I borrowed a friend's Wb140 today, and it made start wondering, when did Kommie first offer a backhoe in the U.S.? Do they still offer one, I can't find it on their website? I only worked it about 15 minutes,it wasn't a bad machine, but I'll keep my Case.
Huh, these must really be unpopular.
There is one local contractor here that still has one...... I've spent a little time on one, just used the loader, I was impressed by the lifting force it had. Komatsu just couldn't penetrate the market here, Deere & Case guys are to brand loyal... Ed
I think Komatsu has a little more market share for their backhoes in the third world market. I honestly believe price has everything to do with it there and Komatsu must offer their product cheaper.
We have many of them in Russia.But Caterpillar is best.
I worked for Komatsu in Russia, now I'm in West Africa at the mine and all our fleet is CAT here. There is no really a difference if you compare which brand is better - both yellow, both have advantages and weak points. What is really important - what kind of support you have (parts and service). This is where you should look first when picking the brand of your fleet, but not at who is the best. They all are basically the same.
Dimonsof. How much they pay to backhoe operator per hour.
You see them once in a while here on the west coast. Like most everything Komatsu the electrical and hydraulic systems are overly complicated, they sat around for a couple of years on a dealer's lot before being sold and no one knows how to work on them when they break down. The people who buy them usually don't have the best operators and they get beat to death. Not many machines in a territory so the dealers don't carry much for parts. Most anyone can fix a Case, Deere or Cat but not so much for a Komatsu.
I have rented them to use for hammer work. Hydraulics were smooth and had good power. I think what hurt the first models was the way the front bucket stuck out. They came out with a WB142 that was designed more like a Case 580 and Deere 310. You could buy it new with full cab for 45 grand. Yanmar engine was very quiet. I looked at one and the dealer told me he wouldn't sell me one that Komatsu was pulling the plug on the backhoes and skid steers units in North America. I thought it was a shame because the 142 looked like a good all around machine.
The guys i know in the third world bought them and then the place they bought them from didn't even have filters in stock for the machine!!! nevermind basic parts like seals and the such. I told these guys that you have to see what product is support in your area and try to stick to that.
Was looking at a Komatsu mini excavator , do they still have getting parts problems with them. Heard their a good machine. PC55
Kimatsu pulled the plug on backhoes about 3 or years ago and there minis The dealer here doesn't care about little guys at all so they couldn't move backhoes or minis in any volume there were no loaner machines if you were under warranty That said they had some things that need redesigned but they were a solid machine 2 guys here had them both put over 10000 hours on them Parts were and are a problem they are a week away usually
Picked up a WB140-2N about 3 years ago from a mining company going out of business. 2005 unit with 2200 hours. Been pretty happy with it, but the electrical system is way to complex for me. Its a nightmare trying to understand why a particular circuit is malfunctioning. Still have a few gremlins that raise their head every once in a while. Mechanically a very solid machine. My Komatsu dealer usually can have parts in1-3 days. Overall pretty happy and was way cheaper than similar Case, JD units