New AGT Midget Excavator: 6 Questions Including Jerky Control Stuff

[Sidwuffler]

This owner goes through changing the fluids in his new mini and provides some good tips that might assist you..

Here is another video on how this owner smoothed out his jerky controls.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

That is truly strange, because I have no problems with my boom.

Thanks for the info about the filter and controls.

No engine oil filter on the Rato engine. And the QK16R doesn't have pilot controls which are the digging controls next to the seat.

The main boom is the only this that is jerky on my LS15R, It will start out jerky when cold going up and down, and then seems to smooth out until about the 3-3.5 hour mark and then it will about throw you out of the seat. Just gets really touchy. The rest of the controls are actually rather smooth considering.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

I believe they are piling up at places like Ritchie Brothers

That's what I am hoping for! Market Saturation and a better used market then I will scoop one up.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

I have not changed my hydraulic fluid yet. I was putting it off until I got a new drain plug with a valve and filter on it, but now I think that's a dumb idea.

If I change the fluid, I have to keep the old plug until the next fluid change, unless I want to change the fluid and then try to install the new plug later. That would be a mess, because fluid would be running out as I tried to install the plug. The alternative is to wait for a new plug.

I checked the change interval in the manual, and it's 2000 hours. That means the excavator will never survive until the next fluid change, so it doesn't matter what kind of drain plug I have.

Should I change the filter now? An earlier post says the old filter will let 20-micron stuff go through, which is apparently a problem. The machine has run a couple of hours now, so I suppose a certain amount of stuff is already in the lines.

Finding a filter that matches the threads, O-ring, and flow rate may be difficult.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

I was using this thing today, and the treads got stuck. I would have expected a tracked machine to turn the tracks even if it couldn't go anywhere, but I was sitting in dirty sand, and I couldn't get it to go forward or back. I had to turn it until I found a way it was willing to go.

 

[dfkrug]

Here is another video on how this owner smoothed out his jerky controls.

If you go to 12:15 in this video, you will see why a flow restrictor is not a good way to cut down on the jerkiness. Heat.

These machines get really hot, even if you are fortunate enough to have a hydraulic radiator. Flow restrictors make this problem worse. I have adjustable flow restrictors here, but they are problematic for high duty-cycle circuits that already run hot.

I have posted about jerkiness numerous times in many threads on TBN. The best approach to making things smoother is a smaller-displacement hydraulic pump. Feathering the sticks and operating the bucket or dipper at the same time as the boom also helps a lot.

Note that feathering is lot harder if you do not hold the joysticks at the top.

 

[WI-citizen]

That's what I am hoping for! Market Saturation and a better used market then I will scoop one up.

In December they were going for about $2500 after fee for models like the MX12R and QH12R. Now they're back up to $4000. Hard to find used ones because any price discount and they sell quick as they're posted.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

The official price direct from AGT through their website or Ebay is about $8500 right now. This is for the 15-horsepower models. For the extra $3500, I would have gotten a warranty.

I don't have any idea how I would find a slower pump that would fit this machine.

 

[WI-citizen]

The official price direct from AGT through their website or Ebay is about $8500 right now. This is for the 15-horsepower models. For the extra $3500, I would have gotten a warranty.

I don't have any idea how I would find a slower pump that would fit this machine.

I was referring to auction prices.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

Of course.