Should i bother with this Rusty Dirty Hoe?

[JP9MM]

I know very little about hydraulics at the moment but im willing to learn.
The cylinders appear to have the beginnings of rust pitting, most of the rust felt raised above the surface.
Most of the hoses look dry rotted and the controls are sticky, one bent/broken.

So i'm wondering if the pile of rust is worth $700 as it sits and what parts i will most likely need and where i can buy parts to get this back to normal operation.

 

[Loadstar]

Looks like it all needs rebuilt. Unless you own a machine shop, or have outstanding connections with one I think I would pass. Can it be fixed of course it can but is that worth your time money and labor.

 

[aczlan]

It could be done, but I would figure a minimum of $1500 to get it working again. You will probbaly need to replace all the lines, replace or rebuild all cylinders and valves, possibly rebuilt or replace the pump.
IMO, you would be time and money ahead traveling a couple of hours to pickup something like: kubota 4530 backhoe


Aaron Z

 

[JP9MM]

It could be done, but I would figure a minimum of $1500 to get it working again. You will probbaly need to replace all the lines, replace or rebuild all cylinders and valves, possibly rebuilt or replace the pump.
IMO, you would be time and money ahead traveling a couple of hours to pickup something like: kubota 4530 backhoe


Aaron Z

Thanks guys, I checked out that link and it looks like a good deal. I just came back from a trip like that recently and not up for another at the moment.
I might be able to work out something better on the local one and have it dropped off.
The story he told me is it was used 2 times and sat outside for 7 years.
Is it possible to clean the exposed rods and the seals will still be good?
i do have access to a industrial metal shop that has a large lathe.
Any possibility of working with those valves/controls ?
Where would be the best place to start looking at replacement hoses and control valves ? what types should i be looking for ?
I did not see a hydo filter being run with this setup either.

 

[mikehaugen]

I would be less concerned about the hydraulics and more about the pins/bushings at the pivot points. Those could get REAL costly. If it was only used a couple times, hopefully those wouldn't be too worn out.

 

[aczlan]

Thanks guys, I checked out that link and it looks like a good deal. I just came back from a trip like that recently and not up for another at the moment.
I might be able to work out something better on the local one and have it dropped off.
The story he told me is it was used 2 times and sat outside for 7 years.
Is it possible to clean the exposed rods and the seals will still be good?
i do have access to a industrial metal shop that has a large lathe.
Any possibility of working with those valves/controls ?
Where would be the best place to start looking at replacement hoses and control valves ? what types should i be looking for ?
I did not see a hydo filter being run with this setup either.

If you can clean the rods, the cylinders might be good, but you wont know until you get it home and hook it up.
The valves are the same way, if you can clean the rust off of the sliding parts you might be ok. Worse case, a whole new joystick valve body is $450 from Surplus Center: https://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?item=9-8090&catname=hydraulic
A new pump is ~$470+ from Surplus Center: https://www.surpluscenter.com/sort....rd=HPPT&catname=hydraulic&PAGELEN=20&PageNo=1

If you get it, I would clean the rust off BEFORE you try to extend/retract the cylinders or move the control levers as the rust will chew the seals up.
Also, depending on how long it sat between the "first and second uses" there could have been water in the hydraulic fluid (from sitting outside) that got mixed with the oil and was pumped through the system, causing rust anywhere it ended up inside the system.

Others may have a better idea on pricing, but I don't know that I would pay more than $3-400 for it as it sits.

Aaron Z

 

[Loadstar]

Lots of good info added in here. Do you have a local hydraulics shop? Valve could be rebuilt but like another said water is the kicker. If I needed and wanted it I would offer scrap value. If it has grease fittings unscrew and dig around see if you can get it to take grease.

 

[umtg0jn]

I worked mechanic, machinist,and welder for years(now retired). Storage should have meant covering chrome surfaces with heavy grease or other protection. Pivots should have been liberally greased. Hose should have been covered. Several years in the elements deteroriates all metal, even chrome plating. The quality of the hoses will determine if they can be used and replaced as they fail or should be replace all at once.
Rust on the cylinders and control valves indicate holes through the chrome plating. Rechroming worn rams and spools gives new life to worn parts but can not fix pitted cylinders or spools unless the pits are repaired (machined, plasma spray welded/chromed, ground to size). Otherwise the pit remains with sharp edged chrome surrounding it. Operation of the cylinder or control spools eats the seals as the pits pass back and forth. Leaks may be minor at first but will worsen with use. Life of seals will be determined by severity of pitting, depth of pitting and number of cycles. Out rigger cylinders will last much longer than boom and bucket cylinder seals.

Even if the control valves and pump function properly, this is not a good buy at any price if you intend to seriously use it. New seals would not fix the problem. New cylinder rams and spools will be required. If you do not intend to use it much, and do not mind adding fluid it may last you quite a while before the leaks get out of hand.

 

[blnvette]

Don't buy it, because it's a endless money pit.

 

[Brad_Blazer]

Back up and take some pictures of the whole thing. I guess its a Kelley?

If you want a backhoe and don't mind it being a project I think you can probably do fine with that one. Look at the threads on home-built backhoes and compare that to this one that is already designed and built and just needs to be cleaned up, some minor repairs made, and repainted. You won't find all the steel to build a backhoe at anywhere near scrap price. Unless there is internal rust, most of the cylinders should be okay. My backhoe has serious pitting on the main boom cylinder and I keep waiting for the seals to go but it hasn't happened yet. That control stack does look pretty rough. Don't worry about OEM parts for the hydraulics. Like posted above get generic from Surplus Center or Baileynet Directional Control Valves 22 Series | Type 4-way 3 pos. tandem center 6 SPL W/2JOYSTICKS 220-951

Inspect the bucket to see how much use it has had. Also inspect the pivot points especially at the bucket for wear. If it has really only been used a couple of times since new there should be little or no wear. Check the quality of the fluid in the reservoir. Expect some water due to condensation from air coming in and out of the vent. That shouldn't happen in un-vented parts of the system.

Back up and take some pictures of the whole thing.