We are about to purchase a new Loader Backhoe. I have had no experience with these machines for 30 years. On price I have narrowed the field down to JD315SJ and New Holland B110B. Cat432E is $40,000 more expensive than these two so is not being considered. I realise the NH is slightly larger than the Deere but have heard unconfirmed rumours that NH may have a potential rear axle weakness. We are using these to service drill rigs looking for coal. As we are working in a mine area the machine has to have A/C cab, battery isolator, emergency stops, fire extinguishers(2), safety and warning stickers everywhere, UHF radio, roatating beacon, craning valves etc. It will do quite a bit of travel on some fairly ordinary bush roads. Machine will be fitted with 4in1 loader bucket and roll over forks, 300 and 900mm hoe digging buckets and a 1200 tilt batter bucket. JD have a service technician stationed in our area and New Holland have service vehicles that travels through on a regular basis. I have asked Case and JCB(a week ago) to offer pricing but at this stage have had no reply - if they take this long to reply to quotation request I can only imagine how long they would take for warranty or service. Any advice would be appreciated. Firetrack
Wait on the Case bid.
Where I am in a harsh mining area of North WA, the big two Case & Cat seem to be the go for backhoes. From opinions I have heard the NH backhoes are not that good, at least in terms of ergonomics/visibility, although I haven't seen one used by anyone out here. Personal experience with Case & Cat has shown manufacturer faults with both on brand new machines. Some of the problems have caused the machines to stop dead in the middle of the road. The Cat machine took nearly a year from order to delivery, however Cat have dealers in regional areas to service mining. I haven't seen any new JCB machines out here so I don't know how they stack up. Some of the shires do use JD. I know the new Case machines are fitted with roll over forks on the 4 in 1, the Cat backhoe we used had a quick change attachment so you had to swap back and forth from bucket to forks. It was a PIA on some jobs. Of Case & Cat both seem on par for performance.
+1. Wait for Case.
From the information you posted Firetrack, it looks like the JD is the way to go. Personally I think JD builds one of the best backhoes on the market and that is coming from a guy that has a Cat 420D. Service before and after the sale is just as important as the sales price IMO. I always factor in parts availability, the price of parts, the price of the machine and people that sell and service it. Nowadays it seems people forget the value of the folks that stand behind the machines and their ability to help you with problems that arise. Buying equipment is a multi-facited decision that spans brands and initial sales price. Best of luck!:drinkup
Cm, You couldn't said it any better..
Thanks for promp replies. Got the Case bid for 590 SR3. On specs the Case and New Holland are exactly the same unit both being made in Italy. The Australian brochures for each show the same interior although of different colour. I'm a bit 'gun shy' as all the dealers have told me that TLB's are one of the most maintenance hungry machines in construction equipment. JD and Case have quoted machines with 4in1 buckets and Roll over forks and NH have quoted Quick hitch 4in1 and a set of forks. NH and Case have air seat while JD have quoted a spring suspension unit. Price is around $155 to 165k plus GST with pussy being another $45k plus GST(slightly higher spec though). I haven't really started working on the price with the salesmen just yet - I'll wait until I get all the prices in first and have a look at the specs. I notice that JD have a little less breakout force in the hoe and loader but have their road lights on the rear nicely tucked away plus their front and rear lights are all mounted high out of trouble. I have a preference to JD equipment but also have a D5N (2005) and a Hitachi Zaxis 35U(2010) with counterweight taking it to just on 4000kg. Both of which are very good units. I'll wait until JCB come in and then get back to you all. thanks for the interest Firetrack
JD but I also had good luck with a 2000 JCB 214 III,
if your going to be reselling this machine in a few years I would get a JD or Case , both of these hold there street value much better.
Go with the case.
If you guys had a Super N series like we do I'd say wait for case but you have a rebadged New Holland? Personally I'd go straight for the Deere regardless of price. If the machine is going to be worked hard I'd pay the extra money for the qaulity.
Ended up buying used JCB 3CX with 6 speed auto,JCB motor, sideshift, seat controls, full set of buckets, extenda hoe. Done nearly 185 hours so far and all going well. Firetrack