New Holland started pilots (which is what I believe you are referring to when talking about joysticks) in 06. There would be no difference in running a grapple with a NH or any other machine. The longer wheel base on the NH allows for a somewhat better ride and perhaps a better ROC if your moving a lot of material with a grapple. The Deere and the older NH have about the same lifting geometry. I did not know NH required a jack to lift the cab. CASE on many models prior to the latest had a no tool cab lift system. You rotate two locking levers and pull the cab over the front wheels.
Until the L200/Alpha series NH had the entire boom attached to the cab. This is why expensive jacks were needed if you wanted to tilt the cab. With the L200 series they moved the boom to the frame which is why they lost the access to the engine and such.
As you mention John Deere was the same early on. Later on Deere moved the boom off of the cab but retained engine access. They did this by basically putting a big roll bar behind the cab for the boom to attach to and the cab pivoted on that bar. The new machines today use this design as do a few previous generations.
Thank you for the replies. I would have to do most of the work/maintenance myself so would like easy access to the underside of cab. I don't even know what's down under there and don't know if I really need access to that area or not. I know there is a place in the rear, too. Is that where all the filters are? And what components are under the cab?
I just read where folks with the LS series New Hollands were having to either borrow or buy the jacks for the cabs. Some people had figured out a way to do it with a chain hoist and come along.
The New Hollands seems to be a better buy than the others, used. The Cats seem to be just out of my range. It would be nice if I could find a decent NH L90, but I just need to better understand about the cab and whether I need access to the area or not.
Hey appreciate the help once again. I hope I'm not getting on any nerves.
We used to run all LS170 NH SSL's and I never saw the need to tilt the cab ever. With all of the panels removed inside you can access everything. Maybe tilting the cab made drive motor replacement easier, not sure never had to do one. It doesn't sound like you are going to be wearing yours out any time soon so I wouldn't sweat tilting the cab. Maybe by then you can pick the jacks up cheap used somewhere or make your own.
The LS and L100 series require the jacks they are a similar platform. Basically as long as you have the boom in the air, the engine is very easy to work on. Remove the side panels and you have all of the access to all of your filters , starter, alternator, etc. Radiator can be easily removed if you need more access to the "front" of the engine. Nothing you do for regular maintenance will be under the cab except for adjusting the controls which you will not have to do with a pilot machine.
The seat flips up in the NH machines so you can get at a lot of the stuff under the cab, if you need more access the seat and other panels in the cab can be removed in a few minutes. Half of the machine comes apart with a 9/16" socket. You will be able to replace any hose and most of the componenets without ever thinking about raising the cab. Is it as nice to work on as some other machines? Not always but its not bad IMO.
You are thinking Excavators ….. Not Skidsteers ……. Cat got into the Skidsteer way late compared to all of the other big players ….. Case I believe was the first to have full hand controls when Bcat and the others still used foot & hand control combo's …..
Case didn't use full joystick pilot controls early on, that is what he was referring to where both the drive and boom functions are pilot operated.
Still looking to get some opinions on that L90 machine in the link I provided. I was planning on looking at it tomorrow if I got enough positive feedback. I'm relying on your expertise! Is it worth looking at?
I noticed the bucket seems to NOT match the age of the machine. Don't know why.
Bucket means nothing, we do the same as KSSS, trade every couple years/2k hrs but usually send the worst bucket with the trade ins. All the dealer wants is some sort of a bucket because just having a bucket makes the machine worth a lot more when they are selling it, the condition of the bucket effects resale very little. If you want a nicer bucket, they will surely work a deal with you as a lot of dealers want used buckets they can put on used machines that did not get traded with a bucket.
The L190 you linked to looks nice and clean. Thats not many hours for an 08. KSSS would have a better idea of what is "normal" for hours in the construction and landscaping industry, but for ag 1000hrs+ per year is common. I would say that L190 was not used very hard at all and has a lot of life left in it. I haven't priced new NH's in awhile nor have I priced one of that size but new you would be looking at 40-45k for a comparable machine easily.
If you do get it, look into relocating the hydraulic coupler block. We had a lot of issues with those. They are mounted to the attachment plate and get corroded very easily. We do operate in manure which is much more corrosive than dirt and such so you may not have the issue, but we did a lot so we would move the solenoids and valvebody underneath the cab inside the right hand fender and just run new hoses along the boom up to the ram. We make all of our own hoses so it wasn't hard to do, but if you are wondering what it costs I would say to budget a few hundred bucks, worth it though if you save one solenoid.
