Case 580L or SL backhoe

What can you guys tell me about a case 580l or sl backhoe, I'm thinking about buying one, never owned a backhoe before, run many over the years and am looking for the good and bad of these machines.

Was told they have a cummins 3.9 engine in them and are a pretty descent unit, non electronic so to speak and simple to work on and fix, other than that, I know nothing so please enlighten me.

Great machines Randy.

They come in a powershift & powershuttle.
The powershift uses a computer to control it. Most always fitted to SL with turbo engine. Good transmission, but if they get problems in the transmission control department, they can be difficult & expensive to repair.

The shuttle is controlled with electrics (FNR) with manual 4 speed - which also gives you 4sp in reverse which the powershift will not (2sp). The shuttles are mostly fitted to the L model without turbo.

Very solid engine & tractor in general - except for the front axle king pin area, on 4wd models.
Be certain there is no excessive play in the king pins, look for recent repairs.

If they have done a lot of driving on the road, you will often find some play in the rear wheel hub bearing area.

Thanks Alrman for the info, are the shuttles and finals about the same units they put in the older case backhoe like the K or something completely different?

I was told when they went to the M model, those were mainly computerized and gave much more grief over the older models?

The driveline on L & M series are both very similar, but completely different to anything before them.
The powershift is a dropbox made by Clark & the shuttleshift is a dropbox made by Carraro.
They both run a driveshaft to Carraro rear axles.
Like I said earlier the Clark transmission is controlled via a control module, the Carraro is controlled electrically via relays & solenoids.
Both are strong transmissions, the Clark can be trickier to diagnose & repair when it is playing up.

The L has a narrower boom than the SL and cylinders are different, engine in L has slightly less hp than SL. The king pin are a problem but only because operators would not grease lower grease fitting, center pin also. I would go with the SL for my part.

Isn't the difference in hp due to a turbo on the SL verses no turbo on the L, are the front and rear axles the same on both machines, or are those different as well?

I had never owned a backhoe either prior to Jan/Feb this year, I bought a 590SL 4WD. Unbelievable machine. You said you had run many backhoes over the years, but for me, nearly all of my time had been on skid steers and farm tractors, so i am still learning what all I can do with it. Keep in mind, L backhoes are now over 20 years old, so even the low hour machines, depending on how they have been stored/maintained, are going to need some work. Mine is an open cab, so some of the plastic is faded and a lot of the small screws in the operator area are rusted and strip out before loosening up. The hood is also faded and needs paint. I have heard most of the fuse blocks at this age will start to show corrosion and can give problems. I live on a ranch and don't really ever have a reason to take it somewhere else. If I had to trailer it often, the 590 might not be the best option, it's right at 20,000+ lbs. It's more than I am willing to tow in a 1 ton dually (I see people do it here all the time). If trailering is necessary for you, I'd go with a 580SL. There is also Series 1 and 2 on these machines. I don't think there is a ton of difference. They moved the diff lock from the floor to the loader joystick and probably a few other minor changes.