Advices for a total newbie

[iso9001]

Hi All,

My questions might already been asked. If so, sorry for the inconvenience.

I am a computer engineer but I resigned because I don't like computer science anymore. My new career plan is in construction and heavy equipments. I have a close friend. He has a construction company. He offered me partnership. We are planning to but couple of excavators and loan them out whenever we don't use them for our own business. Since this is completely different area of work, I wanted to get to know this as much as possible and I thought it would be best to ask my questions here Long story short, here are my questions:

1. We plan to buy +30 ton excavator. Fuel consumption is important. We also want to buy a solid machine without much breakdowns. So, any suggestions?
2. New excavators are expensive so we are looking for used ones. We plan to buy +2012 model and <7000 working hour excavators. Any suggestions?
3. Our first option is Volvo EC 360 (Mainly Volvos). Other options are Cat and Hyundai. Any other "must-consider" options?
4. What should we check when buying a used excavator?
5. Is there any guide for selecting an excavator based on personal needs? For example, my top priority might be low fuel consumption (I heard Volvo is good) or solid body with low level of break-downs (like Cats).
6. Is there any other question that "I" should be asking?

Hope to be among you guys for a long looong time

Thank you all in advance.

Regards.

 

[Ct Farmer]

When you say loan out I assume you mean rent out? All I can say is that most people who rent equipment treat it as such, " it's a rental, run her as hard as you can, it's costing me a fortune"

You will need to charge a lot to cover maintenance costs that will likely be hogher than using your own skilled operator. Now if you send your own operator that is another story. Either way you will need a reliable machine. Nobody paying you a serious amount of cash is going wait around for repairs and downtine.

Another thing to consider is your libility with a rentalor hire out situation. If that thing breaks and causes injury or damage you could have some heavy liability. Insurance is a must.

As for machines, Cat is the clear leader in parts availability for machines, even very old ones. I have Cat equipment 40 years old that I can get any part for. And fast. My Volvo even though only 17 years old is basically a guess on parts.

If you're plan is to use this machine as much as possible I think 7000 hours is quite high unless it is a really well cared for one-owner machine. Might think 3500 or less. At 10k and up things can really start to go.

Thing I would be most concerned about is the slew ring. The bearing and gear here are very expensive to repair. You basically need to break the machine in half.

Many excavators end up with cracked booms due to hard use, hammers etc. Repairs need to be professionally done.

You might consider paying for a professional appraisal if you do not feel qualified to do it yourself. A few bucks now could save you a lot later on.

Good luck

 

[iso9001]

Thank you very much Ct Farmer. Your advices are most welcome.

Yes, I meant rent-out instead of loan-out.

I always hear that Cat is the leader but;

• I also hear that its parts are expensive
• Its fuel consumption is much more than Volvo's

Now, I know that my customers are going to cover the fuel fee but why would my customer pay more for the fuel? His only concern is to get the job done with a fee as low as possible.

Basically, I have three brands in my mind: Cat, Volvo, and Hyundai. I am not sure Cat justifies its price difference. Also, I am not sure that I should go with Hyundai when I am able to afford Volvo or Cat. And nobody's going to pay me more if I use Cat instead of Hyundai. So, I want to choose the best strategy. This is no short-term plan.

Thank you again

Regards

 

[iso9001]

We have decided on Volvo Ec300DL. Any pros and cons?

Regards

 

[iso9001]

My partner just had a deal for 2 Volvo EC300DLs for 125.000€ (around 132.000$) each. Now we are planning to buy a 3rd one but we only have 100.000€ left. We can either got with Volvo but for EC250DL model or Hyundai EC290-9. Which one would you prefer? Or maybe should we go for Volvo EC210?

Regards

 

[Wilson892]

Find the other 25k and have 3 the same. Only need one set of extra parts and one set of manuals to cover all. Mix em up if you must or get a deal on three. Go big or go back to CPU science.

Just ramblings, John

 

[iso9001]

Find the other 25k and have 3 the same. Only need one set of extra parts and one set of manuals to cover all. Mix em up if you must or get a deal on three. Go big or go back to CPU science.

Just ramblings, John

I am going to go big as I hate CPU science

So, I am able to afford 25K or 21K Volvo. Which one is likely to have more hiring opportunities? Any pros and cons?

Regards

 

[Plebeian]

Go for the EC210, there are likely to be bridges with weight restrictions or other structures you cannot cross with the larger heavier excavators to access sites. See if you can send someone to Sweden or somewhere for machine maintenance/ repair training (if you cannot find a local trained mechanic) if the machines are not maintained or repaired properly they will not have durability or longevity.
This is the only English language reference I can find for the Orhanli Volvo Construction Equipment Training School. http://www.volvoce.com/SiteCollecti... INT practical exercises masters 2011_web.pdf

I would have assessed the quantity and quality of used cooking oil available, to provide a lower fuel price to run Caterpillar excavators.
http://www.albahar.com/company/training

 

[iso9001]

Hi All,

We managed to purchase 3 EC300DL Volvos. Is there any guideline for maintenance?

Regards

 

[Honcho]

We had a Volvo240 i would say it is very bad machine to compare with New holland-Cobelco. Volvo is slow,fuel consuption isnt low,chain trucks are weak.short boom,penetration tips are very expensive, that is all I remember of Volvo, I would prefer CAT,NHC.