case 1845c skid steer shopping(bought) with pix

[47sawdust]

There is a Case 1845c for sale near me that I have an interest in.It would be used to handle firewood,saw logs,and snow.Being a 32 year old machine with unknown history,what kind of problems should I expect.The asking price is $8500.00 which seems to be the norm,on the low end, for this machine around here.I can't afford a more modern machine.

 
Here is a picture,not a lot to go on,starts,turns,hydraulics work,electrical system good.
As always,thanks for your thoughts.

[mike_belben]

Skid steers of the hydrostatic era are all pretty similar in design.. Engine runs 3 stages of pump, sometimes rigid coupled sometimes belt.  The coupling is critical in either.  Youve got your left and right high pressure drive pumps and usually at the end is a vane or gear pump that works your loader and also serves as the charge pump to feed the high pressure pumps.  This marriage has a lot of valving that can give grief, even though the devices themselves are basically just springs and simple valve poppets.  Often easy fixes if you can actually get to them.   Your loader control valve is another potential source of gripe and can be real hard to get down to.  Removal is never fun. 

Drive motors can fail but theyre fairly easy to get at.  Changing drive chains isnt terrible but axle seals and bearings really is.  I would take bald tires over bad axle seals any day.  

Bring a tape measure and make sure the loader arms are equidistant from the cab and chassis.  When you roll a skid steer it bends the loader sideways then the bushings all wear and you cant really change them because the pin holes are cocked and just wont line up.  Pins taking grease is a good thing.  Pins that dont is bad.  Giving a seller a free grease job is a real good way to find out what condition his machine is in.  If the loader pins arent taking grease he hasnt been greasing, plain and simple. 

Look real hard at the main pins for the bucket to pivot, they see a ton of wear and can be a bushing/welding job to fix if let go. Also that the quick attach handles move and release the bucket easy.  Theyre always swimming in gravel and prone to get the attachment stuck on or off.  Thatll slow ya down. When you operate it, even travel, quick response and plenty of power are what youre looking for.  If you can drive it into a pile or stump you want to see that it can spin all 4 and that it has the hydraulic power to lift its rear wheels a bit or atleast get them light.  Try lifting your truck.  

If the owner has operated it at idle its whole life "to save fuel" thats bad, charge pump cant provide sufficient flow to the drives and they cavitate.  When its bad youll have a groany, resonant, whine and rebuilding drive pump swash plates is $$. You should run it up high and try to lift your truck or something. See if you can get the machine to give you trouble before you buy it.  Control rods do wear out so if the sticks arent perfectly even or travel not perfectly straight its about 50/50 chance of just some worn pins but id wanna flip the cab up and verify of it isnt too much trouble.  If it creeps while parked dont panic, thats just an adjustment.  Be on the lookout for signs of fire, anyone can repaint a machine but most guys rewiring job stinks. 

[mike_belben]

...im told 1845c is a great machine.. There are lots in my area due to a long time case dealer in town before cat got here.  Bobcat is an hour away.  Never ran one but id be confident in the model itself.  Which engine in it?

[47sawdust]

Thanks Mike,
It has a Cummins diesel.There are 2 that are owned by my neighbors,one has a welding shop,the other a farm/landscape business.Both seem happy with the machines and aren't inclined to baby them.

[barbender]

The Case 1845c is probably the a simple (compared to new machines), reliable workhorse. I bought mine with 650 hours on it probably 15 years ago. It is pushing 3000 now. I've replaced a couple hydraulic hoses, and a broken drive chain in that time- and I work it hard. The broken drive chain happened when I was prying out a 20" popple stump, my fault. I also put many many hours in 1845's when I worked on a paving crew, worked the snot out of them and never any problems.

[Resonator]

Check the machines history to see if it was a farm machine, some spent there lives cleaning barns, and swimming in manure. I ran one years ago on a job and it was a decent machine, however, for plowing snow in winter I wished it had an enclosed cab and heat.

[47sawdust]

 

 Bought this one today.It is a 1986 Case 1845C.It spent its first 27 years feeding wood chips into the boiler at the Balsams resort in Colebrook NH.The last 5 were spent moving snow at a small apartment complex in Berlin,NH.
Dirt bucket was never used.Unknown hours but starts,runs and goes good.Has a block heater,cab heater and decent tires.
Won't get it home in time for Sat/Sun snowstorm (1-2 feet),so the 1985 Kubota will be doing the grunt work.
How come all my stuff is so old?How come I'm gettin' so old?

 

 






 

[Bandmill Bandit]

I don't think any one that has had one or few of the 1845s through to the 1845Cs in all its versions  would argue that they were and in many ways still are the best skid steer type loader ever built.

I put over 24000 Hours on 3 units. A 1980, 1845 at 8200hrs and sold to my dad. He is still using it for snow and acreage work with just shy of 16000hrs. One motor rebuild and refreshed pumps at 12000hrs.  Dad is 91  

The other 2 1845Cs, one with 9200 at trade time and the last one I sold to a cousin at 7800 hrs which now has just over 12000 hrs and is getting an engine and pump refresh this winter. As far as I am concerned you won't find a tougher more reliable skidsteer any where. There are some good new ones out there that I have used BUT I have yet to see any of them that aren't junk at about 6000 hrs

The secret is CLEAN air/filter, Clean oil/Filters/ regular changes including hydraulic, high quality regular (daily minimum. I greased 2 times a day but only 1 or 2 pumps per joint) but minimum grease on loader joints. DO NOT run the regular hydraulic oil as per the owners manual. I ran hi grade 15-40 full synthetic at the recommendation of my dealer and I never had a hint of issues in the hydraulic system ever.

The throttle has 2 positions. Idle for when it sitting IDLE! Wide open (minimum 2200 RPM) when in operation. The hydraulic controls are the throttle. Get used to it! WHY? The hydraulic charge system has a high volume medium pressure delivery pump that REQUIRES 1800 RPM (if I remember right) to ensure that the drive pumps are not ever starved for oil by having to "suck" oil from the reservoir.

You can destroy a variable displacement, variable speed swash plate type piston pump in less than a half hour of heavy use. And at less than 2000 RPM, pushing 4 inches of snow is heavy use.      

For the price you paid you did good and that unit does not look beat. They still bring $12 to $15000 CDN around here if you can find one and any body that has one isnt parting with it any time soon.        

[Dave Shepard]

Check the chain cases to make sure they are not full of water. 1845C is the smoothest skidsteer I've ever run. 

[Bandmill Bandit]

Check the chain cases to make sure they are not full of water. 1845C is the smoothest skidsteer I've ever run.

YES AND pay regular attention to the lids. They are are medium grade composite with a thick rubber gasket. Make sure the neoprene gaskets are in EXCELLENT shape at ALL times and don't OVER Tighten the hold down bolts. I checked them at every oil change.  

[dinasnore]

I have been running 10w30 engine oil with the Case additive in my hydraulic system as suggested by my local dealer. I see on the forum that 15w40 full synthetic may be a better alternative for  the hydraulic system but are we talking engine oil or hydraulic oil??

[redneck]

We had one and it never gave us any issues for 18 years except for a few hydraulic hoses. 

[Bandmill Bandit]

I have been running 10w30 engine oil with the Case additive in my hydraulic system as suggested by my local dealer. I see on the forum that 15w40 full synthetic may be a better alternative for  the hydraulic system but are we talking engine oil or hydraulic oil??

I ran 15-40 full synthetic in both engine and Hydraulics.