Done a lot research on this recently and ended up buying the Yanmar. The dealer thing is at your judgement but in the 3 & 4 tonne machines I could hardly pick the difference between the Hitachi and Yanmar (both have Yanmar engines). I have been very happy with the Vio to date.We have a 161-3 with nearly 4000 hrs on it...no problems and is holding up well. The Cat 305 has more get up and go than the Kubota but I'm not complaining.
What about Komatsu pc-50. Are you looking to buy new?
$75k for a mini? have you done some looking onwww.machinerytrader.com? i'd even look at some of the stuff on ebay.that seems REAL spendy for a mini.
dayexco said:$75k for a mini? have you done some looking onwww.machinerytrader.com? i'd even look at some of the stuff on ebay.that seems REAL spendy for a mini.Click to expand...Ok it was 64 + tax just looked up the quote. Heat, AC, 3 buckets and a progresive link thumb. I know it pricy, but Im not to sure about used machines, you never really know what was done to them, or what the service maintainance really was like, This would be my first mini to actually own, so I guess in some ways I dont' want to buy a used headach.What in terms of HRS is a lot for used machine?Any brands to really stay away from?Thanks everyody
Stay away from gray market machines the cheaper price might look good but when it comes to getting parts you might have troubles.As for brands if you are going near new or new most brands are pretty equal. Kubota is a good brand the 161 is a decent machine it has some quirks but every machine does.Komatsu is getting pretty common the with the little PC series machines.Keep in mind what are you going to move the machine with the 10,000-12,000lb machines are out of the range for a trailer behind a P/U truck. Your going to need a 3 ton truck to properly carry a 5-6 ton mini on a tag trailer. A gooseneck trailer with a F-550 or 5500 sized truck will probably carry a 161 sized machine.With a mini the newer the better it seems to be mini's get beat on more than a fullsize exavator especially if its been a rental machine or belonged to a larger company. People are always trying to do stuff with a mini that it was never designed for.
The Kobelco is a great machine. My dad has one and has had no problems what so ever with it. He bought it new in 01 or 02. His is the 45sr-2 which is the same as the new 50sr-3. I would look at Case as well. They are a kobelco machine just painted up in Case colors. I have some pic in my sig.
HEres the Case pic of a 50
I have been very happy with my Takeuchi TB53. It is a near zero tail (within inches) and zero swing. The side to side boom is a great feature and hands down better than the swing boom set up that is common on most. The machine weighs 12.5K but specs with most machines in the 16K range. I am lookings at updating mine to the new 153 series (getting a cab this time). Price is 58K cab/ac, no thumb or coupler (putting on myself). If you have a dealer they are worth a look. The machine more than pays its way.
takeuchithese are good machines and are probably the no 1 seller in the uk the last one we had on rent was a tb145 and it was a good performer much better than the kubota 151 :thumbsup
Komatsu's new dash 8's look to be very nice contenders. I really like Cat's new C series mini's, but I think there are better machines if you have multiple dealers in your area.
I handle the Cat lineup every day. It starts out at a 301.5. The tracks are narrower than the cab, so they fall over for no reason sometimes. (good for a hoe ram or small excavation,) They go up to a 307C. Depending on your weight class preferences, the 307 is a heck of a machine for it's size. Strong hydraulics, actually has more muscle than rear end.(Trying to stay non-profane...)Of course, you're going to pay for the 3-letter word quite a bit more than one that runs on soy sauce. Not to bite the hand that feeds me, but for the price difference, one of the soy burning brands are just as good, and easier on the checking account. Flip the hood open on a Cat, and there's the same weird writing on all the engine number and ID tags as there is on the Asian models...:yupThat Hitachi with the built in hoe ram is an interesting design concept. That with a blade and a thumb would be a good, versatile piece. Someone posted a picture of one he bought recently here somewhere, I can't remember who it was.The hammer actually contracts up into the stick when not in use. Pretty clever...Don't even have to remove the bucket; it has a cutout that allows it to bypass it.
My Takeuchi 135 is an amazing digger. I've had some issues, but I doubt that I would have had any better luck with any other machine. For it's size, I haven't found any other that will out power or out dig it.
Of course, you're going to pay for the 3-letter word quite a bit more than one that runs on soy sauce. Not to bite the hand that feeds me, but for the price difference, one of the soy burning brands are just as good, and easier on the checking account. Flip the hood open on a Cat, and there's the same weird writing on all the engine number and ID tags as there is on the Asian models...Thats because CAT's excavators also run on "SOY" sauce. Made by a company called Mitusbishi.
