NH Skid Loader

Looking at a LS170 with 640hrs. I think it is an "04 or "05. No cab, aux. hydraulics, needs tires? Is $12,500 a deal or not?

Not to bad of a price. They had hydrostat problems and wiring issues.

Could you tell me more about those problems?

I have one. I would recommend not buying a NH or NH with John Deere written on the side either. We have had both, and both were very troublesome. I like my Case 1845C the best of all. One thing I liked about the NH is that they could really push snow. It is all in the location of the rear wheels and the weight balance. The newer Case 95XT that my neighbor has is very impressive for its size.

Depends what your going to use it for.Imo NH makes the best machine for a farm(balence and visability)If I was moveing dirt all day I might go with something else.Price isn't to bad.

I plan on do landscaping, snow plowing, small construction projects, woods/brush clearing.

All of the new ones have electrical issues.I service Case and New Holland machines. They are because of all of the safety interlock system. the Case 1845C and 95XT series have been out of production for almost 7 years. They have smoe wiring issues to this day. The LS is a good machine and the price sounds good for the low hours. If you take care of them any skid steer will treat you well. Most of my repairs consist of safety interlock wiring repairs and basic maintance. I am partial to New Holland myself.

I agree that my New Hollands ran great same as any other. Just too many electrical issues. Especially with the older one and the John Deere version. They look alike but if you work on em you know that JD is prone to its own issues. I wanted some used parts for my NH and started looking in yards and found that most of them had burnt.

I've got over 4000 hours on my LS170 now...
I'd say electrical issues are very minor for the most part and all were related to the boom lockouts. Basically, the seat belt buckles go bad if they dont' get some lube from time to time and the seat micro switches suffer from corrosion problems at the connectors. Some basic cleaning and simple wiring will fix that. Again, in 9 years and 4K hours... this is probably 3-5 issues.
The bigger problmes I've had are wheel bearings... and I've had to replace both drive motor shafts and the pinion shafts that they mesh with as the bolts that hold the two together backed out allowing the tapered splines to strip.
The easiest thing to do is get all the wheels off the ground and check for slop in the chains and drives by rocking the wheels by hand. You're probably going to see mabey 1 tire lug's worth of slop... but beyond that you may have slack chains or drive splines. Shove the wheels in and out to check end play in the wheel bearings.
BEyond that, just check the function of everything. If it seems right and there's no lights going off on the instrument cluster, the oil is clean and full... I think you're looking at a good deal on the best machine in it's class.
Good tires will set you back over a grand today but you can get the cheap ones for 5-600.
Personally I wouldnt' own anything BUT a NH loader. Balance and stability are without equal.

There aren't too many 'easy' hours on mine either. Most of them are slogging through mud and manure up to it's belly which gives most of the bearing trouble.
I've had ~zero~ trouble with the hydro or hydraulics in general, or the engine for that matter.
It's just at that age where I've changed a bunch of hoses... but you get to expect that.

Rod

That NH is the one to have if your going to drill
post holes, the bucket goes straight up and
straight down. You don't have to move the machine
as you drill to keep the hole plumb.

For landscaping, especially in tight area's or on sensitive ground, a longer wheelbase machine like a NH will cause more damage when turning. NH's are better as a lifting machine(bales, pallets, etc.) but for a construction/landscaping machine, they aren't very common. If the hours are in fact under 1000, that's a good price. Also for landscaping, you need to be able to see the bucket cutting edge when sitting in the seat. It makes a big difference when doing precision work. Dave

I have a landscaping business and run a 170 with almost 2000 hours. Never had a bit of problems except that seat belt thing liked stated below. For it"s weight it will move more than most other machines. Good visibility and vertical lift was a plus in my book. I also wanted a machine that was small but could still move 2500# pallets of ice melt. I added a little more weight besides the extra weigh kit and we"re good to go. Good machine for the 5-6 years I"ve had it. Next one will be NH.