Tracked harvester, hours to consider?

[gman98]

Hello guys.  I'm looking for a bit of advice from the cut to length guys in the northern regions.  When you're looking at used harvesters, what are you considering an acceptable range on hours?  I know obviously a lot of it depends on the actual condition of the machine, but they also reach a point where they're just worn out.  Anything in the 10-20,000 hour range, is it generally a workable machine, or a money pit?

Thanks

[Corley5]

If you can afford an old harvester you can afford a new one  ;)   Been there.  Done that.

[Gary_C]

Anything in the 10-20,000 hour range, is it generally a workable machine, or a money pit?

There is no easy answer to that question and there are two parts to the question. Tracked machine maintenance is a separate issue from the harvester machine. I've never had a tracked machine so all I can tell you about is rubber tire machines and I've had little trouble with the drives or tires on my machines. I doubt you can say as much for tracked machines. 
As far as the 10-20,000 hour range it can be all over the place as far as a serviceable machine. In general you can see some things wear out around the 10,000 hour range but there are very serviceable machines around well over 20,000 hours. It so much depends on the brand and history. I've had two rubber tired harvesters and I did not buy without knowing the history of each machine. To me, it's all about brand, history and condition. Good maintenance can trump hours but not a poor brand. Some brands can be just trouble no matter the hours. 

[Skeans1]

Hello guys.  I'm looking for a bit of advice from the cut to length guys in the northern regions.  When you're looking at used harvesters, what are you considering an acceptable range on hours?  I know obviously a lot of it depends on the actual condition of the machine, but they also reach a point where they're just worn out.  Anything in the 10-20,000 hour range, is it generally a workable machine, or a money pit?

Thanks

Here's a good question what size is the machine? What machine is it? What head is on it? What are your plans for the machine?

[stavebuyer]

If you can afford an old harvester you can afford a new one  ;)  Been there.  Done that.

I found this holds true across all equipment and fields of endeavor. If the business will not justify the cost of newer equipment the down time and repairs eventually will catch up to running the old. Good luck and good mechanical skills might get you by for a while; but seldom all that far ahead. Junk sinks many a good man and so does debt. Problem is some business models won't work no matter what equipment you run. Logging often tends to often fall in that category.
There is a reason most sawmills hire independent loggers and trucking companies use owner operators and it is not because they want to share the wealth.

[mike_belben]

Oof.  The truth hurts!

;D

[BargeMonkey]

 I'm having the same dilemma, salesman from Anderson has a TK711 with 10k hrs but the log max 750 looks thrashed. There's alot of decent looking stuff out MI-WI way with 8-12k hrs that doesn't look beat for reasonable money, I saw a 753J with an H8 Ponsse last night that didn't look bad. I can't afford close to new 😆 and swing an 830B at the same time. 

[gman98]

Hello guys.  I'm looking for a bit of advice from the cut to length guys in the northern regions.  When you're looking at used harvesters, what are you considering an acceptable range on hours?  I know obviously a lot of it depends on the actual condition of the machine, but they also reach a point where they're just worn out.  Anything in the 10-20,000 hour range, is it generally a workable machine, or a money pit?

Thanks

Here's a good question what size is the machine? What machine is it? What head is on it? What are your plans for the machine?

I don't have anything particular picked out right now.  It's not something that will happen right off.  I have the most experience with tigercat machines, so an 822 tigercat is what I had in mind.