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OT: What to look for in buying a used Excavator (Trackhoe)

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charles todd

Well-known Member
OT: What to look for in buying a used Excavator (Trackhoe)

This is a little off topic from the normal "Red" talk, but here I go... What to look for in buying a used 8,000 lb - 16,000 lb excavator. I am looking to keep the cost to about $10k -$12k. I plan to use it for an occasional stump, digging a small pond, installing concrete culverts, and cleaning up along about 3/4 mile (per side) of creek banks. Most in this class have rubber tracks, but some are steel. I do not think one of the "mini" hoes will fit my needs.

What do you think? Will this size hoe fit the bill? Any certain things to check before buying?

Thank guys,

Charles
 
I suppose I'd just check all the wear points on the boom and all the rollers in the track system. Turn it over the side and lift the track off the ground and turn the rollers by hand. They should turn pretty firmly with no roughness. They are usually sealed bearings but the ones I'm familiar with were serviced as a unit. Check for stretched tracks by looking at the hyd. tensioner if it has one. If it's fully extended then that's bad. Check for slop in the swing mechanism by swinging just a little and changing directions quickly but lightly. Check the swing brake
by swinging quickly and letting go of the control it should stop very quickly. Check for obvious cylinder leaks and fluid leaks in the engine compartment. Look at all the hyd. hoses. Make sure all the electronics work and work correctly. Most importantly try to use it for a day before you buy it to make sure the thing works well when it gets shook around and hot. Good Luck! ...Randy
 
I have been doing a little research and think an 8k lb machine will sufice. Especially for the price range I have. We have settled on a Komatsu PC38. It has almost 7,000 lb digging force, full cab, and 16' reach. I could buy a bigger machine, but I feel I'll be working on it more than using it.

If anyone has any likes/dislikes or think it is too small for a light farm excavator, please feel free to respond. Mind we have not paid for it yet!

Charles
 
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