Looking to buy a LS180 Soon - Any think to know?

[mechwarrior07]

What is the consensus on the LS180? I used to run a Bobcat 742 with the Mitsubishi motor, but found it was very underpowered in many cases. My land is very swampy in some areas so I'm weary of the LS180 weight being 2000 lbs heavier, though it can lift more weight which is a plus. I mainly use it for leveling/ grading as well as logisticcs moving objects and cargo.
Upon inspection of a 2001 LS180 what should I be looking for and weary of? the owner is selling it for 12k +tax and says a fuel line is leaking lightly and sometimes does not start upon key on- starter not actuating. Not sure if 12k is a good price for these considering its problems and being new to the platform. Has about 3800 Hrs , and was used for general farm useage.

Thanks guys

 

[mrbb]

basically the same for every piece of equipment, you need to look at common wear and tear locations,, like pins, bushings, check for slop, broken welds, do grease fittings look like they were greased often, or is old dry grease about them?
next is how clean is the inside of machine, and I mean the area under the motor and floor boards, lift seat and look GOOD

a cleaner machine ,(as long as not just washed and made pretty for the sale) shows IMO< owner cared more for it than one filled with crap and debris,
are belly pans dented, gouged or beat up looking, rusty?? and so on!
next is actual engine bay, and motor itself,
do filters (motor, hydraulic;, and fuel filters look like they were JUST replaced, for sale, or have there been regular looking services, , again how clean or dirty is it? feel free to open the air filter and have a look, is it clean or dirty? as again this shows how often one care for machine IMO there is normal wear and tear and then there is little or poor care!like I said, lots of folks wash and clean things before a sale, so its up to you to look for signs of care before they made it pretty for the sale(if they did, not all folks do so)

before starting machine, or trying, check rad coolant, what color is it, is it full??

then how does motor sound when idling, any smoke, then when at higher RPM's, same, any smoke, ? any funny sounds?
how are fluid levels?, any funky looking color to them, signs of any water in things, check, BOTH before starting and after running a bit!
I believe the LS series has dip sticks under seat for drive pumps, so look and check them too if there there!
cheaper to inspect these things before buying than after!
Once machine is running, time to check other things, like functions, how smooth do controls work, how strong do things feel, will it lift front tires using bucket and hold it there at a lower idle??, when lifting boom, do it start to drift/sag/fall back down?, before shutting machine off, lift bucket a few inches, and leave there, then after its off, how long does it take to lower itself down??
do any cylinders show signs of leaks, if so, is there damage to cylinders them self, or just old seals?? seals cheap, new cylinders NOT cheap!
how do hoses look, recently replaced, , or any dry rot?
this is a 25 yr old machine so< if any hoses look iffy, NEW hoses are not cheap and can add up fast to a bunch of cash, and cost even more if your paying someone to install them!


as for how well a machine is or not, in soft terrain, if you have very soggy ground, you might consider adding over the tire tracks, they make a huge difference in both flotation and traction, so food for thought

as for any known issues with this model
I know of none, but am no expert on this model either!, I know they made the LS series a pretty long time,. and this is one of the very earlier ones, I think in 2000 is the very first yr of the model actually!
that said, I know of no major issues with it
it all sort of comes down to how well the machine was cared for or not,
were PM's done as supposed to be preformed? and there is no way to know 100% they were, minus, looking at it and guessing! based on conditions you see now!

as for starting issue??
MY guess , or possible things
would be, bad starter, bad ground/power to starter, be it a bad ground from battery or power supply to fuse box.and down stream, maybe a starter relay???
working about cows, can IMO have corrosion issues, or just age causes them too!
so could be a simple fix , but again its a guess on my part!

3800 hours really isn't a ton of hour, on motor, so it should be OK on compression based on hours
that is if the hour meter is correct
lots of old machines, them Hr meters have long since stopped working, or were working part time, or, someone could replace them,, so, I never truly trust them, I fall back on overall condition of things more to tell how many hrs are on machine

lastly, 12 K is actually a very good price for the age, and model , or is in my area, prices have actually gone up, not down on them the past 8+ yrs or so, or again in MY area they have!
, lots of these older machines are bringing top dollar due to folks not wanting more modern ones with emissions and so many electrical gadgets
BUT it also comes down to condition and what is actually wrong with it , or what it will soon need, tires, hoses, seals, bushing, electrical work, starter?? or???
if you don't know how to really look a machine over, I would strongly suggest bringing some one that does with you when going to look at it,experience here is worth paying someone (a reasonable fee if needed)
experience is a valuable tool, that can save you thousands, as things on equipment can add up really fast if you do not have ability to see them,
not saying an experienced person an spot everything, but it will up your odds of getting a decent used machine
sorry o long post but maybe will help you and or others !

