thinking of buying a john deere 690 e lc for farm dirt work (ditch digging, tree killing, and some trenching for tile. I have a 12 yard scraper and box scaper and a few tractors. What do you guys think of the 690 e lc or do you have any other ideas? I just find that 690 e lc's are very common here in nebraska and i could get filters and other stuff right from my john deere dealer. Another idea would be a john deere 200 lc newer model more money but is it worth it.
I have ran a 690 for a little while the machine was okay a little slow but okay. I was told with the 690s they have to be set up properly the controls are electronic and they need to be adjusted and you never have any problems. Have one opertor in the area he swears by 690 Deeres I forget how many hours he has on one but its 10,000 or more. The newer the machine the better if you can find a low houred 200LC your probably better off.
As I recall the 690E is where the marriage with Hitachi happened. The machine has Hitachi electronic controls but the John Deere engine. I could be wrong about this so I'm sure others will chime in. I also seem to recall they did away with the Linde hydraulic system and went to Kawasaki pumps and Hitachi main control valves. I have inspected many excavators and in the case of Deere have seen some common issues. The first is the engines producing copious amounts of vapor from the crankcase breather. The problem is compression gasses going by the piston rings for whatever reason. If the engine has muliple engine oil seeps and leaks you can be pretty safe in saying the engine is worn. I have always prefered the Hitachi machines with the Isuzu engine. The Isuzu engine is far more expensive to replace but will outlast the Deere engine about 4 to 1. The second item is overheating hydraulic systems. Most Deeres, and many other makes, that I have looked at with any age have leaking cylinders at the rod packing, seeping flange seals and hydraulic hoses bleeding through the outer covers. If the machine you are looking at shows any of these signs, look for something else. It will be a short period of time before big expensive items begin to fail. Good Luck!
Hitachi machines are the most popular in B.C. aswell it all started with the old UH machines. Yes the Isuzu engines lasted for ever the EX150 I was running the engine was a ball of grease but it run and run. The hour meter was broken but it had up to 12,000 hours. I have been hearing complaints from the operators that run the newer deeres roadbuilding. The Deere engines are noisier and burn more fuel over the Isuzu thats in the 350 Roadbuilder. Machine is the exact same shape etc you put a 350 Roadbuilder beside a 3554 Deere its pretty hard to tell the difference besides the paint color just looking at the machines.
Please delete my post here! LOL
beandrew, i have no clue what age, hrs., price range you're looking for, but i have a 690 elc we use daily. it has been a wonderful machine, a 94 model year, but we updated it with a 210 case. it has 7k hrs on it. the undercarriage "could" use some work, but depending on how you plan on using it, it might last you forever. i'm in south dakota, 3 hrs. north of sioux city on i-29....you can message me if you want to see some pics, etc. in fact, it's the one in the picture of my avatar
690e The 690E is one of the fastest excavators made. You can set the pump to run the machine fast or slow it down. I had four 690E along with two 200LC and 200CLC and the 690E is a better machine. They still have the Linde Hyd. pumps and the will not give you any trouble. The 690E will out last and out dig a 200 JD. The 690E is one of the few excavator that have both electronic and manual controls. (if the electrons give you trouble you can switch to manual) The engine will start no matter how cold it is and is good on fuel. They will run 13,00 hours plus with no expense. Do not believe what some say about the engine not being good. Some of the parts were made by Hitachi and some were JD made. The Engine, and Hydr. Cylinders are John Deere and the pumps are Linde. There are some other parts that are different. You can get parts from John Deere or Hitachi. There are some after market parts adv able. Parts are no more expensive that any other brand. I had three 690E that had over 13,000 hours and had no major expense. I know were two are and they are still going. I would buy another one if I could find a low hour one.
Who makes aftermarket parts for the 690E? I just thought there was deere/hitichi? Anyway, I bought a 690ELC for my farm, and it has done a lot of work. I did put some money in it, fixing small things and put a new interior in it. I use it at least 20 hours a month and the going rate is $120.00hr. So I am still way ahead after paying for the machine and fuel. Before I always had to stack up work to even justify calling out a machine and operator. Now I just turn the key when I need something done!
