I know very little about excavators, so I am here for help. I have found a Komatsu PC220LC-7C with approx. 6100 hrs. I know there are many variables, but could someone give a reference to the hours. Is it like a car with 400,000 miles, or is it about time you would trade in you excavator, or what? And can I tell the year model based on the serial #? The door has "Galileo" on it. Could this help determine the age? Sorry for my ignorance and Thank You!
I think the -7 series came out in '03 or '02 and 6000hrs is less than half way to any major repairs,beside undercarriage, on a 25 ton hoe if it was well cared for.
When you equate hours to miles I like to put it in terms of a highway truck. The way I work it is putting up an arbitrary average mile per hour figure that a truck can haul over the highway loaded. Basically I would figure an average of 60 miles per hour into 500,000 comes out at roughly 8,333 hours. By that measure you are half way to that golden million mile mark. Most will argue though that your possible PC220 excavator is running with a much higher load factor and I would agree. After all that engine is running aftercooled at close to the same horsepower as a hopped up Dodge pickup and carries a constant 80% load or more. In that case let's lower our average speed to 30 miles per hour and consider this machine acting like an intercity delivery truck. Now it gets real ugly looking. I haven't seen many trucks in that service get more than 200,000 miles but lets use 250,000 as a top end because most will run the trucks with something wrong anyway. The equivalent hours for 250,000 miles at 30 average miles per hour comes to same 8,333 hours as our high mileage highway truck at 500,000. Your machine's equivalent comes out the 183,000 miles against our target of 250,000. By that figure you only have 25% of our targeted life left. From personal experience I can tell you it will all depend on the past maintenance and operation. That machine could have been overheated many times with extended oil changes or a cream puff with the equivalent miles of the highway hauler. You need someone with repair experience to tell you the difference. Good Luck!
So what is the maximum number of hours one could expect out of a machine like this? I'm having trouble following your calculatons, , but they sound like they make sense. Could you simplify for simpletons like me, please. Thanks a lot.
12,000 hours is a lucky total. I've seen a couple at 14,000 hours but there was nothing left to rebuild. I've seen lots shot at 7,500 hours. He needs a wrench to show him what is right and wrong with the machine. He also needs to know if the machine is gray market or domestic and being able to have access to the computer would help.
That gives me a good place to start. Thanks.
I recently operated a PC220-5 for a week with 13,000+ hours - it was like new. It was fast and responsive as I can remember a new -5 ever being. I have seen many high hour Cats and Komatsus similar to this, maybe it is the owner's care, probably not.
Hours and Life I agree with John C. 12,000 hrs is what I shoot for on a full size excavator. Do you know if this was an owner operator, rental fleet, or a large company own machine. Is the machine from your area, you can get the serial number and call the locate dealer and get a history report on maintenance. I feel that key to an excavator long life it changing the hydraulic oil on or before the manufactures specs. If you can post the serial number I can look in my S/N book and look up the year. Can you get a sample of the hydraulic oil, and engine oil and get it tested?
It is local, and I will try to get the serial #. I am going to get more definite info, but I believe it belonged to a small construction company. It is a bank repo. I am a little leary of repos, but I could be interested if it's the right price.
Take the serial number to Komatsu and they can tell you when and where it was built. If it were a -5 machine, 6,100 would mean that it´s a little past the halfway mark before you need to start thinking about engine and pump overhauls. However, hours only tell part of the story. It could have been 6,100 well maintained hours with a good operator. Or it could have 6,100 hrs of neglect, abuse and ´didn´t know any better´.
I will let you know what happens. I don't need an excavator in any way, but if the right buying price and a little TLC can make me a $ then I just might be interested.
-8 machines have been out for a couple of years now. ,-7 's came out around 02 like was said above. Test drive it and make sure all work modes and functions operate. Take a stop watch with you and do some cycle times of boom up, arm out,arm in and bucket cycle times. (boom up with arm all the way out,bucket dumped) Let me know and i will check the service manual and let you know if they are in spec or not.
I appreciate the offer and will take you up on it. Time each function separately, right? 1-Boom, 2-Arm, 3-Bucket Thanks!
yes, each function seperatley, you can also do a cycle time on the tracks, five revolutions per track (track raised off of ground) each speed, each side. also do a swing cycle time (five revs, each direction) when doing track cycle times, place a pair of vice grips on a track pad and start the stop watch after the track gets up to speed, i like to watch out the door or window and start the stop watch when the vice grips just pass the window post or door opening. when doing swing cycle times go one revolution before starting swing operation. all cycle times done at wide open throttle, in "power mode" when doing dig function cycle times, keep stop watch going until cylinder comes to the end of stroke, not the cushion at the last few inches of cylinder travel.
sent you a e-mail with the specs for cycle times etc...