Used Loader Backhoe

UP Oliver

Member
I would like to get myself a used loader backhoe someday to use around the farm. I have a lot of questions if anyone out there would like to throw some advice my way.

I have been looking mostly at Case and John Deere, has anyone used or owned many different makes and has a favorite?

Is there a blue book type document out there to provide some guidance on what a machine is worth? I know a 1992 in good shape with low hours can be worth more than a 1999, but I'm looking for something to provide at least a ballpark price.

Are there some makes I should stay away from that have ridiculous costs for replacement parts?

Thanks in advance for any help.
 
If I were in the market I'd be looking for a Case 580C or newer, or a Ford 555 through about a 555D.
Don't see many Deere hoes in this area.
Parts availability is good for those models of Case and Ford. Ford has a stronger hoe and loader than Case, but either would be an excellent choice.

A 555 is from around '80. A 555D would be from around the early 90's.
A 580C (not 580CK, those are older and less capable)Case would date from around '75-80.

I know guys that have had Case 580C, and 580SE, and Deere 410, and Ford 555B, 555C. I have a Ford 555. All very good machines.

You should be able to find an early 80's hoe for $7500-10,000 in good condition. They won't have 4WD or work as fast as modern machines.

Consider a cab and extendable hoe. A set of forks will come in real handy. If you can, try to get a couple of buckets for the hoe. A 12" and 24" would be good to have. A shuttle trans is great for loader work.

Beyond parts availability/cost for a particular make/model you'll want to check on the condition. Typical things like engine, trans,tires, hydraulic performance/condition, plus check all the pins and hoses on both the loader and hoe. Also check the loader and hoe for cracks and areas that have been repaired/welded.

You can get an idea of what's available and pricing on the machinery trader website, but I find pricing on there to be substantially higher than what I see locally.
 
It was several years ago now I bought a Ford 655A at auction. 3000 some hours, cab, 2WD, X-hoe, $11,000 some odd dollars.
It's been a good machine, as was the IH 3444 before it. One reason I bought this one is that it has standard size tires, so I could put regular tractor traction type tires on it. Some of the others have odd sized industrial tires.
I later added a 4' ditch cleaning bucket, and a 12' snow pusher.
 
I've got many wheeled backhoe-loaders. A 1964 Ford 4000 Industrial with 723 hoe, a 1962 International Harvester 3414 with a 3120 hoe, a 1966 Case 580CK, a 1966 Pettibone Multihoe LDA, and a 1977 Deere 300B with a 9250 hoe. The Deere 300B is by far the nicest to use and the handiest.

Deere gets the best traction and gets into tight places well. Has great power brakes and power steering, two stick hoe, diff lock, and a hydraulic reverser. Hoe uses one single swing cylinder but conventional and not a barrel cylinder. Uses a lot of proprietary parts that must come from Deere. Still my favorite machine though.

The Ford 4000 is crude but rugged. Also gets great traction and probably more digging force then it ought to. Uses a lot of generic parts. Same hydraulic pump as used on my IH and Case. My rig has a Sherman underdrive. That makes it a lot more useful.

Case 580CK. Had foot-pedal swing on the hoe. Also has torque-converter drive that I do not like. Uses quite a few geneic parts and is a very rrugged machine.

Pettibone - a big ugly beast made mostly of generic truck parts. Torque-converter drive, Detroit Diesel 3-53 engine, and air-over-hydraulic brakes. Easy to get parts for. Too slow to drive on a highway and too heavy for me to truck.
 
I bought a used Case 480D about six years ago. I had owned a Ford and an International years earlier, and needed this machine to clean up a newly purchased property.
I moved from that place and tried to sell the 480 but not give away.
As it turned out, I used it many hours at my new home. I even made a platform for the front bucket, to work off of. I know the dangers of using the front bucket for this purpose, and always take precautions.
Seems like every time I decide I am finished with my work, something else comes up.
For me--its like having money in the bank, and has paid for itself!
I just sleep better at night knowing I have a backhoe--LOL!
 