690's are all deere machines except for the cab, 490's, 790's, 890's are the deere-hitachi thing. Deere built the e series wheel loaders and the 450,550 and 650 G dozers for hitachi. In return hitachi built the excavators for deere. If memory is correct, the deere-hitachi excavators were assembled in South Carolina, the 690,s were all made and assembled in Iowa, except for the cab, that is a Hitachi component. The 344e and 444e loaders are hitachi. All deere machines use their own engine, the machines that deere built for hitachi went to hitachi without a engine. Deere pump and valve electronic components (sensors, psi switches,etc...) will usually cross over to a Hitachi number and vice versa. One exception to the rule is the pump and engine electronic control boxes, located behind the seat. you can put a 790 e pump and engine controller in a ex 200-3 and it will run but machine will act funny, (slow arm for example) Just did this while troubleshooting a hitachi. I had good used deere controllers and thought that I had faulty hitachi controllers. Ended up being faulty wiring harness and pump controller in the hitachi. ok, back to the 690, it is a deere only machine and a breed of its own, a very good and durable machine as well as the rest of the deere-hitachi joint venture lineup.
690e The first 690E's were built in Davenport IA. and the later ones were built in Augusta GA. Except the Long Fronts (50 ft./60 ft.), they were all built in Davenport IA. The long front 690E were even built when the 200LC's were built. When I bought my first 690E I hauled it from the Davenport plant but when I got the second 690E I had it hauled from Augusta. The Cab/car body, track motors, boom, stick, rollers and frame are the same as Hitachi. The, side sheet metal, engine, Tracks, cylinders and electronics are John Deere. The Hydraulic Pumps are Linde. The 690E is a breed of it's own like bordercollie said. deeredriver HeavyQuip in Kansas City has been able to get some after market parts. SunSource can get Hydraulic Pumps/Pump parts and motors. Grace track, track parts. Red Dot Air Conditioning, Consolidated Technologies electronic parts, Hercules, cylinder kits/parts and engine, endurance
looked at 690 e lc went looked at an excavator with 4880 hours on it. it had a new pump on it but it had a flutter or pulse that you could feel in the controls and the tracks were lose and extended all the way out but the rear sprocket looked good and track alinement guides were bent up. besides that i think i am going to buy it and fix it the price is right.
690e If the hydr. seem to Flutter it could be the control values are not set right. It is not a hard job to set them. The tracks are not expensive, but don't get sticker shock when you price the track guides from John Deere. No one is making aftermarket track guides yet, so I made my own. Try RDO when you need parts/service, they are better than Murphy Tractor for parts/ service. If you need help give me a yell. I have had four of them, and they are not hard to work on.
690E Thumb/Grapple I took some pictures of the older 690E and the thumb/grapple that I built for it, because that is what you are going to buy. I have one on a 330 that I use a lot and like it too. It is a lot wider and heavier. I used all T1 type steel and note how wide the mount is. I built two outer brackets to support the pivot pin. Used it for many hours and never had a problem.
690E Thumb/Grapple A couple more. If you want I can trace a pattern, get sizes and send it to you. Sorry the one picture is of a deer head that I cut out of 1/4 steel. I put it in between the double pane glass in my front door I made.
690ELC I just recently sold our 1993-690 and I am glad to be rid of it. It had 8000+ hours and was nickel & diming us to death. We are a Utility Contractor in Northeast Arkansas and we baby our machines, I personally put over half the hours on the machine and it was never as dependable as our Hitachi machines. The 690ELC was an in-house machine,not as similar to the 200-3 hitachi with the different shaped counterweight, funky off-brand hydraulic pumps, etc. People can say the Deere's are the same as Hitachi's, but I beg to differ, because the Isuzu diesel matched with Hitachi pumps are a perfect match, in my opinion. Hitachi began building John Deere's excavator from its conception in 1969, thus the 69 in 690, and has had a major hand in its evoulution ever since.
