I have been trying to find a GOOD 963c or even a 963b on auctions for over 6 months now.... It seems they fell off the planet!!! Im sure there are plenty of dealers sitting on them that have them marked up 20%.... trying to avoid that.... I even missed the John Deere (Liebherr) 755C II's yesterday in phoenix Ritchie bros sale), the ole interwebs decided to quite during bidding......or maybe that was a higher power at work, saving me from a JD??:tong Anyway, has anybody noticed a shortage in Good, Low hour Cat track loaders?
Seems to run in spurts, when I found a loader that was in decent shape for a friend of mine he lunged on it as it was the only one he was aware of for sale and in reasonable condition for months. Last summer there were five 977(K&L) four 955L and three 955(H&K) series around here, now they are scarce. 953 or 963 units are pretty scarce as many of the little local contractors were picking them up for cleanup machines where a excavator is too much machine and money.
Try Howard McAnear Equipment, in Ft Worth, Tx. Call and ask for Dave Henson, one of their salesman who is a friend of mine. If they don't have what you need, they will find it for you. They have been selling and renting good quality Cat machines for at least 30 years. I have bought/rented many machines from them in the past. 817-847-0101 is their number. Jeff
Just picked up a 83 953 77 y ser 5,499 hrs , sat in a warehouse in brooklyn for 10 years from orig owner with a new bottom for 11k cash! There around you can get a great deal on one cause most guys don't want me anymore ! Which is absolute insanity too me cause a track loader is like a colt 45! It's the machine that won the west! My father was a builder here around the NYC area from the 1960s until mid 90s there only one machine he belived in , track loader! All he knew and all he wanted to know! You couldn't step foot onto a Job in the New York nj area without seeing a 955 or a 977! I will always have a soft spot in my heart for them ! After all I have one tattooed on me lol! Anyways keep looking ! I missed nice 963 that mtc owned outta queens for 12k last year w a 4 in 1! You'll find one when u least expect it!
:drinkup Sounds like a good deal!, I would really like to find a 98 or 99 963B, I have never seen any trackloader that could keep up with those machines as far as speed/ease of ownership is concerned. If someone else has, please enlighten me! :notworthy
I think for the most part new operators have a hard time learning how to cut and grade etc with a track loader. It took me a while to get hold of it, once I figured it out it makes things easier. Too many people can climb on a excavator and have a truck sitting there then they take a skid steer to put final grade on a basement. It looks like to me it adds extra cost but yet seems to gain popularity more and more. I agree a track loader is one of the most versatile machines out there. People are claiming that using an excavator to clear land work well. I've been around this , they knock over a tree and leave half the stump , limbs every where. Take a loader cut around lay it over stump in tact and then push it where ever you want. Again with the excavator you need two machines two operators more cost. I do know of a nice 953B a guy has that can be bought , its not mine, belongs to the guy that does my repairs.
Yeah, we all know excavators have there place but still think a track loader is a good machine to keep on board! I've had 2 d3's .a (b) and a(c) did alot of work filling in yards etc but prob it when u gotta bury a big chunk of concrete or load out some stuff your limited ,and to bring one of my excavators to a dump and tie it up is a no go ! So the 953 is perfect ! I replaced my 977L with the 953. Seems like down south n out west there's a lot left.
Track loaders are fairly plentiful down here. At one time during the housing boom my Cat PSR rep told me there were 200+ track loaders operating in my county alone that he knew about. Some were sold and most were just parked, I don't know how many are operating now. If I only had one machine to make a living with it would be my 953C, for all the reasons stated.
Not sure exactly where you are in the Midwest, but Kansas City Craigslist has a pretty nice looking 963b listed for 25k. Don't know anything about it just saw it browsing through there last night. John