Im looking to purchase an 8+ton excavator. Been looking at JD 85P, Kobelco SK85, Kubota 80, Komatsu PC88. Those are the dealers close by that i would deal with, also have CAT but have rented several and cant get past the electric over hydraulic controls and they are a little pricier so for those reasons im probably out on CAT, but they are a fantastic machine no doubt. But looking for input/preferences/experience on the others. Leaning toward JD 85P and Kobelco SK85. Dont see much about the Kobelco's online but has caught my eye and seems to spec pretty good with some nice standard options and 4yr 4000hr warranty. The only relationship i have with any local dealers is with the Kubota dealer with my 97-2 but i have only bought filters etc from them since purchase and they seem good but idk. Thanks!
The 88's cab is similar dimensions to the 13 tonne cab for the larger operator's comfort. 'Earthworks Hub' - Australian youtube channel. Probably some regional differences. video title - (June 2025) "You will love the latest Komatsu PC88MR-11 excavator"
Thanks for the input. i will check it out
@willie59 is up your way and I would wager he has some insight on the regional dealers and such.
I we spent a little time in. KX08-4 bota. Nice capable machine. I didn’t like the thumb though it was very slow to open/close and the dealer said it wasn’t adjustable. But was a very nice machine. I own a Kato 85. Not as fancy as the Kubota but very strong smooth and capable machine. Bought it used. If I were to buy new I’d love to try the Komatsu 88 Kobelco 85 and the Volvo 88. I think they’re all quality machines but man are they expensive. Tak and wacker neuson as well. Oh yeah yanmar too. lol there’s a bunch!
Spent too much time in 8 tons but only one on your list, the Kubota. No complaints as it does what's needed but I did prefer the control setup of other brands. Kubota does keep plenty of parts in the USA and can get them to you within a day or two and thats a plus if its your only machine.
Dealer support is questionable, but, if it were up to me, I'm gonna look at a Yanmar excavator. In 3k hours, I had nothing in my vio55 or vio80 machine. Big cabs, easy to service, and, most important to me, an integrated pin grabber coupler. I can't say the same for my Takeuchis. At my new employer, they're heavy in Kobelco, and the SK85 machines have been really good to us.
Thats my dilemma! To many good machines out there really. The more i look at different ones the more undecided i become. I love my Yanmar Vio50 and really like the SV100 but dealer i bought from (Heartland) stopped carrying Yanmar and new local dealer cant even get me a quoted price(been a month+) and have no idea how to even get a new or demo on their lot. So i think Yanmar is out because of questionable service. looked at an Kobelco SK85 today and i really like it, looking forward to dry weather so i can demo it from Company Wrench. Anyone had experience with them?
We have a couple Kobelco machines. A 55 and a 350. Both good machines good service, and parts. We had an 85 but it was when zero swings first came out. It seemed to be hard on running gear, but I think it was just from using the blade too much. I think there is actually a beefier model if you intend to use it like a dozer. They replaced it with a Deere, had terrible luck with it, went to a 308 cat. I don't recall many problems with the cat but no one liked it. They went with a 75 Linkbelt, and so far so good.
You honestly sound like you’re doing the right thing by focusing on dealer support first. At this point there are several good machines in that size class, so having a dealer that actually answers the phone and can support you quickly matters more than people admit. I’d definitely keep an open mind and demo as many as possible before buying. The Deere 85P is a solid machine and I’ve heard a lot of good feedback on the Kobelcos from guys that own them. Smooth hydraulics and pretty well equipped from the factory. One machine I’d add to your list though is a current-model Liebherr compact excavator. Not as common depending on your area, but they’re really impressive machines once you get seat time in one. One thing people are surprised by is that Liebherr actual manufactures a line of Deere crawler loaders and dozers, and CLAAS harvesters. One thing that surprised me the most was fuel burn. We’ve had customers compare them against Cat and some other machines in similar applications and see noticeable fuel savings over the course of a year. Doesn’t sound huge at first, but when you start figuring 800–1,000 hours a year and diesel sitting around $4/gallon, it adds up quick. Even being around a gallon an hour better can mean roughly $4k+ a year back in your pocket, and over 5 years that’s real money. The other thing is long-term ownership costs. They’re built really well, hydraulics are smooth, and they tend to hold up extremely well over time. Less downtime and less fuel burn is hard to ignore when you plan on keeping a machine for years. Best advice I can give is don’t buy one until you run them in actual dirt. Specs on paper only tell part of the story. We actually offer a free 40-hour demo on Liebherr machines for that exact reason. Gives you enough time to really put it to work and see how it compares to the Deere or Kobelco in real-world conditions instead of just driving it around a dealer lot for 15 minutes. You may still decide one of the others fits you better, but it’d definitely be worth putting one on your demo list before making the final call.
Not anymore. Liebher no longer makes JD crawler loaders and dozers. No clue on the harvesters.
Based on my experience with Liebherr crawler loaders you couldn't sell me a Liebherr machine. I know they're supposed to be an excellent manufacturer but their crawler loaders and dozers and lack of support in the Eastern US took any desire to run the risk of depending on one of their machines again away from me. I'd really like to run one of their excavators for comparison. And then observe someone who owns it for 10k hours and see how it fares. For context, our Liebherr machines, other than leaking final drives and splitter box seals, were pretty good until they hit 2000-2500 hours. After that they nickeled and dimed us for another 2000 hours then they got really expensive. Parts availability was really poor as well and warranty service was minimal.
Parts and service support would be a big issue for me especially down the road. If a dealer carried Liehberr and they weren't selling much, the dealer might drop them or not stock a lot of parts. Also how well would the mechanic(s) know them if they rarely work on them.
Buying a machine with a large market share means you're less likely to have trouble getting after-sales parts.