# What loader to buy?? Help ASAP



## TurfSolutionsMN (Dec 12, 2007)

We are looking at buying a wheel loader, but I really know nothing about them. But I have four loaders in mind. Any help at all would be great.

1. 1997 Cat IT28G: $49,000 Needs Tires, Has new engine, Shows 4000hrs dealer thinks well over 10,000

2. Kawasaki 652 IV- $32,900, New paint, 9400hrs

3. 2002 Volvo L90D $49,500, New Tires 

4. 2002 Cat 924G $49,000, 4900hrs, needs all new windows


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## murray83 (Dec 3, 2005)

My honest answer to you go with the brand that has local dealer support.

I'm not much help on the Kawasaki but have run Cat's and Volvo's and both are nice machines.Looking at what you posted the Volvo sounds like the better of the 4 deals if you have a near by dealer,the 2 Cats sound like they might need some work,like needing glass (not major but can be pricey) and the other has unknown hours a major red flag

For the extra $500 the Volvo sounds like the way to go and is a larger machine for your buck,but ask about the 924 and see if they will come down on the price if not look elsewhere


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## jomama45 (Dec 25, 2008)

I'm with Murray, the Volvo seems like the best deal, depending on the actual hours & shape though. I wouldn't be putting too much faith in a loader with around 10K hours, either. It's Murphy's Law, when you need that loader most, it's going to let you down.
Good Luck.


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## snowman4 (Nov 25, 2007)

Just letting you know I was really close to pressing the "submit" button right after you posted saying go with the Volvo. Then I changed my mind thinking it would be ignorant as I don't know all conditions like dealer support and what not. But I think you get my drift! Volvo!


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## kcress31 (Sep 20, 2009)

Check out ironplanet.com you can get a newer machine with less hours for less money. Check out some of the past sold items in the last 60 days. These are just a few deals. There are skids, buckets, you name it it is on there,



2003 Caterpillar IT28G Tool Carrier 3468 Yes US $49,000
Sold Sep 24 2009 

2003 Caterpillar 950G II Wheel Loader
Enclosed cab with A/C and heater, Cat 3126B engine, powershift w/autoshift, 23.5-25 tires, 114" loader bucket 5276 hrs US $59,000 

2005 Caterpillar 938G II Wheel Loader 3162 Yes US $58,000 Sold Aug 20 2009


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## ColumbiaLand (Sep 1, 2008)

I have a loader for sale with a pusher,


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## ColumbiaLand (Sep 1, 2008)

I have a loader for sale with a pusher, in the used equipment forum 1992 CAT IT12B


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## TurfSolutionsMN (Dec 12, 2007)

Thanks everyone for your help i'm going to look at everyone, but the 924G. I will get more info posted when I get back. Also is there anything I should pay close attention too, like I said I know very little about wheel loaders. I'm leaning towards the Volvo


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## kcress31 (Sep 20, 2009)

Did you get a chance to check out ironplanet.com? Some of the machines are in excellent condition with low hours. They also have detailed inspection reports which would give you an idea what to look for in a machine for wear, leaks etc. Below is a link to one loader. I found the site about 9 months ago and now I am hooked. You can search for machines by make, state, hrs and so on. I myself prefer Cat. They seem to last forever, have better resale value and 10 - 20 years down the road parts will never be an issue. My oldest Cat is a 1976 988 B.

Regards Keith

http://www2.ironplanet.com/jsp/s/ite...2CBackToSearch


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## bike5200 (Sep 4, 2007)

Get some oil samples and have then tested, that will tell you whats going on


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## TurfSolutionsMN (Dec 12, 2007)

Well I just got back from looking at them The Kawasaki is a 1995 looks great, The Volvo has 10,600hrs on it and also looks great. The Cat IT28G looks ok, but the the hydo's seems really weak. Right now I'm leaning towards the Kawasaki do the the price difference. He would sell me the Kawasaki for $29,500 and the Volvo for $46,500. He told me if he had $50,000 to spend he would buy the Volvo, but he also said that the Kawasaki is the best bang for your buck.


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## murray83 (Dec 3, 2005)

That might be true but how hard are they to find parts for?


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## LoneCowboy (Jan 2, 2007)

that is a TON of hours 9400

Sure, it's cheap to buy, but it won't be cheap to keep running.

stuff does break and big loaders cost big bucks to keep running.

I agree with finding parts, can you?

can it be down for a week while they have some part shipped in?

Loaders are like trucks, you can pay now (new, low hours) or later (used, many hours), but you're going to pay.

What about tires? Tires are insane.


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## DGODGR (Nov 30, 2008)

Be Careful! I have been in the dirt business for over 25 years. I know that their are many good deals on loaders right now, especially at auctions. I have seen quite a few Kawasaki loaders over the years. I can't say how they work, or how they hold up because I have never even run one. But I can say this....I have never, ever seen a Kawasaki dealer. I know they exist because I have seen their tractors. These tractors may be great machines but 10,000 hours is quite a few, especially if you don't know who owned it, what type of work load it had, and what type of maintenance it has had. With that many hours I'm sure you are going to need dealer support. Before I bought that machine I would be sure that I had a dealer nearby. If there is one I would have a slew questions to be answered (about most any used machine with 10K hours). If you wish I can elaborate here or by PM.
Oh, and buy the way a single oil sample will only tell you wether or not you are about to have a component failure (after it's to late) and not much else. Admitidly this can be somewhat helpfull, but not nearly as helpfull as if you had the results of many or all of the machines oil samples. With that information you can establish trends and have a much better picture of where each sampled component is in it's usable life.
As for tires, yes they can be very expensive. Make sure you are getting RADIAL tires and not bias. The radials are way more expensive but will make a huge difference in how the machine handles. This will be most noticable in the winter. If you dont want to ride on flat spots (unitl the tire heats up, and that takes a long time when it's really cold out) stay away from bias ply tires.
Jason


