Needing an excavator for ranch work. Lots of trenching, picking bunks in 10,000 head feedlot, piling manure, some tree removal, digging in winter water culverts, digging holes to clean up old yardsites/rockpiles etc. Have decided a 135 or 160 size machine would be best. For specs I found the following 135: 18' depth of dig 88 hp 30000lbs 160: 18' depth of dig (I realize this can vary with boom configurations) 100hp (for ex) 33000lbs Can't really find any info on down pressure for digging or lifting capacity. Bucket sizes/capacities are fairly similar. I feel the smaller machine is a bit more agile and could be better for smaller areas like feedlot pens. For my applications will I miss the extra horsepower and size? ie. when I am digging a pit to pile old buildings in or for tree work? The 135 is also a bit cheaper so I may be able to step up from the ex series to the zx. In any event it won't be new. Looks like price range of 40k will be ten or twelve years old regardless. Any comments are appreciated. Thanks.
We have ZX160's and ZX135's and both are great machines. Normally I would say go with the ZX135 over a EX160 but one thing to think about. Are you a bigger guy? The ZX135 has a pretty small cab, if you are a big guy or have long legs and plan on running the machine for long periods A full sized cab is more desirable. Other than that, the 135's are pretty stable machines. They have a lot of counterweight and usually have wider pads than a 120. I assume you are looking at a EX160-5? If so, you can't really go wrong they are pretty reliable machines and easier to work on than the cramped 135's. The Deere 160LC had some hyd pump issues but it didn't seem to effect the hitachi machines. If you are planning on working at max depth or reach a lot or doing a bunch of work with a large ditching bkt, it may be worth it to go with the bigger machine.
excellent insights, thank you. I had been concentrating on performance capabilities and hadn't really considered operator comfort. FYI I'm just a medium sized guy, 6'5" 270lbs =) In addition to comfort though, would you ever be digging a large pit or something or trying to pick frozen ground and be cursing the smaller 135?
Probably, but it's all about your expectations. There is a good chance you'd run into situations with the 160 where you wished you had a 200. What size bucket do you plan on digging with and what percentage of the time do you foresee digging large pits. If you will be digging pits where you are at max reach or need a larger bucket, I would recommend the 160. On the other hand Would you be working in tight quarters a lot where you would be cussing the tail swing on the 160?
A salesman once told me he has never had a customer return and complain about being sold a piece of equipment that was too large.
too true! For cleaning up old yardsites on my property there are often old broken concrete foundations and slabs that I wanted to grab with the thumb and bucket, pick up and transfer to a pit. Is the lifting capacity or breakout of the 135 much less than the 160? that seems to be a hard number to find. or perhaps is this a job that is too hard on an excavator?
The numbers are as you would expect. Arm Force on a 135 is 14,100lbs 160 is 18,600lbs. Bucket force 135 is 19,400lbs 160 is 23,200lbs. Lift from ground @20' 135 is 6966lbs 160 is 8013lbs.
Two things you said you want to do tell you to get the 160. Digging in frost and trees. There is never a time I'm working with trees and don't wish I had a 300 instead of a 210. Frost is manageable with a ripper, the 160 will just last longer.
With everybody else normally I would say go with the 160, my neighbor has one and loves it. But since you are doing Farm work which can be pretty tight at times, I would go with the 135 personally.
Yeah I would go with the 135, I find machines around the 14t range are just great machines, and can nearly do the work of a 20t Machine
At 6'-5" and 270lbs I would really see if you are going to feel comfortable in the cab of a 135 for a full day. The seat doesn't go back nearly as far so leg room is at a premium compared to a 160.