 

[mechwarrior07]

basically the same for every piece of equipment, you need to look at common wear and tear locations,, like pins, bushings, check for slop, broken welds, do grease fittings look like they were greased often, or is old dry grease about them?
next is how clean is the inside of machine, and I mean the area under the motor and floor boards, lift seat and look GOOD

a cleaner machine ,(as long as not just washed and made pretty for the sale) shows IMO< owner cared more for it than one filled with crap and debris,
are belly pans dented, gouged or beat up looking, rusty?? and so on!
next is actual engine bay, and motor itself,
do filters (motor, hydraulic;, and fuel filters look like they were JUST replaced, for sale, or have there been regular looking services, , again how clean or dirty is it? feel free to open the air filter and have a look, is it clean or dirty? as again this shows how often one care for machine IMO there is normal wear and tear and then there is little or poor care!like I said, lots of folks wash and clean things before a sale, so its up to you to look for signs of care before they made it pretty for the sale(if they did, not all folks do so)

before starting machine, or trying, check rad coolant, what color is it, is it full??

then how does motor sound when idling, any smoke, then when at higher RPM's, same, any smoke, ? any funny sounds?
how are fluid levels?, any funky looking color to them, signs of any water in things, check, BOTH before starting and after running a bit!
I believe the LS series has dip sticks under seat for drive pumps, so look and check them too if there there!
cheaper to inspect these things before buying than after!
Once machine is running, time to check other things, like functions, how smooth do controls work, how strong do things feel, will it lift front tires using bucket and hold it there at a lower idle??, when lifting boom, do it start to drift/sag/fall back down?, before shutting machine off, lift bucket a few inches, and leave there, then after its off, how long does it take to lower itself down??
do any cylinders show signs of leaks, if so, is there damage to cylinders them self, or just old seals?? seals cheap, new cylinders NOT cheap!
how do hoses look, recently replaced, , or any dry rot?
this is a 25 yr old machine so< if any hoses look iffy, NEW hoses are not cheap and can add up fast to a bunch of cash, and cost even more if your paying someone to install them!


as for how well a machine is or not, in soft terrain, if you have very soggy ground, you might consider adding over the tire tracks, they make a huge difference in both flotation and traction, so food for thought

as for any known issues with this model
I know of none, but am no expert on this model either!, I know they made the LS series a pretty long time,. and this is one of the very earlier ones, I think in 2000 is the very first yr of the model actually!
that said, I know of no major issues with it
it all sort of comes down to how well the machine was cared for or not,
were PM's done as supposed to be preformed? and there is no way to know 100% they were, minus, looking at it and guessing! based on conditions you see now!

as for starting issue??
MY guess , or possible things
would be, bad starter, bad ground/power to starter, be it a bad ground from battery or power supply to fuse box.and down stream, maybe a starter relay???
working about cows, can IMO have corrosion issues, or just age causes them too!
so could be a simple fix , but again its a guess on my part!

3800 hours really isn't a ton of hour, on motor, so it should be OK on compression based on hours
that is if the hour meter is correct
lots of old machines, them Hr meters have long since stopped working, or were working part time, or, someone could replace them,, so, I never truly trust them, I fall back on overall condition of things more to tell how many hrs are on machine

lastly, 12 K is actually a very good price for the age, and model , or is in my area, prices have actually gone up, not down on them the past 8+ yrs or so, or again in MY area they have!
, lots of these older machines are bringing top dollar due to folks not wanting more modern ones with emissions and so many electrical gadgets
BUT it also comes down to condition and what is actually wrong with it , or what it will soon need, tires, hoses, seals, bushing, electrical work, starter?? or???
if you don't know how to really look a machine over, I would strongly suggest bringing some one that does with you when going to look at it,experience here is worth paying someone (a reasonable fee if needed)
experience is a valuable tool, that can save you thousands, as things on equipment can add up really fast if you do not have ability to see them,
not saying an experienced person an spot everything, but it will up your odds of getting a decent used machine
sorry o long post but maybe will help you and or others !

Excellent write up, this will help me with my purchase and added some things to my checklist. Much appreciated. It looks like it was used for general farm usage with dirt/ mud in the cab though not a huge deal. checking it out in 2 weeks in February.

 

[nflodge]

If I were looking to buy a used machine, I'd avoid anything used on a farm. They get run hard almost every day and get little maintenance because there's so much work to do there is little time to go without a machine. I'd be looking for a machine used by a municipality instead. They are generally used only occasionally, and are usually maintained on a contract with the seller. Also, if you anticipate working on soft or worse yet, soggy ground, I'd be looking at a rubber track steer. Helps a-lot to spread the weight out, especially with a heavy load in the bucket. Depending on the materials you'll be moving/loading, a foundry bucket is great for stone and aggregates and landscape bucket if you need to see the cutting edge of the bucket for cutting or drop and drag operations. Just my two cents worth. Hope it helps save you some buyers remorse.