You guys who run a Takeuchi have you run other brands?Most of the rental yards out here rent then out. I had one job and used a 145, seemed ok but honestly every movement seemed to be a little slow, it was like every time I moved the joy stick I was full speed " IE I used the joy stick more of as an on - off device instead of variable use" at the end of 8 hrs, I felt that the machine was just slow, almost painfully slow, seemed slower then the 121 kubota that I usually rent.I also rented a 135 with 20 hrs on the clock and it was just gutless, I had to take 1/2 to 1/3 scoop just to dig a hole, I rented this about 2 days after the 145 and I deffenatly noticed a big change.Dont' get me wrong I don't have a lot of experiance with the other brands in the dirt but I haven't been very impressed with the Takeuchi brand, maybe its a matter or differance of Dirt in this area or maybe Im just too dam picky. Yes I got the job done but I'm allways looking to save time and hopfully make more $$.
I owned an IHI excavator before the TK. I very much liked the IHI. When I replaced the IHI, I weighed between the TK and another IHI. I went with TK obvously but I don't think I could have lost with either machine. This is my first TK and it has been almost flawless in operation. I have 1400 hours on it and it is operating in extremely difficult conditions (double digit below zero, 9000 feet in alt.) It is very powerful. I would agree they are not the fastest machines out there but they are some of the most powerful atleast in this weight class.
Ok I found a really nice looking Kobelco 45SR.... used with about 1000 hrs. Anybody have any experiance with this model?Good Bad?Recomendations? on what to look at?Any big failular points on Mini ?Price seems fair and a lot less then a new one. I can live with a used one if the deal seems fair.Its a rental unit at a dealers lot, which can be good and bad but it seems to be an ok unit.ThanksDave
That looks like a nice machine.Blake
Price? Looks like a good machine with 1,000 hours on it, that's for sure. As far as Kobelco goes, great machines as far as I can tell. Never talked to anyone who was disappointed with a Kobelco.
well were still talking #'s on the machine, does anyone know of a blue book equivlant for equipment?There is a cab unit avaiable tooBut right now Im looking at 2 machines45-2 Canopy1000 hrs$37K50-3 cab400 hrs$52KAlso before I dive right in with this, anybody know if Kobelco or JD is coming out with some killer low interest rates in the next few weeks?I supose I should just dive in and buy the thing and stop worying, :Banghead but basicly its about $300 a month different in payment for the cab, and a little newer or $10 a day. or I could buy brand new and spends about 400-500 more.Thanks for the help everyone..... you know its allways easier spending someone elses money :thumbsup
I think you should get the 50-3 just for the cab, you know how the rain is over here. A lot less hours and at $10 a day, I know you can cover that cost by about 3-4 times every day with the added productivity of the cab.
The unit that is shown looks very clean. I would step up to the 50 with a cab. The only issue I see with these machines is the breakout is not as high as I would like to have or I would have bought one. I have run the CASE versions of these machines and they are smooth and comfortable to run. The bigger machine would be the way to go in my opinion. I am just completing the paperwork on a Takeuchi TB153 with no thumb and no bucket just cab and air it is 58K for comparison.
I went from a Takeuchi 025 open station to a new Takeuchi 135 cab model. Amazing difference in what you can do. The cab really is the difference, doesn't matter how bad it's snowing, sleeting, raining, blowing etc..., I can keep working. The extra productivity really made the cab worth it.
Cat 305 CcrTry the CAT 305 CCR , it is a great machine, you can buy them up here in Vancouver BC, fully loaded with CAB, AC, quick change, 2 buckets, and a thumb, blade, and CD player. for about 82, 500 CDN. this also include 4 year warranty. I have heard lots of excellent feedback from all users and way better performance than the Deere, Hitachis and Komatsu's. and again the 3 letter word may cost more up front but you will always get your money back in teh resale end of it. oh yeah the cabs are way bigger than the other guys buikt for real men
I looked at the CAT 305C CR. It was 14K more than a TK TB153FR real money to real money. The specs are nearly identical except to match the TK's dig depth you have to spec the long boom on the CAT. I checked resale value and it is not there. Actually it was less then TK's TB53FR in some cases. These were prior C models that I did the comparison with. I have no reason to believe that it will be any different with the C machines once they hit the used market. The cabs are nice on the 305C. More comfortable than the TK TB153. It was not so nice as to justify the additional money however IMHO.