LowBoy
Senior Member
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2006
- Messages
- 1,149
- Location
- Southern Vt. on the Mass./NH borders
- Occupation
- Owner, Iron Mountain Iron & Equipment (Transport)
Had to post this deal "just because."
I got a call to move a "non-running" backhoe from a guys yard not far from home to just 30 or so miles up the interstate to Nortrax (JD dealership) for them to get it running. He asks me how much. Based on a "grab & go" situation, I give him the number. Should have been 3 times what I quoted, but I am a man of my word and the joke's on me. He left out the minor details.
Get there at 2:00 pm...left at 5:30 pm after struggling and cussing to winch this thing onto my truck from where it was parked like a car parallel to the house, backed into a spot. Winched it sideways, got it lined up and pulled it up on but not without plenty of sweat and mumbling from me. It didn't steer of course (everything is unhooked,) so it just fought me every inch.
Then comes the "extras". Another engine (the one in the machine has a rod through the side of the injection pump currently,) put that on with a little compact JD tractor that barely lifted it that high, the bucket had to be loaded too (why that was off I'll never know,) and the radiator/cooler, nose sheet metal, etc...what a pile.
Arrived at Nortrax at 7:15 am yesterday and went in and informed the service manager he had a nice little project for someone. One look and next thing I knew, there was 4 guys out there with long faces, lol. The owner wanted them to put in writing that it would be NO MORE than 10k to make it run again. Like the service mgr said, why would he put this other used engine in with a bad water pump, old injection pump, turbo...there's $3,500.00 in those 3 items alone...then all the other things with labor...he's in for a surprise.
I got a call to move a "non-running" backhoe from a guys yard not far from home to just 30 or so miles up the interstate to Nortrax (JD dealership) for them to get it running. He asks me how much. Based on a "grab & go" situation, I give him the number. Should have been 3 times what I quoted, but I am a man of my word and the joke's on me. He left out the minor details.
Get there at 2:00 pm...left at 5:30 pm after struggling and cussing to winch this thing onto my truck from where it was parked like a car parallel to the house, backed into a spot. Winched it sideways, got it lined up and pulled it up on but not without plenty of sweat and mumbling from me. It didn't steer of course (everything is unhooked,) so it just fought me every inch.
Then comes the "extras". Another engine (the one in the machine has a rod through the side of the injection pump currently,) put that on with a little compact JD tractor that barely lifted it that high, the bucket had to be loaded too (why that was off I'll never know,) and the radiator/cooler, nose sheet metal, etc...what a pile.
Arrived at Nortrax at 7:15 am yesterday and went in and informed the service manager he had a nice little project for someone. One look and next thing I knew, there was 4 guys out there with long faces, lol. The owner wanted them to put in writing that it would be NO MORE than 10k to make it run again. Like the service mgr said, why would he put this other used engine in with a bad water pump, old injection pump, turbo...there's $3,500.00 in those 3 items alone...then all the other things with labor...he's in for a surprise.