Kobelco ED190 Bladerunner

[MVFD]

I was wondering if anyone knows anything about Kobelco's new ED190 Bladerunner? anyone own one? how are they?

My current employer is looking to buy one, and the company Im going to be switiching to for new employment is also thinking of buying one.

Just looking for some input on the machine.
It looks to be like a very Versitile excavator being a 2 in 1 machine.
Thanks in advance

[NHDealer]

If you still are looking for information let me know.

[Scott_527]

I'd love to get my hands on a bladerunner. The ED150 or 190, wouldn't matter to me :bouncegri . The ED190 doesn't seems to have as much HP as other excavators in that size class. Would it still have to same power and capabilities? I'm really surprised that other manufactuers haven't picked up on this idea.

[9420pullpan]

i sat in this machine at the conexpo the cab was very comfortable alot of room. the sales rep said they put bigger drive motors on them to make them push more etc... and the track shoes are rolled to improve turning....

2813

2814

[NHDealer]

The pushing power of these units is incredible, Mainly due to its weight. The clipped shoes do help in turns. If im not mistaken the drive motors are the same as what they currently use on the Dozer but I will have to check that. They arent the fastest "grading" maching, but do have an increasing market, mainly in the forestry industry. Cat already has a unit in the works overseas. I have some literature on it but its all in Japanese.

[CascadeScaper]

Bladerunner's are awesome, but super expensive.

[MVFD]

The pushing power of these units is incredible, Mainly due to its weight. The clipped shoes do help in turns. If im not mistaken the drive motors are the same as what they currently use on the Dozer but I will have to check that. They arent the fastest "grading" maching, but do have an increasing market, mainly in the forestry industry. Cat already has a unit in the works overseas. I have some literature on it but its all in Japanese.


I dont think that machine would be very good in the forestry market. atleast not around here.

Its not only to small, but would get hung up all the time on the terrian here.

plus the smallest machine in the feild for forestry around here is a 300 high walker. (most times)


I have seen the balde runner used more around here for doing service work in new subdivisions plus road building. and also one was used to grade a soccer feild out here as well. did a very nice job to

[CascadeScaper]

A 300 in the woods? Wait 'til Ford LT gets on here, he'll tell you the biggest they'll run in the woods is 200's. If you're full on logging, I can see how a 300 would be great for busting road and loading trucks. But if you're just a general excavation company who happens to do some light logging/clearing and roadbuilding, the BladeRunner would be awesome.

[Tommjr]

When I was at ConEx, I thought the sales rep told me that the ED150 had the same under carriage as the SK210, and the upper carriage as the SK130.

The ED190 was the same under carriage as the Sk250, and the upper carriage of the SK210.

I could be wrong.:)


I have used the ED150, I thought it was a good machine, however, the moment you start on slope for minor gradework or backfill, especially in a tighter area, you MUST be aware of boom and stick location:bouncegri

[MVFD]

A 300 in the woods? Wait 'til Ford LT gets on here, he'll tell you the biggest they'll run in the woods is 200's. If you're full on logging, I can see how a 300 would be great for busting road and loading trucks. But if you're just a general excavation company who happens to do some light logging/clearing and roadbuilding, the BladeRunner would be awesome.

well the last time I was in the bush, the smallest machine was a 300.
the only time I have seen a 200 out there, was ditching the road.

Logging has been apart of my family since my great grandfather.

But they dont even use excavators for logging here on the island, all they do is push roads in, and assist the cable graple yarder. now it is very common to see madill equipment. They use 300's all the way up to 450's atleast in the area im from, the regs may be different where Ford LT is either because of ground conditions or some other condition, I do remember him talking about that tho.

[Ford LT-9000]

In the bush 350s are usually the largest machine used a 200 size machine is too small. The forestry regs says you can't build a road a certain width apart usually 400-450 sized machines are too big for forestrys new rules.

Excavators are used in the bush for everything if they are combination machines then they are hoe chucking. Log loaders in the 300 size are hoe chucking, skidding isn't done much and in the steep areas grapple yarding is used. Wood is chucked to the side of the road and the self-loading logging trucks haul the wood to the dump.

[MVFD]

Wow that is a very different setup compared to the logging here on the island.

I just came out of the bush a few weeks ago, and 450's were building roads and pushing around blast rock.

the trucks around here dont load themselves, their is a log loader that handles that part, after the graple yarder has moved out, or further down.
The hot saws will usualy cut the trees down before the graple yarder, but if the terrian gets to steep, they call in the fallers.

One of the 450's had a hydralic quick exchange and was up on one of the clear cuts fixing a road, he was probly up about 1500 feet and as he swung out over the slope his bucket let go and rolled all the way down in the trees below. they ended up calling in a helicopter to come pick up the bucket as there was no other way to get it. they also do alot of heli-logging as well.

