excavator

[Ellis Kinney]

I am thinking about buying a small excavator. Something the size of the 35 Bobcat. I have both a Bobcat and Kubota dealer nearby. Those are the two brands I would consider. Could I have some discussion on which one and why? Thanks, Ellis

 

[Dusty MI]

I have a tow-able back-hoe. It has a 13in. bucket and a 4' reach. It can be towed up to 30 mile per hour.

 

[JOCCO]

I don't think it matters, there are quite a few brands out there. I would try them out and see how you liked them. I would look at a good used one but you might not have all the choices of a new one. Next how much are you going to use it? Big difference if you using it 10 hours a day or just 2 hours a week. If you only have small stuff can you rent or lease one?

 

[JOCCO]

Do you need or want a cab or open station? Do you want a thumb, does it need to be set up for other attachments? Narrow thing down some before looking.

 

[WESnIL]

Or narrow things down after speaking with dealers, studying the specs of various machines, and looking at equipment and options like thumb with the machines on a dealer's lot. For my money a thumb would come before cab as it relates to purchase price, versatility, etc. Face to face communication and hands on experience are teachers.

 

[zuhnc]

If I need one (rarely, but when I do, nothing else would work), I rent the E35 Bobcat from a local store. Nice machine; small enough for ease of use, but big enough to get the job done. That would be the one for me, if I needed one more than a couple times a year.

 

[Jack345]

I am thinking about buying a small excavator. Something the size of the 35 Bobcat. I have both a Bobcat and Kubota dealer nearby. Those are the two brands I would consider. Could I have some discussion on which one and why? Thanks, Ellis

Kubota is the largest producer of excavators , easier to get parts, I had same choice in 2011 & purchased Kubota its the handiest tool I have,easy on fuel, some Bobcats have Kubota engines which are 4 cylinder, Kubota excavators in that weight range are 3 cylinder. 6-8 ton is the size that is very nice for working in woods fitting between trees & still pickup 16 ft Saw logs with ease . If purchasing used can give you come tips.

 

[Ellis Kinney]

Kubota is the largest producer of excavators , easier to get parts, I had same choice in 2011 & purchased Kubota its the handiest tool I have,easy on fuel, some Bobcats have Kubota engines which are 4 cylinder, Kubota excavators in that weight range are 3 cylinder. 6-8 ton is the size that is very nice for working in woods fitting between trees & still pickup 16 ft Saw logs with ease . If purchasing used can give you come tips.

Post a list of tips if you have time. I know from experience that if the bucket wiggles around I don't want it. Thanks, Ellis

 

[wp6529]

Post a list of tips if you have time. I know from experience that if the bucket wiggles around I don't want it. Thanks, Ellis

If the bucket wiggles that points to a lack of maintenance. Bushings can be replaced relatively easily if they haven't been ignored to the point the bores they sit in are damaged, but the general lack of maintenance means that everything on the machine needs to be inspected closely for other issues. Can still be a good buy potentially if you can do the rebuild work yourself.

 

[Jack345]

Post a list of tips if you have time. I know from experience that if the bucket wiggles around I don't want it. Thanks, Ellis

1.Purchase older used machines before 2015 before all the EPA regulations took place .
2.Don't purchase without a thumb (unless its a VG purchase) like buying half an excavator.
3.Check drive motors oil for metal in oil,smell the oil,if it smells bad the drive could be going bad (drives $$$25-3000 ea) FYI: I change drive oil 80/90w with each engine oil change (less than qt in ea drive just to be safe as drives have no filter,pump or means to take out normal wear/dirt)
4.Try to purchase a one owner machine that has been well cared (dont be too concerned about hrs)
5.Join https://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/ and then go to excavators they will have a choice of mini or weight class & learn
6. Just to make sure if buying used go to eBay put in model you are purchasing & see what parts popup ,tracks, sprockets,drive motors,etc.
7. Loose bucket pins are no problem, easy replacement at local machine shop

 

[wp6529]

1.Purchase older used machines before 2015 before all the EPA regulations took place .
2.Don't purchase without a thumb (unless its a VG purchase) like buying half an excavator.
3.Check drive motors oil for metal in oil,smell the oil,if it smells bad the drive could be going bad (drives $$$25-3000 ea) FYI: I change drive oil 80/90w with each engine oil change (less than qt in ea drive just to be safe as drives have no filter,pump or means to take out normal wear/dirt)
4.Try to purchase a one owner machine that has been well cared (dont be too concerned about hrs)
5.Join https://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/ and then go to excavators they will have a choice of mini or weight class & learn
6. Just to make sure if buying used go to eBay put in model you are purchasing & see what parts popup ,tracks, sprockets,drive motors,etc.
7. Loose bucket pins are no problem, easy replacement at local machine shop

Only easy if they have not been neglected to the point they wear through the bushings. If they do then line-boring repair is far from easy or cheap. Heck even just worn pins and bushings are not cheap, $100 or more commonly. I've seen just a single pin for a not particularly large machine cost $300.

