No, No, no. Go to a ritchie bros auction. Buy the older looking one with that nice shiny new paint job, especially if the hoses and wiring is all painted too. The new paint is the evidence of the loving care the machine has had.
Of course buy it only because you have absolutely no idea of dirtworking, but you're a expert in a totally different field, and of course that will translate. You'll pick it up as you go along.
Then post 567 questions on the equipment forums, such as "how does the grease get into the machine?" "Can you use the bucket to scrape the ice off the windows?" "Can you climb into the machine from the door on either side? and how does the door open? Does it close the same way?" "Can you dig with the back bucket, AND dig with the thingy on the back, at the same time? Then you can dig twice as fast right?"
Don't buy a owners manual, and if you do- don't read it. Just post up all 567 questions here.
Of course then you must take it out, and dig various holes all over your property. Especially right along the road and driveway (don't bother with one call- that's too complicated). Better yet- go dig all along the neighbor's property by the road, where the plastic red and white little poles are.
Throw some branches through the back window. Hang the rear frame up on a stump of a tree you just cut down. Then variously rev it through all the gears, shifting back and forth as fast as you can and jamming on the brakes also, trying to unstump yourself. Totally extend the extendahoe and try to drag yourself off the stump. Swing and bang it off the oak tree, to slide the rear off the stump. Tie it to your trailer house.
Fill the fuel system from the old farmers tank that was on the property when you bought it, diesel lasts forever. Don't get new batteries, build a solar to AC to pony motor conversion and belt drive it off your harley to start when its -37 degrees. Forget to put the cap on the hyd tank after trying to put the diesel in it because it looks like a fuel tank.
Go ahead and weld up that crack that appeared at the bottom of the tower, next to the DO NOT WELD DUCTILE IRON stamp. With the 110v welder from Harbor Freight. Grind the steel that your scabbing over the crack on the boom, by the hydraulic tank that you left the cap off- its got filters- it will be fine. It will soak up the rain that got in the tank. Complain that the new paint covered the bondo on the crack.
Then call Vetech63 or funwithfuel to fix the rear end, transmission, fuel and hydraulic system, and bent extendahoe. After partially disassembling it yourself. And not marking anything. Their wives need Christmas too.
