JCB 3C111 questions

[ted0175]

thank you all for the help in advance. So I am new to the site and to backhoes in general. I know my way around tractors but never had one. I am currently looking at purchasing a JCB backhoe. First, this can anyone tell me how i can go about finding out the year so i can look up parts and what not for it? The serial number is 3C111 139754/5. I am going to assume that the model is the 3C111. If im wrong please correct me.

my second question is can anyone give me a rough idea of what these are worth? I live in northern Wisconsin and understand that these are from overseas and so i am not finding alot about the value here in the US. A couple of the hydraulic cylinders need new bushings and seals, am i going to have a problem finding parts for this thing in the US?

overall the machine is in good condition and runs like a top, just dont want to find out later down the road when something breaks i wont be able to fix it. If anyone knows has any info or experience with these machines im all ears. thanks for help!

 

[LN Pipeline]

They’re European machines made with European components. I’ve found it almost impossible to find parts other than through JCB. My machine is older, so newer machines may be easier to find parts for? Don’t know. My backhoe is British thread. I’ve heard they went away from that in later machines, but don’t know that for sure, either. JCB has always been able to find parts that I need, the problem is they are outrageously expensive. I live in Montana, but buy parts over the phone from a dealer in South Dakota. There is a dealer network in Montana that sells JCB, but they are not knowledgeable of the brand and charge way more for freight. Parts prices were the same everywhere I checked. Thought the local dealer was price gouging me the first few parts I bought, turns out it was just JCB that was price gouging me.

My suggestion to you would be to buy a CAT, Deere, or Case. There are a lot of them around, more people have knowledge of these machines, and parts would most likely be cheaper and more readily available. Resale value would probably be better than JCB, also, if that means anything to you.

My father ran a lot of Case equipment, and he had trouble with all of it. But I would probably buy a Case backhoe over a JCB if I could do it over again. They seem simple and most people that have them like them. Personally, my next backhoe will be a Deere, and I probably won’t ever buy another JCB anything.