[Scott_527]

When you say 450s you mean Hitachis right? Thats one of the only 45 tonne machines I've seen dressed up for woods work. Never seem to come across any big 45t Cats or Komatsus with the woods gear on em. T-Mar used to build some nice Kobelco roadbuilders in the 40+ tonne range (sk400 - 480), ever see any of those around?

[murray83]

I've seen a 450 deere at woodlands in Sussex for a try out all dressed up in woods gear but it never stayed very long was a week or 2 last fall if memory serves me well :mad: ,they went with the 330.

I swear I've seen a blade runner here in this area on a float but it was only once out in Quispam but I could be wrong and mistaked it for a 115 Kobelco none the less they are nice for residential new home excavation.

[Ford LT-9000]

The reason why self loading logging trucks are used is the trucks can load and go there is no need to have a operator and a log loader loading trucks when it can be hoe chucking.

John Deere is really trying to sell themselves out here so they are the most popular machine around along with Hitachi.

Back to the blade runner I looked at the pictures that sucker has a decent size blade on it. The machine would be good for doing utility work you can dig the trench and backfill with the blade. It would also be good for doing residential driveways.

[Wulf]

Nice looking machine but I'm a bit skeptical about Kobelco's claim (according to their website) that the bladerunner is a 2 in 1 machine and can replace a dozer. I bet it makes for a fine excavator but for dozing with the fold-away blade it could be OK for cleaning up a bit, maybe 5% of its time but pretty impractical for anything but residential jobs. Also even though the tracks are SALT type, the undecarriage wear would be pretty dramatic especially in the woods.

[CascadeScaper]

That machine would replace a D3 on residential jobs, no doubt in my mind.

[Wulf]

That machine would replace a D3 on residential jobs, no doubt in my mind.

I hear you on that for minor work but the D3 comes with conventional single grouser shoes and doesn't need rounded shoes with mini grousers to help it get around.

[Scott_527]

Hey Murray, was that 450 done up as a roadbuilder or a processor? 450 is a huge overkill for our woods, so is a 330 really but i know that Irving does have a couple of Cat 330 roadbuilders. Most of Irvings excavators/ processors are Cat so are thier dozers. They seem to favor deere for skidders, forwarders and feller bunchers though. I was by the Sussex woodlands division in the spring and they had 2 nice D6Rs with the angle blades, winches and woods gaurding and also a D7R done up the same way :notworthy .
That bladerunner that you saw around here, did you see it at a Irving gas station? I saw an ED 150 at the truck stop just before you cross the NB/NS border and also at the blue canoe in welsford.
Here's a nice ED 180 that was for sale in BC a couple of years ago.

[murray83]

Yeah it was being hauled on a tag along near Pennfield,I orgionaly seen it at the Dolon Road Irving and haven't seen it since.

The 450C was done up as a roadbuilder from Ontario as a try out cab guards,thumb,GPS and a few other extra nice gadgets but they sent it back and purchased a 330 deere.From my memory Irving has umm 2 6's and 2 7's,2 cat 330BL's and a deere 330C short stick and thumb and cab guarding and a couple 140 cat graders.We had it at Gulf in the refinery last winter on loan when woodlands almost went belly up,she had 300 hours on her back then and it returned to Sussex to be run by some 18 year old who ripped the thumb off,scratched up all the paint and dented her up pretty bad :mad: wish I snapped a pic of it before the slow death its being given in the woods by Irving.They seem to give the new gear to the kids to destroy and give the beat up crap to the vets who can manage to keep them in order :rolleyes:

Spring time I may try out for a position with woodlands I wouldn't mind running a dozer or 330 maybe even attempt to get on a 140 grader :bouncegri

[CascadeScaper]

Not all of us kids wreck machines!

[murray83]

I'm 23.The Irvings have a different way of doing things to say the least.

[Scott_527]

The Irvings have a different way of doing things to say the least

Thats a huge understatement! I've worked in their mills before and have sen the way they operate. Any one who hasn't seen first hand they way the work honestly couldn't begin to imagine some of the things they do.
Was that 330 Deere a highwalker?. I think their Cats are. Howd that guy manage to rip a thumb off?
You mentioned wanting to apply to Woodlands. I wouldn't mind doing the same but I'd have to take a operators course first. Any idea how much they pay? I've herd $22.50 for a harvester operator. Running a roadbuilder or a dozer would be cool but I have no interest in graders at all.

[murray83]

Haha you sitting down for this one?

$12.50/hr is the B rate and its almost $15 as the A rate :confused: thats the dozers,grader and excavators building roads.The forestry part itself I'm not that shure your rate probably sounds rite,its March to September then a winter lay off.The trick to working with them is to carry a transfer tank as they pay your travel to work every morning if you fuel up your own machine (40 cents a Km last I herd) but only up to a certain number of Km's.