The 4500's are "older and cheaper" but can be "older and more expensive" to keep running. I have two, one with hoe, and I've done good bit of work with it - but a newer machine could easily make more sense for less total money unless you find the mythical (not quite, I have seen it mentioned) one that had an easy life at the golf course and got good maintenance, rather than the many that were rode hard and sat in the rain when not working. I have two only because it became clear that I might need two to get enough parts to make one fully functional, and the second one appeared to be worth the price for the good parts in it.

Still trying to figure out if I load them up and have them hauled off to Tony Jacobs or keep pecking away at them myself. Money .vs. time and there's never enough of either.
 
I had 2 , a 580ck and a 580b both were good . But both have to be broke in half for clutch replacement . Starting at a 580 C and up this is not necessary. So whatever you purchase , make sure that you work it first ,not just drive it around , check all cylinders, brakes, etc.
 
UP Oliver:

If you already have your own tractor you can buy NEW stand-alone backhoes for about $3000. that mount on the 3 point & have their own hydraulic pumps that are powered off of the PTO shaft. The one that comes to my mind at the moment is the Dong Feng, Artrac AT 3024 . But there others that are similar, just check on the Internet.

Doc
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Aside from the potential joy of getting parts for a "Dong Feng" when the company no longer exists, tiny 3-point hitch backhoes have very limited usefulness, even when made by Woods or some other company you've actually heard of and might expect to still see in another 5 years.

I have occasionally wanted my 13 foot hoe to be bigger. I have never wanted it to be smaller (I have wanted a narrower bucket, and will probably get one someday.) There are a few space constrained places where a machine with smaller overall size is useful because you cannot fit in a bigger machine, but even there, you want as much hoe as the small machine can fit, to get work done.

I've thanked my lucky stars many times over that I did not buy the 8 foot Woods 3-point equipped tractor I looked at early in my search. I'd probably still be digging away at stumps that took me 3 days with the 13 foot hoe. With such short reach, it's difficult to remove spoil from the trench far enough that it does not fall back in, unless the trench is very shallow. You'll work 3-4 times as long to get the same work done with a little hoe as a big hoe, and you simply cannot do some of what you can do with a big hoe.

If you are thinking of buying a tiny backhoe, go rent one and use it for a day, first.
 
Another thought; if you have a loader on a tractor- look at some of the small excavators- lots of them around- and lots more machine than a little three point hoe.
I didn't go that route because I wanted a loader, and I'm constantly going on the road with my machine, plow snow with it, etc.
 
Actually I have an old loader, an Allis Chalmers 840 that is in great shape. Just getting an excavator is a thought, although I was planning to sell the loader eventually if I got a decent loader/backhoe.

Thanks.
 
Along with the Ford 655A TLB, I have a Fiat/Allis FD5 dozer. The combination works well, and it's often nice to have two machines.
I don't know how having the loader and an excavator would work for you. Moving an excavator about/across a road, etc. on rubber, or flat pads would simplify things a little. My dozer would get more use if I didn't have to load it to move it around.
 
I'd recommend a 555A-D (or 655) Frod, or a later series Case. Only thing with the 555B, they were poening a new factory to build the C's, and for some reason they opened the new plant early. FOr whatever reason they weren't completely ready to switch to the C, so for several months they built the 555C, and put the 555B cab on it. Any NH dealer worth a snot can find out if that's the case with any particular machine if you take them the VIN.

If you've got mud, you'd want one of the Ford models with the 16.9 rear tires. You can balance them on the rear tires and walk right through mud that no machine has a right to be walking right through. I once did that to drive around my dad and pull him through a field when he was putting tile in for a neighbor.

That's my main complaint about the Case (and most newer) machines. The rear tires are so wide, they are helpless in a little mud. He couldn't even push himself through it that day. Also the skid-steer tires on the front FWA axle. There isn't enough sidewall there to work in a lot of rock. With a full bucket, it doesn't take much of one to pop the bead loose. If the 590 front axle would interchange to the 580 Super M, dad would put one in, just to avoid the tire headaches.
 
I bought a "76 Ford 550 about 5 years ago from the original owner. Strong running machine that I have not had any problems with. I run it about 100 hours a year; does not use a drop of oil. Be careful, I looked for over a year before I found a good machine - there is a lot of worn out junk out there that will be nothing but trouble and a money pit. GA Jim
 

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