Best mini Excavator for the money

[Oregon logger]

 

[adv.wastewater]

I love my CAT 304

 

[bigbob]

Hope to be picking up a brand new 305c c r late next week.Dealer is out of stock currenntly.
My 94 307 needs a turntable bearing. I will fix the 307 later this summer. Also have a 311 cu which is down to it's last few payments.
First machine I have bought in plastic, always return from rent. 305 will have a cab with ac, thumb, coupler, long stick, and a 30" heavy duty rock bucket for bony NH.
Does anybody have a Craig tilt bucket for a mini?

 

[DGODGR]

TK having poor quality control? Never heard any say that before. I really like the TK 153 machine. I had a 53 before that. The ability of the TK zero swing/zero tail machines (138, 153, 180) over a typical swing swing boom machine is significant. They lift a lot more due to the swing mechanism being closer to the center of the machine. They offset dig much more effectively for the same reason. Loading trucks is a breeze because the stick can be moved all the way to the right and it loads like a conventional excavator with the stick coming up along side the cab of the machine. The breakout at the bucket is very good.

When I bought this 153 I looked at the 305CCR which was just released at that time. The CCR is much better than the previous CAT mini ex series which in my opinion was a POS. However the advantages that the 153 brings to the table over the 305 put it way over the top. The CAT did have a much nicer cab, and the angle dozer blade was cool. The CAT was also 12K more. I compared the values of the CAT mini ex machines on IP and found they don't bring any more than any of the other major players. Still if your predisposed to buy a certain color it isn't going to matter. However the zero swing TK excavator in my mind is a great piece of gear.

It's interesting when these older threads get revitalized. I was just reading it again and noticed something in this post. I have noticed that you (KSSS) are partial to the Takuechis. I have heard you sing their praises in several threads. I have never run one so I can not dispute it. It's good to see that you are staisfied with them. I do, however wonder about your comment regarding the zero tails being able to lift more weight than a conventional tail. I agree that the boom is mounted farther back but it's there to compensate for the lack of a good counterweight. Another thing to note is that the zeros are usually heavier than a similar (in performance) conventional. This is another strategy to compensate for the lack of a good counterweight. I have both types (conventional: CAT 315; zero: Bobcat 435 ZHS). I really like the way the ZHS works in tight palces, but I don't like how tipy it is (even with the optional extra counterweight, which does make a noticable difference). My Bobcat has performed well but has had more than it's share of problems. If the local Case dealer (which sells the Taks) wouldn't have scourned me I might try one some day. They screwed up a deal so bad (I was buying a 40,000# excavator, and a tri-axle trailer), and it was after we had everything hashed out. I won't go in that store to this day (that was back in '03). After that I ran back to the Cat dealer and bought the 315CL. It is the second Cat that I have owned, and both have been great machines.

 

[stumpjumper83]

I can't verify that the tach fr's will out work a conv. machine but I can tell you that a tb53 is more hoe than a tb145.

I can say that a fr is more enjoyable to dig with than a conv. mini because of the way that the boom rotates.

I can tell you that its alot better to load a triaxle with a fr than a conv. The fr's lift really high. They also can trun around in about 2' wider than their tracks and dump behind them. Might be really handy for alley digs.

I own a tb53fr, and like it. If I had to do over I wouldn't change it. Except I'd get a/c, have heat though.

On the negative, the thorottle could be moved away from the side of the seat, and preferably changed to a twist style on the dash, and auto idle would be nice. But the 53 isn't the current model.

All that about tacheuchi, but they are not the only companies producing a quality mini hoe. Komatsu, deere, and others deserve a thumbs up for their efforts as well.

 

[DGODGR]

I would like to check one out, but I never will as long as the same local dealer is the one selling/ supporting them here.

 

[KSSS]

I would like to check one out, but I never will as long as the same local dealer is the one selling/ supporting them here.

Some CAT dealers suck as do some CASE dealers. Too bad, but that is reality. I get great service from CASE as is the reason everything except my mini ex is CASE. The TK did come from the CASE dealer. The 153 will lift an incredible amount of weight. Way more than a similiar sized conv. swing boom machine. I am aware that a ZTS machine weighs more but in this case it is due to the side to side boom configuration more than the added weight. I doubt I will convince you of how strong the machine is, but if you find yourself in SE Idaho your welcome to give mine a run. Its an impressive machine, its not perfect but its very strong.

 

[DGODGR]

Some CAT dealers suck as do some CASE dealers. Too bad, but that is reality. I get great service from CASE as is the reason everything except my mini ex is CASE. The TK did come from the CASE dealer. The 153 will lift an incredible amount of weight. Way more than a similiar sized conv. swing boom machine. I am aware that a ZTS machine weighs more but in this case it is due to the side to side boom configuration more than the added weight. I doubt I will convince you of how strong the machine is, but if you find yourself in SE Idaho your welcome to give mine a run. Its an impressive machine, its not perfect but its very strong.

