Which machine is more reliable

I have 2 machines coming up for auction. I have not inspected either one but have spoken to both owners and feel that they are truthful. I want to take out trees in fence rows and ditches and close up some ditches.

One is a 1989 790D-LC serial number ck790dL007772. Machine looks pretty decent in pics except the bucket has been run with no teeth for a long time so the shanks are gone or worn to nubs. It's also got a couple broken or missing pads. It had a used engine installed recently and was used in the last month. They replaced some boom hoses and a piece of cab glass for the auction. The operator said it all works good except occasionally the house won't spin but if you just touch the pedal that runs the tracks briefly the house moves normally. Auction is Friday and I could go look Thursday. Looks like it will bring 12-22,000 based on prior auctions. It is on proxibid https://www.proxibid.com/John-Deere-790-DLC-Excavator/lotInformation/59245251 it is in Missouri.

One is a 1998 komatsu pc150LC serial number may be K30497. I'm not sure that's the serial number but that is on a tag in the pictures. Has a bad fuel shutoff solenoid it says but when i called the guy said it's wired open and has been for a long time. This is a county owned machine. They are both 3-4 hours drive away. Looks like to me based on prior auctions it will bring 25000. It is on purplewave auction site. lot hv9591 https://www.purplewave.com/search/hv9591

Which one are parts more readily available for? Which one is more likely to run reliably? Cost to move either one is the same with a local hauler. They both have a thumb.

John_8791 said:

Which one are parts more readily available for? Which one is more likely to run reliably? Cost to move either one is the same with a local hauler. They both have a thumb.

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Um, neither?? 790 sounds like a total disaster, and the 150 may not be much better. Parts availability might be slightly better for the Komatsu, only due to age. Reliability? That is pretty much like asking how long will this truck engine run. Maybe 100 hours, maybe 5000, maybe more. The 150 will probably do what you need to do, obviously the 790 will do it faster. If it was me, I'd keep looking.

In that price range can I do better?

Obviously I'm not going to say that any one of these will fit you perfectly, but there are more out there than you think.

https://www.machinerytrader.com/lis...uipment/for-sale/197562315/1995-deere-690e-lc

https://www.machinerytrader.com/listings/construction-equipment/for-sale/199970865/case-9030b

https://www.machinerytrader.com/listings/construction-equipment/for-sale/198662229/1990-cat-225b-lc

https://www.machinerytrader.com/listings/construction-equipment/for-sale/197662877/1994-cat-330l

https://www.machinerytrader.com/lis...pment/for-sale/196773191/1996-link-belt-2800q

I think any one of these is potentially better than what you're currently looking at.

This one may be alright, little higher than you were at. An experienced Cat guy
might want to give an opinion on the model.

https://www.machinerytrader.com/lis...aska,North+Dakota,Ohio,South+Dakota,Tennessee

Those two machines are both big gambles. One major repair could easily exceed the value of the machine. The PC150 is probably less risky.

Why don't you look on ironplanet.com
You can find a lot newer machines for not much more than you say those will go for.

Those two machines are a result of 100 hours of me looking. And you go and one up me while I sleep! Really thanks for looking..... that last machine is in Kansas City so if it still is there I can afford to go look at it. I could borrow the money and spend 30 to 50,000 instead but I was kind a hoping just to keep this thing in the barn forever and if you get to 50,000 the interest starts adding up to the point where I would want to sell it in about a year.

OH GOD.........not an auction!! Its well known around here how I feel about auction equipment.....yes, there can be a gem, but that's a needle in a haystack. If you proceed, just know that you need to allow an additional 50% of what you paid for the machine to repair whatever you will come across once you get it home.....and that is a conservative estimate. You better make dam sure that you see and operate ANY machine you plan on bidding on. Don't buy blind or your going to get F&*$#d!........and when that happens, you get to come back here and start repair threads on this purchase, pull your hair out in frustration, scream at the top of your lungs because parts prices are too high or parts are obsolete, ......and worst of all, your wife gets to nag you forever, and you cant say anything back cause you deserve it.

Yes, you can buy worn out equipment cheaper. But you have to spend new equipment sized dollars to keep it running if parts are even available. And much of the institutional knowledge about how to fix the old stuff has been lost, retired, or moved to different jobs. Think of how much electrical work has changed in the 32 years since the Deere was new. Track hoes have changed just as much. Not all changes are good, but I don't think anyone wants to put the productivity of a 32 year hoe against a newer unit.

I can live with all of this except they wife nagging. I could just rent a machine but I wont have it for future smaller projects. Thanks for all of your thoughts. I will keep looking unless those machines go a lot cheaper than I think they will. I have contacted the dealer in kc about the machine shimmy posted. Trucking is so expensive that I can't go to far to get it.

That 225 cat is rock solid good foundation in my opinion the link belts are not bad and cases are made by link belt I am pretty sure

I would personally shy away from early deere excavators they contracted with Hitachi for a reason so a Hitachi deere is usually solid

Komatsu makes good machines to but old komatsu can be a problem here cause the dealer is pretty weak if it's not in the last 12 to 15 years it probably has to be shipped from Japan

Keep shopping dont get in a hurry in the next 4 months some 20 tons will probably show up on the cheaper side would be my bet

TWO-TWO-FIVE. Now there is the voice of reason.

When did Deere and Hitachi become the same thing? I assume this is 790D-LC is a purebred Deere machine?

1983

so the 790D-LC is a Hitachi?

There's an EL200B near me they want 27000 for that i know they run on a regular basis. Looking at machinerytrader looks like lots of those are still runnning out there.

Yea, but with a Deere engine. I think.

For the era, the EL series were decent machine. A little bit weird with the Mitsubishi influence. Be cautious of grey-market EL200’s. Do a search of the archives and you will find some good discussion. Not sure how parts availability is nowadays. I haven’t seen one on a job in many years.

I did not care for the EL200 I rented. The 790 in the first post I would not go near, simply because anyone who would run bare shanks and not fix that, will likely ignore many other service issues. It is a huge red flag for me.