[AT] Re: Off topic but greatreading ---- Somewhat back on topic - backhoes

[Cecil E Monson]

> While that is a great price, I would be very cautious about such a machine. The 580CK is one of the first of the 580 series and probably has a LOT of hours on it. While the 580 is an excellent machine, in general, repairing it enough to make it usable can be very expensive. I saw many similar TLBs come in to our shop, and the estimates for repairs shocked the owners. The expensive items were pins & bushings in the boom, dipper, and swing posts. Then there were items that were not so obvious: valves and hydraulic pumps.


	Anyone who takes one of these older machines in to a dealer to
have them "go thru it" is asking to be taken down the road. For one
thing, in our area at least, dealer charges for any mechanic are up
between $50 and $75 an hour. Pins and bushings are no problem to replace
yourself if you think the job over carefully. I replaced all the pins and
bushings in the loader on my JD loader myself. You just have to learn how
to handle the heavy weight of these things. Hoses are another thing that
are let go but anyone with any ability at all can replace hoses. No sense
in going to a dealer for this either. After all most of us would not be
using an old backhoe to do commercial work and would not have men standing
around doing nothing while repairs are made. Pumps are something else and
possibly so are control valves because pumps require close tolerances and
valves have so many possible configurations. Again, whether you are talking
about a small or large machine, and are looking for something to use around
the place occasionally, you can find good bargains if you use some common
sense. FWIW, if I was a dealer, I would have seen that ad myself in the
paper this morning and would already be there looking at it. I was beat out
to a nice Allis D series tractor last year by a dealer who reads the ads
just as I do.

Cecil
-- 
The nicest thing about telling the truth is you never have to wonder
what you said.

Cecil E Monson
Lucille Hand-Monson
Mountainville, New York   Just a little east of the North Pole

Allis Chalmers tractors and equipment

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