Hell on earth? go through my shop door, hang a left!!!

[rbh]

My rant on buying old equipment!!!!!
Ok, so I bought a Ditch witch 6510 for $3500 bucks ($750 transport) two years ago and I am in the midst of re and re'en the worn parts.
This to include hydraulic hoses, so far $1200 bucks (12 more to go), 30 gallons of hydraulic fluid $240 bucks, pins bushings and general welding/fabrication/machining $1100
Misc 6510 DW parts $1200+- so far

I know when you buy old equipment get ready to do some fixxen on it but this is crazy, I cannot justify buying new so it is a crap shoot every time I buy something old, and when its finished it may be back to new condition,
"BUT IT"S STILL OLD"!!!! :facepalm:

And on top of that I had to buy the accseseries, Backhoe attachment $2500, cable reel arms $400 trailer $3300

Were does it end?

 

[robert graham]

Re: Hell on earth? go through my shop door, hang a left!!!

Well, with all the time, money and effort you've got in it, just hang in there with the @#$% thing until you get it right!...it does look challenging! Just stay with it!....Good Luck!

 

[RandyJ]

Re: Hell on earth? go through my shop door, hang a left!!!

I know your pain! I'm just as guilty with all these junk boats I've got. If I had spent as much money on a new boat and new jet ski I'd have money left over and nothing to work on.... seems I failed to factor in the convenience factor. Maybe next time I'll talk to the bank before buying a junker. I did break down a few years ago and bought a new car so I wouldn't have to keep repairing the junkers I had been driving... been very happy and satisfied every since. Seems that I was losing money because I could have been out making very good money working for a living rather than saving the few bucks working for myself. Pretty much, it costs me to work for myself eventhough I do try to do these things when I have no paying jobs....

 

[Fishing Dude too]

Re: Hell on earth? go through my shop door, hang a left!!!

I know what you are saying, yes when you get done it may still be old but like new condition. When you buy stuff like this it is a crap shoot. Have bought a few Items have cost enough in the end to buy new. Then there are those ones that when you get done you have little money in and worth the work. I know how to do work on many things and the skill to do without the cost of paying the man to fix. Trouble is never figure the cost of the equipment it takes to do the work.

 

[mommicked]

Re: Hell on earth? go through my shop door, hang a left!!!

I know its for work, but are you sure its not a hobby also

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Hell on earth? go through my shop door, hang a left!!!

I know its for work, but are you sure its not a hobby also

No, this is clearly an addiction!!

 

[rbh]

Re: Hell on earth? go through my shop door, hang a left!!!

Had to "BUCK" out the brake caliper today with a zip disc (the metel dowels were frozen in)

caliper survived, barely, time for a rebuild kit, new dowels and a tig to fill in the holes in the caliper from the zip disc:facepalm:

Anyone wanna come and hang out for a few days and get greasey?????

 

[BlkY2k]

Re: Hell on earth? go through my shop door, hang a left!!!

I feel your pain. A couple of years back I picked up a 1640 JD tractor, nice cond. front end loader good tires. Over the last 2 years as things started to fail and I started to look for parts. Yeh No, cant do that in this country, apparently it wasnt made for the US market. It was put together in europe some where. The local jd dealer has no clue how it even got into the country, we are thinking it came down from canada. $600 bucks for a alternator, are you freakin kidding me. G/L

 

[rbh]

Re: Hell on earth? go through my shop door, hang a left!!!

^^^^^^^^^^^
What kind of motor in the JD???, Perkins, yanmar, kubota?? (theres one from italy now, name????)

As for most things you can source them through a napa or whomever, its that specialty hose, brake caliper ETC that was only made for this application that really hurts the pocket book.
(16 drive belts at $20 bucks apiece, OUCH!!!!!)