Small Excavator... What to look at or avoid?

[aczlan]

My father in law is looking at buying a mini excavator. We have had someone come out several times with a Bobcat 335 and that seems like a nice size, but the used ones seem to run around $20k (more than he wants to spend).
The smaller ones (in the 6-7000# range) seem to occasionally be findable in the $9-12k price range, should that be enough weight/power for cleaning out ditches and occasional ditching work?
IMO, most of what we have could be done with a backhoe, but where is a soft area what need to be cleaned from time to time where a wheeled machine would probbaly sink into the ground.

Aaron Z

 

[AKfish]

What dealer is close to you that is both capable and reliable? In the past 10 years I've rented Kubotas, Komatsu, Deere, and Bobcat.

They were all excellent work platforms. All pretty close in price, too. The best "deals" that I've found has been Hitachi. Which is really a re-badged Deere from about 60hp down.

AKfish

 

[aczlan]

We have good to decent Kubota, Deere, Bobcat, NH, CaseIH, CAT and LS dealers within 20-30 minutes. There are also Doosan and Hitachi/Deere Construction dealers within 45 minutes and an IHI dealer about an hour away.

Aaron Z

 

[kevingweq]

Cat ,Case,John Deere Would be my preferences in the choices you offered Cat, Komatsu, Case which is kobelco, Hitachi would be my choices in the perfect world

If you are going to spend the money get a true ZTS model (zero tail swing) Not an RTS model (reduced tail swing ) I have owned /or own now Cat excavators /Case excavator

Samsung excavator/ Mitsubishi excavators/ John Deere/ Volvo excavator/ plus a few more through the years link belts, poclains, Insley, International,koehring,

In my opinion at this time Case is making one of the finest balanced, comfortable ,capable mini excavator on the market their CX-xxx series is to be commended

Love the power ,love the ergonomics , You will likely never use the ***-end of your backhoe again

If you have no need to move the machine to other properties I would by one in the 18k- 28k lb class you will not regret the extra reach and power

Good Luck in your purchase
Kevin

 

[aczlan]

Just saw a 2005 Bobcat 328 show up on Craigslist with ~2400 hours on the meter and a 18" and a 24" bucket.
Anything to look out for?

Aaron Z

 

[Roadbuilder6]

I loved my Bobcat 335. Great machine. The thing with a mini excavator is it really depends on what you are gonna do with it. I have had quiet a few, and trust me you don't want to go cheap or too small. Make sure the machine is in good condition. The best advice I can give you is make sure that what ever you buy has a hydraulic thumb. You will use it A LOT. Wouldn't buy a mini without it. Good luck with your purchase!
Some of the ones I have had...

 

[MORRISONSTEEL]

General pin and bushing wear, can be an indication if it spent much time with a jack hammer on it, they could be hard on a mini. I think they all are pretty good units, have ran most of them. If you have an operator style preference try to get one that has swithcable controls. One point to keep in mind with most thumbs is that many times it will limit your dig depth w/ a 12" bucket as a lot of times the thumb pin extends beyond that. Not normally an issue but have seen it happen where someone wanted to trench at 12", and then have to take the thumb off and put original pin back in. We have a lot at work with thumbs and when I had to burn wood I would use the thumb as my cutting station, super handy. Another thing to look for is zero tail swing (if you need it). My preference is Deere but they are all pretty good. 6-#7,000 units are great for transport but require a lot more scratching if you are dealing with deep frost.

 

[kevingweq]

Just saw a 2005 Bobcat 328 show up on Craigslist with ~2400 hours on the meter and a 18" and a 24" bucket.
Anything to look out for?

Aaron Z

Test drive it a bit so you can get it warmed up good , smooth and quiet hydraulics, no whining or jerky motion, make sure the travel speed functions work, make sure it travels straight ,not favoring left or right , all bottom and top rollers turning, front idlers little to no play , Make sure every function works , Has it been greased regular , very important especially with smaller pins and bushings, service records are a big plus,
Most of all take your time inspecting it for damage Non factory welds , If the machine inside and outside and engine compartment is fairly clean ,You know the seller takes care of it

Good Luck

 

[AKfish]

X2 on the hyd thumb. Wouldn't buy a hoe without one. As well, the utility blade on the mini-x is a great tool/feature. Very important for stability as the X's are tippy when reaching. Also good for quick clean-up.

If you've got alot of rocky ground you'll need a narrow bucket; 9" or 12". And as mentioned, you'll have to pull the thumb off (not that hard) to dig with the small bucket.

You should not see excessive drive sprocket wear or general U/C breakdowns if you're in the 2,000 hr and less range - unless it's a lease/rental that's been used in a quarry or some HD construction or demolition jobs.

Best is to find a 1-2 owner machine: general or residential contractor, etc.

AKfish

 

[angustrees]

I had a Bobcat 341 with Hyd. thumb and 4 buckets. At just under 12,000 it was the right size and quite stable if using blade for outrigger. Anything lighter would be too light unless such was required, yet it was easily transported. In fact it was so easily transported that thieves cut my gate lock (while we were away) and drove it off--probably loaded on a roll-off. So now I just have 3 buckets.
I also have a CAT 311 on which I installed a hyd. thumb. Great mid-sized unit (28,000) but not as mobile and handy as the 341. Yes, I've has backhoes, but they don't compare very well for so many applications. Also have Kubota SLV 75 & L3400 & RTV 1140, 1971 JD 4020D and a Dresser TD 7G dozer. At 75 I don't need any additional machines.