Case 580 C or E w/extendahoe, need testimony

[checkthisout]

I have a couple acres that I need to landscape and do some earthmoving work on.

Rental of of equipment is 600 bucks a day for a backhoe or theirabouts so I feel it would be smarter just to purchase a used one instead of renting.

There are several of these used for 12-$12-14000.00 most are mid 80's with 3000-5000 hours on them. I found a 98 John Deere 6500 hours for $17,000.00

Anyways, with that many hours am I just purchasing a can of worms? What should I look for when shopping? What is notorious for breaking and costing a lot of money? I have a mechanical past so I know the basics to look for. My plan is to purchase one, use it for a couple hundred hours then sell it for close to what I paid for it so I want to avoid any huge repairs.

Thanks in advance!!!

[eagleeye]

Unless you just have to have a hoe, I would reccomend a skid steer for landscaping and light excavating. I have a Case 1845C that I have had for about 3 years and finally have enough experience with it that I can do about anything. I built my house and am now landscaping, the skid steer is tons more manuverable up close to the house than a back hoe. I also have a back hoe attachment that has come in quite handy for digging small holes and shallow trenching.

[MrJimi]

Both machines have their use, I also own a Case 1845 C skidsteer and I love it and it will move lots of dirt in a hurry, Get the back hoe if you can justify the back hoe part, other than that a skidsteer will do real good and Case 1845 C's are strong and around 10 K.
Jim

[checkthisout]

Originally Posted by eagleeye

Unless you just have to have a hoe, I would reccomend a skid steer for landscaping and light excavating. I have a Case 1845C that I have had for about 3 years and finally have enough experience with it that I can do about anything. I built my house and am now landscaping, the skid steer is tons more manuverable up close to the house than a back hoe. I also have a back hoe attachment that has come in quite handy for digging small holes and shallow trenching.

There is a Bobcat skidsteer with a backhoe attachment for $12,000.00 too with something like 3500 hours on it.

Do you suppose this would be a better choice?

I know the skidsteers are definitely better for moving around gravel and dirt.

How does their digging power compare and, anything I need to know about an 89 bobcat 692?

And just to add, the backhoe is necessary for some excavating work I will be doing for a shop and for taking out about 20 stumps. The stumps are a mix of big leaf maple, fir, cedar and alder that range in size from about 18 inches up to about 3 feet at the base. I realize the smaller equipment will take time to get these stumps out.

[eagleeye]

While I am not very knowledgeable about Bobcat brand skid loaders, I know they build a great product. $12000 sounds maybe a little high for a skid loader and hoe attachment but at the same time, Bobcats may hold their value a little better than Case, especially if the hoe is Bobcat and in good condition. There digging power is better suited for just digging holes as opposed to trenching. A hoe attachment can trench, it just becomes a chore to have to move from the attachment to the skid loader every 5-10 minutes to reposition the machine. Whenever I have a lot of trenching to do that requires a trench wider than 4-6 inches, I rent a mini excavator. I think the last time I rented one it cost me $150 or $175 for the day. When you figure in the time savings, you'll come out ahead. As for the stump removal, 1.5 to 3 feet in diameter are pretty good size stumps, again, I would reccomend renting a stump grinder. You can really pay yourself with a grinder when you consider a lot of guys are charging anywhere from $2 to $5 a diameter inch for grinding. With 20 or so stumps, you will come out way ahead for a $50 to $75 rental fee.
Another thing I like about a skid loader is they weigh less than half what a backhoe weighs and can be pulled with a smaller lighter trailer.

[checkthisout]

Originally Posted by eagleeye

While I am not very knowledgeable about Bobcat brand skid loaders, I know they build a great product. $12000 sounds maybe a little high for a skid loader and hoe attachment but at the same time, Bobcats may hold their value a little better than Case, especially if the hoe is Bobcat and in good condition. There digging power is better suited for just digging holes as opposed to trenching. A hoe attachment can trench, it just becomes a chore to have to move from the attachment to the skid loader every 5-10 minutes to reposition the machine. Whenever I have a lot of trenching to do that requires a trench wider than 4-6 inches, I rent a mini excavator. I think the last time I rented one it cost me $150 or $175 for the day. When you figure in the time savings, you'll come out ahead. As for the stump removal, 1.5 to 3 feet in diameter are pretty good size stumps, again, I would reccomend renting a stump grinder. You can really pay yourself with a grinder when you consider a lot of guys are charging anywhere from $2 to $5 a diameter inch for grinding. With 20 or so stumps, you will come out way ahead for a $50 to $75 rental fee.
Another thing I like about a skid loader is they weigh less than half what a backhoe weighs and can be pulled with a smaller lighter trailer.

This is excellent information, thank you.

As you can see, I am basically looking for a machine than can do it all and I realize I might have to make some compromises.

I rented a mini excavator twice and a 28 horsepowe tractor but I just have a hard time swallowing those rental fees and I hate having to rush those 1 or two days to get everything done because when you're renting, time is money.

My neighbor runs a tree cutting business and will grind the stumps for free but I am going to be in this house awhile and I want them completely removed because rotting stumps start to leave depressions in your yard that become riding lawnmower traps.

I think the Bobcat is going to win simply because I will be able to manuever better without a Hoe swinging off the back.

The longer I wait, the more that come on the market because the landscapers and builders are dropping like flies.

[eagleeye]

One other thing you might want to consider when buying a used skid loader is parts availability. I have a Case dealer 20 minutes from the house, which in those rare times when I need parts, comes in quite handy.