Gday all, I've been searching high and low for a good used mini X with around 3500 hours on it. I have narrowed down the field to a certain number of brands and models. This will be used as a commercial machine. In no particular order they are: Cat >> 301-8 >> 302-5 >> 303 CR Kubota >> KX 61-3 >> KX 91-3 Komatsu >> MRX-1 PC30 >> PC 20R - 8 Bobcat >> 334-D All are around the same class of machine 2.5ton to 3.5 ton. The dealers for all of these machines seem to support the machines enthusiastically. Has anyone had good or bad experiences, share your thoughts on what might be the best bet for me. Any suggestions Alex
What exactly do you plan on using it for?
Gday to clarify, the machine is going to be used for trenching, putting in culverts, concrete pipes. A good deal of work would also be doing landscaping. I intend to put a thumb on it and used it for clearing the dreaded weeds over here, gorse and blackberries. So in all real reality i need a machine that doesn't chew up tons of fuel, can dig trenches well, and is suitable to put a thumb on. The brands i have short listed are ones that actually have product support. cheers Alex
Not that I've used any of the machines you've listed, but I have run a good deal of the Kubota mini's, the KX121 being the smallest. I can say that the Kubota machines are fast and very fuel efficient. I myself would not be purchasing a machine that size used with that many hours on it. Reason being is those are the most common rental machines and they get used by every tom **** and harry out there as well as beaten.
I think you have missed a few machine that are very good but maybe that are not supported very well in your area but I thought I would throw it out there. IHI and Yanmar and lastly takeuchi I will agree I would stay away from any used rental machine as far as buy on but it would be a good idea to run one on rental for a day or maybe having 2~3 differnt unit sent to the same job and only useing it one day just to campare productivity and fuel cost. None of them in that class use much fuel , they dont have enough HP to drink like a fish... on a used machine in that class 2000 hours can be a life time of abuse or it could be like new , its really up to the operator in the seat.
Thanks xcmark, yes your right about support IHI has basically nothing in Australia, well i can't find any at all, Yanmar has reasonable support although the only spare parts place is 12 hour drive away. Takeuchi seem to be affiliated with Case construction equipment, so product support would be reasonable i imagine. Australia has a big issue in that, we are getting a huge flood of imported asian equipment. For instance i rang the Kubota dealer with a list of say 10 different models of kubota ex's, of that list only two were actually supported. Same when i rang up the yanmar dealer. Parts support is number one for me, Cat, Kubota and Komatsu are leading the way there. Alex
I think it really comes down to condition of machine, a worn out CAT is going to be more trouble than a well looked after Kub but the reverse also applies. I reckon you gotta work on a budget/price range and then see what is out there for that sort of money. A CAT may attract a higher price based on reputation, whilst a lesser known brand such as IHI or Yanmar may cost less. I would stay away from grey market if it is your primary machine that you NEED to have working. However parts can be gotten for just about every machine but may well take longer to get, really depends on the dealer, some get their nose out of joint because you bought a grey market machine and I can understand their thinking. My Kobelco dealer is pretty good with my grey market SK005 but that model/size of machine was never sold here. However things may be different if I bought a grey market Kobelco machine, of which an equivalent model was sold here eg. a 3 tonne machine
Well done a lot more digging, ringing, asking questions and have narrowed the field somewhat. New ones that have to be added to the list is: Kobelco SK35SR-1 JCB 803 Plus Along with kubota these three have the best product support. All dealers are within easy reach so now comes the hardest part of choosing one against the other. alex
I have Takeuchi TB1140, and i can say that this is the best choise for me and they are not expensive..
I have a JCB {small 8015 Had 400+hrs when i bought} and have really enjoyed running it, doesn't owe me anything. I just got an IHI {bit bigger 7500lb has 2500hrs} have not used it except for trying it out and a small amount of snow bank removal, but seems to be a tight machine
The Cat units you have mentioned are rebadged Mitsubishi's - not necessarily a bad thing. I'm not sure where in Aust you are but be careful on any jap imports as most were not fitted with 'tropical cooling systems' You see some in Qld with panels removed to allow more air flow and even additional electric fan to give more flow. 3500hr I believe is past the 'use by date' for a mini in my opinion becase you right at the serious repair bill time - probably time for new tracks, idlers, definately boom and stick pins and bushes(if they haven't been done already at least once) possibly slew bearings. Motor should be OK as most are Yanmar or Kubota powered. I had Yanmar Vio27-5 and did 2500hrs and it was time for some serious pin and bushes replacements as well as undercarriage repair, so we traded it for new hitachi. We think our hydraulic performance had dropped in the last 500hrs as well. Definately consider Yanmar, Kobelco/Case/New Holland(all the same unit), Kubota. I'd leave Tak alone as here in Qld the impression I get is there aren't any parts. Pick a few parts(carrier roller bearings, final drive short shaft and bearings, some boom pins and bushes and drive sprocket) ring up the dealers for the brands your looking at and ask for price and availability - that should help in making your decision. If you do this it would be interesting to know your findings. Best of luck Firetrack
Out of the machines you listed, I would give the Komatsu PC30MRX-1 a good look. I had one for just under 4000hrs. It was great, although some earlier models had a poor hydraulic pump mounting plate design. Mine was fixed after the warranty period but the cost was covered 3 ways (Dealer, Komatsu, Me). Fair solution I thought. The older Cat 303's are good too. The 3 ton sizes are still machine enough for loading a truck, yet small enough for tight work.
I think this model Komatsu is a rebadged Yanmar which is OK. firetrack
Well so far the Bobcat has been scrubbed off the list. The cat 303 and 304 seem like good machines and are in my price range. The ones i have looked at have steel tracks with rubber pads in lieu of just rubber tracks. Now this is a big question, which is better?? I would prefer something that will not tear up the surface too much. I came across a Yanmar 37B, steel tracks, in very neat, and quite tight condition. Anyone know of this model?? The engine bay is very neat and tidy, looks easy to service. Will try and post a picture. Many thanks for all your suggestions Alex
Not entirely so. The engine IS a Yanmar, but the rest is Komatsu. As for the tracks, steel with rubber inserts will last longer if you're working in rough environments. Also, if you do pooch a track pad, it can be replaced individually. One nice thing about full rubber is they are quieter, a bit smoother, and easier to clean when coming out of the muck.
Komatsu and Yanmar had a tie up. I'm not sure if Komatsu built for Yanmar or if it was the other way around. I realise that they now build seperate machines but they did have a tie up previously. As did/do JD/Hitachi, Kobelco/Case/NH, Case/Sumitomo, BC/Daewoo, etc Firetrack
I was talking with someone using a Takeuchi that had 7000hrs on it. He was happy with it as a machine but the backup service was terrible, no parts, etc, and for this reason he said he wouldn't buy another.