Case Longevity?

[Roberts210]

I'm in the market for a Case skid steer. I'd like to spend $6-8 thousand and get one with a consolidated diesel engine, as I know those engines. So my question to you skid-steer gurus is, is it feasible to find a good running Case for that kind of money? And what about Case longevity. I asked at my local Case/I.H. dealer, but they ran down Case skid steers--said they were very hard to work on--and tried to get me to buy a Kubota--which they conveniently sell. They don't sell Case anymore, even though their sign still says, "Case -- International Harvester". Go figger! I've done a bit of window-shopping, but only on-line. I'll use it along with a "tree puller" to pull up sumac and small (3" or less diameter) trees on my place. I'll also clear brush and might run a bush hog on it at some point, although I have an I.H. tractor with a bush hog on it already.

 

[Tazza]

You will get what you pay for, for those dollars, you won't get something great, it will be worn and need work. If you are up for the challenge, it may be worth while for you.
Everything wears out eventually, it just depends on where the point is that you have to stop throwing money at it.

 

[JP Services]

I was in the same spot at the beginning of the year. I was not wanting to spend over 10k on a machine to do brush removal and pasture clearing. All I was able to find in that price range was worn out machines that had tons of hours on them. I came across a low hour 2011 SR250 case that was quite a bit out of my budget but in my situation it was a very good decision to spend the extra money up front and buy a machine that has had very minor and minimal breakdowns all year. This has allowed me to be more productive which I feel has made me more money than buying an older machine I would constantly be pouring money into every time I tried to use it. In my opinion clearing brush you will want a pretty good sized machine for running the mower and a grapple bucket.

 

[Roberts210]

I was in the same spot at the beginning of the year. I was not wanting to spend over 10k on a machine to do brush removal and pasture clearing. All I was able to find in that price range was worn out machines that had tons of hours on them. I came across a low hour 2011 SR250 case that was quite a bit out of my budget but in my situation it was a very good decision to spend the extra money up front and buy a machine that has had very minor and minimal breakdowns all year. This has allowed me to be more productive which I feel has made me more money than buying an older machine I would constantly be pouring money into every time I tried to use it. In my opinion clearing brush you will want a pretty good sized machine for running the mower and a grapple bucket.

Makes sense. Thanks guys.