Buying an excavator - questions?

[plowrup]

Plusses of zero tail-tighter areas that can be worked, less chance of damage to rear of machine-

minusses-because they are so small, some brands have issues with cooling (can't get enough air through Radiator), also, working on them can be a challenge at times-thirdly, in order to get enough weight on the rear of machine some brands lengthen the tracks for leverage-

I'd take a zero tail swing ANY day-I have been a Dealer for most of the Brands mentioned here-be careful! Find out about Parts availability, and the PRICE of parts-there is a big difference, I have seen Customers wait up to six months to get parts, and, one Customer paid $1400.00 (and waited 3 months)for a bucket cylinder! As for reliability, I think most mini's are good-look for a good Dealer and resale value (some are definitely better than others)-

 

[mike69440]

Thanks for all of the info.

I was thinking of a zero tail spin so I could potentially get it in closer to structures - so I guess I know what one of of the benefits might be - what are the drawbacks (besides they seem more expensive)??

I would probably be looking at something in the 6000-7000 pound range so that I could tow it behind a pickup.

I do all of my own maintainence on all of my vehicles and equipment - so I would in all likelihood do all of the maintainence on an excavator if I was to purchase one too.

To be honest I do not have specific jobs in mind (yet). I was not looking to make a living with this - I would doing jobs on the side, or maybe renting it out as the opportunities arose.

What got me thinking of doing is next year I will be looking for some tax deductions. I have wanted an excavator for doing some personal work - but I cannot justify the cost on that alone. Due to my financial situation I would be able to do a large tax write off next year - and that fact combined with the possibility of getting a small business going on the side has got me thinking of an excavator.

So from my research so far it sounds like I would want the following:

- I think I want a cab, makes it easier to work in inclement weather.
- 6000-7000 pound range so I can tow behind pickup or equivalent
- angle blade for reasons previous poster mentioned
- quick connect bucket
- accessory hydraulics
- small bucket (12 or 16?) - and larger "cleanout" bucket
- thumb (I have a tractor and there are numerous times I could have used a thumb)

Things I may want:

- zero turn?? (what are plusses and minuses)

You can read what I have said about my excavator. At 18,000 lbs mine is either a JUMBO Mini or an AA Class Small size, take your pick. 50,000 lbs is a small-medium sized machine, Large does not start till abut 85,000lbs.

I think a KX-121 size machine would be a minimum size for landscaping projects that you would not want to tackle with a BH on a CUT. It can manage a rock over 2,000 lbs close to machine over blade.
If you can tow a KX-161 machine, that would be my choice, then again I wish now I had gone just one size bigger with both my TLB and Excavator.

A CUT and a KX-121 machine could be a real nice combo. Excavators are so much faster than a TLB.

Mike69440

 

[Boondox]

Jim -- The drawbacks to a ZTS or ZHS machine are situational. In my case I do a lot of lifting over the side, and found in the Kubota line (U45 vs KX121) that the ZTS models are a lot less stable, especially when lowering a heavy weight below grade. Since that's one of my major uses for a mini-ex, I went with a conventional machine. The other minus for me was the extra width. Much of my work is in the forest where being able to pass between trees is important.

The advantages of a ZTS/ZHS machine are obvious. If the tracks fit in a space you can turn the house safely. But for me, out in the sticks, that just wasn't an issue. Lifting logs and large boulders over the side was.

Have fun with this. No matter which way you go, a mini-ex will brighten your life!

Pete

 

[jim_wilson]

Jim -- The drawbacks to a ZTS or ZHS machine are situational. In my case I do a lot of lifting over the side, and found in the Kubota line (U45 vs KX121) that the ZTS models are a lot less stable, especially when lowering a heavy weight below grade. Since that's one of my major uses for a mini-ex, I went with a conventional machine. The other minus for me was the extra width. Much of my work is in the forest where being able to pass between trees is important.

The advantages of a ZTS/ZHS machine are obvious. If the tracks fit in a space you can turn the house safely. But for me, out in the sticks, that just wasn't an issue. Lifting logs and large boulders over the side was.

Have fun with this. No matter which way you go, a mini-ex will brighten your life!

Pete

Ahh - OK, thanks - that was the type of information I was interested in. As I stated before I don't have any exact jobs in mind for this - I was thinking of just general work for it. So in light of what you are saying a zero-turn might actually be a bad idea for me. While the ZT could get up closer to a structure for digging - using a non ZT doesn't prevent me from doing that kind of work - I just have to be more careful. If a ZT is more likely to tip doing lifting over the side - which I can definitely imagine doing, that is a big minus that is not easily fixable.

 

[cddva]

Ahh - OK, thanks - that was the type of information I was interested in. As I stated before I don't have any exact jobs in mind for this - I was thinking of just general work for it. So in light of what you are saying a zero-turn might actually be a bad idea for me. While the ZT could get up closer to a structure for digging - using a non ZT doesn't prevent me from doing that kind of work - I just have to be more careful. If a ZT is more likely to tip doing lifting over the side - which I can definitely imagine doing, that is a big minus that is not easily fixable.

Regarding zero turn versus conventional tail swing machines, you'll notice that zts machines tend to have a wider and longer track base (in comparable machine sizes) in an effort to add stability since they lack the conventional swing counter weight. Good luck with your decision!