New here—looking for my first backhoe. Advice welcome!

[KSSS]

I would try and find a CASE Super L that has some life left. Really solid machines. Not much electronics to worry about. I agree with thoughts on the 4-1. What I hate about them is the reduced capacity to move dirt. I would pass on the 4 N 1.

 

[Haas]

I have 7400 hours on my Case 580 SE mid 80s backhoe and have spent many dollars and many hours making it very dependable.
You should be able to get Mid 90’s right on the edge of Emissions with 4x4 and a thumb for 20 to 25k. Thinking 3 to 5k hours.
Thinking Cat 416 or 420, Case 580k, NH LB75, Ford triple nickel.
The list is big but find a nice clean machine. If I find a cab full of trash, I run like hell.

I’ve found a few 580k. (Hours pushing 6000) I heard there was one 580 model that was an odd ball, in between or something, had some parts that only worked for that letter designation. Does anyone know out which model it was? It seems like I read it was K or N

 

[HarleyHappy]

There were 3 different phases for the K model and there were transmission issues I believe on one of the phases but I am not sure what was what.
Other than that, I believe all the Case machines were solid.

 

[Haas]

I would try and find a CASE Super L that has some life left. Really solid machines. Not much electronics to worry about. I agree with thoughts on the 4-1. What I hate about them is the reduced capacity to move dirt. I would pass on the 4 N 1.

Can you explain that a little more? Being inexperienced I don’t understand why it has a reduced capacity to move dirt. Does the clam shell joint make the bucket weak?

 

[KSSS]

The cy capacity on 4-1 is less than a typical dirt bucket .

 

[JL Sargent]

Love my 4n1 bucket. Makes storm cleanup and road clearing a dream. Picking up and carrying logs and stumps are much easier than without it. I have both kinds of loaders.

When you check out a backhoe, get it up to operating temperature. Might take 30 minutes of run time to do that. Hydraulic or transmission fluid might only misbehave when hot.

 

[HarleyHappy]

I personally believe that is the most important advice but often one of the hardest rules to enact. The best case scenario would be the backhoe or loader or most anything equipment related, sitting in a gravel pit and the seller lets the perspective buyer run it up to HYDRAULIC operating temp and then gets to push, pull, lift, dump, drive, back up.
Everything needed to see if the DRIVETRAIN and HYDRAULIC pump has what it takes.
Of the 45 or 55 machines and I think it might be more than that, that I have bought, I was able to do that less than 4 times.
The last one, I told the seller what I wanted to do and he was accommodating on the phone and I showed up and it took 20 minutes before it got pretty warm as it was cold out. Great machine.