What should i buy?

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dirtyb115

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Hi all. I decided to sell my older scat trak 1350 in hopes of getting something that i can find parts for easily, and manuals, ect.. I am going to be putting in a pretty long driveway, with some pretty good grade changes, so im gonna be moving quite a bit of dirt, and doing alot of digging. I was thinking the 763 might be a good choice? Id like to spend as little as possible, but enough to get something that will last. (6k-10k range). Any models that are more desired than others? SHould I stay away from any particular machines? Im open to other brands as welll. any advice would be appreciated. Thanks! dirtyb
 

Tazza

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If its parts availability you are looking for, any Bobcat brand machine will give you this service.
This is just a personal thing, but the only machine i would steer clear of is the 751's with a Peugeot engine. I'm pretty sure it was the 751's that had that engine... The only reason is the cost of repairing the engine or fuel injector pump. Like i said, thats just me.
 
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dirtyb115

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If its parts availability you are looking for, any Bobcat brand machine will give you this service.
This is just a personal thing, but the only machine i would steer clear of is the 751's with a Peugeot engine. I'm pretty sure it was the 751's that had that engine... The only reason is the cost of repairing the engine or fuel injector pump. Like i said, thats just me.
I found a 753 that looks to be in pretty good shape. 2700 hours, starts right up, no smoke, no leaks, no excessive play. New tires, tooth bucket with new teeth, kubota engine. He is asking 8500. If i could get it for say around 8k, would that be an okay deal?
 
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dirtyb115

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I found a 753 that looks to be in pretty good shape. 2700 hours, starts right up, no smoke, no leaks, no excessive play. New tires, tooth bucket with new teeth, kubota engine. He is asking 8500. If i could get it for say around 8k, would that be an okay deal?
Its a 97 model, forgot to mention that
 

140mower

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Its a 97 model, forgot to mention that
That sounds like a pretty good price,( around here a decent machine will run you $10,000 to $14,000 with-out cab and heat ,add another $3000 to $4000 with cab and heat) and the 753 is nice little machine, but I found them to be a little tippy fore and aft compared to my 763 which is the long wheel based version. They are rated at 1300 lbs lift and about 16 gpm flow at the aux. hydraulics. Running the tires with narrow offset wheels they are about 60" wide and with the wide offset they are about 66" wide. (I'm running my 763 in the wide configuration for stability). A little more info on it's uses will help determine which is the best balance between the needs and wants.
How steep of grade changes will you be faced with. Will you also be using it for snow removal? Or will you be reselling the machine once the drive is in?
Don
 
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dirtyb115

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That sounds like a pretty good price,( around here a decent machine will run you $10,000 to $14,000 with-out cab and heat ,add another $3000 to $4000 with cab and heat) and the 753 is nice little machine, but I found them to be a little tippy fore and aft compared to my 763 which is the long wheel based version. They are rated at 1300 lbs lift and about 16 gpm flow at the aux. hydraulics. Running the tires with narrow offset wheels they are about 60" wide and with the wide offset they are about 66" wide. (I'm running my 763 in the wide configuration for stability). A little more info on it's uses will help determine which is the best balance between the needs and wants.
How steep of grade changes will you be faced with. Will you also be using it for snow removal? Or will you be reselling the machine once the drive is in?
Don
Well, the grade is pretty steep. (at least initally, hopefully ill be making it a bit more bareable) My scat track did okay on it, but had my bucket down hill at all times, really didnt want to get sideways on it. This 753 looks like it has been taken care of, unlike so many i see. I also found someone with a 773, but he wants 9000, and it has more hours, and its 4 hours away as opposed to 1 hour away for the 753. So you really dont like the 753 on the steaper grades huh? Once i am done with the drive, i would like to keep it for snow removal, and trail upkeep. (plus i got a little pitbike track id like to keep up on .)
 

