Price check on used track loader and other newb questions

[Throttlej]

I recently bought a house on 20 acres and am planning to buy a tractor to work around the property. The land is mostly forested with mature fir trees and is fairly steep. I plan to maintain the driveway, clear brush, dig trenches for pipe, install fence posts, etc. I found a local dealer with a 2005 ASV RC-30 track loader with 160 hours. It appears to be in excellent like new condition. It comes with a four way bucket, backhoe, brush mover, forks, and auger. It is a consignment and the asking price is $26000. First question is do you think this would be a suitable machine for my application? I was originally planning to buy a used compact tractor and a used mini excavator but this machine may do the job of both. Next question is what do you think about the price? It seems high from my research so far. What do you think would be the going rate? My original budget was $18,000 but I may be able to stretch that if I only eat ramen noodles for the rest of 2011. Thanks for any input you are willing to share. Mark

 

[Fishfiles]

junk , eat noddles , till you find a real machine

 

[Throttlej]

junk , eat noddles , till you find a real machine

Thanks for that info. I can see why you are a top 25 poster on this forum.

 

[skidsteer.ca]

Thanks for that info. I can see why you are a top 25 poster on this forum.

I think they are a bit light duty, aimed at the landscape market for tight access areas where a bigger loader can't go. Keep watching you should be able to find a t180 class machine for, 15000 k with under 2000 hours and add the rest or the toys you mention for simular money and have a much more capable package that still has a lot of life in it.
The asv is low hours, but because there is a limited market it is good in. A larger machine will be a easier re sell too.
Ken

 

[frogfarmer]

I think they are a bit light duty, aimed at the landscape market for tight access areas where a bigger loader can't go. Keep watching you should be able to find a t180 class machine for, 15000 k with under 2000 hours and add the rest or the toys you mention for simular money and have a much more capable package that still has a lot of life in it.
The asv is low hours, but because there is a limited market it is good in. A larger machine will be a easier re sell too.
Ken

Like said above that machine is a little small and will likely have some short falls for your uses. Tractors with a loader and 3pt are hard to beat for versatility. Tractors dont do any one thing perfectly but they do so many things it makes up in the long run. A mini x can be rented or leased for alot less than ownership if you only have a few projects and no steady work.

 

[bobbie-g]

Like said above that machine is a little small and will likely have some short falls for your uses. Tractors with a loader and 3pt are hard to beat for versatility. Tractors dont do any one thing perfectly but they do so many things it makes up in the long run. A mini x can be rented or leased for alot less than ownership if you only have a few projects and no steady work.

Throttlej: I have a 2005 T180 with just over 1400 hrs on it that I'm looking to sell. Have you thought through tracks vs wheels? [Tnx for the advertising, Ken!] ---RC

 

[Throttlej]

Throttlej: I have a 2005 T180 with just over 1400 hrs on it that I'm looking to sell. Have you thought through tracks vs wheels? [Tnx for the advertising, Ken!] ---RC

Thanks for the offer but the distance between us would make any kind of a deal impractical. I would like to be able to inspect a machine before buying and I am too busy at work to travel that distance right now. -Mark

 

[skidsteer.ca]

Thanks for the offer but the distance between us would make any kind of a deal impractical. I would like to be able to inspect a machine before buying and I am too busy at work to travel that distance right now. -Mark

There are a lot of machine on the market right now. First you should narrow down the size of machine you want. The larger the machine the faster it will worrk.
Of coure there are limiting factors, price, what will fit where you need to work, what you can haul around and on and on.
Machines with a rated lift capacity of at least1300 lbs or greater has a much wider range of attachments that can be rented or purchased for use on it.
Machines like that asv are made for tight access areas where larger machines won't fit, they are much better then a wheel barrow but there are not nearly as many attachments that they can run.
Also track loaders generally cost significantly more to maintain the undercarriage (on top of the other maintenance cost a wheel loader would share with a track loader) , so there needs to be a real advantage to running a tracked undercarriage versus a tire machine to offset this expense.
Ken

 

[Throttlej]

There are a lot of machine on the market right now. First you should narrow down the size of machine you want. The larger the machine the faster it will worrk.
Of coure there are limiting factors, price, what will fit where you need to work, what you can haul around and on and on.
Machines with a rated lift capacity of at least1300 lbs or greater has a much wider range of attachments that can be rented or purchased for use on it.
Machines like that asv are made for tight access areas where larger machines won't fit, they are much better then a wheel barrow but there are not nearly as many attachments that they can run.
Also track loaders generally cost significantly more to maintain the undercarriage (on top of the other maintenance cost a wheel loader would share with a track loader) , so there needs to be a real advantage to running a tracked undercarriage versus a tire machine to offset this expense.
Ken

Thanks for that input. It does seem like a larger machine might be better for me. Not being able to use standard attachments would be a bummer. Are the attachment points standardized at all amongst the different brands? Regarding the track vs wheels my property is steep and we get a lot of rain so I am expecting to need the extra traction but I don't really know how much difference there is between the two. J

 

[Fishfiles]

Thanks for that input. It does seem like a larger machine might be better for me. Not being able to use standard attachments would be a bummer. Are the attachment points standardized at all amongst the different brands? Regarding the track vs wheels my property is steep and we get a lot of rain so I am expecting to need the extra traction but I don't really know how much difference there is between the two. J

Wheeled machine verses tracked machines are very limited on flat ground and you want to do hills , wet and slippery ground with hills will make a tired machine seem useless , another way to go is a wheeled machine with over the wheel tracks , this will keep the cost and maintance down , tracked machines can get expensive when the break down , a small frame machine ( under T200) will cost you well over $3,000 for a travel motor job , a large frame machine and you can sink close to 5 grand in one travel motor and the labor to put it in ------if you do go with a track over the wheel set up then it is best to use a tire that doesn't go flat or is very hard to get a flat on , I like the air craft recaps from Toby Sexton tires , a old 763 with tracks over the tires won't pick up quite as much weight as a 8 series machines but with it's more manuverabillity it will out work a 8 ------------my best choice for a track machine is Takeuchi's TL series ---------- I take it you didn't like my first answer

 

[skidsteer.ca]

Wheeled machine verses tracked machines are very limited on flat ground and you want to do hills , wet and slippery ground with hills will make a tired machine seem useless , another way to go is a wheeled machine with over the wheel tracks , this will keep the cost and maintance down , tracked machines can get expensive when the break down , a small frame machine ( under T200) will cost you well over $3,000 for a travel motor job , a large frame machine and you can sink close to 5 grand in one travel motor and the labor to put it in ------if you do go with a track over the wheel set up then it is best to use a tire that doesn't go flat or is very hard to get a flat on , I like the air craft recaps from Toby Sexton tires , a old 763 with tracks over the tires won't pick up quite as much weight as a 8 series machines but with it's more manuverabillity it will out work a 8 ------------my best choice for a track machine is Takeuchi's TL series ---------- I take it you didn't like my first answer

Attachments are all standard for all the makes, unless you go back 10 to 15 years old.
The OTT's on a tire machine woun't be as stable as a dedicated track machine because they have a longer track frame then the wheelbase length of the wheel machine. But tracks will make them climb pretty well. Likely $10 to $15 per hour savings in undercarriage wear going with wheels versus dedicated tracks.
You really should try a bit of seat time in each to decide if the extra expense is worth it to you.
Ken