Hola everyone! So I didn't say anything on here cuz I didn't want to jinx the deal but I ended up getting a 2000 580L as my second backhoe. Paid about 12k usd. No idea how many hours but probably around 20k. Open cabin, no extendahoe, 4x4. Except for the fact that it squirts hydraulic oil all over the place and needs some real bushing work there's nothing wrong with it (I hope). Motor starts and has power, transmission pushes hard, hydraulics lift, steers, stops, etc. Once I get this thing checked out more thoroughly and make sure it's workable, I'll be able to pull apart my '97 310D and give it a lot of maintenance that it's needed for a while. That one has like 25k hours. Pretty happy this deal worked out. Was going to buy a 94 580k for about the same price but that deal fell through. But that just allowed this one to happen.
Congratulations Finca SDR ! Keep us posted on the rebuild progress. We need pictures !!
Ha ha that was the first time I've loaded a hoe onto a platform truck like that. Luckily there was a pile of dirt to unload onto near my driveway so I didn't have to go down backwards off the truck. So the questions: Can I put deere hygard oil in the transmission if I need to top it off? I dunno what's in there now but case oil or some kind of tractor fluid for use with discs and wet brakes. If the thing has surface rust, is there any reason I wouldn't just clean it and sand it a little in those spots and spray paint it with krylon or rust oleum or whatever? Anyone know where to find a owners manual/parts manual for this thing? It didn't come with any books. Thanks! Sebastian
Thanks!
Ballsy loading job @Finca SDR ! Congrats on the new hoe!
Ha ha the difference between the case 580l and the deer 310d is like the difference between a Suzuki sidekick and a Toyota 4 runner. One is a little sportier model and the other is like a big lumbering more powerful beast. Also, I hate to say it but I can plainly see that all the metalworking and details on the deere are higher end on the deere. Sorta like the difference between a Toyota and a Hyundai. I'm not complaining in the slightest, in fact in several aspects the case is in better working order than the deere. But I've heard that cases are less expensive than deeres, and that there's a big difference in the price of parts as well. That part I'll learn about soon enough. So all the oils were way low. Most egregious was the transmission was like a gallon and a half low. So I filled it with deere hygard oil that I had around. Dunno what was in there already but while I feel that any tractor hydraulic/transmission fluid is okay in these transmissions, I think mixing them may be undesirable. Oh well, someone called me to clean up a small landslide and I had to get out the door. Also there's no case dealer nearby, but deere and cat products are available. Perhaps I'll drain it totally and fill it with new hygard. I had 15w40 for the engine, for the hubs and differentials I topped them off with ND40 weight they sell at the corner store. Years ago I got tired of buying 80w90 or other expensive differential oils just to have them all run out over the course of the day. So I put in cheap 40 weight and nothing has ground itself up yet. If the leaking gets real bad I add grease until it forms a satisfactory consistency and it stays in there a while. One of the front hubs on the deere is to the point where straight grease only stays in there a day anymore. Sawdust didn't even help ha ha. Was thinking of putting in that aluminum powder that they sell to seal leaking radiators but decided to get the case instead so I could finally pull it apart and fix it properly. Hydraulic oil was couple gallons short, put in a gallon of 68, a quart of steering fluid, and two quarts of 40wt and at least it registered on the gauge so I could go to work. I'll get a bucket of 68 tomorrow. Was on my way to the landslide job and the thing heated up way fast. When it got to 190 I pulled over and doused the radiator with water and the temperature went back down. Had to do that periodically throughout the day. Tomorrow gonna take the radiator out and take it to this shop that opens them up and cleans them real well. I've never had that not fix an overheating problem. Hopefully it's not the water pump. After working I turned it off to let it cool down before the drive home, and then the battery was dead wouldn't start. Tried jumping it, went home and got a different battery and bigger jumper cables and the tester. The old battery said 12.85 volts, so what the f--k?!?! But while I was messing around with it one of the tops to the cells came loose and didn't want to pop back on properly, so I figured maybe a cell was deformed and bad and it's having power loss when there's a draw or something. Put the other battery from a 4 runner in there, and cleaned all the corrosion off the cables and clamps carefully. I dunno if it was the corrosion or the battery but it started right up and it was charging at 14.5 volts at the battery. Since it was raining hard by then it didn't even overheat on the drive home. Sooo, tomorrow it looks like I gotta get more real hydraulic oil, pull out the radiator, ascertain if I need a new battery, and make a list of which cylinders are leaking a constant stream instead of just drip drop drop. And get started with painting the rusty patches. But the things awesome. All this stuff is just indicative it was sitting for a long time (tires were way low too) and besides all these silly little issues on the first day it seems to work fine. Very thankful it's working out as well as it appears to be. Sebastian