JCB vs Case Backhoe

[RWEST]

Maybe I just want a hoe

Yup. Sounds like it!! Nothin' wrong with that, tho...

 

[kmdigital]

The Case isn't early 80s, rather it is either 88 or 89 from what I can see. The K series came out in 1988, and had two versions, the Phase I and the Phase III. This appears to be a Phase I, which is better for your purposes, because it uses the same transaxle and shuttle shift transmission as all earlier 580s, starting with the 580C. The Phase III came out in mid 1989 and uses a different all-in-one transaxle that costs big bucks to fix or repair. The way to tell the difference is by whether the gear shift is floor mounted or console mounted, and this one appears to be the floor mounted unit.

They are both rather rough looking machines, but I think for this age of a machines the Case has much better styling than the JCB, with its big squarish cab.

I would also consider the exendahoe if it is in your price range. You will find that this is a much desired feature, and makes it much easier to sell down the road when you want to get rid of it. Around here it is pretty hard to sell any commercial sized TLB that isn't an extendahoe with out discounting it pretty heavily.

How many hours on either machine?

 

[AlanB]

It seems like all the hour meters are in the 2000 range, which I do not think any of them are correct, I think the JCB was closer to 4000.

The JCB looks cleaner then the Case's I have looked at.

The Case's are working out to be more money when done.

I have a JCB dealer right by my new house, but have heard bad things about getting parts, but I am not sure if that is old news just re-hashed and repeated or a really bad problem.

I definetely like the 2 stick controls, and the general feel of the JCB, I also really like that you can see the bucket better. I am not sure why that is, maybe the seat is higher, maybe the bucket is out front further, either way, I can definetely see it better, which for the work we do, usually with someone standing in the front of it, is important.

I just called the JCB dealer and a new master cylinder is $114 and a new king pin (pivot pin) for the front axle is $95 each side. They said they could have the parts in a couple (3) days. Not sure what other parts I should check. Filters etc. will be Wix anyhoo...

The cheaper Case's all seem to have the loader arms broken and rewelded. The cheap case had operated a Hammer for it's life, and I bet everything along the way is beat in that machine, I think it has had a very hard life.

The extendahoe is older it is a 580D. In some ways it was the cleanest, and in some ways all the controls just felt crappy, you had to pull in this way, and hold your tounge that way, and so on to operate the controls.

When I shut it off, you could hear the fluid bypassing and the boom dropping. I somewhat expect this, but it somewhat bothers me.

I can talk myself into a corner, and pretty much have.

I like the JCB the best for condition and ease of use, but am concerned about the parts.

I like the Case's the best by far as far as parts, repairs, institutional knowledge and the availablity of used parts.

I passed on a Rougher JCB and an old 555 Ford, at about half the price, but the reality I think is that these machines are few and far between. If I searched the US, I could probably find plenty, but if it costs me a couple $K to get it here, that is not very practical either. Probably in the past year I have found 3 of them.

The hydraulics shop I use says the JCB is no problem, hose's seals etc. are all standard.

Just have to commit and go here somewhere.

Thanks for input. I am listening intently.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

I have a JCB 165HF (small skid steer). It's not near as common place as the backhoe loaders and I've had excellence luck with parts. The closest dealer is a couple of hours (3) away but I deal with the dealer in Georgia evidently next to the factory.

What has impressed me most about the JCB products is they're well thought out. Everything from having a door on a skid steer to having a hose that comes out of the chassis for draining the engine oil. Every time I work on it I find another reason to be glad I have a JCB.

 

[AlanB]

I was hoping you would weigh in Harv, I knew you had a Robot.

Right now I am going to look some more and see what is out there.

Probably go look at a couple of Fords tomorrow.

I love the Robot and the door.

 

[coopers]

I agree with the comment about getting an extendahoe if possible. That is a bit of important information that you have regarding the use of breakers on the case backhoes. Breakers are very hard on machines over time and most people abuse the heck out of machines in the first place. Where I work, our city shop has a 580D extendahoe backhoe they're going to get rid of, it is in decent condition, not beat to "s" so sometimes older isn't always bad. Those K's look really beat up.

Blake

 

[AlanB]

I am going to look at 3 or 4 Ford Back hoes tonight.

2 ea, 2wd 555d's early 90's, 4500 and 5500 hours both about $13,500 I think.

1ea 4wd, 555c Late 80's I think he said, 6700 hrs or so, rougher then the 2wd's but still a solid machine (he said) $15,000

I forget what the 4th was, I think it was a CAT.

Guess I go see if I get a better feeling here then what I have at present.

Anything terrible with the Ford 555 series? They seem pretty common, so I would think parts should be available. The sales guy said that buckets have been the same since the 70's, and he has a good supply of new and used available.

Sales guy stated that the D was a pretty refined machine, that they have proven dependable over the many years they have been out.

He said 4wd is a definete asset, that they only sell new units 4wd, do not even stock a new 2wd on the lot. That said, he said that a 2wd can do an awful lot of work, and have done an awful lot of work through the years.

Said for loading the bulk materials like dirt and mulch on a dry flat surface the 2wd's would work all day long. Mud, slopes, hills, he said a 4wd is a definete asset.

Go see how these look, maybe come to a decision.

 

[rexcramer]

I think you are a little too caught up in model year in your assessments. On construction equipment the model year means very little in determining the condition of the machine, whether its worn out, etc.

I have an early 80's 580C extendahoe which is in better condition than the units you had the pictures of there. All it did for the last 15 years was load sand in dump trucks here and there. I did have to put new rear tires on my unit, which ran $600 from Belle Tire, but its necessary with a 2wd unit.

Be sure to get an extendahoe and a full cab. I am glad I have it literally every time I use my machine. It really puts a backhoe in a different class compared to one without it IMO. Usually with these features a reasonably priced backhow will be gone as soon as its listed in these parts.

 

[AlanB]

I have seen no cabs, and one rough extendahoe in the price range I am looking at. I don't think I will be able to swing either of those.

Too me, the model year represents how much refinement the manufacturer has in the machines. ie, how much field development. While I will certainly take a good condition 80's machine over a hammered 90's machine, I would like to think that they have improved somewhat over the years. I also think if buying dealer parts, the newer they are, the easier to obtain dealer parts for.

Does that not apply on this type of machine?

 

[rexcramer]

On this type of machine the newer the machine the more expensive the parts are in my experience.

A new hydraulic pump on my machine cost $300. A new one on a 580K costs over $1000 because it has an "improved and refined" pump, which has the power steering and hydraulics combined in one pump.

I can do the brakes on my machine myself for less than $200, on a 580K and newer the same job costs way over $1000 because the "improved and refined" wet disk brakes are part of the transaxle and the whole unit has to be removed just to access the brakes.

If my transmission completely fails on me I can have the entire unit rebuilt for about $2500. On a 580K or newer the "improved and refined" transmission is much more labor intensive to repair, and costs between $5000 and $7000 for a rebuild.

My machine gets the job done just as well as a newer unit, maybe a hair slower, but is much more serviceable and affordable to a guy on a budget. These refinements are great when the machine is new. They are a PIA when the machine gets some hours on it.

As far as parts availability, these machine last so long the major manufacturers do a very good job of providing parts for machines that are 30 years old and older.