Older diggers for farm use

I think I've been watching too many vice grip garage videos on YouTube, if this was closer I'd be taking a chance on it.

Twin levers on the backhoe, clutch, good tyres, cheap, likely money pit

Jeanie and I thought that it was on the dear side. wasn't long selling
 
anyone here have any experience with these 580 cases. on the fence about buying one of these or the 2d, the one in looking at would be in near identical shape as the one pictures below. It has had all the bushings redone in the back actor, the injector pump and hydraulic pump were also redone before being parked up and the seals on the 2 main rams for the loader which I doubt would matter now as it's been lying in the same spot this 3 years after being used for a few minutes to move the 590. Another thing that would be dettering me other than the poor pipes and seals would be every window except the front one has been smashed out of it by young lads from the football club down the road. Anyone have any experience with this, were they a good digger or did they give bother? eyJidWNrZXQiOiJkb25lZGVhbC5pZS1waG90b3MiLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJ0b0Zvcm1hdCI6ImpwZWciLCJyZXNpemUiOnsiZm...jpg
 
anyone here have any experience with these 580 cases. on the fence about buying one of these or the 2d, the one in looking at would be in near identical shape as the one pictures below. It has had all the bushings redone in the back actor, the injector pump and hydraulic pump were also redone before being parked up and the seals on the 2 main rams for the loader which I doubt would matter now as it's been lying in the same spot this 3 years after being used for a few minutes to move the 590. Another thing that would be dettering me other than the poor pipes and seals would be every window except the front one has been smashed out of it by young lads from the football club down the road. Anyone have any experience with this, were they a good digger or did they give bother? View attachment 100138
2 wd diggers are mainly only good for loader work on hard ground or concrete yards bit extra learning in digging in soft ground we had one and used it for doing drainage work renewing pipes. I learnt fast 😆
 
2 wd diggers are mainly only good for loader work on hard ground or concrete yards bit extra learning in digging in soft ground we had one and used it for doing drainage work renewing pipes. I learnt fast 😆
I suppose she'd be just as heavy as the 2d then. Wouldn't get much work on soft ground. just for lifting things about the shed and fixing up bits of an old wall. Might do a bit of pipe laying and scraping out neighbours yards but that's about it.
 
I suppose she'd be just as heavy as the 2d then. Wouldn't get much work on soft ground. just for lifting things about the shed and fixing up bits of an old wall. Might do a bit of pipe laying and scraping out neighbours yards but that's about it.
Yeah almost as heavy just more helpless , saying that we did a lot of work with it was a handy yoke to have around
 
Had a 50b did a lot of work with it. It’s had it’s day no way would I go back. Changed to a 60hxs in 92 and am on a 2011 860 now. The 50b probably did the most work it was 2wd and you’d be steering it with the front loader for a finish. The 60hx was only ok it was a balls to start it in winter and the front axels were made of play do. The 860 is ok but has the same engine as a mf 5460 with give trouble with the head.
 
It seems these older diggers are gone scarce or exported or are else after appreciating a lot in the last 18 months.

Been keeping an eye out for something for a second loader and nothing really any good at all crops up.

I'm almost gone off the idea of a digger when I consider how numb they usually are around the yard to be honest.
 
It seems these older diggers are gone scarce or exported or are else after appreciating a lot in the last 18 months.

Been keeping an eye out for something for a second loader and nothing really any good at all crops up.

I'm almost gone off the idea of a digger when I consider how numb they usually are around the yard to be honest.
Idle musing here the other day I asked if the Massey was moving on would we go up to the likes of an 860 or a tele, and we both settled on a tele in the end, for what use the rear arm gets its a pain of a yoke to drag around all the time and makes it awkward in a shed. There’s enough hire places around now to get a digger off every now and again if the need arises and enough lads around with machines too for that matter. The tele would be a far handier tool in many ways and a lot easier around the yard
 
It seems these older diggers are gone scarce or exported or are else after appreciating a lot in the last 18 months.

Been keeping an eye out for something for a second loader and nothing really any good at all crops up.

I'm almost gone off the idea of a digger when I consider how numb they usually are around the yard to be honest.
Diggers arent that numb, I would prefer a 3cx in a tighter yard than a tractor and loader, but a bad one will only break your heart and the backactor will likely be a ball of slop. The kind of yoke that if its on farm already, you would be slow to sell, but not the kinda thing you would necessarily be drawing on yourself as a money pit.
If you want it for loading spreaders etc, and on concrete, a forklift might be worth considering
 
Idle musing here the other day I asked if the Massey was moving on would we go up to the likes of an 860 or a tele, and we both settled on a tele in the end, for what use the rear arm gets its a pain of a yoke to drag around all the time and makes it awkward in a shed. There’s enough hire places around now to get a digger off every now and again if the need arises and enough lads around with machines too for that matter. The tele would be a far handier tool in many ways and a lot easier around the yard
Aul man got rid of last rubber tired digger here in mid 90s. Too heavy to leave a road in the west of Ireland and not overly handy around a yard. Went to various tractors and front loaders till around 2016 and then went to tele in form of TR250-110. Once you go to a tele handler you will never go back. Never had anything else but find pivot steer seriously manoeuvrable around the yard. Each to their own mind.
 
