Hey everyone, I am contemplating getting into the digging business with a mini excavator. I know a couple of people in my area who do this and have more work than they can handle. Still very much in the contemplating stage, but part of that is deciding what brands I should look at. I have a bunch of reading to do about that yet, so not trying to discuss that here What I want to better understand is Mitsubishi in particular. I was looking at some smaller Caterpillar mini-exes and they all seem to be made by Mitsubishi, which I find rather concerning. My limited experince with Mitsubishi stuff is not good. Mitsubishi wind turbines are a running joke in the industry, being failure-prone and spewing grease and oil hither, thither, and yon. Of course, 20 year old wind turbines and 5 year old mini excavators are very different animals. How is mitsubishi equipment? I don't want to pay top dollar for the Cat name if the OEM doesn't live up to that name.
Japanese excavators rule the world. You are right that Mitsubishi manufacturers some cat minis just as Hitachi does John Deere and kobelco does case.. And so on and so on... What model Mitsubishi is it ?? Stand alone Mitsubishi excavators are not a common site in the US. Make sure its not a Grey market machine... Nothing wrong with them but part sourcing can sometimes be difficult.
It's a Cat 301.7CR. Allegedly made by Mitsubishi. I've also looked at a few 302.7D models. Also allegedly made by Mitsubishi I know Japanese equipment in general is pretty good, but I don't know about Mitsubishi in particular. Based on my limited experience, they seem to be one of the less quality-driven Japanese companies. That said, my experience is limited. My main concern is that, If I decide to pay Caterpillar prices I am getting a machine that will live up to said (high) prices.
Wacker Neuson made some of the smaller Cat mini excavators as of several years ago.
I know even less about Wacker Newson than about Mistubishi
The history of who builds what is complicated. Basically everyone sleeps with everyone, it's not just Cat. If you want accurate info, post a s/n of any Cat you're considering buying. The first gen Cat 301.8 machines of the early 2000s had Mitsubishi engines (Cat called em 3003 engines, Mitsubishi called em L3E engines). Don't recall there ever being a 301.7 or a CR (Compact Radius) option in this gen. Second gen Cat 301.8C (mid 2000s) also had Mitsubishi engines (Cat started calling em L3E engines). No 301.7 and/or CR option I'm aware of. The 3rd gen (early 2010s) 301.7D and 302.7D in particular, are the rebadged Wacker Neuson machines. Cat redesigned the cab/canopy, added 2-speed, blade float and a retractable seatbelt from memory! ...and all have Yanmar engines. The current 4th gen 301.7 (Cat has dropped the model letters again just to confuse everyone) is only available as a CR machine and currently built in China. Origin of engine I'm suspecting is Kubota, but I can't find any credible info on this so who knows. The engine's marketed as a Cat C1.1