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## TurfSolutionsMN (Dec 12, 2007)

The closest Kawasaki dealer is about two hours away, they can get any part over night. Volvo and Cat 1 hour away. I I found a few with anywhere from 4000-5000 hrs for $80,000-$90,000. I just dont want to spend that much money. It would be alot easier if it was used all year.


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## DGODGR (Nov 30, 2008)

I am not sure what size the Kawasaki is. Of the other units you are sort of all over the map as far as size goes. Volvo makes a good product but my concern (with any machine that has that many hours) is how reliable will it be, especially in cold weather. If you are using this loader for commercial accounts (which is what I assume), than you will probably be plowing when the dealers are not open. Even if they are if the machine breaks down (especially the big one) you are not going to get the job done as promised. What I'm getting at is that it doesn't matter how cheap it is if it doesn't work when you need it to. $29k is pretty cheap (depending on what size it is), but it would be good to be able to use the loader for a while (before the season starts) to see how reliable it will be for you. Do you have any other work for it besides snow removal? Why did you dismiss the 924? It only had 4900 hours on it. That is not a whole lot for a loader. It would be plenty big enough for most pushers.
I could go on but I want to elaborate on another train of thought. If you don't have year round work for a loader then why not rent? There are a lot of programs that offer discounted rates for winter rentals. I know that it's still a lot of money (that may seem to be getting wasted) but you will have NEW and RELIABLE units. They also come with "phone call" repairs. That is to say that if it breaks you call up the dealer and they come and fix it. If they can't they will usually get you another unit. If the breakdown is not your fault, they will fix it for free. If this is your first year to use a loader you may be able to use this situation to try one out and see if it works for you. You will become more familiar with them (and what they can do) without the commitment. Once you gain more experience you will be able to make better judgements about a purchase should you decide to buy one. 
I am not in your shoes so I can't see the whole picture here. At least it's food for thought.
Jason


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## DGODGR (Nov 30, 2008)

TurfSolutionsMN;830268 said:


> The closest Kawasaki dealer is about two hours away, they can get any part over night. Volvo and Cat 1 hour away. I I found a few with anywhere from 4000-5000 hrs for $80,000-$90,000. I just dont want to spend that much money. It would be alot easier if it was used all year.


After re-reading your post I saw something in what you said (or were told) that I question. Not even CAT or John Deere can get every part over night. I find it hard to believe that a Japanese company (that does not have the same parts network to draw from) can offer this. Not even Komatsu. World wide, Cat is the number one selling brand of heavy equipment. Komatsu is second. Third is ??? Here in the states third is probably Deere. These guys will only say that they can get 95% of the parts for any given machine over night. I'm not sure I would buy into that and if the salesman told you that it would make me question other things that he may be telling you (yes I am a sinic). It's to bad that there is not someone on this site who has owned and operated a Kawasaki loader, so that we may get a direct account of there experiences.
Jason


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## Jon Geer (Jan 21, 2002)

TurfSolutionsMN;821107 said:


> We are looking at buying a wheel loader, but I really know nothing about them. But I have four loaders in mind. Any help at all would be great.
> 
> 1. 1997 Cat IT28G: $49,000 Needs Tires, Has new engine, Shows 4000hrs dealer thinks well over 10,000
> 
> ...


The best loader for you to buy is my Kamatsu WA 120-3 with a 16' Fold Out ProTech.:waving:


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## bubba11 (Dec 28, 2009)

just curious what loader did you end up getting? for what its worth i think that volvo builds a great machine and there are some great deals out there right now. have your local dealer download the computer on the volvo. the info you will get will tell you every thing you would ever want to know about it including # of hours and at what engine temp, max engine temp, # of engine starts and at what the temp was when those starts took place, max trans temp, recent fault alarms, etc.etc. the amout of info you can get is amazing and gives you a good idea how the loader was used. you can usually get them downloaded for 100-300 bucks depending how far they have to drive. cheap insurance when buying a 40000 loader in my opinion. i would guess any late model of any brand should be able to do the same i know some c model volvos you can and d models and up you can for sure


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## newhere (Oct 13, 2009)

LoneCowboy;822159 said:


> that is a TON of hours 9400
> 
> Sure, it's cheap to buy, but it won't be cheap to keep running.
> 
> ...


listen to this guy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you are going to regret it if you dont.

i have seen far better machines with low hours for less money. you are in a hurry to buy something and thats the number one biggest mistake to make when entering the market.

did you even call a cat salesman?? have you seen the prices on repo machines? im talking 05-08 machines with under a thousand hours at insane cheap prices. you should slow your roll down and look into that. They sell super fast when they come up but they come up every day.

i would take that 30k and make that my down payment on a 90k machine before i bought a 10,000hr machine. i wouldnt touch a loader with over 2,000 hours unless it was a old b series cat.


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