What are everyones thoughts on Hitachi ZX180s? One has come up for sale nearby with 13,600hrs on the clock. Aside from the usual check for leaks/wear etc are there any particular achilles heels on these machines? Alternatively there is a Komatsu PC210LC-8 with similar hours, which is the best bet? thanks
Hitachi are generally considered one of the top excavator brands for reliabilty and performance but I don't know specifically about ZX180's. Hitachi UH series in the late 70's and 80's are what put Japanese excavators at the forefront of excavator design. At one point 1 out of every 4 excavators sold world wide was a Hitachi.
Take planetary samples, hydraulic samples, engine oil samples, which ever has the best customer sevice dealer close by and full set of maintenance records. A paid for exam of the the units might be worth its weight in gold. Simon C
thanks for the feedback