Thinking about buying a bobcat 731

[A4Papers]

Hello all, After peoples thoughts on picking up a cheap 731. There is a local guy selling one for A$3.5k and that is cheap for a bobcat in Australia. It does have a few issues that I will list below: - The left forward/back handle does nothing till its right at the end of travel and then kicks in hard. The old guy was told this was the pump and quoted just over $1k to have this fixed. Does this sound right? - Its ether got a fat oil leak or has been leaking for a long time. The thing is caked in wet oil. Something I am willing to sortout if I do buy this. - Exhaust has snapped at the flange. This is something I can weld up so no issue. - The 4 in 1 bucket has a leaky hose. Again this is something I can sort out cheap. - Park brake is missing. No issue for me at this time. - Hour meter stopped at 4500h I plan on just using it around my small farm however I don't really need it as I do already have a s100 so I'm really just thinking of getting this because it seems cheap lol I'd love to hear what people think and if it would be a good buy or not. Thanks.

 

[JGiesbrecht11]

Hey A4Papers: Would you have all the necessary tools to fix all these issues or would you take everything into a shop? The 4 in 1 bucket you would have to fix immediately. To fix the left forward/back handle at a shop for $1K seems right to me. Seems like a good deal to me if you have the patience and ability to fix all these issues and any others that happen in the future. If you have to start taking it into the shop often though this would no longer be a good deal I would just use it till it dies, and fix it up as necessary, you might get a lot of life out of it.

 

[foton]

Hey A4Papers: Would you have all the necessary tools to fix all these issues or would you take everything into a shop? The 4 in 1 bucket you would have to fix immediately. To fix the left forward/back handle at a shop for $1K seems right to me. Seems like a good deal to me if you have the patience and ability to fix all these issues and any others that happen in the future. If you have to start taking it into the shop often though this would no longer be a good deal I would just use it till it dies, and fix it up as necessary, you might get a lot of life out of it.

I guess to me it is how reliable is the s100 , if you need a spare machine because of that or do you have a need to have a machine dedicated to a certain attachment vs. changing attachments all the time . 3500 bucks is cheap here in the states too. these are questions only you can answer.

 

[Tazza]

I guess to me it is how reliable is the s100 , if you need a spare machine because of that or do you have a need to have a machine dedicated to a certain attachment vs. changing attachments all the time . 3500 bucks is cheap here in the states too. these are questions only you can answer.

My first maching was a 731, i used the poop out of it and it did a great job.
1k for a pump rebuild over here is cheap!
Feel free to look up my profile and send me an email, i know a thing or two about these machines. New 4 in 1 hoses are easy, the pump will be a little more work. Check the linkages first, then check or at the very least clean the suction filter.
If you get it, feel free to get in touch, i'm located in Brisbane.