Actually if you applyed this spring you would have possibly got in since 95% of the woodlands crew quit to go work with us at Gulf Operators (another joke JD Irving outfit) to get a dollar more an hour.So they took anything that could count to 5 and threw it on a machine.Haha how did he rip off the thumb? I was told he decided to use his machine as a wood splitter with the thumb accidently extended out :mad: So they threw him on a 325 to load trucks and royaly screwed that up too in a week,so guess where he is now........Road Building Engineer :bouncegri lol that whole outfit its screwed from office to field.

The 330 Deere was just a basic excavator with the woods gear,it may have moved to Chipman or elsewhere by now though.

[digger242j]

Not all of us kids wreck machines!

And not all of us old guys don't...

[coopers]

Excavators with blades on them still hasn't really hit up here, we see them occasionally but nothing serious. I sometimes see a jobsite with 3 blade runners but then they disappear for months.

Blake
WA

CAT
C = Crappy
A = Ass
T = Technology

[tylermckee]

Having that big ass blade in my way would **** me off all day. i wish i they made a 6 or even 4 way with a small blade like you see on the other brands.

[Scott_527]

Having that big ass blade in my way would **** me off all day
Put it behind you when not in use :thumbsup

[unimog]

I have quite a bit of time on an ED150 and when I can afford it I'll be buying my own. I've used it mostly on demolition jobs and some trenching. Most digging you do, especially trench digging is done with the blade behind you as scott said. Otherwise you're moving too often because you can't dig too close. Of course in some situations you'll use the blade to level yourself or if it's something heavy, use it for stability. It works very well for backfilling trenches.

The blade is also very good for use as a backstop. One job I did with it was filling in behind a retaining wall. A skid steer brought the dirt down to me and the large blade let me keep it where I could get full buckets.

I would really like to try a 190 and see if there's much difference. There is a big weight difference but only a marginal increase in HP.

[shooter.]

"$12.50/hr is the B rate and its almost $15 as the A rate thats the dozers,grader and excavators building roads.The forestry part itself I'm not that shure your rate probably sounds rite,its March to September then a winter lay off.The trick to working with them is to carry a transfer tank as they pay your travel to work every morning if you fuel up your own machine (40 cents a Km last I herd) but only up to a certain number of Km's.

Actually if you applyed this spring you would have possibly got in since 95% of the woodlands crew quit to go work with us at Gulf Operators (another joke JD Irving outfit) to get a dollar more an hour.So they took anything that could count to 5 and threw it on a machine.Haha how did he rip off the thumb? I was told he decided to use his machine as a wood splitter with the thumb accidently extended out So they threw him on a 325 to load "


I dont want to step on anyones toes about this thread because I was just looking for info on Blade runners but after reading this I had to respond. I have been working for JDIrving for over 20 years ..alot of that time in woodlands building roads and running machines. I dont know where you got your info that you posted but you have been misinformed. I make almost twice what you posted for rates and 95%of my road building crew has been working with us for years. Last year I even had a Gulf crew building roads for us. None of us carry fuel and we get more per km than you have posted. Up until last year we worked year round but we do make enough money that we dont have to.I wont tell you how much I made last year with the winter off but I will tell you that to match it ...you would have to be working in Ft Mac. Our company gets a bad name in this province but they sure have treated me and my crews very well and I would recomend them any day ...anywhere...we are always looking for good operators and when we find them we want to keep them. It is the slackers and lever pullers that dont last long...that is where all the bad rep comes from.

With that out of the way lets get back to the Blade runner...we are going to try one in our road building program this summer for our shorter 300 to 500m roads in stead of floating a 336 and D7 to build them. I want to find out if it will be worth our while to get one?

[Scott_527]

Shooter, I sent you an email, did you get it?
The 190 is probably a good machine for logging roads as long as you're not into anythything too rocky. Was that your crew building road up around welsord last summer? I watched the guy on the 336 muscle around some pretty impressive boulders.

[shooter.]

I didnt get your email..where did you send it?
Yes it was my crew in Welsford last summer...lots of rocks there for the 336.We just got a brand new one a couple weeks ago. Not as good as our 345s were but easier to float around.
We are looking to use the 190 on our shorter and easier roads. At the moment we are floating our 336 and D7 almost every day on these little roads and with permits and everything, gets very costly. I would love to see a bladerunner in action to see what it can do.

[Scott_527]

I sent the email to whichever address your profile links to. I'll try sending a PM. The 190 Bladerunner ED190 is supposedly a 170 upper with a 210 bottom. Not sure if that's fact or not. I think Cat offers a straight blade on the 328 and Komatsu offers one on the 308. Its not a six way blade like the bladerunner but still pretty handy. Pedno mfg offers an outside mounted blade for most larger excavators too. I've only ever seen one Bladerunner in person and it was a 150. I'm not sure who owns it but it might be Simpson Construction.