Buying used, What do I look for?

[Redpine]

Going to look at a b21 backhoe-loader available next week. Single owner, a nonprofit, used it to dig and fill holes in a landscaped facility. Stored in their maintenance building and regularly serviced by the dealer. Very clean.

What do I look for? How do i test it? I have maybe 120 hours on B9200 with loader and various attachment but I have never used a backhoe. I understand how the controls work but theory is one thing.....

Seems like a good fit and within reach of our budget. I already have a long list of things to do with the backhoe.

Very happy to have found this forum...

 

[D2Cat]

Redpine you say, "but I have never used a backhoe. I understand how the controls work but theory is one thing....."

Remember when you were a youngster and playing in the sand or dirt you'd extend your arm, cup your fingers together, roll your wrist back, and pull your arm towards you cupping the dirt? Well, if you've ever done that you have backhoe experience!!

Now we just dig with mechanical arms and fingers and cups.

Do you know the specific nonprofit organization? I'd do some homework. Find out that organization, who did their maintenance and talk to him. Find out everything you can. When did they purchase it, who operated it (more then one person), what did he like about it, what (about it) caused him the most grief, how often was it serviced, why did they get rid of it, would you say it's a good machine, if you needed a machine like that one for your personal use would you consider purchasing it?

Three questions to get the most information from:
1. Did you like it?
2. What caused you the most grief about operating it?
3. If you could snap your fingers and change something about it, what would that be?

Then confirm with the dealer who did the service, his opinion of use/abuse and service life left. Ask the service dept, not the sales dept.

You personally can look to see if the hoe has welds, loose pins or other obvious defects.

Best case scenario, see if you can "play" with it a while. Either delivered to your place for a couple of days, or maybe they have a yard in the back. to see if the controls function, etc.

 

[85Hokie]

Going to look at a b21 backhoe-loader available next week. Single owner, a nonprofit, used it to dig and fill holes in a landscaped facility. Stored in their maintenance building and regularly serviced by the dealer. Very clean.

What do I look for? How do i test it? I have maybe 120 hours on B9200 with loader and various attachment but I have never used a backhoe. I understand how the controls work but theory is one thing.....

Seems like a good fit and within reach of our budget. I already have a long list of things to do with the backhoe.

Very happy to have found this forum...

Dcat: "Best case scenario, see if you can "play" with it a while. Either delivered to you place for a couple of days, or maybe they have a yard in the back. to see if the controls function, etc."

great advice!

look at the records, ask what has been done - oil(s) changes, lubes....when....how often...

and as far as hoe work - you will find that reading a book or manual on the controls are useless - set it up and "play" let your fingers do the walking

take the teeth and extend the bucket all the way out flat - now bring the bucket back to you by dragging the teeth pointing straight down the entire path. Like taking you arm and hand and pushing it all the way out, bending the elbow as your fingers stay perpendicular to the grass.

Do the same thing again but keep the bucket teeth FLAT on the ground as you do it , and then do ALL of that in reverse.

Swing the bucket/boom/ stick and try to knock down "cans" or something else.....after a while you will not be thinking of what your hands are doing, rather how "smooth" you are doing it. Hope that makes sense.

btw, once you get the machine - you will fall in love with it and think of 100's of things to do with it that you never thought of before!

 

[CaveCreekRay]

RedPine,

I had owned my Kubota for 18 months when I had to rent a mini-excavator from Homie 'Po. Its just a backhoe on a mini tread tank. I was hoping to get it back in under the 4-hour partial rate.

I had never ever operated one and it came with no instructions. It only had about 16 levers in the cab. After unchaining it, I started it up and at low RPM, moved every lever until I figured out what each did. Then, I backed it off the trailer.

The digging was pretty herky-jerky-goofy-stupid with me regularly knocking the excavator back on its grading blade. I had an electrician at the site and he and my wife laughed while she videoed me. After an hour, I was making far less mistakes and actually managed to dig down six feet, and then laterally, scrape my way over to the 2" PVC water line without damaging it. HOME RUN!!!! Got the machine back early. PHEW!

You learn by doing. I was pretty bad on my Kubota for the first month yet I used to cruise around effortlessly in my 737 at work like it was my car, without even thinking about it. That part will come in time.

Service. Scrapes. Broken shrouds or parts. Look at the filters and see it they are the same color as the frame, indicating they were never changed (like mine weren't!). General condition speaks volumes. If its under 200 hours, its essentially brand new, even if they never did anything to it.

Get a good deal and enjoy it. AND SEND PICTURES!!!!

Ray

 

[Redpine]

D2Cat,

"Do you know the specific nonprofit organization? I'd do some homework. Find out that organization, who did their maintenance and talk to him. Find out everything you can. When did they purchase it, who operated it (more then one person), what did he like about it, what (about it) caused him the most grief, how often was it serviced, why did they get rid of it, would you say it's a good machine, if you needed a machine like that one for your personal use would you consider purchasing it?"


I know who owned it. I went to see it at their facility. It was inside the maintenance building and there was no one around. It was behind a fence 20 feet away. all the equipment in the building was very clean and well ordered. I will try again to find the operator.

"Then confirm with the dealer who did the service, his opinion of use/abuse and service life left. Ask the service dept, not the sales dept."

I spoke with the head of the service department at the dealer. there was a pretty beat b21 in the service yard he let me look at. He said the one coming in is a very good machine and they have done all the maintenance on it.

85Hokie,

"look at the records, ask what has been done - oil(s) changes, lubes....when....how often...

and as far as hoe work - you will find that reading a book or manual on the controls are useless - set it up and "play" let your fingers do the walking

take the teeth and extend the bucket all the way out flat - now bring the bucket back to you by dragging the teeth pointing straight down the entire path. Like taking you arm and hand and pushing it all the way out, bending the elbow as your fingers stay perpendicular to the grass.

Do the same thing again but keep the bucket teeth FLAT on the ground as you do it , and then do ALL of that in reverse.

Swing the bucket/boom/ stick and try to knock down "cans" or something else.....after a while you will not be thinking of what your hands are doing, rather how "smooth" you are doing it. Hope that makes sense."

That does make sense and i am doing that in my head until i can actually have the controls in my hands.

"btw, once you get the machine - you will fall in love with it and think of 100's of things to do with it that you never thought of before!"

If that is the case I am really in trouble"

CaveCreekRay,

"You learn by doing. I was pretty bad on my Kubota for the first month yet I used to cruise around effortlessly in my 737 at work like it was my car, without even thinking about it. That part will come in time."

I am looking forward to doing just that! Brings to mind a story a dear friend of mine told from when he was in the service. A fighter pilot friend of his finished his maneuvers, had a hot date and was in a hurry, so he jumped into his sports car without changing out of his flight suit. Took off down the hwy at a high rate of speed. A car turned in front of him from a side street. He thought no problem, stepped on the accelerator, and pulled back on the wheel...

 

[ShaunBlake]

... I had to rent a mini-excavator from Homie 'Po... digging was pretty herky-jerky-goofy-stupid with me regularly knocking the excavator back on its grading blade... electrician at the site and my wife laughed while she videoed me...

I've gotta see that vid! Especially if she kept filming until you were groovin! Hope you'll post them in the forum.