Hi, and thanks for lowering your standards as far as you have to allow me to join. I'm borderline old (46) but have been building since I was a kid and just now getting into equipment. I have a Cat259 and now need a mini ex. Because I'm slightly dumb I want something that my 14k lb tilt trailer can't quite handle- a Cat 305.5, Bobcat E55, Tak TB260, etc. Question is which one? Long story short- this is the dead horse question; which is the best mid size mini ex? I am a cheap b*****d so have been scouring the used sources and auctions. I just need what works best with, ideally, less than 2k hrs on it. Don't want to get into the 90's but also hate epa crap, so maybe '05-18 or so? Friend of mine swears by Bobcat. I see Takeuchi getting hand jobs left and right, Cat is super common but designer brand price wise. Which ~12,500lb mini ex would you recommend spanning the past 20yrs or so?
Kubota kx161-3 or kx057-4 would be my top picks, second would be Takeuchi TB260. With that being said, I can’t in good conscience reccomend any of the size your looking at with your trailer situation, which I presume your also towing with a pickup. I tow that size excavator on an 11 ton pintle hitch trailer behind an air brake F700, and you know its back there. Towed a Tak TB260 a short distance on my 15k trailer behind my F250 once and honestly that was a disaster waiting to happen.
Haven't checked out Kubotas yet, will do thanks. I need the machine first and can work out towing later. Currently have a bagged '20 F350 and it wouldn't be hard to get a bigger trailer here. My intention is to get it delivered to my property cuz I have a ton of work to do there. If it became necessary to put it on a job and transport was an issue I have plenty of people to call. Just want kind of a do it all without having to go to 20k lbs. Thanks again for your insight!
.
Welcome to the Forums W45. General politics having nothing to do with heavy equipment is frowned upon here so I took the liberty to edit your meme in your first post. Cheers.
How about the Hitachi ZX60? I have a 260 locally available but it was recommended I look at the Hitachi. More power, longer stick, same footprint. A couple people have mentioned that the 260 can feel underpowered and the additional 7hp on the Hitachi is useful. Thanks for your help.