i think your years are off by 20 years...i don't think deere joined w/hitachi until the D series excavators...maybe some of the older C series, otherwise were all deere/design build...i bought a hitachi 200 new in 93, put 9k hours in it, had NO problems...but, i bought a 93 690 deere in 97 with 2200 hours on it, we now have 7k hours on it, replaced turbo, few pins/bushings, other than that, no down time
John Deere 690E I have had three 690E that I put over 13,000 hours on each and never had any problems with them. I still have a 690E that has 7,000 hours and it has been just as good. I have had a couple Hitachi machines and they have been good, but not any better than the Deeres. The "funky off-brand hydraulic pump" as you refer to are Linde Hydr. Pumps. They are used in many industrial applications and great as long as you use the right oil, which is the case with any Hydr. pump. . The 414 John Deere engine is bullet proof and will start no matter how cold it is and easy on fuel. It is one of John Deere's best engines. That was two factors in buying the Deeres over the Hitachi machines, along with not having a Hitachi Dealer at that time. The John Deere 690E was not built by Hitachi as some people think. Some Parts were built by Hitachi for John Deere, but a lot were built by John Deere, Linde, Red Dot, Central Fab, Rexroth, Positech, Fairfield Manufacturing, Consolidated Technologies and several more. They were assembled/built in John Deere's plants Davenport Ia then in their Augusta Ga. plant.
I think he is off even more than 20 years dayexco. The 69 had nothing to do with the year Hitachi and Deere devolped the 690. How would you explain the 290, 490, 590, 690, 790, 892, 992??? Now throw in the 792, 595 and several others. Hitachi did not have anything to do with the 690 series John Deere's except building SOME parts for John Deere. All 690 series were John Deere's machines. Not until the 200series in 1995 did Hitachi have a part in development and production of that class of John Deere machines.
So what brand and size excavtors do you run or have now besides the old 690E with 7000 hours on it?????? Why do you like them if not Deere machine?
The oldest machine is an 235 Cat. It was a pipe machine all it's life until I bought it for loading trucks with dirt. Good old machine, little obsolute in today's standards, but can't bet it for loading trucks. The old 235 are bullet proof. Next is the 690E Good machine, one of Deere's best machines. Then I just sold my 200 Komatsu, fair machine, easy on fuel . Can not travel and use stick/boom function at same time, hate that. It seems to be about a 5,000 to 6,000 hour machine??? If Komatsu would have just built it a little heavier and fixed using the two Hydr. problem it would be a great machine. A friend of mine had been using it the last year for pipe work and bought it this winter. Then I have a 330 John Deere good machine, Starts good dependable I have another John Deere on lease that will be going back at next week. The Komatsu is being replaced with a 322 Cat I did some trading/switching/leasing late last year and ended up buying this machine, to replace the Komatsu. I don't have many hours on it so I can't say much about it but so far it is seems OK. I have had some little things go wrong but they have been fixed, seems a little slow especially when you get out of a Deere but then most newer machines seem slower. I think it is going to be a good machine. Little hard on fuel. This is what my goal is for the machines I have. I want to get down to three main machines. I have the 235 setting on a dirt pile to load trucks. (get my ponds cleaned out and make money selling the dirt) I have the 690 set up for dirt/demo work and then have a 60 foot long reach Stick/Boom that can be switch for long reach work. (long reach gets used a lot) The 330 is my pipe/dirt machine. I have a quick coupler so I can switch buckets. I have a long reach boom/stick for it also (have not used the long reach much on this machine). The 322 is going to be my do all machine. I have a quick coupler with three buckets (one bucket has a grapple one it) and a roller. As the 690 gets more hours I'll get a long reach for this machine and re[lace the 690 with this machine) I would have all John Deere machines except their is not a good dealer in this area, Now that Murphy has Iowa and Missouri. They have poor parts and service. I get what parts I need from RDO faster. Komatsu I have had good service and fair parts service, some parts take two or three days which??? can hurt you at the wrong time. They have bent over to help me. NMC is a joke they are poor on service and parts I get most Cat parts from Zieglers faster, They are a great dealer. I have ran many other brand/sizes of machines. The bottom line is the machine is no better than the dealer.
