yoderjac
5 year old buck +
You should see my DK45!
Mini Excavator
- Thread starter yoderjac
- Start date
swat1018
5 year old buck +
Are you sure? Have you seen how he fixed the dash of his truck?
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
You didn't like the antifreeze brand jug I used?
4wanderingeyes
5 year old buck +
A few wear items to watch for when buying a used rig, if these are in good shape you should be good to go.
Rubber tracks, if you buy a rubber tracked machine, bearings, track wheels. Piston seals, hydraulic hoses, a worn under stage, pivot pins, listen for a whining hydraulic pump, engine oil leaks, excessive smoke, plugged cooling system, greasecerts plugged, or rusted. I would stay away from any machine that the paint is corroded off
Buy a well maintained machine, keep it maintained and you can get a couple thousand hours out of it with little money for repairs.
I would much rather buy a machine that was owned by a small business owner, such as an electrician, plumber, well guy, then a construction company. A construction company will usually wear these smaller units out pretty quick. Machines from a smaller rental company that gets new ones every 3 years or so, will usually keep them in good shape, well maintained so they hold there value for another trade in. Larger places tend to not pay close attention to small things, and are more concerned with getting the machine out to get money coming in, and won’t cancel rentals for maintanence and repairs. I would stay away from leased machines. This is what your typical construction company does, and they aren’t to concerned with maintenance, until it breaks down.
In saying all this, if you buy a good machine in the $20-30k range, use it for a couple years, you can probably sell it for what you paid for it. For the cost of maintance.
Rubber tracks, if you buy a rubber tracked machine, bearings, track wheels. Piston seals, hydraulic hoses, a worn under stage, pivot pins, listen for a whining hydraulic pump, engine oil leaks, excessive smoke, plugged cooling system, greasecerts plugged, or rusted. I would stay away from any machine that the paint is corroded off
Buy a well maintained machine, keep it maintained and you can get a couple thousand hours out of it with little money for repairs.
I would much rather buy a machine that was owned by a small business owner, such as an electrician, plumber, well guy, then a construction company. A construction company will usually wear these smaller units out pretty quick. Machines from a smaller rental company that gets new ones every 3 years or so, will usually keep them in good shape, well maintained so they hold there value for another trade in. Larger places tend to not pay close attention to small things, and are more concerned with getting the machine out to get money coming in, and won’t cancel rentals for maintanence and repairs. I would stay away from leased machines. This is what your typical construction company does, and they aren’t to concerned with maintenance, until it breaks down.
In saying all this, if you buy a good machine in the $20-30k range, use it for a couple years, you can probably sell it for what you paid for it. For the cost of maintance.
When I was researching minis everyone kept talking about the tracks and how I needed to make sure the tracks were good. I guess if I was financing the thing and living paycheck to paycheck that would be a big thing to consider. I saw it as just something to consider in the price. The e42 I bought had pretty worn tracks. I factored that in to the price I was offering. Not long into ownership I broke one of the old tracks. $1500 later I had two new tracks delivered. Took the old "good" track and put in the barn for emergency use. Tracks aren't cheap but they are items that will wear and need replacement periodically. Simply factor that into the price when comparing different machines.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
I saw on on machine trader that wasn't too far away and tried to call to arrange a visit. Got nothing but voicemail all day, so I decided to email them. They responded in an hour saying the machine had sold. After a little back and forth, they connected me with the regional sales manager. I emailed them my requirements. He said he had one coming in from NC, so I went to check it out today. It had 2170 hours on it. They were willing to add a thumb and two buckets in the quote. It was close enough to my budget to take a look. The machine had been leased to a pipeline company. It had been maintained well, but it was clearly rode hard and put up wet. One of the tracks was shot and on backwards! Lots of dings in the body that had rusted. The battery terminals were so corroded I could hardly see them.
Now I care much more about the mechanics than the cosmetics, but the cosmetics give an indication of how hard the machine was used. They had received two other back from the same lease. They were lower hours and more $ but they looked like they had been rode just as hard.
Whoever warned about leased machines earlier in the thread was certainly right about this case!
