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I have two 580 B's. I'll have to check whether you can spin the steering wheel with the engine off. There is certainly power steering that requires the engine, but I don't know if it should spin. When these machines are fixed up, they are fine, but perhaps not as lightweight, strong, nimble and acrobatic as newer backhoes. However, having a backhoe is an incredible luxury for a "stuff" collector like me! I recently moved my entire farm, and could not have done it without a backhoe at each end! Now that I am moved, I'm selling one. I'll add to the list of things to do before starting- find the petcock for the fuel tank and open it up to drain a bit of fuel, and catch it. see if there is any water. Probably best to drain it and put in fresh. The diesel filters may need changing as well- this is simple. Ask they guy why it was abandoned. These take a very high CCA battery to turn over, and they are hard to crank from jumper cables. You need really heavy duty ones. Some known issues with this model include a tendency for them to not move- my older one usually is hard to get rolling at first, especially as the weather gets colder. I often have to warm it up well, roll back and forth tiny amounts until it gets enough trans pressure to actually move. The brakes tend to me marginal also. Regarding hoses, I just replace them as they fail. Usually about $35 each, or less. More of a hassle and inconvenience than a huge expense. I have a great shop that makes them up on the spot- I take the old hose in and they duplicate. These machines require a 3 axle trailer and a dumptruck to haul, or a semi and a lowboy. I was told that the heavier of mine (4 in 1 and extendahoe) is about 9 tons.
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