I started looking into getting a B3030 to replace my B2410 a few weeks ago with a post on here asking for comparison comments. Thanks for the responses that I got.
To my surprise on Thursday night I saw a used one listed on a heavy earthmoving equipment auction site here in Melbourne, Australia. This was the first one that I'd seen on any sale site over here in a few months of monitoring.
On Friday I went down to the plant depot to have a look at the machine, and found out that they were willing to accept offers prior to the auction at the end of the month. The machine had been used on a golf course that had gone bust, and the B3030 was reposesed by a finance company, and it turns out that they were the ones looking to sell it on.
The machine overall was in great shape. A little bit of dirt here and there, and a little light corrosion on some fittings. It looked simply like it was left out in the rain and not used for a decent while. The battery was totally flat, but all the fluids seemed to be at a good level. Via jump leads it fired up first time, and ran very sweetly. Everything still worked nicely, and the wheels were still round! It's got turf tyres, Kubota auxilary hydraulics, electrical sockets to the rear, and another hydraulic outlet at the rear of some description, and a sun canopy. The hour meter shows 78 hours - yup ONLY 78 hours. Given the condition, there is NO reason to doubt this is accurate. Unfortunately the panel that the auxiliary hydraulic control lever sits in was missing, and so were the operating manuals, but these were really the only negatives. Another shame, but some implements and a spare set of wheels with R1 ag tyres had been sold to someone else.
We got to talking about price, and the chap told me that they were looking for a reserve of A$16,000 or so. I offered A$14,500 (about US$10,000) and got a phone call that afternoon saying they'd accept my offer. Hooray! Now, you might be thinking I'm mad offering US$10,000 for a used machine with no deck or loader, but before you do, bear in mind these machines in Australia retail new at around A$26,000 (circa US$17,000) without any implements. Add in a bit of extra for the aux hydraulics, electrics and canopy, and I think the machine would have sold initially for around A$28,000!
So, I've been lucky enough to pick up what appears to be a perfectly operable almost new machine for around half price! After a little cleaning, it'll be as good as new. I just need to get loaded R4 tyres sorted, and on a 4 in 1 loader and a MMM and I'll be away!
In the meantime a couple of questions for those of you in the know:
1) any idea what the electrics and the "extra" hydraulic valve might be for?
2) how can I stop the engine cutting out when I get off the seat with a PTO turning? I use a wood chipper on the rear PTO, and this isn't much use if I have to load it from the seat!
Thanks for any help,
Simon
To my surprise on Thursday night I saw a used one listed on a heavy earthmoving equipment auction site here in Melbourne, Australia. This was the first one that I'd seen on any sale site over here in a few months of monitoring.
On Friday I went down to the plant depot to have a look at the machine, and found out that they were willing to accept offers prior to the auction at the end of the month. The machine had been used on a golf course that had gone bust, and the B3030 was reposesed by a finance company, and it turns out that they were the ones looking to sell it on.
The machine overall was in great shape. A little bit of dirt here and there, and a little light corrosion on some fittings. It looked simply like it was left out in the rain and not used for a decent while. The battery was totally flat, but all the fluids seemed to be at a good level. Via jump leads it fired up first time, and ran very sweetly. Everything still worked nicely, and the wheels were still round! It's got turf tyres, Kubota auxilary hydraulics, electrical sockets to the rear, and another hydraulic outlet at the rear of some description, and a sun canopy. The hour meter shows 78 hours - yup ONLY 78 hours. Given the condition, there is NO reason to doubt this is accurate. Unfortunately the panel that the auxiliary hydraulic control lever sits in was missing, and so were the operating manuals, but these were really the only negatives. Another shame, but some implements and a spare set of wheels with R1 ag tyres had been sold to someone else.
We got to talking about price, and the chap told me that they were looking for a reserve of A$16,000 or so. I offered A$14,500 (about US$10,000) and got a phone call that afternoon saying they'd accept my offer. Hooray! Now, you might be thinking I'm mad offering US$10,000 for a used machine with no deck or loader, but before you do, bear in mind these machines in Australia retail new at around A$26,000 (circa US$17,000) without any implements. Add in a bit of extra for the aux hydraulics, electrics and canopy, and I think the machine would have sold initially for around A$28,000!
So, I've been lucky enough to pick up what appears to be a perfectly operable almost new machine for around half price! After a little cleaning, it'll be as good as new. I just need to get loaded R4 tyres sorted, and on a 4 in 1 loader and a MMM and I'll be away!
In the meantime a couple of questions for those of you in the know:
1) any idea what the electrics and the "extra" hydraulic valve might be for?
2) how can I stop the engine cutting out when I get off the seat with a PTO turning? I use a wood chipper on the rear PTO, and this isn't much use if I have to load it from the seat!
Thanks for any help,
Simon
