Need help kicking the tires for my first skid steer

[streetrider13]

I'm looking at buying a 1990 bobcat 743. He said there's roughly 3800 hours on the machine but the kubota motor was rebuilt last winter. from the sounds of it pretty much everything was replaces except the camshaft. comes with 5 ft bucket and aux hydraulics. what else should i be looking for/checking before i buy. thanks, i reallt appriciate it. Matt

 

[jsp17268]

we had one that was a little older than that and it was pretty bullet proof, I would just want to push against something solid and make sure the bobcat will spin the tires with no weird noises. ours was a simple and good machine.

 

[Dogsluvtrux]

Drive the machine...it should drive straight forward and reverse and turn strongly in both directions. If it curves one way going forward and the opposite going in reverse, that's a good indication of a weak drive motor...if it curves going forward and drives straight in reverse, its probably just an adjustment. Same thing as buying any equipment, look for leaks, drips and smoke. Hydraulics should be strong and snappy, safety mechanisms should all work...flip up the cab and look for leaks and seeping on lines and control valve. Ask the history of the machine...manure and feritlizer are extremely corrosive and machines used ib demolition or have run breakers often have a lot of slop in the pins and bushings.

 

[Tazza]

Drive the machine...it should drive straight forward and reverse and turn strongly in both directions. If it curves one way going forward and the opposite going in reverse, that's a good indication of a weak drive motor...if it curves going forward and drives straight in reverse, its probably just an adjustment. Same thing as buying any equipment, look for leaks, drips and smoke. Hydraulics should be strong and snappy, safety mechanisms should all work...flip up the cab and look for leaks and seeping on lines and control valve. Ask the history of the machine...manure and feritlizer are extremely corrosive and machines used ib demolition or have run breakers often have a lot of slop in the pins and bushings.

All good advise.
The only addition to that that i can recommend is make sure you start it when cold. Starting an already warm engine will tell you little about its condition. Open the door up and feel that the engine is the same temperature as the frame. Glow then start, see how hard it is to start.

 

[streetrider13]

All good advise.
The only addition to that that i can recommend is make sure you start it when cold. Starting an already warm engine will tell you little about its condition. Open the door up and feel that the engine is the same temperature as the frame. Glow then start, see how hard it is to start.

thanks again for the great advice and quick responses. i'm hoping to go saturday mourning so i'll let ya know how it goes