Aul man got rid of last rubber tired digger here in mid 90s. Too heavy to leave a road in the west of Ireland and not overly handy around a yard. Went to various tractors and front loaders till around 2016 and then went to tele in form of TR250-110. Once you go to a tele handler you will never go back. Never had anything else but find pivot steer seriously manoeuvrable around the yard. Each to their own mind.
Pivot or side boom will be the biggest thing to decide on when the time comes, but not for a while yet 😂 I always thought pivot but lately thinking side boom as it’s not as high when hoping in and out of it a couple of times. Then again we’ve both spent time on loading shovels so would be used to the pivot steer in a way
 
Pivot or side boom will be the biggest thing to decide on when the time comes, but not for a while yet 😂 I always thought pivot but lately thinking side boom as it’s not as high when hoping in and out of it a couple of times. Then again we’ve both spent time on loading shovels so would be used to the pivot steer in a way

telehandlers are the way to go imo. highly manoeuvrable, has the reach and can take extra weight. not a day goes by where ours doesnt get use even if its for 5 minutes. always a fan of the side-cabs personally (tbf a bit biased). easier to get in, can reach in and use the joystick without having to climb 2 or 3 steps. have driven a pivot steer for a couple of days, jcb tm270. took a while to get used to the steering but didnt mind it after but i still prefer my side-cab
 
Diggers arent that numb, I would prefer a 3cx in a tighter yard than a tractor and loader, but a bad one will only break your heart and the backactor will likely be a ball of slop. The kind of yoke that if its on farm already, you would be slow to sell, but not the kinda thing you would necessarily be drawing on yourself as a money pit.
If you want it for loading spreaders etc, and on concrete, a forklift might be worth considering

I think your second point there sums up what I was thinking alright!

What's the reach/height on a JCB 406 like?
 
telehandlers are the way to go imo. highly manoeuvrable, has the reach and can take extra weight. not a day goes by where ours doesnt get use even if its for 5 minutes. always a fan of the side-cabs personally (tbf a bit biased). easier to get in, can reach in and use the joystick without having to climb 2 or 3 steps. have driven a pivot steer for a couple of days, jcb tm270. took a while to get used to the steering but didnt mind it after but i still prefer my side-cab
Both here,pivots are great for a big job but you can’t beat the one step and your in the seat with a side mount tele.
 
I was all about pivot steer loaders until I put a 100 hours on telehandlers from 3.6T to 5.5T one summer. They are far more practical and better at more things than an equivalent sized shovel. 542-70 was a beauty of a machine and not all that big.
 
Trying to find a tracked digger, know of a cat coming up for auction next month but that's at auction and no guarantee of getting it. My old man after finding some halla tracks for sale on DD. What are they like? They look like they built by sumitomo?
 
Trying to find a tracked digger, know of a cat coming up for auction next month but that's at auction and no guarantee of getting it. My old man after finding some halla tracks for sale on DD. What are they like? They look like they built by sumitomo?
It looks like a Hitachi/Fiat Hitachi to me, stick to the main stream brands Hitachi, Komatsu, Cat, Kobelco(New Holland) Sumitomo(Case) you don't want a rare machine that is hard to get parts for
 
It looks like a Hitachi/Fiat Hitachi to me, stick to the main stream brands Hitachi, Komatsu, Cat, Kobelco(New Holland) Sumitomo(Case) you don't want a rare machine that is hard to get parts for

Neighbours would have been Hitachi for past 25 years , and the father still works a Hitachi , but they also have Case and Hyundai. Hyundai is nice running digger , very fast on the hydraulics , but not as nice on the controls because of that .

1 point , if men such as these are buying 2nd division diggers , because of the cost of a SH Hitachi , and they putting 2000 hours a year on them , God help a farmer trying to buy one to put up 150 hrs annually .
20210918_154158.jpg

Sorry for the picture quality . I got a screen in the phones camera a week ago .
 
Neighbours would have been Hitachi for past 25 years , and the father still works a Hitachi , but they also have Case and Hyundai. Hyundai is nice running digger , very fast on the hydraulics , but not as nice on the controls because of that .

1 point , if men such as these are buying 2nd division diggers , because of the cost of a SH Hitachi , and they putting 2000 hours a year on them , God help a farmer trying to buy one to put up 150 hrs annually .
View attachment 101066

Sorry for the picture quality . I got a screen in the phones camera a week ago .
Only thing I can fault on my Hyundai is the tracking,it’s way too fast in low speed and no use whatsoever in high.
 
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