So which one of your excavator do you have the GPS system that you have talked about mounted on the 330 Deere since it is your pipe machine or the Cat 322 ????? My dealer is Ziegler,they have treated me okay,parts and service has always been good also.They have a parts drop within 30 minute drive that if i get parts ordered before late afternoon i can pick them up the next morning before 7 a.m. I use to be in Missouri Valley when it was Cat district i never did like their service,so back then i was using Gibbs/Cooke,which was finally bought out by Ziegler.:usa
The 330 has a Trimble GPS system on it. I had a few things to adjust/change/get use to at first. When I bought the 322 it had a Different GPS system on it (the dealer I bought it from put that system on) but I wanted the same GPS system as the 330 machine. I have all the sensors/wiring on it now and plan on having the same GPS system on the 322this summer. I'm planning on doing a smaller job that The 322 will make a good pipe layer on. The 330 cost more to operate and is getting harder to move in some areas. I want to keep my cost down if possible with the 322??? The lease machine was equipped with a Trimble GPS system, But I'm done with that machine. I have to use several different Cat dealer depending on were I'm working. So far Zieglers have treated me great. I feel they have bent over backwards for me, especially since I'm a small contractor. A lot of dealers look at contractors and don't want to deal will someone that has only a couple machines of theirs and didn't buy the machine from them. Dean Machinery and Martin Tractor have been good also, I don't use them that much. NMC in Nebraska is about a joke. they don't have service and the parts department is a bigger joke. They use to be good but about 15 years ago they just when down hill.
I currently have three Hitachi excavators-1999 model EX 200LC-5,2004 ZX270LC & 2007 ZX200LC. Everybody has a choice, mine is Hitachi.
Dear dayexco, I am going to double-check some of my info on the early 690's (690,690A,690B), but I'm pretty sure hitachi helped them at the inception of the 690's (at least with the hydraulic pumps). My Hitachi's have netted me ZERO down time, compared to quite a bit with the 690- Hydraulic pump at 4000 hours, down two weeks(first reman pump was no good),dealer let me use a 96 model EX270LC-3 (that's when I began to appreciate the Hitachi machines), water pump, center (knuckle) joint, turbo, swing motor, to name the bigger ones. Sincerely, ZAXIS
Dear RKO, Thanks for your comments, I wanted to let you know that I am fully aware of the brand of hydraulic pumps the 690ELC came with since I had to replace mine at only 4000 hours. I used only John Deere hydraulic fluids, filters, motor & gear oil and only John Deere parts installed by authorized John Deere mechanics. This machine was not the only one I heard of that had low hour hydraulic pumps-others went out less hours than mine. I serviced my machine above and beyond the reccomendations and it was still a disappointment to me. MAYBE IT WAS A LEMON!
I was always told by the guys at our local Deere dealership that Hitachi didn't get their hands on the 20ton machine until they came out with the 200 in 95/96. At home we have 4 690D's and a 690E. Our oldest of the D's has just a hair over 26 000hrs on it. We have replaced the hyd. pump on that beast about 3 times so far and it has been a trooper.
Dear burnout, I think the D series was just a better series of machine-no confusing pushbuttons(quadtronics)just the basics. I have also heard that the C series was not a great series either. I have nothing against any of the other E series excavators, I just had a unhappy experience with the "in house" 690ELC. Sincerely, ZAXIS
I will admit I like the D series better. I love the looks of our old D, the E has a much nicer cab and nicer controls, but I love running the D. I also find that since the engine is faced long ways in the chassis it adds to the stability since the weight is further out the back. And that helps with us because my grandfathers mechanic thought it was a "good idea" to add a 6 1/2ft extension to the stick and nothing to the boom.
JD 690E Troubleshooting Hi, I also have a JD690E LC that I use for logging and road building on my woodlot. I have an on-going problem with power loss after a couple hours of operation when the machine gets up to max operating temp. It will affect all operations but especially the tracks or when more then one operation is going on at a time. Do you have any ideas or can you recommend a troubleshooting guide? Thanks, Jerry
Excellent thread, lots of good info & opinions, On the subject of the Deere/Hitachi Marriage.... From the history section of "Hitachi Constuction Machinery" website they state: July 1983: Formed business tie-up with U.S. company Deere & Company for supply of hydraulic excavators ( what ever that means????) & then May 1988: Established joint venture Deere-Hitachi Construction Machinery Corp. in the United States for local production of hydraulic excavators . Here is the link to their site: http://www.hitachi-c-m.com/global/company/profile/history02.html
ZAXIS Hitachi had nothing to do with development or building of 690, 690A, 690B, 690C, 690D, or 690E John Deere Excavators until the 200 was built. Hitachi built some parts for these machines but John Deere developed and built them.
