I was curious what you all believe to be the better excavator, 870G or 390D/F? I know I have seen a lot of 385/390 Cats on sewer jobs in my area. But I also have heard a lot of talk about Deere excavators lately. I know local dealer support is a huge factor. However just curious which one of these machines performs best with the reach boom and long stick option. Thanks and look forward to hearing from you guys.
My pick would be the 390F. The Cat seemed to be a little faster than the Deere. I will always be a fan of Cat hydraulic systems simple due to the fact that they do power better than anyone else. The 390 is lighter but is also TIER 4F certified and probably will be around for longer and that will help with parts availability. Either way, you're comparing the two best machines (the Hitachi 870 is the same machine) in their market sector by a long shot. Take your pick. You can't go wrong in terms of performance. I like the Cat because of the undercarriage design and the maintenance points of the machine. I like the Cat cab better too. But in terms of performance they're pretty much equal.