
Cecil
Any backhoe is better than none at all--but since I have owned them for some 35 years, I will put in my nickle.  I am currently the owner of a Case--580 D that we bought a few years ago from a private oil operator with only 1000 hours on it.  I am happy and it is a good machine. I have owned and rented later model case's and they are good machines and operator friendly.  That said, my favorite machines have been Ford/NH.  I had a 5500, then 2 555's and they are work horses. I believe that they have more breakout force on the hoe and with a good operator, they are the fastest trench machine out there.  Here, they are the second most popular machine behind the Case.  The current NH's have one thing that has some of the local oil field contractors complaining about--the fiberglass hood/cowling.  They tend to get beat up with non owner operators. 
I dont care for the Deere's from an operator standpoint.  My son has a 410 and a Case 580K and the Case is always used first.  He works down on lake spillways and tight spots and says the JD is not as easy to put in a hole and get back out.  I can't get used to the feel of operating one.  I have rented Cat's a few times and they are great--but the resale here is CAT and inflated IMHO.
My real dog of a Backhoe loader was a 2586 (I think that was the #) with gas engine.  It used a hydraulic motor to swing the hoe, rather than cylinders and it was gutless.  But at the time, it was my only hoe and better than a sharp stick in the eye.   
Brad and I bought a 780, 4wd, extendahoe for his FIL down at Victoria for $14500 and it was a steel--It is just a heavy machine to move around.
If I was buying tomorrow, I would look at Ford/NH then Case.  I would try for 4wd and buy extend-a-hoe if there.  
Good luck with the clearing and developing projects.
Looking forward to Portland.
Bear
--- Cecil Monson <cmonson@hvc.rr.com> wrote:

From: Cecil Monson <cmonson@hvc.rr.com>
Date: Sat, 16 Jul 2005 07:54:59 -0400
To: Antique tractor email discussion group <at@lists.antique-tractor.com>
Subject: [AT] O/T Trying to find a good used backhoe

	I'm in the market for a good used backhoe and went up
north of the Catskill Mountains two days ago to look at a Case
580-E that looked pretty good in the photo. I figured for a
price of $14K, this could be a good machine but was wrong. It
looked to me as though it had been rode hard and put away wet
a few too many times. If there was a pin or bushing on the hoe
that wasn't worn right out, I couldn't find it. Even the main
pivot pin for the boom had the nut welded on to hold it in
place. Oh well, keep on looking, I guess. The left side door
had been mangled and was tied closed with a piece of rope.
It had a 4 in 1 bucket on it but the bottom pan had a piece
of steel tack welded on the bottom to close a hole that was
worn right thru it. I liked the shuttle drive and the gimbel
controls and the engine started and sounded great but there
were too many problems to consider this one.

	I'm not too sure of what brand I want either. I have
more time in the seat of a 580K than any other so I tend to
look for them. I see a lot of JD 310 machines for sale as well
as some 410 and 510 JDs. Also here and there Ford and JD 555
backhoes.

	I wondered if any of you who use backhoes in your
work have any comments on any of these. Any problems that go
with any particular brand or size. I need this machine for
about a year to pull some large stumps, move a couple rock
piles and also move a dozen or so large rocks, build a driveway,
dig a septic system as well as bring in my utilities underground
from the road to the house. It will have to do most of the
landscaping also except for some grading my dozer can do. Lots
of logs to handle too with over 40 full cords of hardwood in log
length stuff waiting for me and the saw. I figure with the cost
of weekly rental between $1400 and $1800 a week, I'm better off to
buy, use it for a year and if I'm careful with it and want to sell
it after I am done, I can get most or all of my money back.

	Any comments would be appreciated.

Cecil
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