What type of oil did you use in the hydraulic system??
I used John Deere Hydraulic Fluid-just noticed the question, havent been logged on in a while.
:usa, I bought a 1988 690d lc, what is the diff, from a e model, newer? also, i have had it only one week, and there was a few times when I turned the key there was nothing, then turn one more time, and it fired up, now to day it will not do nothing,, does not turn, like the batts are fully dead, but there not, what can I look for? help. thanks
back by the batterys there is a little thin black wire that grounds the computer make sure it is hooked up to the negative post of battery could be lose or bad connection
Have worked on excavators for years, I know that the JD 690E hydraulics have made me more money than the Hitachi!!
can you help with what to look for, turn the key and the lights come on in the dash, but wont light the stater, nothing ,no clicking, batts are full, the the last week, go to start, and there was nothing, try one or two more times, and then it would crank,
John Deere does not want their Hydraulic fluid in the Hydraulic system. That is why your pump went out. Use only Motor Oil in the Hydraulic System. 10 weight in winter 20 weight in summer or you can use 15-40 year around. John Deere ship and recommended their Hydraulic oil and then in 1995 found out their Hydraulic oil did not displace water and was wrecking the pumps. There was a service bulletin about this your dealer should have informed you. If the right oil was used the Linde pump will last for ever.
No start sorry double post
Sounds like a starter relay problem or a starter solenoid problem, is not the battery relay as the lights come on on the dash ok.:canada
Jd 690 I guess I wrote all this stuff for nothing. I have never seen a 690 with a engine computer. I didnt say that there wasnt one made, but the ones Ive messed with was in the 80"s. Maybe this will help someone, its a fairly commonon thing to do on older machines of any kind Check out the simple things first 1. when you know it probably not going to start, go to the starter solenoid an just tap on the solenoid, lightly a few times. Get someone to try to start it, while you are looking at the starter, do you see any fire sparking, around the elect connections? Now try to tighten them. Im not sure about this engine, but most all older engines were the same principal. 2. The starter should have a positive (big cable) and a small, maybe #12 wire, if either of these get loose, they will cause these problem. Take a voltmeter and check the voltage on the small wire, with the key turned all the way to start, do this as fast as you can (or you can disconnect this wire, from the starter and check it) If you dont have power to this wire, then start tracing backwards. This could have a relay in the system (but I dont think so) 3. If you dont find voltage at the starter, get to the ignition switch. Try to find out what terminal, is the starter terminal, you might have to use a voltmeter. If you cant find the terminal with a voltmeter, then the switch is bad. Napa may have a switch, that will work, JD parts are pricey. Just make sure the terminals are the same. 4. Now, if all the above, doesnt work (you have voltage on the start terminal on the switch and no voltage at the starter ign wire) these machines had a bad problem with the wiring connections. You will have to look for those plugs ins, most likey a fair size around the turn table area. Now this is what Ive done to get me out of trouble, run a #12 wire from the start terminal on the starter/ign switch, to the start terminal on the starter. This is the problem, if you have a computer engine (I dont think so) it could cause a problem. Thats the reason, this is the last thing I can think of. Ive had this problem may times over the years and almost all the time, its the starter solenoid, one time it was a engine to chassis ground. I have took a screwdriver and jumper the little terminal connection, to the big terminal, next to it (usually) if not, its the other one. If you get the wrong one first, all will happen is, the starter will just spin
This machine does have a starter relay and also an engine computer.
The start relay is part no AT85258 list price is 47.06 and you should be able to buy it for 20% off that at least. The relay is know for going bad and if you are not lucky they stick in the start position and will burn the starter up along with the ring gear. I know from experience. Just replace it and be safe. Like 3Doc said they do have an engine control Module but they just hardly ever go bad. I have only seen one go bad and that was on a machine that a guy tried to "fix" the wiring himself and burned the whole wiring harness up. Fix it right and Don't try to Jerry rig something up or you will be buying an engine control Module for the machine along with fixing a lot more wires. The start relay on the newer machines are different I don't know all what this relay fits.
