Chinese digger recommendations

[nogaltractorguy]

Nogal, besides the things Carl mentioned, I believe there is something else you should consider. The specs on the QNT45 I see online indicate it has a cab WITHOUT air conditioning. I think that would be a big mistake for any summertime use. It would be a greenhouse, even with the side window and door left open.
BTW, not sure where you are on the the amount you want to spend (or where you are located), but there is guy in Tyler Texas who has been selling Rippa R22 Pros for $20,150, which is as cheap as any place I have seen. No firsthand experience with the brand but they have good specs on paper.

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R22 for that price is great. I'll look at it.

 

[nogaltractorguy]

I found a guy who has a MX50r about hours from me. He is selling it for $11,300 obo with 6 hours. Tempted but it seems to be very high even without a cabin. Looks like a little tank. Temperatures where I am at seldom go over 90 degrees, with most of the year being on the colder side. A cabin with heat would be nice. Right now, 26 degrees and two inches of snow on the ground overnight. Still looking.

 

[nogaltractorguy]

Nogal, besides the things Carl mentioned, I believe there is something else you should consider. The specs on the QNT45 I see online indicate it has a cab WITHOUT air conditioning. I think that would be a big mistake for any summertime use. It would be a greenhouse, even with the side window and door left open.
BTW, not sure where you are on the the amount you want to spend (or where you are located), but there is guy in Tyler Texas who has been selling Rippa R22 Pros for $20,150, which is as cheap as any place I have seen. No firsthand experience with the brand but they have good specs on paper.

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Got in contact with the guy and the machine delivered to my house would be around $21,500. Great deal. I'm just worried that it would be too much machine for my intended use.

 

[Carl_NH]

Go for it - never too much machine

 

[nogaltractorguy]

Go for it - never too much machine

You are a bad influence. My wife seems 70% convinced.

 

[Carl_NH]

Your wife might know my wife, who doesn't need to be convinced I'm a bad influence

 

[D'oh]

I found a guy who has a MX50r about hours from me. He is selling it for $11,300 obo with 6 hours. Tempted but it seems to be very high even without a cabin. Looks like a little tank. Temperatures where I am at seldom go over 90 degrees, with most of the year being on the colder side. A cabin with heat would be nice. Right now, 26 degrees and two inches of snow on the ground overnight. Still looking.

I have always been interested in the MX50, the Track System for Starters. The 825 Rato was very smooth and quiet in the MP46 that I had, with a Decent sized Hydraulic Cooler. They actually bring more than my NT18K at Auction, I would have most likely tried 1 before the Diesel NT18 had they been the same pricing. Just for the Ground Clearance orf that track system.

@ 26 degrees, will you really be digging much? Here the Ground is Frozen 6 months of the year, my Machines are Parked usually during those months however, Mosquitoless AC would be nice on some summer days!

Is it worth $11K more for a Cab with HVAC?

 

[TexTrctr]

Nogal, I'd vote "go for it" also for the R22 if the price is in your range. It is definitely not too much, just the next step up from the 1.5/1.8 ton units in power, weight and features.
One thing that has not been discussed, that you should be aware of, is that the pins for attachments are also a step up and not the extremely common (and cheap) 25mm size. Unless you make an adapter for a quick attach you are probably looking at at least double and probably triple the price for equivalent attachments like buckets, rippers, etc.

 

[nogaltractorguy]

I have always been interested in the MX50, the Track System for Starters. The 825 Rato was very smooth and quiet in the MP46 that I had, with a Decent sized Hydraulic Cooler. They actually bring more than my NT18K at Auction, I would have most likely tried 1 before the Diesel NT18 had they been the same pricing. Just for the Ground Clearance orf that track system.

@ 26 degrees, will you really be digging much? Here the Ground is Frozen 6 months of the year, my Machines are Parked usually during those months however, Mosquitoless AC would be nice on some summer days!

Is it worth $11K more for a Cab with HVAC?

All good points. This morning it was 10 degrees. Luckily the ground doesn't freeze for more than a few days.