 

[mrbb]

If I were looking to buy a used machine, I'd avoid anything used on a farm. They get run hard almost every day and get little maintenance because there's so much work to do there is little time to go without a machine. I'd be looking for a machine used by a municipality instead. They are generally used only occasionally, and are usually maintained on a contract with the seller. Also, if you anticipate working on soft or worse yet, soggy ground, I'd be looking at a rubber track steer. Helps a-lot to spread the weight out, especially with a heavy load in the bucket. Depending on the materials you'll be moving/loading, a foundry bucket is great for stone and aggregates and landscape bucket if you need to see the cutting edge of the bucket for cutting or drop and drag operations. Just my two cents worth. Hope it helps save you some buyers remorse.

well not trying to pick a fight,and no bash meant! but I do not think ALL farmers are bad on up keeping machines, as a fact I know plenty that are the complete opposite
some are small farms and some are some rather large acre farmers, and there crazy about upkeep on things, there is actually a bunch of down time in certain types of farming(mostly crop farming, and I was a part time farmer for 30 yrs so have some hands on experience here)
when you look at equipment on a farm, like any where else, its always good to look around at other pieces of machinery, and the inside of there shops if allowed, doing so can get you a feel for how they care or don't on equipment!
I know lots of farmers with equipment from the 1940's that is still running, so I won't label farmers as a whole group as being BAD on up keep! many don't have budgets to not care for them well!


SO it honestly again really comes down to each owner and how they care or not for something! (usage wise, I try to avoid machines that were used in a lot of demolition, be it breaking up pavement or concrete, I see these machines with the most damage and some time, least caring operators, or this is just MY experiences!

as for buying from a municipality, up my my way in the salt belt, that can be a very bad decision, add in they go thru workers all the time and few are very experienced operators, and I know my towns guys are poor at using a grease gun or even knowing there supposed too!
as an example of why, I do not think there the best, but again, no bash here, as it again comes down the to folks that either own or care for the machine more than were it is/was used at!

if I was to pick a place to MAYBE look for a machine, I think I would these days, pick a rental center, they from MY experience, tend to buy new, get all work done as required to up keep warranty, keep records of work done, and well, sell after warranty is over, many sell in my area reasonably priced, or get shipped to auctions, some times with paperwork history with them, , most that rent them, do not overly abuse them for long periods, a (well some do get abused I am sure) but since many are renting and have a damage fee, it does stop some from going too hard
and by rentals I mean shops that basically rent to private home owners,,. not huge construction company's!, machines rented to huge company's, are or can be another story, but even those, seem to get proper PM's, as most of the larger company;s have service people on site that are expected to do so!

so, there really is NO one place that is best to buy from, is what it comes down too, you always have to look at everything on everything, and in today's world, we have more liars and scammers than ever
even them old nice seeming people lie today to make a sale, money does funny things to humans IMO!

honesty and people valuing there WORD< left the building a long time ago sadly in most people today1

 

[nflodge]

All good points mrbb! No arguments with any of that. It's just that the issues mechwarrior07 brought up about the leaking fuel line and the occasional no start got me thinking about how well that particular machine was maintained given its age and my brief background as a farm hand running older equipment that still was useful for work but on it's way to the equipment auctions, that is, not worth the cost or time of repairing.
Like I wrote, it's only my two cents worth!

 

[mechwarrior07]

makes sense to me, what motors do the ls180 typically have? how are they on parts availability if I were to need to rebuild the motor and or replace anything else? Any specialty quirks that this platform has, for example, the Bobcat 742 has vane style pumps that whine like hell at lower RPM so it must be ran only at a high idle.

 

[mrbb]

Like Is aid, I;'m no expert, but the LS series is newer than the LX series, so parts should be available, and several LS Models use same parts, BUT the LS series is starting to age out, and as such, so will parts down the road, its the nature of the beast when things get old
Most times dealers have ways of finding things that fit or work, same goes with repairs and work arround's
forums like this, tend to also have ways to get things,
as for motor parts, rebuild kits should be about there, but like all pre emission things, there getting harder to rebuild, as the government doesn't want them to keep going!, so just finding a NEW re manufactured drop in motor will maybe not be easy
but most of the older diesels are fairy hardy and can be rebuilt, if one is willing to do so, or pay the costs to have done!
and odds are if your motor goes drastically bad(as in not able to be rebuild, a donor should be something that can be found, the LS series again was made for about a decade I think maybe longer???
and sold a lot of units all over
I again know of NO known quirks or issues with them, other than basic upkeep and wear and tear replacing things as they wear out!
any major issues with most brands of machines IMO tends to come down to operate abuse over factory flaws!
there really are not stand out BAD models in the last 30 yrs I know of!
all brands have lemons that got out, QC catches an extremely LOW amount of things!
and
this IMO why you find some folks that hate one brand make model, and others that love same brand make model!

some other advice maybe for you, I will suggest
since it appears your wanting to buy a skid steer(so it seems)
is buy a brand that has GOOD dealer support near you, over buying "X" brand cause you heard better things about it!
all the more so if your NOT going to be the one wrenching on it!