Semi OT: Case 580B Backhoe

[Fasttrack]

What can you guys tell me about the Case 580B backhoe? Decent machine worth fixing up? Easy enough to find or make parts?

I'm looking for an older backhoe to use around my property and to occasionally help move machines around. Loader capacity on the 580B looks to be only about 4k lbs. but the digging force on the hoe is 9800 lbs. Wondering about using the hoe to lift my larger machines on / off a trailer. Works great with my BIL's JD 270 excavator, not so sure about this little backhoe

Anyway, model I'm looking at has been stored outside most of its life. 1 rear tire and 1 front tire show significant dry rot and damage / wear. Cylinder seals are weeping. Most concerning is reported problems with the shuttle shift mechanism. It does, however, have the extendahoe option. Given this very brief description, what do you think a reasonable offer is?

Appreciate any advice. Backhoes are a new beast.

[redlee]

Like any old timer they need repair and care.
Most repairs are pricey.
Transmission repair ?
Tires ?
Cylinder Repair?
And thats just what you see.

[Captain K]

I would say scrap price at most. That transmission could be a huge can of worms. If you really enjoy working on stuff like that and don’t mind being out a few to several thousand in parts then go for it. Otherwise I would take that money and buy something you can use. This is coming from a guy that works on old tractors compulsively

[tom_d]

In its day the 580B was a decent little machine. Keep in mind that day was about 45 years ago. Dry rot tires can be a problem. Instant flat tire as soon as you put a heavy load on them. Weeping cylinder seals are not uncommon. They won't fix themselves with use. One by one you will wind up doing seal kits on all the cylinders. Not an impossible task, but a bit of a challenge if you're not tooled up for it. If the machine has been stored under mother nature's soggy roof then the weather has certainly taken its toll on the hydraulic hoses. You will wind up replacing all of them. This is something to be very aware of if you plan on lifting anything heavy. Be prepared mentally, physically, and financially for a hose to burst at the most inopportune moment. (NEVER stand under any part of that machine that's being held up only with hydraulic pressure!)

You know there's a transmission problem going into this. Do you know the type of transmission? Most all had a shuttle shift. Does this one have a torque converter, or is it a straight mechanical 8 speed? Could be major internal problems, could be something as simple as a rusted shifting linkage.

This has the potential to be a (big) fun project, or a real can of worms. A lot of this will depend on your expectations going into it.

[SVS]

Farm has a CAT 426? which is awesome, but that breakout force disappears on an overhead lift. It’s not a little knuckle boom crane.

Seems like the worlds sorriest backhoe brings $3-5k and is worth zero. If it won’t run and drive and leaks like a sieve I’d keep looking. They aren’t that fun to work on. I ran a 580b years ago and it was a solid machine, but those girls are getting OLD.

[Fasttrack]

It’s not a little knuckle boom crane.

That's actually why I'm interested in it. The 580B could be equipped from the factory with what appears to be a simple manual valve to lockout the boom and use the dipper as a boom crane. The manual says, "The backhoe dipper can be used as a crane to handle heavy objects. The boom lockout system increases the load capacity which the backhoe can handle in this application". I recognize the capacity won't be the same as the breakout force, but if I could crane 7200 lbs., I'd be thrilled.

Thanks for all the input so far. Definitely figuring on needing new rubber - new hoses, new seals, new tires. The transmission is a shuttle shift. I think 4 speed? Don't really know much about it.

Given the fact that this could be a real money pit / can of worms - what would you guys say it was worth or, asked a different way, what do you think I could sell it for if I decided I wanted "out"? I've got one vote for $3-5k. I've also got a vote for "scrap value" but if we're talking scrap metal value, that's only about $100 at current scrap steel prices. And that's assuming I can find a yard that's still buying steel! Seems like parting it out would bring more than that?

[SVS]

I think 7,200 is a pipe dream, especially with any useful load radius at all. This CAT gets real tippy at full extension to the side with a loaded18” bucket. That’s basically a trenching bucket, guessing quarter yard tops.

It did come with a nice quick tach fork set and will probably pickup 6k on the front, so I’ve never really tested the backhoe as crane concept other than setting pipeline dog legs, etc.

I’d just be real surprised if the hoe will out do the loader lifting wise. (I’d load a Bridgeport on a dare, but not 3 at once.)

BigIron Auction seems to have a backhoe or two most weeks-it’s not too hard to look back and see some actual prices.

