Used 279d

[Kernal1984]

Looking to buy a used machine for around the house and family property for 35k or less. Would like to have a cab and HVAC for running a brush cutter and winter use. I’m in southern Indiana and MacAllister Cat has a lot of 3k hour 279d and d3’s for sale in my price range that were rental units. Some look pretty clean and they have service records and a current Cat inspection.

I’ve ran a lot of wheeled machines in the past and more recently a bobcat 595 track machine.

Are these decent machines as far as free from major issues or known red flags. I completely understand buying used is a crap shoot but these machines seem to be what I’m looking for in my price range.

My major concerns would be emissions equipment/engine issues. I’m also not sure about the torsion suspension, I’ve never ran a machine with suspension before. I haven’t heard of problems with it necessarily but heard some people aren’t a fan of the way it feels or performs.

And is a reversing fan standard on either the d or the d3? I can’t seem to find that info anywhere on the cat website.

I have cat, kubota and bobcat dealers close by that all have decent feedback from speaking to folks with experience.

Any kind of buy this/don’t buy that advice is welcome or experience with cat equipment/service in general is appreciated.

Thanks

 

[John V]

I have no insight on the 279d. I bought my first ctl a few months ago, a bobcat t740. purchased it from an auction in Florida, was part of a fleet. Had just about 3k hours, seems to have been maintained decently. Won it for about $16k, with taxes, fees, and shipping to NC it came to $20k. It’s an open cab, so i imagine an enclosed with hvac would go for more. A few hundred in replacement parts, such as a worn drive belt, broken fuel level sensor, and a new battery ground cable, and it’s a great running machine. Has the weight of a t770, with a detuned 74hp motor to avoid dpf.

I feel like if you’re not getting a warranty on a used machine, I’d try to go much cheaper than $35k.

 

[Kernal1984]

Were you on site for the auction or just bid remotely? I’d have a hard time spending money on anything I couldn’t lay my eyes on.

Seems like a warranty on a used machine would be pretty rare unless there was factory remaining warranty then 50-60k seems to be the norm.

The cab with working HVAC keeps the price up, seen a lot of good deals on open cab equipment.

 

[John V]

I rolled the dice on a remote auction. I liked that it was part of a fleet, and all the filters were marked with date and hours.

Fortunately my climate here is milder, and I don’t spend full days in the seat!

 

[Nige]

And is a reversing fan standard on either the d or the d3? I can’t seem to find that info anywhere on the cat website.

It appears to be standard. From the System Operation....

There are three modes for reversing fan to function, all are controlled by a switch in the cab.
• Off (normal demand fan operation) Switch CENTER position
• Automatic (this mode sets the fan to reverse at set intervals and duration set in ET) Switch UP
position
• Manual override (this is a momentary switch that allows the operator to force a set cycle to
occur) Switch is pressed down and released

 

[Nige]

The reversing fan switch is #20, so if you are looking at used equipment look for that switch. It is the same switch in the same location for both D and D3 models.

 

[Kernal1984]

Thanks for the information!!

It seems like the torsion bushings are a common issue on the inspection reports I’m seeing, does anyone have any experience replacing these or an idea of cost?

 

[CM1995]

It appears to be standard. From the System Operation....

There are three modes for reversing fan to function, all are controlled by a switch in the cab.
• Off (normal demand fan operation) Switch CENTER position
• Automatic (this mode sets the fan to reverse at set intervals and duration set in ET) Switch UP
position
• Manual override (this is a momentary switch that allows the operator to force a set cycle to
occur) Switch is pressed down and released

Our 2016 D series 279D does not have a reversing fan. Our 2019 279D-2 has a reversing fan. OP if you are going to use it for mowing I highly suggest the reversing fan option. We just keep the '19 on auto.

We have had great service out of our 279D's with the oldest have around 3K hours on it. Alternators are the week spot and you can cross reference an aftermarket since Cat wants $841 + tax for OEM. Rubbish.

Other than an alternator and wear items like tracks and bucket pins they have been solid machines. FWIW our Cat dealer has OEM tracks 50% off this month. I am buying a set for our '19.

If you are looking at rentals just remember no one takes care of them. If they have 3K hours on them then that is 3K hours of running wide open to turn the key off stop, then started up at full throttle it's entire life. I see it every single day on the commercial jobs with rental equipment no matter the rental house nor the service records.

On the 279's be sure and look at the two pins on either side of the under carriage. Being rentals these pins were probably only greased once in a blue moon. These pins take regular greasing to get the desired service life out of them and keep the UC tight.

 

[FLYWHEEL PRIME]

Some consistent advice you'll see on here that I think is really good, most major brands are generally in the same reliability bracket (lots of asterisks on that statement), just purchase something with good dealer support near you.

I have a 289D, know a good amount of folks with 279D, they are much happier with them than the Bobcat crowd. Considering how cramped these machines are, CAT has done a good job building them with maintenance in mind

All that said, if I had it to do over again, I would buy a Kubota 75-3 new.

 

[Nige]

Our 2016 D series 279D does not have a reversing fan. Our 2019 279D-2 has a reversing fan.

The strange thing is that the specalogs (attached) for both the 279D and the D3 models makes no mention of a reversible fan in the Optional Equipment section. That, along with the SysOp from the service manual, all gives the impression that the reversible fan is standard. Obviously the info is wrong.

 

[CM1995]

The strange thing is that the specalogs (attached) for both the 279D and the D3 models makes no mention of a reversible fan in the Optional Equipment section. That, along with the SysOp from the service manual, all gives the impression that the reversible fan is standard. Obviously the info is wrong.

No clue. Just know that our '16 does not have the feature. Maybe somewhere in ET it can be turned on?

Our '19 D2 model does not have the rocker switch either but does have the reversible fan. Usually it kicks in within 5-10 mins of operation then when the sensors tell it to.

OP I would highly suggest buying one that has the feature.

 

[Kernal1984]

My inner tightwad won out and ended up with a nice wheel machine. 2008 s220 with 2056 hours, heat and air work and still has the original carpet in it. Overall pretty clean machine compared to some I was looking at.