small Chinese Excavator repairs

[dfkrug]

I have now had my Rhinoceros (Xiniu) XN08 for nearly 6y, imported from China in 2018. My main TBN thread so far has been about importing it, and modifying it to do what I want, and not get damaged:

Importing and modifying a new mini excavator from China

It has been a while since I posted a Big Project on TBN, so here we go again. I have been on a quest for a mini-X, so I imported a new one from China. It has been complicated and took a lot of time and energy, but it is here and working. Over the next week or so, I will post about my search...

www.tractorbynet.com

I have been building and widening my trails on my mountainous 19 acres, as well as stacking up logs for future splitting or milling. I am only at about 150 hours, and I have had just a few repairs. Mostly, I have modified it, from installing my own gasoline engine, to fabricating oil and air cooling systems, to installing protection from damage.

I want to use this thread to post repairs, especially if there are photos and tips/tricks learned from experience. Not just my repairs, but repairs other small non-name-brand excavator owners have done. I have seen some photos on Utube and here on TBN of failures that I have not experienced. I welcome those people who have had those failures to post here about their experience. Specifically, I have heard of failures to the rear wheel supports, the house hyd motor and pinion gear, the wheel motors, and the blade cylinder support. Maybe there are ways to avoid those problems.

 

[dfkrug]

When I first got my machine, the factory replaced any faulty parts I had under their one-year warranty. I had one poorly-crimped hose, and a damaged seal on one of the valves in my main stack. The parts came quickly by air, though the hose replacement required access inside the house, up on my mountainside. That required removal of the ROPS, console, valve levers, and floor.

Since then, the only repairs have been minor, and all hydraulic.

Here I had to replace one of the blade cylinder hoses. Fortunately, I had a spare, but it was longer; a bit too long. The original hose gets pulled pretty tightly when the blade is fully down, and that pinched a small rock under the hose. Now, the new hose sticks out further to the side, which is also not ideal. Hose length is important! Now I have a protection plate.

If the tracks are on, the connection for this hose is very hard to access. I used this 17mm crows foot wrench that I ground down to fit. If your tracks are off, it would be good to check this hose for tightness.

If you buy hoses with metric (DIN light) crimps, make sure your O-rings are there and in good shape, I had to get new O-rings for mine.

 

[dfkrug]

Here is another repair I did years ago. When my mini was new, I found one of the grease zerks did not take grease. I checked the zerk, which was fine, but the plain bearing insert grease hole did not align. So I removed the zerk, drilled thru the bearing insert, and reinstalled the zerk.. In this photo, I show how I changed from needle greaser fittings to zerks, plus I rotated the rod cross-tube so the zerk was underneath, and protected.

BTW, these yellow replaceable bearing inserts look just like the ones on my JD 4300 tractor. Nice.

 

[Sonny580]

I want to replace the nasty needle zerks on my L-12 if possible-------- HATE them nasty needle things! lol!

 

[drawthree]

I want to replace the nasty needle zerks on my L-12 if possible-------- HATE them nasty needle things! lol!

When I first saw them I hated them too, but that was before I tried to actually use them. When I actually gave them a try I was shocked at how well they worked.

 

[dfkrug]

When I first saw them I hated them too, but that was before I tried to actually use them. When I actually gave them a try I was shocked at how well they worked.

Yeah, they do work. Biggest reason to change for me is I use only one grease gun (Lincoln, battery-powered) with a locking nipple-grabber on the end. Works great, and I do not want multiple messy guns.

 

[Sonny580]

Same here--- one old STANDARD gun --- use it on everything!!

 

[dfkrug]

These next 2 repairs involve hydraulic cylinders. Overall, I am impressed with the quality of materials used, and both repairs were not due to poor assembly, construction, or materials. The rod finish does not rust readily, as often occurs with lesser units.

When the container of 6 black 1T minis came from Ouke via Alibaba in 2017, the shipper wrapped them with a bunch of that clear plastic film that is often used with palletized goods in warehouses. I don't have Before pix, but one of the units had some film tightly wrapped around one of the cylinder rods. Then the cylinder was operated and the film got pulled into the gland.

To fix it, I had to disassemble the cylinder.

I have done many different kinds of cylinders. This one uses a retaining ring, like a lot of JD loaders. It came apart easily, but the piston nut was welded on!. I have never seen that before.

The piston uses dual cup seals and a rub-ring, which were in perfect shape.

 

[P708]

Greetings TBN!

I cannot hold my enthusiasm any longer. Having spent many years extracting amazing ideas from such great minds on TBN, I decided to dive deeper into the abyss and see what lies beneath.

Last month, I purchased a brand new AGT DM12-C excavator.

My previous machines were varied, including a Harbor Freight Trencher, a Kubota B6100D with backhoe, and Jinma 284 with backhoe, so I was familiar with Chinese technology, and I was always excited to understand everything there was to know about each machine. My 20-year-old Harbor Freight trencher, which I still have and it’s a great one-man party, and paid for itself several times over!

Now, a new challenge: The DM12!

My 17-year-old Son and I drove to Washougal Washington and he drove the DM12 onto the trailer there, and once home, drove it off and parked it. I finally got to drive it and moved it about 20 feet to my shop [lesson one-don’t do a 180 on your lawn] and I began the exciting process of getting to know my new ‘Big Boy toy”, or maybe its a Mini Big Boy Toy, or sub-compact toy, or whatever anyone wants to call it!

Starting at the bucket, I worked my way back to the rear engine cover in a couple of weeks. I am very pleased with the overall construction, robust framing and the decent workmanship that went into this machine. Far better than the Jinma.

I have incorporated some of the MODS offered by TBN members, and added a few of my own. I hope to glean and share information as I go along.

So far, at 70+ years of age, I have been successful in life; Like the badge- Veni Vidi Vici, [I came, I saw, I conquered] I intend to do so with my DM12.

I look forward to my, or rather ‘our’ adventures.

 

[drawthree]

I have incorporated some of the MODS offered by TBN members, and added a few of my own. I hope to glean and share information as I go along.

What mods have you done? Any pictures you can share?