mini excavator or not?????

ChuckinNH · Jun 25, 2011

I would love to have a mini excavator to use on my land although I have never operated one! It would be so good for the trail work I'm doing, etc. As others have mentioned, being able to place the spoils anywhere in a 360 circle is a big plus, and the little blade on those machines is no toy either. You won't move mountains, or build super highways with a KX-41 but I would think it would be a very useful size. To do a lot more, you would probably have to double the size of the machine to get a huge gain in performance, and the smaller size would be great in the woods. My only reservation would be about using one on boulder strewn, or ledge areas, but you can always make a trail around that stuff...... and have some fun doing it. Best of luck in your search!

bstrom · Jun 25, 2011

Yeah, a mini excavator and a small tractor with a front end loader is the ultimate combination for the home/land owner in my opinion. If you've got the money that is.

Verdemont · Jun 25, 2011

I have rented a mini-excavator (forgot brand, but not Kubota) many times to work on my property. It's awesome as a backhoe but the part I really did not like was how slow it moved around. My neighbor about 1/4 mile away wanted me to did a few footers for him and it felt like it took 30 minutes to move over there.

Agree that having an excavator and a B series for me would be awesome. But too much $$ to have both.

tom

rswyan · Jun 25, 2011

I've used a KX41, a U17 (similar in size to a KX41, but zero tail swing), and a KX91 .... all three are very capable machines and just an absolute pleasure to operate ..... fast, responsive hydraulics and precise controls. The KX91 is a significantly larger machine, and a good bit more powerful.

The rental place I use has both Bobcat and Kubota mini-ex's .... according to the owner, the Kubotas are the more popular, and have been much better on maintenance/repairs (easier to maintain, less problems, etc.) and all the replacement units they are purchasing are Kubota.

If there are no Kubotas available, I'll actually wait to rent until there are.

If I could score a KX41 in good/decent condition for $3K or $4K I'd beg, borrow, or steal the money to pick it up. :thumbsup:

TripleR · Jun 25, 2011

My son used a Bobcat mini excavator on our farm for a couple of weeks and it was really nice, now if I ever win the lottery, we may get one, just can't justify one right now.

I do agree they are really SLOW though, but we were using it in a eight acre section of woods and it worked great.

MHarryE · Jun 25, 2011

I almost made the mistake of buying a backhoe attachment for my L3710. The dealer I talked to said he had one lined up coming in on a trade but he procrastinated on getting back to me. I started looking on Machinery Trader and found I could get a Cat mini-excavator for something like 50% more than the Kubota dealer wanted for the used backhoe attachment. I bought the Cat 301.8 and never regretted it. There are so many things I can easily do that I couldn't with the tractor. I even sometimes find myself working in a spot I couldn't possibly reach with a backhoe attachment, turning 180 to dump into the tractor bucket where I have my wife hauling away. The dealer's procrastination saved me making a bad deal, and I also found a better dealer when it came time to trade up to my L5740.

roger4400 · Jun 26, 2011

Thank you all for all your experiences and replies. When it is too nice to be true .....it is too nice .....it was a SCAM and I,ve found 4 other scams concerning those mini excavator...beware....but the good point I will be looking for a legit one after I red from your experiences and advices, I WANT ONE.....thank you all TBNers best regards. Roger

TripleR · Jun 26, 2011

Keep looking as they are out there. A friend of my son is a Police Officer, but has a small construction business and buys a good used one for a project, keeps it for a few months then sells it for or more than the original price so he doesn't have to store it or have his money tied up; does the same with skid steers and dozers though he keeps some on hand.