Linde Pumps I've personally built several hundred of the Linde double pumps that go on the JD 690 Series and can tell you with confidence that if the wrong person builds this pump you'll have problems!! JD was using several different companies to rebuild these pumps but did not have very good luck. I worked at the Linde plant for 20 plus years I'm telling you this pump is one great piece of hydraulic equipment if it is built by the right person. I do not work for Linde any more but I still build these pumps at my new shop, if anyone is interested in knowing more drop me an email, I rebuild any piston style pumps or motors from any manufacture! By the way Hitachi had nothing to do with any of the JD 690 machines. [email protected]
Hitachi did have someting to do with the 690ELC. I even have purchased cab parts at the deere only dealer and they came in hitachi packages. And the cab on the 2 machines is exactly the same!
Just Hydraulics Sorry, I should have been a little more specific, I meant was that they had nothing to do with the hydraulics on the JD 690's, they were almost all Linde products. Sorry about that!
deere does recommend using engine oil instead of hydraulic oil on the 690e machines, there reason being water seperates out of engine oil better than hyd oil. As far as the Linde pumps go they seem to need replacement after 5000 to 6000 hrs which i believe is several thousand hours before the 200 series deere's-hitachi's most often require replacement.
The John Deere cabs were not built buy either John Deere or Hitachi. John Deere had them built by outside vendor up to the 200 and like machines John Deere machines. Then John Deere and Hitachi joined in the excavator market and then Hitachi under license by John Deere built the replacement parts for the older machines. The only parts that will interchange with Hitachi on a John Deere 690E are Some Cab parts, The Stick, boom, and the cooling recovery tank. Even then some cab parts are not the same. A FACTORY John Deere 690E cab will not fit on a Hitachi machine with out some reworking. I found out the hard way. If you ever cut a Hitachi and John Deere stick/boom apart you will see they are not the same inside. John Deere uses one more stiffener plate in both the stick and boom.
Failure to use the right oil is why most Linde 690E pumps fail. Use the right oil and they will run 10000 hours plus before they need attention. Here is a good example of using the wrong oil. He says he is using Hydr. oil, not engine oil as recomended by John Deere and the Hydr. pump failed. From ZAXIS Senior Member Originally Posted by RKO I have had three 690E that I put over 13,000 hours on each and never had any problems with them. I still have a 690E that has 7,000 hours and it has been just as good. I have had a couple Hitachi machines and they have been good, but not any better than the Deeres. The "funky off-brand hydraulic pump" as you refer to are Linde Hydr. Pumps. They are used in many industrial applications and great as long as you use the right oil, which is the case with any Hydr. pump. . The 414 John Deere engine is bullet proof and will start no matter how cold it is and easy on fuel. It is one of John Deere's best engines. That was two factors in buying the Deeres over the Hitachi machines, along with not having a Hitachi Dealer at that time. The John Deere 690E was not built by Hitachi as some people think. Some Parts were built by Hitachi for John Deere, but a lot were built by John Deere, Linde, Red Dot, Central Fab, Rexroth, Positech, Fairfield Manufacturing, Consolidated Technologies and several more. They were assembled/built in John Deere's plants Davenport Ia then in their Augusta Ga. plant. Dear RKO, Thanks for your comments, I wanted to let you know that I am fully aware of the brand of hydraulic pumps the 690ELC came with since I had to replace mine at only 4000 hours. I used only John Deere hydraulic fluids, filters, motor & gear oil and only John Deere parts installed by authorized John Deere mechanics. This machine was not the only one I heard of that had low hour hydraulic pumps-others went out less hours than mine. I serviced my machine above and beyond the reccomendations and it was still a disappointment to me. MAYBE IT WAS A LEMON!
anyone know how to reverse the controls on the 690 elc?
