1990 JD 410c meter reading

[tadjou]

I am buying a 1990 JD 310C loader backhoe from a private owner. He doesn't have any service record. He did say he had it for a year and that he bought it from someone who got it from a utility company.

The thing that bothers me it that it say it has 1055 hrs. on the meter. It has a tenth digit also in white. Other tractors has 6 digit. I called a JD dealer who traced the serial number back to a gas and light co. who bought it new in 1991.

Is it possible to only have that little hrs? The tractor was repainted and looks good. The teeth on the backhoe is nice and sharp. Tires got good amount of life to them. Water pump was replaced. as it is unpainted.

I talked to another JD service manager that say someone could have swapped the meter at one time.

Here's a pic of the tractor I want to buy. I was able to negotiate a price of $13.5k. What do ya think?

 

[DmansPadge]

I can't imagine a 17 year old hoe that was owned by a utility company would only have 1055 hours on it. I would guess 11055 quicker than 1055.... not to say that that is what it has... but it sounds more reasonable. We have two backhoes at work that don't get used all that much... one a '98 with 4000+ hours... one a '94 with 5500+ hours... and I would think a utility company's bread and butter would be a backhoe.

All that said... it still might not be a bad deal at all... it really depends on the overall condition and what has been replaced before. It looks nice... but new paint will do that. You need to find out as much as you can about it's history. If it is "used up" and things begin to break... it can cost a small fortune to fix.

Good luck.

 

[kennyd]

Take the serial number to your local JD dealer, they can tell you a lot of history about it, like who bought it and any warranty repairs.

 

[tadjou]

I have my suspicious also. I'm having a guy who runs a small excavating company take a look before I bring it home.

Here is a bunch of pics I took. Click on left side to view other pics in album.

Pics of JD 410c

 

[tlbuser]

I'm having a guy who runs a small excavating company take a look before I bring it home.

Here is a bunch of pics I took. Click on left side to view other pics in album.

Pics of JD 410c

Getting a second opinion is a good plan. Assuming you checked all the obvious stuff (water in oil, etc.), did you run the machine at all. Try digging into a material pile? Washington Gas used to sell off their equipment dirt cheap too and they had such a big fleet (almost every operator had their own) that low hour machines weren't tough to find. From the pics though, I think you've found a real gem.

 

[tadjou]

Getting a second opinion is a good plan. Assuming you checked all the obvious stuff (water in oil, etc.), did you run the machine at all. Try digging into a material pile? Washington Gas used to sell off their equipment dirt cheap too and they had such a big fleet (almost every operator had their own) that low hour machines weren't tough to find. From the pics though, I think you've found a real gem.

The machine ran for me to check out, and it did not smoke. I did move the loader and bucket around to check for loose pins, all are tight.

I was going to ask the owner if the transport guy could did a hole somewhere for a last final check.

 

[tlbuser]

found the pic I was looking for. It is only a 5 digit display, now whether or not someone's toying with it......

 

[johnno]

sounds fishy, like the meter got replaced and no one ever kept a sticker or something that said at "add this many Hours" or something. No way a utility only got 1000 hrs. Also, it is 2wd which I doubt you will be happy with if you plan on any loader work. 2wd is fine for utility companies on asphalt all the time, but what you plan on doing could be different. And unless thr machine actually has 1055 on, price is high.

 

[DmansPadge]

I don't think the price is bad at all. It is just the unknown that I worry about... but that is the case buying anything used. Backhoes aren't cheap to repair. After looking at all the pics you took... I'm leaning more towards it being a real good deal. I realize it's been painted and that hides a bunch... but all and all it don't look bad. It appears in some of the pics that some pins have been replaced and the interior doesn't look like a "real high hour" machine. I still can't imagine the hours are correct... but as long as it's in sound shape that really doesn't matter. Even slap down worn out hoes bring $10k. Let us know what you do.

 

[tadjou]

Thanks for all the input. I have been looking for a backhoe/loader awhile and cannot fine anything within reason for some projects I have around the home.

I have been debating with myself the two wheel versus four wheel option. I don't believe I could justify spending the extra money demanded by the 4X4 JD's

When I called the dealer to traced the serial number he listed all the options that was purchased with this JD 410c of which one was "front wheel assist". Could someone explain this option to me?