Been looking for a Kubota mini ex a while now. Lightly used at a good price. Not as easy as I thought. Finally see one on CL, it's not a scam and it's only 30 miles from my home. Talked to the owner yesterday and here's the deal: He said his son "turned the machine over and broke the boom". He went on to say it was repaired and he had a replacement panel for one that was dented in the roll over. It's a 2006 KX121-3 with a little over 1000 hrs, hydraulic thumb, 2ft and 3ft bucket and the price is good. Pretty much exactly what I've been looking for. The question is: How do I determine the boom repair was done the way it should be and how do I know the engine dosen't have any underlying problem(s) due to the turn over. Please help with any advice on what to look for given the circumstances. Thanks, Diamondback
The seller of this machine says that the machine turned over and broke the boom but only one panel was damaged ? First I would check the engine, was the engine running when the machine tipped over, was it left running for a period after it tipped over? Will the engine turn over, will it run? is the engine smoking, does it sound ok. If you can locate the machine on a level concrete slab, check to see if both track frames are not bent (one idler may be looking at the sky). You could use a sprit level to check across the cab floor and then the tracks to see if the lower chassis is bent (not likely). If you can fit the widest bucket available (ideally a grading bucket) see if both corners of the bucket touch the ground over the the front and rear of the tracks and then @ 90 degrees left and right. This will give you a idea if the slew ring /upper chassis is out of line. With the bucket a few inches of the floor stand at the back of the bucket (but in a safe position) facing the cab, get someone to operate the dipper cylinder slowly and watch the bucket, if the boom is out of line you should be able to see that it is out of line. Finally my suggestion would be to get a local Kubota dealer to inspect this machine, failing that any mini excavator dealer should be able to give you an opinion. Regards
Hanomag, Thanks, exactly the kind of suggestions I was looking for. Wealth of information here on many topics. Diamondback
As far as the engine goes - a clean/if not replacement of the fuel filters woud be helpful to remove any residual muck that may have been thrown into the fuel system (e.g. from the bottom of the tank when turned over e.t.c) Start the machine up and see if it smokes both when idling and wide open, if no smoke then good - if possible you could also rotate the machine so the exhaust pipe is pointing into direct sunlight and then study the gases - this will make it easier to see if the engine is burning oil e.t.c If the machine has been used alot since the 'incident' check the oil level - if there seems to be more oil in the sump than you would expect and the owner can not offer a suitable explanation for this it could mean that the fuel pump is damaged and diesel is being mixed with the engine oil. As previoulsy mentioned use the bucket to check the 'levels' of the machine but just bear in mind that the bucket may be slightly twisted from poor operating techniques e.t.c so don't let that throw you off!!!!
kx 121-3 rolled I have a 2003 kubota kx 121-3 2100hrs excellent shape no slope in bucket or boom at all. No leak runs and digs as it should. Very nice machine asking $15500 [email protected] or 304-290-0372
kx 121-3 rolled no welds on boom and body in excellent shape.
kx 121-3 rolled sorry that no slop in bucket or boom
If it was me, i would ask the owner what he done when the machie tured over............ - Did the engine still run or was it turned off straight away. - When it was turned back on it rightfull position was all oil etc levels checked befor starting. - Also ''broke the boom''............what exactly did he brake. -Finally the drop or what way the machine overturned. If it was me i would be very wiery and most likey stay away and hold out for the perfect machine. Im a firm believer that when you see the right machine you will buy it. If you want the best hands on advice, bring a plant fitter or a mechanic of someone well up on machines that can check it with a fine tooth comb............... Hope i dont sound like a moany geet but just make sure its a good machine and you dont get conned
andy3882 surely you can put you machine in the for sale section. The person is looking for advice from people..............................time and place for selling
kx 121-3 rolled the man was looking for one soo........
Yeah don't be so pedantic. Although he could have PMed diamondback. Far as the roll over Kub goes, find out who did the repair and to what standard, if it was Billy Bob in his backyard then I would say keep looking. Are there receipts for the work that was done? I am not 100% but I should think that a divorce should have occurred to inspect all the components of the slew ring.
kx121 rolled How much he is asking would play a big factor in this decision.
I know this is an old thread, do you still have your 121-3 you wanted to sale.