140mower

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Well, the grade is pretty steep. (at least initally, hopefully ill be making it a bit more bareable) My scat track did okay on it, but had my bucket down hill at all times, really didnt want to get sideways on it. This 753 looks like it has been taken care of, unlike so many i see. I also found someone with a 773, but he wants 9000, and it has more hours, and its 4 hours away as opposed to 1 hour away for the 753. So you really dont like the 753 on the steaper grades huh? Once i am done with the drive, i would like to keep it for snow removal, and trail upkeep. (plus i got a little pitbike track id like to keep up on .)
Don't take me wrong here, The 753 is a very sturdy and capable machine I just found it to be a little less stable than the longer wheel based version.(I was also just learning when I ran the 753 and must admit there wasn't much I liked about the whole skidsteer concept at the time.
emotion-12.gif
) Given that it will potentialy be spending the rest of it's life on steep grades I'd prefer the longer wheel base, but the 753 should do the job just fine, just use a little extra care in the steeper areas especially the short choppy pitches. The other thing is if you plow much snow a cab goes a long ways towards making the task a little more bearable, not to mention the first hornets nest you dig up more than pays for the cab in my opinion. Adding a cab later seems to be a common goal of many owners, but finding something suitable seems to be the hard part. I held out, and waited until I found one with cab and heat, you pay a little more up front, but comfort is important too, plus you should get that back should you decide to sell it again later.
The 773 is also a longer wheel based machine but visibility is somewhat sacrificed with the vertical lift arm configuration and have heard they aren't quite as good for grading as the radial lift machines, but have no first hand experience with them to say how they compare.
If you go with the 753 (or any other for that matter) it might be an idea to rent a set of tracks for it over a weekend while you punch out the steeper sections and if you're really feeling adventurous rent a tilt-tach too and it'll make a huge difference if your putting in a switchback or two.
If you haven't noticed, I sure do like spending other peoples money, even more than my own and my wife says I'm pretty good at finding a new home for ours.
emotion-13.gif

Good luck and let us know how you make out.
Don
 
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dirtyb115

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Don't take me wrong here, The 753 is a very sturdy and capable machine I just found it to be a little less stable than the longer wheel based version.(I was also just learning when I ran the 753 and must admit there wasn't much I liked about the whole skidsteer concept at the time.) Given that it will potentialy be spending the rest of it's life on steep grades I'd prefer the longer wheel base, but the 753 should do the job just fine, just use a little extra care in the steeper areas especially the short choppy pitches. The other thing is if you plow much snow a cab goes a long ways towards making the task a little more bearable, not to mention the first hornets nest you dig up more than pays for the cab in my opinion. Adding a cab later seems to be a common goal of many owners, but finding something suitable seems to be the hard part. I held out, and waited until I found one with cab and heat, you pay a little more up front, but comfort is important too, plus you should get that back should you decide to sell it again later.
The 773 is also a longer wheel based machine but visibility is somewhat sacrificed with the vertical lift arm configuration and have heard they aren't quite as good for grading as the radial lift machines, but have no first hand experience with them to say how they compare.
If you go with the 753 (or any other for that matter) it might be an idea to rent a set of tracks for it over a weekend while you punch out the steeper sections and if you're really feeling adventurous rent a tilt-tach too and it'll make a huge difference if your putting in a switchback or two.
If you haven't noticed, I sure do like spending other peoples money, even more than my own and my wife says I'm pretty good at finding a new home for ours.
Good luck and let us know how you make out.
Don
Thanks again for all the info. I will definitely let you know what i end up getting. My old one sells in about 5 days, so hopefully i find something i want soon after. I think im gonna try for the 753 or 763. Now sounds like you have had some experience on driveways on steep terain?? I am sure ill need some advice when i get started :). I have about 9 acres. There is about 3 acres of flat ground on top of a hill (kind of like a platuea.) I want to take the drive up this hill. It is about 50 feet high, and 250 feet long. Ill have abou 200 feet of width going up the hill to work with. My initial thought was to start on top, about 50-100 feet back on the flat area. That way i could have a 300-350' length taking the grade from 20% to 14-16% if i were to go straight at it. I thought maybe 1 or 2 switchbacks would help alot to, but dont know where to begin on that :). Anyways, first thing is first. Ill let you know what i get !
 