I grew up on our 690d and later our 690 elc's and 892elc's. The 690 D was a beast but she was reliable and productive, The 690elc's ARE THE FASTEST EXCAVATORS MADE (Imo) I remember when we had our old 690elc digging water main in at a new feedlot and they wanted to try out a komatsu 200series. they put them on the same site and same oporators and the elc dominated a komatsu by hundreds of feet. komatsu rep brought out a mech and when round 2 came about the story was much the same. at 16 i bought the 690elc that my dad had with 13000hrs on her and sold it with 15 on it with only minor problems no pumps no engines just the u c was tired. Best excavators ever made to this date and theyre made by DEERE
Deeretime, I know everyone has there own opinion on what is the best, and in my limited opinion I like the Hitachi machine. The '93 690E we owned was babied & gave us nothing but problems. I was not informed about using anything but hydraulic oil in the hydraulic system. Even if the pumps would have lasted for thousands of hours the machine had so many other problems that it makes me think it must have been a lemon. The machine was NEVER as SMOOTH as the Hitachi's I own, nor as productive. Maybe it never was set up as good as some of the aforementioned guys machines, but even if it was, it still was not reliable like my orange iron is. I made the switch to Hitachi in the search to find a dependable machine & I have not regretted it.
Zaxis I'm glad you like your Hitachi If you used the wrong oil in the 690E that was a big part of your problem. Everything in the machine is tied together and if the pump is not working right the controller try to compensate and everything else will not work right. Controller will try to change the swash plate and when the pump is not working right the pump/controller will do funny things. If operators does not adjust the machine, I have seen machines beat them selves to death. It was not because the machine was a lemon or a faulty part but because the machine was not matched to the operators capacities. The nice thing about a 690E is, You can set a 690E up to be as smooth as machine as any on the market, or set them up to hog dirt, or set them up to be as fast as you can run it. That is why most people don't like them because they will operate so fast and most people are use to slower machines. I can set up an 690E to be smother than an Hitachi machine. Most were set up to fast for most operators from the factory, as most operators are use to slower machines. I have set up many 690E's for guys that hated them and when I was done they just loved the machine, if the had an open mine. There is no way a 200 Hitachi will out dig a 690E as the 690E has a bigger motor, higher pressure hydr. operating system, bigger hydr. pump, and weights more than a Hitachi.
Zaxis you have a valid point with your 690 and i understand that everyone gets a lemon once and a while, its to bad that the deere left a bad taste in you mouth. I have had hitachi and deere, but i have found that the deere starts much better in cold weather aswell have a little better power on the engine end (not hydraulicly) . My 690elc was choppy but fast! if you were on your game you could make it sing, but if you got a little tired or put a rookie on it it would start and get chopy. I have a lemon of my own, i have a 07 deere 270Dlc and the thing is a toiolet! i never owend a 270 before because i always had 330's,230's'200's and 450's. The 270 is the poorest ballenced machine i have run, it is choppy and i am forever changing filters on it aswell as cylinders drive motors and injectors and alot of other dumb stuff. Everyone i talk to tho finds the 270's to be the perfect machines but i would rather have my 230clc with 10000hrs on it than the 270 with 3800hrs you have to realise zaxis that the 690elc compared to a 200 is like comparing apples to oranges because the powertrain and hydraulics arent even compareable. I didnt say it was the smoothest , when we demoed the 690 it ate the hitachi, komatsu and the cat that we had demod on the same job. It didnt beat the hitachi by much it was only 25 or so feet but i do remember that it embarrased the komatsu and they had a mech out twice to turn up the komatsu to full power but back then i was only 7 or so i didnt get alot of seat time in it lol but that nite i did get to back fill with the elc and it was the coolest thing in the world for me
Deeretime, that sucks on the 270 but i have run a 270Clc and liked it for the most part. was balanced and smooth. I just didn't like the fuel consumption. There is no reason for the 6068 engine to be in it. The only thing that went wrong with this was the injection pump in 2500hrs. I liked the 230clc but love the 240. Its hard to beat that machine. As far as deere vs hitachi, its funny how most everyone said "ol a hitachi burns half the fuel as a deere" but then in the end of the day the deere put more pipe in the ground. They are about even in the end. But I guess I'm used to the old deere grunting and doing whatever i wanted to. As far as the 690E's go, I like them better then the 200lc and clc. Plenty of power, decently quick, and didn't see all that much problem out of them beside some swing motors and electrical. Now the 200DLC is a very good machine. I liked it a whole lot better then the past models. Just felt good.