 

[nogaltractorguy]

Well, the stock market has been kind to me. Last year was great and this year is doing well. Buying the R22 isn't really a problem, but I feel like it is too much machine for my purpose. Is the R18 Pro a good compromise. The attachments are reasonable, and it has big tracks. I looked at the X2 Storm but the attachments are seriously expensive. On the R18 the tilting bucket is less than $800 but on the X2 it is about $1,700. Both machines seem to be in the same size category.

 

[Carl_NH]

Agreed the R18Pro is a nice machine - $15-16K? Also, I looked at and liked the bigger machines but the attachments were $5-6K which for my occasional use could not justify vs the smaller machines.

 

[Jrasband]

I doubt you will be saying it is too much machine after you get it. Excavators are designed to work in tight areas. You may likely think if you get the R18, I wish I could reach a little further, dig a little deeper, or work a little faster... Unless you are working between buildings, or next to buildings a lot I don't see how the 22 would be too much for you.

The only thing that would deter me from the 22 is the cab if I planned on doing a lot of forestery work, and I didn't want to worry about busting out windows.

I sure wish I would have spent some more money and got a bigger machine.

 

[TexTrctr]

The fellow in Tyler is selling the R18 for 16k, also the cheapest I have seen it. As with the R22, be aware the R18 has larger pins and will drive up cost of attachments. I was in the market for one last year but I already had a bunch of attachments with 25mm pins and so it was a no-go. I'm sure, given the time, I could have come up with an adapter for the quick-connect but I had some work I wanted to get done more quickly.

 

[Jrasband]

Chinese 30mm attachments are not expensive.

 

[TexTrctr]

I guess it depends on how you define "expensive". A quick Google search for the cost of 1-1.5 ton machine rippers (a simple part) w/25mm pins was $75-85. For a 2-3 ton machine with 30mm pins they were $245-307. Thats's more expensive to me and not really cost justified for what I use my machine for. When I looked last year, other attachments were similarly proportionally higher, hence my comments.

 

[nogaltractorguy]

The fellow in Tyler is selling the R18 for 16k, also the cheapest I have seen it. As with the R22, be aware the R18 has larger pins and will drive up cost of attachments. I was in the market for one last year but I already had a bunch of attachments with 25mm pins and so it was a no-go. I'm sure, given the time, I could have come up with an adapter for the quick-connect but I had some work I wanted to get done more quickly.

I’m waiting on a quote from him for the 18. On the Rippa site the attachments aren’t too bad. More than the 25mm pins but not stupid expensive.

 

[nogaltractorguy]

I doubt you will be saying it is too much machine after you get it. Excavators are designed to work in tight areas. You may likely think if you get the R18, I wish I could reach a little further, dig a little deeper, or work a little faster... Unless you are working between buildings, or next to buildings a lot I don't see how the 22 would be too much for you.

The only thing that would deter me from the 22 is the cab if I planned on doing a lot of forestery work, and I didn't want to worry about busting out windows.

I sure wish I would have spent some more money and got a bigger machine.

I feel like I’m spending too much with all my projects. With the price difference between the 18 and 22, I can buy the few attachments I need plus do a full solar setup for our new camper.

 

[TexTrctr]

Nogal...pull the trigger!!! You've been on the fence too long!

...and R18 or R22 (or something else) I guarantee that if you buy something now, a year from now, if we ask you if you're glad you bought it, you'll say "Heck yeah, I don't know how I did without this for so long!".

 

[nogaltractorguy]

Nogal...pull the trigger!!! You've been on the fence too long!

...and R18 or R22 (or something else) I guarantee that if you buy something now, a year from now, if we ask you if you're glad you bought it, you'll say "Heck yeah, I don't know how I did without this for so long!".

Just submitted a withdrawal from my investments. Should be deposited within a few days. I’ll get the ball rolling on the 18 tomorrow.

 

[nogaltractorguy]

Wondering if the R18 with a cabin is too tippy or if it isn’t too much of a concern due to the weight and width of the machine.