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dirtyb115

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Thanks again for all the info. I will definitely let you know what i end up getting. My old one sells in about 5 days, so hopefully i find something i want soon after. I think im gonna try for the 753 or 763. Now sounds like you have had some experience on driveways on steep terain?? I am sure ill need some advice when i get started :). I have about 9 acres. There is about 3 acres of flat ground on top of a hill (kind of like a platuea.) I want to take the drive up this hill. It is about 50 feet high, and 250 feet long. Ill have abou 200 feet of width going up the hill to work with. My initial thought was to start on top, about 50-100 feet back on the flat area. That way i could have a 300-350' length taking the grade from 20% to 14-16% if i were to go straight at it. I thought maybe 1 or 2 switchbacks would help alot to, but dont know where to begin on that :). Anyways, first thing is first. Ill let you know what i get !
Okay, i found one! Just found a 763, with 1500 hours, great shape, good tires, bucket and set of forks for 8k. Now i got a rent a truck and trailer and go get it.
 

140mower

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Okay, i found one! Just found a 763, with 1500 hours, great shape, good tires, bucket and set of forks for 8k. Now i got a rent a truck and trailer and go get it.
Sounds like you've found a winner.
emotion-1.gif
As long as it has been taken care of, at 1500 hrs it should be in the prime of it's life and the forks are definetly an added bonus that you'll likely find a multitude of uses for, and if you don't, you can always sell or trade towards another attachment.
How far from home is it? If it's quite close you might be better off hiring a flatdeck style tow truck to pick it up. But if it's 3-4 hours away or more I'd say a road trip is in order, I like road trips when there is a chunk of iron waiting at the other end.
emotion-11.gif

Don
 
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dirtyb115

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Sounds like you've found a winner. As long as it has been taken care of, at 1500 hrs it should be in the prime of it's life and the forks are definetly an added bonus that you'll likely find a multitude of uses for, and if you don't, you can always sell or trade towards another attachment.
How far from home is it? If it's quite close you might be better off hiring a flatdeck style tow truck to pick it up. But if it's 3-4 hours away or more I'd say a road trip is in order, I like road trips when there is a chunk of iron waiting at the other end.
Don
Unfortunately its about 4 hours away :(. I can rent a 1 ton and trailer for about 250, so i think im gonna do that. (unless i get a good bid at uship :). ) Ill keep you posted.
 
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dirtyb115

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Unfortunately its about 4 hours away :(. I can rent a 1 ton and trailer for about 250, so i think im gonna do that. (unless i get a good bid at uship :). ) Ill keep you posted.
Alright, got the 763 home and unloaded!. Everything seemed to be good on it when i picked it up. Ran very well, good shape, ect... Hopefully its not a big deal, but i am a little concerned. When i got it home, i was driving it down the drive to park it going pretty quick, and all the sudden the motor just slowed down, like i took the thottle down. I stopped moving, and in a sec, it came back to normal. What would cause this? It did it one more time before i got it parked. Please tell me it doesnt sound serious.......
 

Tazza

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Alright, got the 763 home and unloaded!. Everything seemed to be good on it when i picked it up. Ran very well, good shape, ect... Hopefully its not a big deal, but i am a little concerned. When i got it home, i was driving it down the drive to park it going pretty quick, and all the sudden the motor just slowed down, like i took the thottle down. I stopped moving, and in a sec, it came back to normal. What would cause this? It did it one more time before i got it parked. Please tell me it doesnt sound serious.......
It sounds like you may be low on fuel, its like what has happened to me when i had an air pocket in my fuel line. Check your tank has plenty of fuel and you may even want to re-prime the system just to be sure!. Worst case it sounds like it could be a filter or fuel pickup problem, none of which will be costly to fix.
 
