Hi all, I am looking at buying a '94ish PC200-6 for ranch and farm use. As a result, it doesn't have to be perfect since I don't need it to pay it's own way; however, I want something that won't nickle and dime me over the next 20 years/2000 hours. It will be used for digging in very rocky soil in Eastern Oregon. The machine I have found is in fair shape, looks like it was used in forestry, is guarded and has an elevated cab. There are 11,500 hours on the clock, the engine starts instantly, runs with no smoke, and the hydraulics are smooth, quiet and strong. Problems, in order of concern: The turntable is sloppy. bucket in the air vs. pushing on the ground lifts the front .250 on a dial indicator. I read somewhere on this site that .060 is more of an acceptable number. Is this a big deal, a small inconvenience, or a ticking timebomb? What does it take to fix when the time comes? Also, the undercarrage is worn, the drive gear is not pointed, but the drive force is only transmitted on the chain pins from a 4 to 8 o'clock position. The rollers have worn the bosses of the chain up to the pins. Chains are very tight (hoping just adjustment) Also, the bucket has a strange hesitation in its stroke. This happens with any dipper or thumb position... If the dipper is straight down, and the bucket extended, when you curl the bucket, it will pause at the 6 oclock position, build up hydraulic pressure for a second or two, then "bang", it releases and finishes its curling motion. Otherwise, it seems like a good fit for our use, not too pretty and priced around 20K. Are there any issues I should anticipate for the -6 200s? Does this seem like a decent "farm" machine? Thanks in advance. -Sean
Maybe john c will jump in as he is the (komatsu man) ,but for now I think that .250 is way too much and yea that is a big deal I would guess the swing bearing replacement would cost about as much as the asking price of the machine.
Give me a serial number on that machine. There are tons of updates and it may be that this machine is gray market. The circle bearing being shot isn't a bad job if you have something to lift with or you know how to use cribbing and the machine to lift itself. The bearing is likely to cost somewhere over five grand for a cheap manufacturer. Track chains are likely tight because someone removed a link. That stuff is just work to replace but you will have to do the track adjusters at the same time.
at 11500 hours, I would ensure that the pumps as been changed... for the bucket trouble, I will check the cylinder bucket piston if its tight against the rod (not loose). circle bearing is not a complicated job for somebody know what he is doing. I already measured a circle bearing with 1.128 in loose, but trust me when a bearing start to be loose, it wear very faster than usually.
Hi John, thanks for the info. The model is PC200LC-6L, sn A80417. I have a quote from H&R for a new bearing at $4K shipped which doesn't seem too bad. I am decent with mechanical things, and have experience with cribbing heavy items from work. I would like to know what size/type of plugs/caps I need to be able to run the excavator once the undercarrage has been disconnected. Also, if you have any tips for the process, I would appreciate it greatly! I assume I need to crib the sides and under the counterweight, and lift with the arm to rock and crib between stacks? Then roll the undercarrage out to access the top of the frame and bearing area. For this to work, I expect that the top will balance nicely on the lower (carbody?) when all the turntable bolts are removed? Does the swivel stay attached to the lower during this operation? That would seem to require a higher overall lift.
Hi Steve, Thanks for the things to look at. I would expect the pump has been done just from the strength and lack of noise during operation. I will see if any records can be shaken free of the previous owner. This came from a dealer and was traded in on a new machine, so there may be some ability to talk to the PO. The sticking does seem to be in the ram, so it has been sent off to be rebuilt. 1.128! Wow! It never occurred to me that I might need a 2 inch travel indicator to check the turntable... That said, is it safe to operate and do a few quick jobs at .250? Since the bearing is a throwaway part, having it get worse quickly is only a problem if it starts to beat up other parts of the system... Thanks everyone for the assistance and info!
I don't recall if I unhooked the swivel from the top or the bottom. The last machine I did was a PC300 and we unhooked the bottom and pulled the swivel up with the house. The reason for it on that machine was that it had yarding drums installed which made it tough to get to the swivel. I think there are flange fittings from the top and JIS fittings on the carbody side of the swivel. If you go to a hydraulic place looking for caps and plugs just tell the counterman they are for a Komatsu. I've never seen the house balance on the carbody with the bolts removed. Usually it tips back on the counterweight. That's why I never liked cribbing and jacks. I made up eye bolts for the counterweight lifting holes and just use another machine to pick the back while using the boom to lift the front. I would suggest using porta power jacks if doing the cribbing method. I'm sure not going to get under there and waggle a bottle jack handle. I don't show that serial number in any of my records but my records have gone through two computer changes and twice that many software changes.
Good to know about the balance point! Unfortunately, I don't have a big enough machine to pick off the CW or to lift it with the house. Looks like jacking with the "lift an inch, crib an inch" technique will have to do. Thanks! -Sean