I'll be in Stanley at the end of August (dirt bike riding). We come up the 15, so I don't think I'll be very close. Your right. It's not really possible to TELL me about it. I'll just have to try one myself some day (but not from Century Ept.!).

 

[KSSS]

I'll be in Stanley at the end of August (dirt bike riding). We come up the 15, so I don't think I'll be very close. Your right. It's not really possible to TELL me about it. I'll just have to try one myself some day (but not from Century Ept.!).

I go riding in Challis (just down the road from Stanley) its about 2.5 hours away. Great time out there. If you stayed on 15 northbound toward West Yellowstone you would be about 15 miles away. If you get bored in Stanley PM me and I can give some other areas to check out as well.

 

[catmandu]

Asking for some good advice on purching a Thumb (non-hyd) for my CAT 304 CR.

I use a 18" bucket W/four teeth.

 

[DiamondConcrete]

USA attachments is where i got my thumb for my K121-3. I think i went to big on it but you can always cut it down you cant add to it. :beatsme

 

[KSSS]

Asking for some good advice on purching a Thumb (non-hyd) for my CAT 304 CR.

I use a 18" bucket W/four teeth.

Go with a hyd. thumb would be my suggestion. I use a Werk Brau thumb and coupler and have had three of them now and like them a lot. But I would not waste the money on a rigid thumb on a mini. The aux. hyd. are all ready plumbed to the stick on most mini ex's. I think for my thumb and coupler was around 2500.

 

[BarnStarFarm]

Total agreement with KSSS- mechanical thumbs have their uses but once you've tried tearing up a few trees or moving slash or rocks or whatever with a hydraulic thumb you'll wonder how you ever got along without one. They're indispensable IMHO.

 

[casecx31]

I completly disagree the takuechi has tons of power but is a little slow and since we use it to lift that is nice. It is very reliable too

 

[Balavto]

Pel Job EB406 or Takeuchi TB1140...

 

[firetrack]

The Cat minis are made in Japan by Shin Caterpillar Mitsubishi and are basically the Mitsubishi mini. Cat have now taken over the whole of the construction side of SCM and all units coming out are marketed as Cat. I have had a Yanmar Vio27-5 (purchased new in late 2006) and did 2500hrs on it. It was a great unit that 'punched well above its weight'. The weakest point is the final drive unit. If your doing a lot of tracking change the oil in final drives when you change the engine oil(we changed every 200hrs) not when Yanmar say at 500hrs. We did both final drives and a fan belt in 2500hrs. I've traded it in on a new Hitachi ZX35U Dec12 2010 and we currently have 297hr on it. Hitachi advise changing final drive oil at 1000hrs and engine oil at 500hrs. We do both at 250hrs. Out unit has a/c CAB, extra counterweight, 12/18/30" digging buckets, 4' tilting batter bucket, 4' skelton bucket, hydraulic thumb grab and a ripper tyne. Unfotunately Hitachi do not come with factory quick hitch as the Yanmar do and ours if fitted with Aussi manufactured quickhitch which is a 'load of rubbish". The Hitachi is more than equal to a CAT in performance but nothing comes close to CAT for service and parts but we try to turn ours over at around 2500hrs so parts shouldn't be an issue other than pins and bushes. The Yanmar was cheaper and I only went for Hitachi because it has better over the side performance than Yanmar in this range of diggers. When we upgrade and go up a size I believe we'll go back to Yanmar for the simple reasons of it has more slew power and a really good OEM quickhitch. Very similar to operate and have the same motor, both have as good a little cab as you can get on these small units.
My thoughts only and I'm the one putting up the dollars in our operation.
Firetrack

 

[ddslinde]

Bobcat's made alot of nice improvements to their new m-series machine (E42,E45,E50)... I have ran the E50 and it's a nice machine. Quicker, more lift, better cab than the previous 337/341. Second on my list would be the Kubota.. like the KX121/ 161. I haven't ran one yet, but the new u55 and kx57 look like pretty nice machines as well.

Both Bobcat and Kubota, at least in my area, retain their value extremely well.

Good luck.

 

[eric12]

look into kobelco or komatsu. theyre cheaper than cat and they run nice, i have a kobelco 35 and havent had any issues with it for just over 4000 hours

 

[Drc]

We have a FR 138 and FR 180 had a FR 153, excellent machines. Takeuchi I'd say

 

[KSSS]

TK is finally stepping up on the 153 with a pump set up like the 180. Pretty hard to beat the productivity of these FR excavators. I am hope they have these updated machines at ConExpo.