all 3 websites, make sure you enter zip code, to search by distance.
www.machinerytrader.com
www.tractorhouse.com
craigslist: chicago jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events
there are some other websites out there, that might list a TLB / construction equipment. for myself the other websites did not have enough listings on them to make them worth while. granted checking, you might find a deal.
for myself for the ford 555c TLB, i grabbed 12 or so TLB (tractor loader backhoes), off the internet, woke up early, and drove to all of them in a single day. some were complete junk. so loose, that you were waiting more for after you removed hand for lever for the backhoe and/or FEL to stop moving. (more so backhoe). others the tires were complete garbage. (tires cost), other had engine / hydrualic issues. a lot of them were leaking oil all over the place. some of them had larger engines in them and suppose to have more GPM and pressure in hydrualics, the smaller units were out powering them due to overall useage and abuse some of the bigger ones saw.
make sure you always go test drive the machine, no if's, and's, or but's. the difference can be huge!
dealer vs personal, most of the backhoes i came across were from dealers. though it can always change. i would personally not focus on dealer vs personal, and simply make sure you go test drive them. and then go from there.
some issues i found out by test driving....
--check the oils and fluids for it. before starting it up. to see the color
--pay attention to the exhaust as you start it up cold, and if any smoke and color of it.
--start it up, and then talk to whom ever, and let it run for a bit to warm it all up.
--operate everything FEL, backhoe, all gears, forward /backwards, split brakes, diff lock, lights, dig, back drag, enough to get all the warm oil into all the hoses and hydraulic cylinders.
--raise stuff up in the air and extend them out, and shut down tractor. and see how quickly they drop, a couple of them i tested out, dropped within a couple minutes, others barely moved, if at all.
--check fluids after shutting it down while waiting to see if stuff drops rapidly.
--check the battery/s is it old and corroded.
--check the fan belt on front of engine. the TLB i have, you darn near need to pull most of the front off to replace the belt. due to needing to get around the hydraulic pump and some other frame work.
--double check if there some sort of "cold package", from a block heater, to ether, to glow plugs, to other on unit.
--go over all the hydraulic hoses, some of them hoses i saw on machines i looked at, were right at about being cut into, or possibly leaking already.
some units were sloppy grease, were they been hit with grease and old stuff not wiped away with a rag, while others, look like there just washed :/ rather look at a muddy, greased, oil machine. to show were it has issues and what has been done. vs an unknown clean machine.
--you will most likely find transport lock for backhoe = broken / torn off / other wise destroyed.
--you will most likely find any cab, having missing windows, and busted out lights.
--again double check tread on tires, tires can be rather expensive for the larger rear tires.
--backhoe buckets, may make a difference for you....from say a wider 20 to 36" bucket for digging basements. to a smaller 10" or so trenching bucket.
--i would completely forgot trying to find a given "joystick / lever type" for backhoe. your getting used, and controls are all over the place, put good mechanical machine over, re-learning to use controls (at least for me)
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find yourself a TLB first, then get a trailer/truck that can haul it.
