Ben K
New Member
Long time listener first time caller.
Wife and I have been looking at a skid steer for a little while and a local T320 with ~4500 hours has come across our radar. I took a look at it yesterday and its pretty rough. Some issues more alarming than others. Guy got back to me this morning with a lower price (25k). Wanted to ask about a few of the issues I'm less familiar with and get some feed back.
The one that is most concerning to me is that he starts and stops the machine from the engine bay. Apparently the fuel solenoid failed and instead of replacing it, he ripped the top off. He starts the machine with a jumper wire to the starter and then stops it by pushing the (shouldn't be) exposed button in the fuel solenoid. Does this process make sense? Hes not using the keypad in the machine at all. If I buy it, id replace the solenoid but I'm concerned that he may have done something to bypass the security system that I'm unaware of and I may end up bricking the machine by putting a functional solenoid on it.
Other less significant issues:
AC is inop, he claims it needs a condenser.
Rear door has been ripped off. Welding on a new hinge should remediate that.
Quick release is missing the hydraulics (not a big deal). The hose is still there.
Some rust in various places.
Good things.
New hoses for the aux hydraulics.
One new track.
Machine was demo'd and is fully functional from a doing work perspective.
Undercarriage is smooth and feels tight.
Thoughts from more experienced owners would be great. We're trying to get the most bang for the buck and don't have a problem with making rough things nicer in order to save money.
Wife and I have been looking at a skid steer for a little while and a local T320 with ~4500 hours has come across our radar. I took a look at it yesterday and its pretty rough. Some issues more alarming than others. Guy got back to me this morning with a lower price (25k). Wanted to ask about a few of the issues I'm less familiar with and get some feed back.
The one that is most concerning to me is that he starts and stops the machine from the engine bay. Apparently the fuel solenoid failed and instead of replacing it, he ripped the top off. He starts the machine with a jumper wire to the starter and then stops it by pushing the (shouldn't be) exposed button in the fuel solenoid. Does this process make sense? Hes not using the keypad in the machine at all. If I buy it, id replace the solenoid but I'm concerned that he may have done something to bypass the security system that I'm unaware of and I may end up bricking the machine by putting a functional solenoid on it.
Other less significant issues:
AC is inop, he claims it needs a condenser.
Rear door has been ripped off. Welding on a new hinge should remediate that.
Quick release is missing the hydraulics (not a big deal). The hose is still there.
Some rust in various places.
Good things.
New hoses for the aux hydraulics.
One new track.
Machine was demo'd and is fully functional from a doing work perspective.
Undercarriage is smooth and feels tight.
Thoughts from more experienced owners would be great. We're trying to get the most bang for the buck and don't have a problem with making rough things nicer in order to save money.