Chinese digger recommendations

[Carl_NH]

There are good options for these mini's stateside now - Robert Lee Ray in GA sells the Rippa machines with warranty support, and they are well made units but are $2-3K more than ebay for a 2 ton unit. Then on Ebay you can find similar machines in 3500 lbs from Typhoon (Terror XX or XIX and Kamran or 5 star - most of them are Hightop brand HT-18 or HT 20 - 3500 Lb with a Kubota 902 engine for under $10K delivered.

 

[MoArk Willy]

As far as the seller goes....Amazon does back up what they sell.
I think that might be a good thing to keep in mind.
And references are good, BBB ratings etc.
I do buy a lot online....but rarely several thousand for anything.
My needs are simple, dig holes, trench for electric or plumbing, pull up some trees and do some work around my 5 acres.
Occasionally help out someone who needs a little job done.
I'm sure a towable backhoe could do most if not all of the work....but then you require something to pull it around.
A mini-ex at least can transport it self around the property....albeit probably slower.
And the width of the mini-ex makes it easier to get on a trailer.
I do own a 5' wide cargo trailer that would take the mini-ex....but a towable wouldn't fit in it unless you dismantle it.
That's one of the issues I have been wrestling with.

 

[MoArk Willy]

I think it has come down to 3 machines.
A Rippa, a Typhon or the MMs equipment.
All in the $5000 to $6000 range....all 1 ton.

 

[dfkrug]

I'm sure a towable backhoe could do most if not all of the work....but then you require something to pull it around.
A mini-ex at least can transport it self around the property....albeit probably slower.

Back in the mid-90s, I built the CADDigger 728 towable mini-X to help with building my house. It was quite useful with some trenches I dug, plus digging a water tank notch on my 70% hillside. With free labor, it still cost about $3K. (Sold it on eBay for $3K a few years later.)

Today, in inflated dollars, $3K+ gets you a 1-ton mini, which completely obsoletes the Trencherman or CADDigger-type minis. I woulda jumped on one back then, if there was such a thing.

Note that the tow-behinds tow terribly on the road, and you have to swap the wheels and outriggers to do so. So that means moving around on your property is even slower than a 1-Ton mini.

 

[MoArk Willy]

I remember those "Cad" plans....I'm sure they are still around.
I think that you understand my issues with one vs the other....and your comments have helped me decide.
I think the mini-ex is the better choice....a few dollars more but the tow behind does compromise a few things such as size, transportation and boom swing.
Plus the mini-ex will readily accept an auger which does fit into my future plans.
Now all I have to do is decide which one..............

 

[dfkrug]

I think the mini-ex is the better choice....a few dollars more but the tow behind does compromise a few things such as size, transportation and boom swing.
Plus the mini-ex will readily accept an auger which does fit into my future plans.

The tougher choice is once you have a tractor, do you add a backhoe attachment or get an small mini-X? If you have no tractor yet, then a mini-X should not be the first choice. It does not tow or move dirt around like a loader does.

I still love my tractor's backhoe attachment: it digs deeper and harder (more weight) than the mini-X, plus the ballast allows me to lift at max capacity with the FEL.

With the advent of cheap Chinese minis, you can get a new machine for the price of a backhoe attachment.

 

[MoArk Willy]

I do have a Kubota B2320......and to add a backhoe would be more costly than getting a mini-ex.
And your tractor is about twice the machine mine is.....so the capacity of a backhoe on my machine would be limited.

 

[nogaltractorguy]

On the same boat as most of you. Looking to buy a 2-3 ton mini ex diesel. I sold my previous machine a 1-ton Rippa NDI313 gas. I found it to be too tippy, unstable, jerky, light and severely underpowered. It would also overheat. Right now, I am close to making a choice. I made a spreadsheet with several categories that I though mattered. Track width/length, machine width, engine, weight, engine access for maintenance, price, shipping cost, build quality, digging depth, digging reach and boom swing angles L/R. I wanted to add digging force but I couldn't that information for all of them. The machines were Huayee HY18, Rippa R15 and Terror XVIII. The Huayee came on top followed closely by the Typhon. I though the matter was settled until I saw the Terror X2. I like the size of the X2 and the enclosed cabin with heat and AC. I couldn't find info on the AC system, if it is electric or engine compressor driven. From reading through this thread, it seems like the X2 attachments are much more expensive than those for the Huayee. What are your opinions on my process and machines picked. Another one I am looking into is the AGT-NTB45U. But I can't find much information on build quality, reliability and real-world usage.

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[MattB4]

I just bought the Typhon XVII with cab last month. My previous mini was the 1-ton Terror X.

My experience and research before buying the 17 followed a lot of the same things you mention in your post. Unfortunately I found that there is real problems with the imported Chinese excavators having all the things you would want in any one of the minis that are for sale.

It seems if you get one with a good Kubota diesel it often is not easily accessed for maintenance. Or if it is easily accessible that some other feature you might want is not available. Such as a better quality hydraulic pump. Or if it has a great hydraulic system it might not have a good thumb or use the common attachments for the 25mm pins. Cabins may be poorly matched to the excavator or Aircon units if DC may exceed the engines alternator ratings.

Manuals and specifications may be hard, inadequate to find or simply wrong. You can appreciate why some folks go for the dealer imported units that they brand for sale. Those dealers have often specified things to make their brand a better unit.

From my research I will say that the Auction machines are the lowest average quality, AGT is basically in this category.

Good luck on what you decide. You can read about my TT-17 in the Thread I made about it here at the forum.

 

[newbury]

so others don't have to search:mattb4's thread