[tom_d]

If it's a four speed than it should have a torque converter. This is a great feature when doing loader work. Saves burning up a clutch. Assuming it's got the diesel engine, that it runs, and will move under its own power, then I will go out on a limb here and say yeah, somewhere in the $3-5k range. As for using it as a crane, locking the boom in against the machine helps to keep it stable. It wouldn't hurt to have some weight in the front bucket, too. Definitely want the stabilizer pads down on the ground. I'm not sure about lifting 7200lbs, but if the attach point was secured close to the dipper stick hinge point, maybe no more than 3-4 feet out, it might be worth a try. This would be one of those applications where the machine lifts a load off a low trailer, the trailer is pulled out from under the load, and then the load is slowly lowered to the ground. I would not try to drive the machine with that amount of weight hanging off the back.

[SVS]

Some backhoe on machine tool action.

[RB211]

For moving machinery, why not just get a forklift? For property maintenance, why not a used Kabota?

[outlawspeeder]

About two months ago I picked up a Case 580C that had been sitting for ten years. $6500, The brakes needed to be rebuilt, four or five cylinders needed to be repacked, and the only wiring that was right was the starting circuit.

If all the parts are there and the price is right get it. I've already used it to remove a large bamboo plant that got out of control. I planning geo thermal.

I thing the 580B still used a tractor frame. The 580C weighs in at 13k.
Things to look at:
Cylinders to make sure they are not bent, seal kit are 30-40 dollars.
Gearboxes for water- for some reason people like to take them into water and sink them.
If it has a shuttle clutch check to see if its slipping.
Steering linkage for warn out parts.
The fuel tank needs to be checked. Check the tank drain to make sure fuel comes out. Biofuel turns into tar if its left to sit. I dropped $100 to have it cleaned. 2inches of the bottom was full and it it gets into the fuel pump it costly.

[batt-man]

I've been watching a series of vids on youtube - a channel called "Salvage Workshop".

The guy rescued a "traxcavator" and is slowly fixing it up

First vid is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlN9gqQtTs8

I know the OP is looking at a backhoe but this gives an indication of the type of effort required to get old machinery up and serviceable although i suspect a backhoe would be somewhat easier to work on (but that's just a guess on my part)

[Ohio Mike]

That's actually why I'm interested in it. The 580B could be equipped from the factory with what appears to be a simple manual valve to lockout the boom and use the dipper as a boom crane. The manual says, "The backhoe dipper can be used as a crane to handle heavy objects. The boom lockout system increases the load capacity which the backhoe can handle in this application". I recognize the capacity won't be the same as the breakout force, but if I could crane 7200 lbs., I'd be thrilled.

I'd say there is no way this machine is going to lift 7000# at the boom. The machine only weights ~13,000 itself which would be OK if it were a fork lift. Your BIL's John Deere 270 weighs over 50,000# and is probably close to 200HP.

[Fasttrack]

For moving machinery, why not just get a forklift? For property maintenance, why not a used Kabota?

That would be ideal but I don't have room or funds to buy both a forklift sufficiently large to lift my machine tools and a Kubota. I was thinking a backhoe might be a good compromise - obviously not as good as having two discrete machines but sometimes we have to make compromises!

I'd say there is no way this machine is going to lift 7000# at the boom. The machine only weights ~13,000 itself which would be OK if it were a fork lift. Your BIL's John Deere 270 weighs over 50,000# and is probably close to 200HP.

Yep, I've come to the same conclusion. As tom_d said, this would be more of a "get it a few inches off the trailer and drive the trailer out" kind of operation. In that case, I bet it could lift a lot more than the rated amount, just by pivoting the bucket. But I'm still not sure it would do 7200 lbs. The 270 is rated for 16,800 lbs. fully extended and driving but I've seen it lift a lot more using the bucket roll trick.

About two months ago I picked up a Case 580C that had been sitting for ten years. $6500, The brakes needed to be rebuilt, four or five cylinders needed to be repacked, and the only wiring that was right was the starting circuit.

Thanks for sharing. That helps me put this machine in context. The seller is only asking $3500, which seems awful cheap but it also needs quite a bit of work.
I'm thinking I'm going to pass. Parts are readily available for the 580C but it seems parts for the 580B are becoming more and more difficult to find. Although it does look like it would be a fun project!

[Beazld]

“Yep, I've come to the same conclusion. As tom_d said, this would be more of a "get it a few inches off the trailer and drive the trailer out" kind of operation. In that case, I bet it could lift a lot more than the rated amount,”
I have a JD 4300 with a FEL and thought the same. Until that is I broke a 1” dia. lift cylinder arm trying to lift a bundle of used RR ties off my flatbed trailer so I could pull the trailer out. Expensive lesson. We learn more from our mistakes than our successes.