Thanks,
Jack
Now I care much more about the mechanics than the cosmetics, but the cosmetics give an indication of how hard the machine was used. They had received two other back from the same lease. They were lower hours and more $ but they looked like they had been rode just as hard.
Whoever warned about leased machines earlier in the thread was certainly right about this case!
Thanks,
Jack
4wanderingeyes
5 year old buck +
I am not a big Bobcat fan, and I dont know what they typically go for, but here is a machine that seems decent enough, and at least it is on the east coast. They also deliver.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
I watch machine trader daily. The problem is that I don't have time to drive all over to check out a machine only to pass on it. I'm hoping to find something in-state. The E45 would be a little to big for my 10K trailer anyway, but thanks for thinking of me.
Thanks,
Jack
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
When I was looking at the machine and chatting with the sales guy I mentioned a number of issues I saw. The unit did not have a bucket on it when I played with it, but even with no bucket, I could tell the coupler needed new bushings. The battery terminals were very badly corroded and I mentioned the one track was in bad shape in addition to being on backwards.
The salesman emailed me back offering to replace the bad track, install new bushings, and clean up the battery terminals. I turned him down but asked him to keep looking for me as more machines come in. Tonight, I found the machine listed on their web site. It was a lot of driving, but worth the experience. The machine is listed for $32K on the web site. They quoted me $31,900 including a thumb and second bucket. A JD thumb for the 35G sells for about $1750. They did not mention of the second bucket was new or not, so I'm going to presume it was used and allocate $650.
So, it looks like they were pretty quick to add at least $2,500 in value to the listed price. I realize it probably costs them significantly less than the $2,500, but this gives me a good feels for future negotiations on other machines.
Thanks,
Jack
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
Last week a guy had a 35G for sale on Craigslist. When I called him he told me a guy was coming to buy it the next day and he would get back to me if the guy for some reason did not buy it. As we were chatting, he told me he buys and sells equipment like this on a regular basis and would let me know if he get something similar.
He called me this morning. He has a kubota kx71-3 coming in. He sent me one low-res pic. He will take pics and send me details when it gets here. It appears to have a thumb, but so far there is no indication of an angled blade. He wants $27,500 for it, the same as he was asking for the 35G that sold. Other than "low hours" I don't have a description yet. I'm not sure if it has a quick exchange for the bucket or not.
I took a look at the general specs. It looks like this is a little over a ton lighter than the 35G.
Any thoughts on this model compared to a 35G?
He called me this morning. He has a kubota kx71-3 coming in. He sent me one low-res pic. He will take pics and send me details when it gets here. It appears to have a thumb, but so far there is no indication of an angled blade. He wants $27,500 for it, the same as he was asking for the 35G that sold. Other than "low hours" I don't have a description yet. I'm not sure if it has a quick exchange for the bucket or not.
I took a look at the general specs. It looks like this is a little over a ton lighter than the 35G.
Any thoughts on this model compared to a 35G?
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
I never got to see the Kubota as it sold before I got there. Not a big loss as I thought it was on the small side.
Today, I looked at a nice 35G with just under 1,000 hours. It has a long arm and a 24" and 12" bucket with it. Sprockets and rollers look in good shape. The tracks are about 65%. There is about 1" of cutting edge left on the angled blade. House rotation is fine and the 24" bucket and coupler that were on it were tight. Other than faded paint, it seems to be in nice shape. No apparent oil leaks or hydraulic leaks. The 12" bucket has loose roll pin attached teeth. The dealership is asking a bit more than I want to spend, but this machine looks in reasonable condition. I'm negotiating with them. Hopefully we can find middle ground.
Thakns,
Jack
Today, I looked at a nice 35G with just under 1,000 hours. It has a long arm and a 24" and 12" bucket with it. Sprockets and rollers look in good shape. The tracks are about 65%. There is about 1" of cutting edge left on the angled blade. House rotation is fine and the 24" bucket and coupler that were on it were tight. Other than faded paint, it seems to be in nice shape. No apparent oil leaks or hydraulic leaks. The 12" bucket has loose roll pin attached teeth. The dealership is asking a bit more than I want to spend, but this machine looks in reasonable condition. I'm negotiating with them. Hopefully we can find middle ground.