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dirtyb115

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It sounds like you may be low on fuel, its like what has happened to me when i had an air pocket in my fuel line. Check your tank has plenty of fuel and you may even want to re-prime the system just to be sure!. Worst case it sounds like it could be a filter or fuel pickup problem, none of which will be costly to fix.
:(. Man, this has not been a fun day. I went out today and the 763 started right up. Full of fuel, and everything seemed to be good. Then it died again, but this time i could not get it to start at all. It is definitely fuel related. I am waiting on the manual, wont be here for a week, but i really need to get this thing running tommorow so i can get it out of the woods. Where to i start? I am sure i got air all in the system now, as i pulled the fuel line at the filter to see if there was anything there. (there wasnt). So where do i begin? I pulled the fuel line right before the pump, and nothing came out at all, Shouldnt it be pouring out ? Please help, any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! (oh, and how do i purge the air out?)
 
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dirtyb115

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:(. Man, this has not been a fun day. I went out today and the 763 started right up. Full of fuel, and everything seemed to be good. Then it died again, but this time i could not get it to start at all. It is definitely fuel related. I am waiting on the manual, wont be here for a week, but i really need to get this thing running tommorow so i can get it out of the woods. Where to i start? I am sure i got air all in the system now, as i pulled the fuel line at the filter to see if there was anything there. (there wasnt). So where do i begin? I pulled the fuel line right before the pump, and nothing came out at all, Shouldnt it be pouring out ? Please help, any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! (oh, and how do i purge the air out?)
Hmm. i just did a search and someone else had this problem with a 763. They said the little knob on the pump had vibrated all the way out. I looked at this, and mine was all the way out as well. He mentioned using the primer. Well stupid me, i dont know where the primer is. Where is it?
 
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dirtyb115

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Hmm. i just did a search and someone else had this problem with a 763. They said the little knob on the pump had vibrated all the way out. I looked at this, and mine was all the way out as well. He mentioned using the primer. Well stupid me, i dont know where the primer is. Where is it?
I just saw a picture of the same model on ebay of the engine. It looks like there is a canister fuel filter? This guy i got it from just had a small inline filter and had bypaseed the plate where the canister fuel filter goes apparently. I am sure this little filter got clogged initally huh causing all the problems? Anyone know what the fuel filter i need for this is? (and where the primer is :). ) Sorry for all the posts, just learning about this thing.
 

Tazza

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I just saw a picture of the same model on ebay of the engine. It looks like there is a canister fuel filter? This guy i got it from just had a small inline filter and had bypaseed the plate where the canister fuel filter goes apparently. I am sure this little filter got clogged initally huh causing all the problems? Anyone know what the fuel filter i need for this is? (and where the primer is :). ) Sorry for all the posts, just learning about this thing.
Not a problem with the questions.
An in-line filter should still work. There should be a hand primer near the fuel filter. you just need to open the knob on the injector pump and squeeze the primer bulb for a little while till you feel even pressure. At the point your line should be free of air. Now close the valve on the pump and you should be good to go. Fuel will not flow out by its self as it needs to be drawn up from the top of the tank.
Some late model machines have a spin on style filter but the older style ones that have a glass bowl style, these work equally well, just messy to replace.
If there isn't a primer bulb go get one either from your dealer or from a fishing shop. Put it in line with the filter and do as i described earlier. The previous owner may have removed it for some reason but its really needed if you run out of fuel. You technically can get it to re-prime without but it could cause pump damage.
See how you go, any more problems just yell.
 
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dirtyb115

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Not a problem with the questions.
An in-line filter should still work. There should be a hand primer near the fuel filter. you just need to open the knob on the injector pump and squeeze the primer bulb for a little while till you feel even pressure. At the point your line should be free of air. Now close the valve on the pump and you should be good to go. Fuel will not flow out by its self as it needs to be drawn up from the top of the tank.
Some late model machines have a spin on style filter but the older style ones that have a glass bowl style, these work equally well, just messy to replace.
If there isn't a primer bulb go get one either from your dealer or from a fishing shop. Put it in line with the filter and do as i described earlier. The previous owner may have removed it for some reason but its really needed if you run out of fuel. You technically can get it to re-prime without but it could cause pump damage.
See how you go, any more problems just yell.
Ill prolly have to wait till tommorow to get a primer then. (unless autozone has them.) Ill keep you posted. Thanks for all the help.
 
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