Been looking at excavators and found 2 locally I'm interested in 1 is a deere 270 LC with 10500 hrs new hyd pump 60-70 % undercarriage extremely clean machine local guy has had it for couple years and has the history of the machine and it's in great shape for the age only flaw I found was a leaking turntable pump which I need to investigate a little more. Other one I found was a 2006 Hyundai 320 lc7 with 5000 hrs that appears to be a dry machine but it's pretty rough around the edges side panels are beat display is all glazed up and can't see sprockets need replaced it seemed of opperate and function well. Both machines are abt the same money and I'm trying to decide which one to move on. Knowing the previous history of the deere has a huge advantage in my opinion however it's hard to spend the same money for a older machine and more hours plus it's smaller. This machine wouldn't be used every day probably a couple hundred hours a year on the farm and hopefully a little side work. Which one would you guys buy I'm kinda a newbie when it comes to excavators
I bought a JD270 lc last year with the same intentions. Low use, farm excavator. Mine had a new pump and swing motor when i bought it but my engine was pooched at 12,000 hours. I didn't think it was that bad but it had massive blow-by and would use oil like there was no tomorrow. I learned the hard way that the 6068 motors in these things don't last as long as an Isuzu. I had to pull the motor to rebuild it since you can't do an in-frame overhaul on a John Deere at least everyone i phoned said no they won't do it. I had a bunch of other small things go on mine but if i had known about the engine issues i would have spent the extra money on a Hitachi 270. Just my two cents.