Thakns,
Jack
Sombra
Buck Fawn
Mr. Jack,
I'll think you'll save some coin and find a good machine by watching the auctions. In the very least you will see what the machines are going for on the open market.
https://www.govplanet.com/jsp/s/search.ips?k=deere 35g&sm=1&mf=1 Here you can see sold Deere 35G prices and details.
You can also keep an eye on items at proxibid.com.
Be patient and you can find a deal. Expect to pay $1 - $1.25 per mile to ship using USHIP.com or similar brokerage sites. If you see something here in Georgia that you want me to put eyes on, I am happy to help. Judge each of the rental company units on their own merit. Some are trashed and some are in decent shape, you just need to be able to see past the hideous green paint job. haha
BTW, I purchased a bulldozer and tractor this way. Paying much below what the online and local dealers are asking for equivalent machines. I'll use the bulldozer to do initial cleanup on my new tract and then sell it at breakeven or I can make a few bucks after "playing" with it for a while. When the bulldozer is sold, I too plan on keeping the tractor and an excavator to maintain the property and to offer my services out to other local land owners and hunting clubs.
-Sombra
I'll think you'll save some coin and find a good machine by watching the auctions. In the very least you will see what the machines are going for on the open market.
https://www.govplanet.com/jsp/s/search.ips?k=deere 35g&sm=1&mf=1 Here you can see sold Deere 35G prices and details.
You can also keep an eye on items at proxibid.com.
Be patient and you can find a deal. Expect to pay $1 - $1.25 per mile to ship using USHIP.com or similar brokerage sites. If you see something here in Georgia that you want me to put eyes on, I am happy to help. Judge each of the rental company units on their own merit. Some are trashed and some are in decent shape, you just need to be able to see past the hideous green paint job. haha
BTW, I purchased a bulldozer and tractor this way. Paying much below what the online and local dealers are asking for equivalent machines. I'll use the bulldozer to do initial cleanup on my new tract and then sell it at breakeven or I can make a few bucks after "playing" with it for a while. When the bulldozer is sold, I too plan on keeping the tractor and an excavator to maintain the property and to offer my services out to other local land owners and hunting clubs.
-Sombra
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
You are right. I've been watching things like Iron planet. The problem with many of them is that the online auctions don't make provision for personal inspection. Most of the in-person auctions that have on-line bidding do, but it would be quite a bit of travel to get to them. I'm far from having a mechanics eye. I have a bit more confidence when buying from a local dealer since they do have reputations to protect. The one that I'm looking at now, leased this particular machine. They were under contract for the maintenance, so they have all the maintenance records. I've also been looking at individual sales as wells machinery trader an the other on-line site. The more hours on a machine, the less confidence I have, simply because of my inability to assess them. Form the machines I've looked at so far, those in the 2,000 to 3,000 hours have been in pretty poor condition. Those under 700 hours are very expensive. It is beginning to look like machines around 1,000 are a good fit for me but pushing my price limits.
Thanks,
Jack
Sombra
Buck Fawn
While you are searching for an excavator, ask your neighbor and others in the construction business for references on good independent mechanics. An independent mechanic will come to you, have less expensive sources for service parts and will cost less per hour than the shop rates at the dealer. Plus, you won't have to load up the little booger and drag it down the road on your trailer.
-S
-S
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
Good point. I do have the name of at least one independent diesel mechanic and my neighbor may know others. My hope is to get a unit that is in good enough shape I won't need one while I own it. The one I'm negotiating on now just had the 1,000 hour service. The only things not cover at 1,000 for this unit are the coolant and hydraulic flushes. They are at 2,000 hours and I'll probably sell it before that.
Thanks,
Jack
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
I now have a handshake deal! 2014 JD 35g with a new 12" bucket, a very nice used 24" bucket, and a used 36" grading bucket. I have not yet seen pics of the grading bucket. It also has a tilt blade and thumb. It is just an open station. It has just under 1,000 hours on it and the full 1,000 hour service was just done. Tracks are about 65% but the sprockets and rollers seem to be in good shape.
I'm hoping to pick it up tomorrow.
I'm hoping to pick it up tomorrow.