I appreciate all the comments from you guys, I respect & enjoy reading your opinions & thoughts on these machines. When I bought my first Hitachi back in '99, I demoed a case 9030B, Komatsu 200LC & the Hitachi 200LC-V on a sewer project I was working on. The Hitachi won hands down. I had demoed a John Deere 200LC prior to that, but still had a bad taste in my mouth with my unreliable 690E. In my opinion the Hitachi gives us the best combination of value & dependability for our dollar.
hitachi and deere Well, i think that Zaxis is right on the hitachi excavators performance. the isuzu engine is most efficient regarding the fuel consumption,( not half the jd s engine consumption as was said before, but better jd s). The match between hydraulics and electronics achieved by the designers is one of the best in the excavators market. and that lower fuel consumption is a direct consecuence of that. Remember, with the increasing of the oil prices, the cubic meters per gallon of fuel moved or digged by an excavator in nowdays is in most of the cases the main parameter to observe when you have to choose an excavator or other earthmoving machine. the hitachis 200LC3 or the zaxis 355 i saw working on quarry sites, they just are reliable, fast and powerfull. for me the better choice , with all due respect. Today, there is not bad equipment: there is bad equipment support¡
I think the 690E will be fine for your needs. The fact that they are common near your location is a huge plus. No point having a faster excavator of some other brand if repairs are going to cause lengthy downtime due to lack of parts. I wonder where that engine appears in the agricultural line? On a side note: My dad was one of the first contractors up here to buy one of the first 690's in this area. It was a 690-A. (with chain driven tracks and smooth crawler pads) I remember running it as a kid and having to stand upright on the travel pedals just to make it move!! He then moved on to two 690-B's in the early 80's along with one of the rare 890's. All three of those machines had the long levers that came out of the floor. The first Deere/Hitachi machines came out in the mid 80's (490,790,792) He bought two 790's and I remember that they were so fast compared to anything else we owned.
I've just found this site, and joined in. I agree a lot of valuable information here. I am just in the process of buying a 1993 - 690E LC. The gent I'm dealing with tells me he just had a new main pump installed at $10,000. This machine is slightly different. Some one put a spacer lift under the cab, and lifted it about 20" & added real nice cab guarding. I've run a lot of these machines a little over the years, (in 1963 I started out on line shovel Model 6 Northwest.) However I find all this information valuable. I own a tug&barge and move much of this equip. for WFP, Interfor & their contractors. I need the Deere for a little deac. I do for them. I also have a little case wheel loader on my barge for moving stuff around. I now also have to buya Kobelco Log Loader, for moving heli wood, (I'm trying to retire LOL.) I'll try to upload a couple of ineresting pictures. A load of logs on my barge in Bute Inlet, and a Deere log loader, (look at the cab) this guy was loading at the time. A slide came down and took him about 200 feet down a hill. Surprizingly he wasn't hurt. I've added a picture of a load of equipment where this deere loader was. This is the dry sort at Doc Creek, Burke Channel, originally the old M&B camp.
I bought this 690 a few months ago. I have it on my barge for loading logs, lifting stuff on and off, a little deactivation for Interfor now and then. I had this adapter made for my log grapple. I bought this Prentiss grapple from Hunt Tractor in Oregon. Here are a few pictures of what's going on. I also have a real nice brush rake. I'll leave a picture here as it is no good to me, in case anyone may want it........$3500.
I don't have much idea about this model but based here on these comments and based on my research, the 690ELC is a great machine.
Hello, The first thing that I would check is the case drain flow after you are having this problem. If the pump is failing or the drive motors are doing the same the case flow will be high. I believe that you would need to find your case drain and install at least a 30 gal. site flow meter inline with this port or hose. If you are getting anything over 7 or 8 gal per minute I'm afraid that your main pump is on its way out. Please email me direct to [email protected] . This email goes right to my phone, I can help you out if you need your pump looked at. Keith
Ive just rebuilt another customers pump from a farm that was from a John Deere 690ELC last week and was under 4500 and i give a one year warranty.
I have a 690 e lc and yesterday while working it lost all functions. When I pull on the joystick it powers up the stepping motor but dose not recognize the function that I'm trying to do. I tapped on the relay on the end of the pump and everything come back. Shut the machine off come back a little later it went back to no function and tried everything and nothing worked. Any ideas on what's going on
Has anyone had problem with hatichI 120_3 with stuck in slow mode
How do you switch to manual?
Are you still sure about 1540 in the hydraulic tank?
Do any of you guys run 15-40 synthetic oil in the hydraulic tank