 1700A with only 212 hours on it for about $9k. Is that a good price? (this is from a neighbor going through a divorce/bankruptcy - he bought it "new" in 2004 during the 'Thomas equipment liquidation auctions' and he only used it to build his house, dig his swimming pool, and clear snow. It's got a Kobuta 4 cyl FI diesel & a dirt-bucket (but the tooth bar is missing.) It looks and runs (as far as I can tell) like new. He gave it to me to play with for a week, and I'm getting better every day, especially with the bucket "float" feature for smoothing out my driveway. I only plan to use it for personal work around my home (landscaping, tree removal, snow plowing.) I have 2 options: get it, do all my landscaping, etc, paint it up a little, then re-sell it, OR since we're looking for property to keep my wife's horses on, I may just end up keeping it. (I'm leaning toward keeping since I'm having so much fun with it!) It is my first "machine" so I don't know anything, and any advice or suggestions would be most appreciated, or anything else I should know about or look for? For instance,... What does the "A" stand for in 1700A? (Thomas also has a plain 1700.) At what about degree will it roll-over backwards going up a hill (with an empty bucket?) Thanks so much!
Thomas made th Pro tough series as a stripped down version of their regular line. In the early 2000s Thomas thought that they could increase their North American Distribution to 4,000 units + by running them through the Ritchie Auctions. It backfired because it totally undermined the dealer network. Not sure what the 'A' designates. Just check out the auction pricies from www.rbauction.com and www.ironplanet.com to gauge the pricing. I would think that your neighbor probably paid around $11K for that unit at the auction new. Keep in mind, you will have a hard time finding service and parts. Otherwise the unit is just a basic machine and sounds like it will do what you want. I would suggest that if it were to go to an auction today, it would probably bring around $5K maximum in today's market. I say that so that you have a realistic number on what it could bring after you are finished using it. Have a geat day.
Thanks, Shameless, I talked to a rep from Ritchie Auctions today who confirmed that in 2003 the 1700's auction price averaged between $11-15K. As far as todays prices, I've seen them from $4-12 depending on condition, location, and hours. Thanks, again.