 

[DRussell]

Kubota is the largest producer of excavators , easier to get parts, I had same choice in 2011 & purchased Kubota its the handiest tool I have,easy on fuel, some Bobcats have Kubota engines which are 4 cylinder, Kubota excavators in that weight range are 3 cylinder. 6-8 ton is the size that is very nice for working in woods fitting between trees & still pickup 16 ft Saw logs with ease . If purchasing used can give you come tips.

Does Kubota use electric solenoids to control the hydraulics? I'm pretty sure Bobcat does this and wiring issues can cause a lot of grief on older machines.

 

[Nordic]

I favor recommending Kubota, I have a 1996 model 028, about 6500 lbs. I bought it 18 years ago with about 2100 hrs. I don't put many hours on it per year. Overall I am happy with it, I have replaced one final drive (aftermarket from Texas) and one track. Other than that, the performance record has been very good, only minor repairs. Kubota is one of the better ones for parts availability from my years around machinery. Bobcat may be good but parts are EXPENSIVE and they make sure to use unique dimensions of parts so you are forced to buy from them. I paid about 2500 for my Kubota final drive. I heard of another guy that had to buy a final drive for his Bobcat, about the same size, he paid about 6000.
As for a thumb, yes they are very useful. Mine came without but I installed a mechanical thumb fo a few hundred dollars which has served me very well.
If and when you make a purchase, please let us know on here, thanks.

 

[redtom]

I worked for a landscape company as their " fleet manager" taking care of their equipment. He was an ALL bobcat guy. He would keep his machines about 1500 hours, skid steers and track hoes. They were trashed by then. The one hoe they pulled all the bolts out of the swing motor mount threads and all. I did my best to fix it. Tapping oversize, etc. It was clearly not going to hold up without lifting the turret right up to make a proper repair. He traded it in and never said anything. Another they snapped the big bucket knuckle off. I had a blacksmith weld it. The moral of my long story is I would be hard pressed to buy a used one unless I personally knew it's history.

 

[300jk]

I worked for a landscape company as their " fleet manager" taking care of their equipment. He was an ALL bobcat guy. He would keep his machines about 1500 hours, skid steers and track hoes. They were trashed by then. The one hoe they pulled all the bolts out of the swing motor mount threads and all. I did my best to fix it. Tapping oversize, etc. It was clearly not going to hold up without lifting the turret right up to make a proper repair. He traded it in and never said anything. Another they snapped the big bucket knuckle off. I had a blacksmith weld it. The moral of my long story is I would be hard pressed to buy a used one unless I personally knew it's history.

All I can say is wow ! Whoever was running that equipment was no operator. That’s just abuse and no reason for it ! Where I work you’ll get a butt chewing for scratching the paint on an excavator counterweight. Do accidents happen ? Yes ! Can most damage be avoided ? Yes. As far as machine recommendation I would go with the Kubota. They have a much better reputation in this area over the Bobcat brand.

 

[MKinON]

All I can say is wow ! Whoever was running that equipment was no operator. That’s just abuse and no reason for it ! Where I work you’ll get a butt chewing for scratching the paint on an excavator counterweight. Do accidents happen ? Yes ! Can most damage be avoided ? Yes. As far as machine recommendation I would go with the Kubota. They have a much better reputation in this area over the Bobcat brand.

I agree, especially with those last two sentences. We have a KX41, about 2.5tons. It's amazing how much it will lift. We have lifted and placed rocks weighing close to a ton. Needs to be right beside it, but has the power to lift way more than it is stable for. I've moved 40' x 28" butt diameter butternut logs with it, dragging them in close and then carrying it parallel to the tracks. Definitely get a thumb.

 

[Dale2]

I have a tow-able back-hoe. It has a 13in. bucket and a 4' reach. It can be towed up to 30 mile per hour.

Dusty does the towable unit work well for you. I have been thinking about one of those but wonder about the ability of it. Please tell me more about it
Thanks
Dale

 

[Dusty MI]

Dusty does the towable unit work well for you. I have been thinking about one of those but wonder about the ability of it. Please tell me more about it
Thanks
Dale

It's got a 13" bucket that can reach 4'. It can be towed up to 30mph.
It's two wheels each has it's own axel, which needs to be moved from towing proposition to working proposition. It's not hard to move it around using it's digging boom/arm.
It works nicely, and does not take up much storage space in the barn.
What's your approximate location? I might rent it out.

Dusty

 

[Dale2]

It's got a 13" bucket that can reach 4'. It can be towed up to 30mph.
It's two wheels each has it's own axel, which needs to be moved from towing proposition to working proposition. It's not hard to move it around using it's digging boom/arm.
It works nicely, and does not take up much storage space in the barn.
What's your approximate location? I might rent it out.

Dusty

do you have problems with rocks. near frankfort ky

 

[Dusty MI]

do you have problems with rocks. near frankfort ky

I'm in the Lansing area.
I've only used it a couple of times, and not encountered any rocks.